Therefore Choose Life
by
Philip Vermaak
Copyright 2011 Philip Vermaak,
All rights reserved.
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-0240-6
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
GOD’S WAY TO EVERLASTING LIFE
GOD’S PLAN FOR YOU
It is my intense desire to see the body of Christ the “church “ reach the full measure of the stature of Christ and come into perfection and maturity in Christ Jesus and the things of God so that His plans for His children will be fulfilled.
I do firmly believe that God would want us to discover all the good things that He has for us so that we can be a blessing to others. God has a definite “way” for us to live and His way leads through holiness and righteousness into His presence. The “church” I think has to get an understanding of God’s holiness and righteousness and stop functioning under “man’s” righteousness, religion, and what man perceives to be holy and righteous. Clearly God’s ideas of holiness and what is righteous are very different to what we are being taught and told to believe today.
The holiness we see today is all the fanciful dress and regalia marked with ritualistic duties and functions of tradition. This is so often witnessed in the mainline churches and is carried over to modern Christianity These things conjure up an image of holiness and are now being supplanted in Pentecostal churches to create an “atmosphere” of holiness and a substitute for the presence of God and the Holy Spirit.. These displays of religious holiness unfortunately detract from the truth of the word of God and Jesus His son. The result is that today we have everything in the “church” that is only a carryover from the temple days of the Sadducees and Pharisees and from the works of religion. The word being preached is watered down with theology and eschatology and mingled with apologetics so as to confuse the simple basics of the gospel of salvation.
It is as if everyone chooses to interpret the word to suit a certain doctrine or theology. These ways of man are then carried over into the worship praise and prayer life and so we end up with the present situation of a “church” without power life and zeal.
Proof of this is evidenced in 2 Chronicles 7, this was penned over two thousand years ago and the point is this, why is it that whenever God says something we have to either theologize theorize or reason our way down some or other side track only to miss the point all together. 14If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Verse 14 of this wonderful passage is known by all, very often misquoted by the “prophets” of the day, yet no one seems ever to stop and ask why nothing ever happens with this promise of God. I believe in our enthusiasm and lucid faith we have failed to see the missing link in this key verse, a promise that God would have fulfilled long ago only if the “church” would listen to what the spirit is saying to the church. We have to ask the question, “what is it that God is saying, what is it that the “church” is not hearing today.” God said, “Surely my arm is not shortened that I cannot save!”
In this particular chapter God is answering the prayers of Solomon word for word, at the same time though He is making a very important point. It is a point of reference missed by the “church” for at least two thousand years. Firstly though remember that Solomon has just completed the house of God and his own house, and then he gathered all the musicians and the Ark. They have finished the marathon celebration of praise sacrifice prayer and fasting, they have performed all the laws for seven days and even confessed their sins. The Levites have performed the priestly duties, everything that was dedicated was sanctified, the temple and all that were present are now deemed to be holy, such was their love and devotion that they could not stand in the temple for the presence of God. The glory of God, what a blessing, yet in the still of that very same night God appears to Solomon and says, “If my people turn from their wicked ways”. Solomon must surely have thought God we have just spent seven days going through all of that what is it now? What more do you require from your people and what more must I do?
This is exactly where the “church” is at today, we have confessed our sin, baptized and done every other kind of programme but we have refused to repent and turn from our wicked ways, our iniquities, our inherent unknown sin. We refuse the truth and the voice of God. It is so obviously evident and yet the so-called “leadership” of the churches refuse to change and thereby they lead the whole flock astray. Proverbs 16:25 25There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. We have come to believe and think that death is a natural and normal consequence to life; God has other thoughts on the subject of death. Man’s wicked ways of sin and unbelief are the very issues of life that God wants to deal with. The ways of man even in the post crucifixion times are the issues that Jesus himself dealt with. Man in all his self-righteousness and pride is still not able to believe the very words of Jesus, the truth because of the iniquities of man.
Solomon was praying a prayer from an upright heart for all the people of Israel, God said now I see and now I hear and because He is a holy God He declares the verses 19 to 22 19But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; 20Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations. 21And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and unto this house? 22And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them. These verses speak of the consequences of disobedience and to me they give a very clear picture of the times we are living in. Here I must emphasize that we do not forget that God cannot and does not change, he is the same today and forever, yet it seems we think we can force his hand and bring change just by “prophetically” proclaiming those things that we believe and we have decided are right. The truth is that God cannot be mocked and we need to hear as did Solomon the voice of God.
We have to and need to seek the face of God but we also need to understand God’s way of seeking his face, Psalms 32:8 8I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. If we understand this is to see things through God’s eyes and that His ways lead to life then we will find the key to 2 Chronicles 7:14 14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Proverbs 4:23 23Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. This is the first step, if you believe?
In this book I will endeavor to set out my understanding and experiences in the word of God that hopefully will show the reader how I have received the revelation of everlasting life. Through this wonderful experience I have developed a love of the knowledge
