Wednesday, January 18, 2012

1--Hidden Manna - Preface



Hidden Manna
by


Kay Frances Graves





He that hath an ear
,
let him hear what the Spirit saith
unto the churches; 

To him that overcometh
will I give to eat of the hidden manna,
and will give him a white stone,
and in the stone a new name written,
which no man knoweth
saving he that receiveth it.

-Revelation 2:17

After completing Mystery of the First Love Lost, I requested my next assignment. Like Solomon desiring the most important thing in life, I sensed that I should also seek to address the most important issues facing mankind today.

The signs of the times indicate that we may be in the beginning stages of the end of life as we have known it on Planet Earth. I hoped that God would once again use my simple, unpolished style of writing to emphasize the message He wants to bring at this time, when so many hearts are troubled and so little is to be found in the way of real spiritual food.

Years ago I began hearing myself say, “If the truth will not be heard from the pulpit, perhaps God will raise up some little old lady in the back pew to expound it.”

I never imagined that I might be that “little old lady.”

Even though the birthing pains have already begun, there may still be time to sort out priorities and seek clarity regarding how we should respond to the challenges that lie ahead. Many of us still have a long way to go before we are spiritually prepared for what is coming.

While Mystery of the First Love Lost was gradually unraveled and revealed from page one, this book on the other hand, will reveal the ending first.

Knowing the victory and blessing that can belong to us when Christ finally returns, will help motivate us to keep knocking and keep seeking as we consider what is written within the pages of this book--and His Book.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

2--Hidden Manna - Introduction

(9)And the great dragon was cast out,
that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan
,
which deceiveth the whole world:
he was cast out into the earth,
and his angels were cast out with him.
(10) And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven,
Now is come salvation, and strength,
and the kingdom of our God,
and the power of his Christ:
,
for the accuser of our brethren is cast down,
which accused them before our God day and night.
(11)And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb,
and by the word of their testimony;
and they loved not their lives unto the death.

-Revelation 12:9-11

Three things must take place in order to overcome and endure to the end:
1. The blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ must be personally appropriated.
2. The word of testimony must be personally proclaimed.
3. Christ must be preeminent above everything--even life itself.

What is the “word of testimony?”

And I fell at his feet to worship him.
And he said unto me,
See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant,
and of thy brethren
that have the testimony of Jesus:
worship God:
for the testimony of Jesus
is the spirit of prophecy.

-Revelation 19:10

In the alpha and omega style of Jesus we see that the “word of testimony” is the testimony of the Word—the living Word of God (Jesus Christ) and the written Word of God. This is the “spirit of prophecy”—the Spirit of God that resides in His Word, correctly interpreting His Word and proclaiming it.

The Word is the spirit of prophecy because it is the testimony of Jesus:

Testimony = #G3141

Testifying as it relates to the office committed to the prophets
Testifying to future events
• A witness—one who is a spectator of anything

Prophecy = #G4394
• First of all a discourse emanating from divine inspiration
• Declaring the purposes of God by reproving the wicked
• Comforting the afflicted
• Revealing things hidden; esp. by foretelling future events

In other words, the Spirit of prophecy is the Word of testimony that believers possess which comes from their personal experience with the Word of God.

While truth has been hidden from worldings who prefer to stumble around in the dark, the Spirit of prophecy—the Holy Spirit that correctly interprets the Word of God, brings true believers into all truth, empowering them by the Spirit of God to be a witness concerning how the Word of God has worked through the experiences in their lives and enabled them to overcome.

It is the Spirit of the Word of God that will empower us to overcome and endure to the end.

The Book of Revelation tells us that it is time to reveal that which is hidden.

Therefore, let us open our spiritual eyes and behold the “Hidden Manna” which we are about to receive.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Hidden Manna - Chapter 7

Hidden Manna
True Evangelism


In Matthew 13, Jesus is the Sower and we are told how He sows the good seed into the world. This tells us that God has already chosen His people and knows who they are even though they, themselves, may not yet know that they belong to Him.

On the other hand in Luke 8, the sower is not specifically named in the parable and in this instance the seed is identified as “the Word of God.” We must therefore conclude that this sower is anyone who proclaims the Word of God.

We have discovered that there are three types of seed:

1) the children of the devil which are the bad seed the devil sows into the world

2) the children of God which are the good seed Jesus sows into the world

3) the Word of God which is the seed that the followers of Christ sow

From previous chapters we have learned that the written Word and the Living Word (Jesus) are the same Word because the Spirit of God resides in both.

Therefore when we are considering the seed of the Word of God we should understand that Christ is also residing within the seed of the Word that the followers of Jesus are sowing because He is the Word.

In a sense His followers are putting the Word out to feed the sheep of Christ, but we cannot presume that they are the ones actually completing the process of assimilating the food that is Christ, anymore than we can presume that a mother sheep is completing the process of assimilating the milk the lamb is drinking.

There are actually three different types of feeding going on by three different “feeders:”

1) The mother sheep is only “feeding” her young by providing the food.

2) The lamb must “feed” on the food itself by ingesting and digesting the food.

3) The food must “feed” the lamb by containing the nourishment and having the ability to break down and benefit the body of the lamb.

There is a reason why Jesus used the illustration of the Shepherd and those who feed on His Word being the sheep. This concept is simple, but not as simple as we might imagine at first.

The details reveal the Hidden Manna.

In John 21, Jesus gives us a true picture of evangelism when He instructs Peter to “feed” His sheep.

Which of the three “feeders” do Peter and the followers of Christ illustrate?

Jesus reveals this in His discourse with Peter about feeding the lambs and the sheep:

So when they had dined,
Jesus saith to Simon Peter,
Simon, son of Jonas,
lovest thou me more than these?
He saith unto him,
Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.
He saith unto him,
Feed my lambs.

-John 21:15

Jesus was addressing Peter’s weakness (and ours) when He questioned Peter’s love and loyalty.

He was asking Peter to prioritize his loyalties and evaluate his relationship with Christ. He wanted Peter to determine whether he was more concerned about his own life and what other people thought of him or his relationship with Christ and the most important responsibility Christ had entrusted to him.

Every believer’s love for Christ today will be tested with the same question. Everyone will be tempted to yield to pressure from family members, friends, denominational authorities, government, and the list goes on and on.

Therefore, we need to think about this in advance and decide right now which relationship is the most important to preserve.

Today it is common for professing believers to warn one another to be careful to “preserve relationships,” as if preserving the unity of our social structure is the chief priority in life. They have been tricked into thinking that the end justifies the means, believing that if they are willing to compromise a little, who knows, someday they just might “win someone to the Lord” (and the church) or be instrumental in counseling them into a better way of life—usually patterned after their own beliefs and way of life.

From pulpits today we are being instructed to “agree to disagree” instead of being encouraged to seek unity through truth. Yet, the Scriptures beg the question: “Can two walk together unless they be agreed?”(Amos 3:3).

No, two cannot walk together when they do not agree.

Instead of pulling the load together in the same direction, they each go off in different directions. They will either pray and study the Scriptures to come to an agreement regarding the truth, compromise the truth, or ultimately must separate because they are working against each other.

So be it.

Can we, or can we not, trust God to give us the truth?

Therefore, in this first passage of John 21, Jesus instructs Peter about feeding His “lambs”—the new followers of Christ.

The word “feed” in reference to lambs is (#G1016 = “feed” and comes from #G977 = “eat”). We have already discovered from the very words of Christ that feeding the sheep means “putting out” or “serving” the food to them so they can eat.

If ministers (which we all are when we belong to Jesus) truly love Christ we will feed His young lambs—those the Father has given to His Son—those who are just discovering who they really are as a result of hearing the Word of God and tasting the seed of the Word that has been sowed.

O, taste and see
that the Lord is good:
blessed is the man
that trusteth in him.

-Psalm 34:8

There seems to be a great deal of confusion in churches today regarding what this “food” really is. We hear church members remark that they need to go where they can be “fed.” To some it means getting a Bible story from the pulpit that satisfies them and to others it means learning something new about character development.

But what does “being fed” really mean?

This feeding does not just happen by being physically present every time the door of the church building is open. It is not a process of osmosis. It is an intentional personal feeding resulting from a deep God-given hunger and appreciation for the Word of God.

It is a practice every true believer will personally engage in to partake of the life and Spirit of Christ.

He saith to him again the second time,
Simon, son of Jonas,
lovest thou me?
He saith unto him,
Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.
He saith unto him,
Feed my sheep.

-John 21:16

Again Jesus questions Peter whether he really loves Him. If Peter really loves Jesus as he claims, he will feed the sheep—those Jesus is entrusting to Peter’s care.

Strong’s Concordance shows a distinction between the way lambs are fed and the way sheep are fed. Food (#G4165), is provided for the sheep in the same manner as it is for the lambs, however the root word is #G4166, refers exclusively to sheep and besides feeding the sheep, its basic root word is #G1006 and also means “leading and tending” the sheep which includes helping them find food.

Here Jesus calls His followers “sheep” instead of “lambs” because He is referring to those who have grown already by their exposure to the Word and will still require motivation or “tending”—continued assistance in finding food so they can feed on it themselves.

Jesus was asking Peter if he was willing to be committed to feeding the sheep. This is the question every professing believer in Christ must ask himself or herself today.

“Do I really love Christ? Am I showing my love for Christ through my commitment to feed His sheep by leading them to the Word of God so they can feed on it?”

Christian authors, teachers, and preachers take note. God has given us a priority of ministry. It is the same priority Jesus gave to Peter. That is to feed His lambs and His sheep with the Word of God for the primary purpose of letting them sample it, if you will, so they can determine if they have an appetite for it and will be drawn to feed on the Word of God themselves.

There is a big difference between preaching and teaching about the Word and actually preaching and teaching the Word. Therefore we need to ask ourselves, “Is what I am preaching, teaching, or writing filled with food (the Word of God) for the exclusive purpose of encouraging the sheep to hear the actual Word and continue feeding on the Word of God themselves or is it merely the essence of the Word—a watered-down version filled with my own doctrine, interpretations, and opinions that contain a different priority than the one Christ has set before us?”

Let us be careful not to tamper with the Word of God and presume that if we make it more “palatable,” people will be more inclined to feed on it. The Word of God is designed to be unpalatable to some and delicious to others. Who are we to tamper with the Word of God?

(18)For I testify unto every man
that heareth the words
of the prophecy of this book,
If any man shall add unto these things,
God shall add unto him the plagues
that are written in this book:

(19)And if any man
shall take away from the words
of the book of this prophecy,
God shall take away
his part out of the book of life,
and out of the holy city,
and from the things
which are written in this book.

-Revelation 22:18-19

I agree with Bible scholars that this passage specifically refers to the Book of Revelation. But I ask, “Doesn’t this also apply to every other precious Word God has ever given to us?”

Why would God not care about everything else He said, that is not in the Book of Revelation, and tell us to go ahead and change whatever we want?

Common sense tells us that we just better not tamper with anything as important to eternal life as the Word of God in any of the 66 books.

Christ’s priority is the pure Word as it appears on the pages of the Holy Bible, not a transformed or fragmented Word. An example of this can often be seen in clever romanticized religious articles devoted to telling an emotional story that is either void of the Word of God or contains a very limited amount of Scripture.

When Jesus said to Peter, “if you love me,” He was equating love with the action of feeding His sheep. False professors neither care about feeding on the Word themselves nor about feeding the sheep, thus testifying to their lack of love for Christ, regardless of how much they may say that they love Him.

He saith unto him the third time,
Simon, son of Jonas,
lovest thou me?
Peter was grieved
because he said unto him the third time,
Lovest thou me?
And he said unto him,
Lord, thou knowest all things;
thou knowest that I love thee.
Jesus saith unto him,
Feed my sheep.

-John 21:17

What do you find significant in this passage from John?

Isn’t Jesus addressing Peter, the one who failed to stand against the peer pressure of the world?

Yes, this is the same Peter, who denied Christ three times. So now Jesus is asking him three times to prove his love and loyalty to Him. By doing this, the Savior was reminding Peter to be aware of his weakness and warning him to be careful.

Repetition can be annoying. It gets our attention doesn’t it? This, in fact, is Jesus’ purpose—to get our attention. Anywhere in the Scriptures where the Word is repeated, God is trying to get our attention. The more something is repeated, the more important it is to consider it and not forget the vital lesson the Word is giving us.

So which of the three “feeders” do Peter and the followers of Christ illustrate?

1) The mother sheep who is only “feeding” her young by providing the food?

2) The lamb that must “feed” on the food itself by ingesting and digesting the food?

3) The food, itself, that must “feed” the lamb by containing the nourishment and having the ability to break down the nutrients to benefit the body of the lamb?

By accurately identifying all three we can see by the process of elimination that the only role Peter and the followers of Christ can fill in this command to feed the sheep of Christ is the first role of the mother sheep who is only “feeding” or “putting out” or “providing” the food.

The second role of the lamb can only represent those who are the good seed and have the capacity and appetite to feed on, ingest, and digest the food.

The third role of the food itself can only represent Jesus Christ, Himself, who contains the nourishment and is the only One who has the ability to break down the nutrients in order to benefit the body of the lamb/sheep by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Word further verifies the third role of Christ in Revelation Chapter 5:

(1)And I saw in the right hand
of him that sat on the throne
a book written within and on the backside,
sealed with seven seals.
(2)And I saw a strong angel
proclaiming with a loud voice,
Who is worthy to open the book,
and to loose the seals thereof?
(3) And no man in heaven,
nor in earth, neither under the earth,
was able to open the book,

neither to look thereon.
(4)And I wept much,
because no man was found worthy
to open and to read the book,

neither to look thereon.
(5)And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not:
behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah,
the Root of David,
hath prevailed to open the book,

and to loose the seven seals thereof.

-Revelation 5:1-5

Again I agree with Biblical scholars who would say that this reference to the “Book” is specifically referring to the Book of Seven Seals, but again we see that this illustration can also include any of the 66 “Books” and any Word of God from those 66 Books that He has caused to be written down and preserved for us throughout history.

Jesus Christ has promised that His Word will never pass away. When we are able to grasp the preeminence of the Word of God and how valuable and vital every Word of God really is, we are compelled to understand that only Jesus, the Lamb of God, alone is worthy to open that Word and give us a correct understanding of that Word.

No man on earth is qualified to interpret the Word of God. Just as Jesus could only speak the Words the Father gave to Him, we also can only speak or understand the Words that the Spirit of God correctly interprets for us from the Word of God.

A good preacher is one who is infused with the Word and Spirit of God himself. The purpose of his preaching is to feed the sheep God’s Word. But this is where we often experience more doctrinal confusion because everyone has a different opinion and interpretation of what “feeding the sheep” really means.

How Christians Should Feed the Sheep

The servant of God/minister (which we all are if we belong to Christ) puts the food out or serves it up for the sheep to feed on.

There is a three-fold purpose in putting out the food or serving up the Word of God:

1) Those the Father has given to the Son are drawn like hungry lambs to the milk, begin to hear the voice of their Savior and Shepherd and feed on every Word. God has already made them hungry. In fact, like every baby and new-born creature, they were born hungry.

2) Just as physical food contains nutrition, the spiritual food (Word of God) contains the life-giving Spirit and power of God to sustain and maintain our spiritual life. When this Word is presented to the lambs (those the Father has given to Christ) they instinctively begin feeding on the Word, eventually realize that they are, indeed, the sheep of Christ, and ultimately act and behave like sheep.

3) Through this initial feeding of “the lambs,” they soon identify with the True Shepherd and discover their own real identity and purpose.

The intention of God is not to make the sheep dependent on the pastor or any other minister that serves the food, but to show the sheep where they can find the food and how they are to feed on it. In this way they will learn to hear the voice of the True Shepherd and depend completely on Him for their food.

If we say that we love Christ, we will be actively demonstrating that love by feeding on the Word ourselves as well as feeding His lambs and sheep. Keep in mind that it is not what we say, but what we do, that really shows what is in our heart.

(26)But ye believe not,
because ye are not of my sheep,
as I said unto you.
(27)My sheep hear my voice,
and I know them,
and they follow me:

-John 10:26-27

The children of God are born-again by the power of the voice of God just as they were physically born the first time by the power of the voice of God and just as the Book of Genesis tells us that all things were created in the very beginning by the power of the voice of God.

God does not turn goats into sheep. The Scripture does not say that when the goats hear the voice of Christ, they instantly turn into lambs. Lambs are born lambs and goats are born goats.

Lambs and sheep recognize the voice of the shepherd who feeds them. Jesus is the True Shepherd. Each sheep has heard its specific shepherd’s voice at feeding time and is therefore familiar with the sound of the one who feeds them the food.

This explains why several shepherds can all gather together with their sheep at the same watering hole and when it is time to leave, each shepherd can call his own sheep and the sheep will separate themselves out of the combined flocks to follow their own shepherd.

The true sheep of Jesus Christ will not respond to the call of another shepherd, but will only acknowledge the voice of Jesus and follow Him alone.

We must not assume that because the flock is huge, it is made up of all true sheep that must all belong to the True Shepherd. No, indeed, the Word of God tells us that few will actually find their way to the True Shepherd.

Furthermore, the true sheep are also able to identify with the other true sheep from their own flock.

In the Middle East many breeds of goats look exactly like sheep. It is difficult to tell them apart until the shepherd calls his sheep. Goats love to go their own way, but the sheep will respond to the voice of their shepherd and follow him.

Do you see how the passage above dispels the myth surrounding today’s popular process of salvation? It becomes evident that the salvation experience was never meant to be a result of theological debates, canned indoctrination, a certain prayer, a trip to the altar, or a clever sales pitch.

This also explains why the devil is working so hard from pulpits today to transform the pure Word into something that has been filled with worthless empty repetitious chatter and emotionally charged stories. If the pure Word can be adulterated and fragmented in this manner, it can produce S.A.D. (spiritually attention deficit) bench warmers instead of strong focused hearers and doers of the Word of God.

Our entire salvation experience depends completely on whether the Father has called us or not. Therefore, if we sense that He is calling us we will respond to His Word and follow Him regardless of how much we have sinned in the past. We will be able to understand, repent, and appropriate the death of Christ as payment for our sin, submit the rest of our life to the lordship of our Savior, and genuinely cultivate a life-giving one-on-one relationship with Him by personally feeding on His Word.

Which is more important, our physical life or our eternal spiritual life?
If our eternal spiritual life is more important, shouldn’t feasting on the Word of God be our number one priority before we sit down at the table to eat our physical food and do what is required to keep our physical life sustained?

If we put the Word of God first, perhaps we would then be better qualified to discern which physical foods we should be eating and which we should be eliminating from our diet by learning what the Creator has to say about that topic as well.

Likewise, if we personally feed on the Word ourselves perhaps we would then be better equipped to avoid the false teaching that comes through the self-appointed authorities and denominationally approved mediators that stand behind pulpits today taking control of ignorant followers through twisted interpretations of Scriptures that are designed to instill fear, guilt, confusion, and dependence on those in authority.

These are the wolves in sheep’s clothing Jesus warned about, who wear huge friendly smiles on their faces while sucking the life out of the flock by keeping them confined in the pen and limiting their access to the spiritually life-sustaining food of God’s Word.

“I don’t see any wolves,” you say?

Perhaps you are not in the Word of God enough. If you are feeding on the Word of God you will be better equipped to identify the voice of the True Shepherd and distinguish it from the empty words and fragmented thoughts called “Bible studies” that are being broadcast from pulpits today.

Jesus also warned His followers about the doctrines of men. For this reason His sheep will (personally) feed on the Word of God, or not qualify as His sheep, because they will be following a false shepherd and the wrong voice instead of following the True Shepherd and His voice which resides in His Word.

False sheep do not have any appetite for the Word of God. It is as simple as that.

Let us dare to apply these thoughts to our own daily experience. First let us make the Word of God our priority for the day. We will soon discover that His Word will bring order, stability, and peace to our chaotic life.

Next let us compare everything we read and hear to His Word and learn to discern whether it is our True Shepherd’s voice we are really hearing in what is written and spoken.

If we really are the true sheep belonging to the True Shepherd we will be feeding on the Hidden Manna and will not be investing our time, money, and life in following a voice that is neither magnifying the Voice of the True Shepherd nor motivating us to feed on the pure Word of God.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Hidden Manna – Chapter 8 – (The End)

Hidden Manna
Hidden in Plain Sight


(1)In the beginning
God created the heaven and the earth.

(2)And the earth was without form, and void;
and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God
moved upon the face of the waters.

-Genesis 1:1-2

In the beginning, even before the earth was formed and light was created, there was darkness. Darkness came before light. This was the order God used in His method of physical creation.


(3)And God said, Let there be light:
and there was light.

(4)And God saw the light,
that it was good:
and God divided the light from the darkness.

-Genesis 1:3-4

First there was darkness and then God created light.


And God called the light Day,
and the darkness he called Night.
And the evening
and the morning
were the first day.

-Genesis 1:5

God followed this pattern of creation when He named the light “Day” and the darkness “Night” and makes it very clear that the evening came before the morning.

Therefore the first day began with the darkness of the evening and was followed by the light of day.

The blessing of the Word of God is always found in the details. God created us and built into our inner most heart, the love of playing detective and unraveling mysteries. After we came into the world, this is how our hearts would find the way to Him, in spite of all that would be against our ever coming to the knowledge of the truth.

(14)The great day of the LORD is near,
it is near, and hasteth greatly,
even the voice of the day of the LORD:
the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

(15)That day is a day of wrath,
a day of trouble and distress,
a day of wasteness and desolation,
a day of darkness and gloominess,
a day of clouds and thick darkness,

-Zephaniah 1:14-15

While Genesis gives us the picture of darkness in the beginning—Zephaniah gives us an end time scenario beginning with darkness.

It is interesting to note that the “beginning” begins with darkness and the “end” also begins with darkness. Thus we get the saying, “It is always darkest just before the dawn.” This promise and message of hope is built right into God’s order of creation.

(16)A day of the trumpet and alarm
against the fenced cities,
and against the high towers.

(17)And I will bring distress upon men,
that they shall walk like blind men,
because they have sinned against the LORD:
and their blood shall be poured out as dust,
and their flesh as the dung.

-Zephaniah 1:16-17

Contributing to the darkness is man’s own blindness. This is not physical blindness, because the Word tells us that men will be walking “like blind men”—as if they are unable to see. They will not realize where they are going because they will have become blinded by their sin and the error of their ways (own philosophy) which has carried them in the wrong direction. They have willingly gone down a path of self-destruction.

They will ultimately be like "dung" (excrement), void of any real value themselves and have no one to blame but themselves, because they have rejected the most valuable things in life.

Neither their silver nor their gold
shall be able to deliver them
in the day of the LORD's wrath;
but the whole land shall be devoured
by the fire of his jealousy:
for he shall make even a speedy riddance
of all them that dwell in the land.

-Zephaniah 1:18

Those who value the things of this world above the things of God will perish quickly. God is a jealous God. He alone deserves first place in our hearts.

(3)But if our gospel be hid,
it is hid to them that are lost:

(4)In whom the god of this world
hath blinded the minds
of them which believe not,

lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ,
who is the image of God,
should shine unto them.

(5)For we preach not ourselves,
but Christ Jesus the Lord;
and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.

-2 Corinthians 4:3-5

Yes, the Manna has been hidden…and yet it really has not been hidden at all. It has been hidden only from those who will reject it anyway and those who do not want to see the value it really has. This is the true Gospel which has been hidden right in plain sight—the message of Jesus Christ, Son of the Most High God.

Notwithstanding in this
rejoice not,
that the spirits are subject unto you;
but rather rejoice,
because your names are written in heaven.

-Luke 10:20

The world, the flesh, and the devil war against God’s agenda by confusing His determined order and priorities for man. When man forgets God’s priorities, he not only gets confused about the most valuable things in his physical life, but he also gets confused about the most important spiritual things.

Thus religious worldlings are trained by the world to focus on belief systems that promise to help them develop their own spiritual power and agendas, instead of submitting to the specific will of their Creator and focusing on every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of the One True God, who is the source of all power—even the power to grant eternal life.

(21)In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit,
and said, I thank thee, O Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
that thou hast hid these things
from the wise and prudent,
and hast revealed them unto babes:
even so, Father;

for so it seemed good in thy sight.
(22)All things are delivered to me of my Father:
and no man knoweth who the Son is,
but the Father;
and who the Father is,
but the Son,
and he to whom the Son will reveal him.

-Luke 10:21-22

Those who consider themselves to be wise and prudent do not have any place in God’s Kingdom. He has chosen “babes,” those who have not been influenced by the agenda and lies of the world and the devil. These are the ones who have been given the Hidden Manna.

(6)Howbeit we speak wisdom
among them that are perfect:
yet not the wisdom of this world,
nor of the princes of this world,

that come to nought:

(7)But we speak the wisdom of God
in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom,
which God ordained
before the world unto our glory:

(8)Which none of the princes
of this world knew:
for had they known it,
they would not have
crucified the Lord of glory.

-1 Corinthians 2:6-8

Those who crucified Christ did not know what they were doing. They had no time or attention to spend on discovering the hidden wisdom. This was the wisdom of the Creator of all that exists, carried on the very voice of God via His Word—the Hidden Manna. This eternal blessing was hiding in plain sight, but they did not have ears to hear the voice of God, eyes to see the value of it, nor an appetite to feed on it.

(25)Whereof I am made a minister,
according to the dispensation of God
which is given to me for you,
to fulfil the word of God;

(26)Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages
and from generations,
but now is made manifest to his saints:

-Colossians 1:25-26

What is a true minister of God?

According to this Word from Colossians, a true minister is one called by God to first of all serve the “saints” (believers in Christ) by bringing forth God’s hidden message. This message reveals the only hope mankind has of obtaining eternal life (“glory”).

This is the message the good seed has been created to receive. By fulfilling this Word, the sheep are drawn to the Shepherd to feed on this Word. Since Jesus is this living Word, it becomes an illustration of the True Sheep feeding on the very flesh and blood of Christ and explains the following very strange command Jesus makes in John Chapter 6:

54--"Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

55--For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.


56--He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

57--As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.


58--This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever."

This is how Christ in us becomes our “hope of glory”—our only hope of eternal life.

To whom God would make known
what is the riches of the glory of this mystery
among the Gentiles;
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

-Colossians 1:27

God desires that the true value of the mystery and the message will be revealed now to those who really belong to Him. The Hidden Manna is their only hope and will help them endure to the end as the system of this world passes away. Speaking of the end of the system of this world, Jesus confirms this in Matthew 24:

(33)So likewise ye,
when ye shall see all these things,
know that it is near, even at the doors.
(34)Verily I say unto you,
This generation shall not pass,
till all these things be fulfilled.

(35)Heaven and earth shall pass away,
but my words shall not pass away.

(36)But of that day and hour knoweth no man,
no, not the angels of heaven,
but my Father only.

-Matthew 24:33-36

Perilous times are coming. One day even the heavens and the earth shall pass away, but the Word of God will never pass away. Therefore, when we cling to the Word of God, it will carry us into the arms of our Redeemer at His appearing…and bring us safely into the eternal Kingdom of Heaven. 


I the LORD have called thee in righteousness,
and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee,
and give thee for a covenant of the people,
for a light of the Gentiles;

-Isaiah 42:6

History declares just how unstable the system of this world is. It is like a boat with holes, afloat in a violent storm. However, when we hunger for the righteousness of the Word of God, He will honor His covenant with us.

He compares the relationship He has with His people to that of a protective Father holding the hand of His child, keeping him safe, and giving him the privilege of carrying God’s light into a very dark and hopeless world.

To open the blind eyes,
to bring out the prisoners from the prison,
and them that sit in darkness
out of the prison house.

-Isaiah 42:7

God is calling His ministers (which we all are if we belong to Him) to let the light of Christ shine in our lives as we seek those He has created to be His sheep, to open the eyes of the blind and bring them out of the darkness and bondage of sin.

Our mission is to put the food out, bring the Word of God to the lost sheep so they can feed on the Hidden Manna and find freedom through Jesus Christ.

I am the LORD: that is my name:
and my glory will I not give to another,
neither my praise to graven images.

-Isaiah 42:8

According to God’s Word, idolatry is anything in our life that takes the place of God. It is the sin from which all other sins originate because the One True God must first be rejected in order to establish man as the god of his own life. In this way, the focus of our obedience is removed from God’s will and placed on our own will.

Once this takes place, man consults only himself regarding any other idols he desires to worship. God hates idolatry, whether it is in our heart or something tangible we call our “god” or “image of god” or “relic” or “reminder of god.”

Idolatry is an offense against God because in order to submit ourselves to something else, we must first deny His existence, that He is alive, involved in our life, and is perfectly capable of participating in a relationship with us without any other religious trappings of any sort.

He alone—Himself—is God and will not share His glory with anyone or anything else.

Friends, please receive this most serious warning from Isaiah 42:8 and avoid the wrath of God by rejecting any type of idolatry. Your eternal life depends on it.


(16)Repent;
or else I will come unto thee quickly,
and will fight against them
with the sword of my mouth.

[the awesome power of the Word of God]
(17)He that hath an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit saith unto the churches;
To him that overcometh
will I give to eat of the hidden manna,

and will give him a white stone,
and in the stone a new name written,
which no man knoweth
saving he that receiveth it.

-Revelation 2:16-17

~The End~
. . .and The Beginning

God's Gift of Salvation

            






There is Only
...One Way to Heaven:

Jesus said. . ."I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."(John 14:6)


"That if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth
the Lord Jesus,
and
shalt believe in thine heart
that God hath raised him
from the dead,
thou shalt be saved."
-Romans 10:9

1)  Admit you are a sinner. - (Rom. 3:10)

2)  Be willing to turn from sin and going your own way (repent).

3)  Ask God to give you the indwelling power of His Holy Spirit ... by being "born-again" of His Spirit.  (John Ch.3) - (Acts 17:30)

4)  Believe that Jesus Christ died for you ... was buried ... and rose from the dead.
(Rom. 10:9-10)

5)  Through prayer, invite Jesus into your HEART and LIFE to become your personal Savior and Lord of your life. - (Rom. 10:13)

...Knowing "about" Christ does not bring about a true saving conversion ... What you know must be successfully transfered from your mind into the depths of your HEART and SOUL.

Pray:
Dear God,
     I am a sinner in need of forgiveness and desire to have assurance of eternal life in heaven.  I believe that Jesus Christ shed His precious blood and died as payment for my sin.
     I am willing to:

1.. submit to the preeminent Authority of the living Word,  Jesus Christ.

2.. submit to the preeminent Authority of the written Word of God, the Holy Bible.

3..turn from sin and ask You now to give me the power of the Holy Spirit to follow You and do Your will ... according to Your Holy Word.

     At this moment, I invite Christ to come into my HEART and LIFE as my personal Savior and Lord.

Then:
1)  Find the faith to be faithful and victorious over sin by reading your Bible (KJV) every day.  Faith comes by hearing/listening/receiving the Word of God deeply into your heart.

2)  Talk to God in prayer every day.

3)  Be baptized and fellowship with other Christians who believe that Jesus Christ and the Word of God (Holy Bible) are the
preeminent authority over every aspect of their life. 

4)  Confess with your mouth, by telling others about your relationship with Jesus Christ.

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