December 7, 2013

  • The Stranger, a poem by my mother Margaret Hill

     

    There was a man at Christmas time who looked so out of place

    as people rushed about him at a hurried sort of pace.

    He stared at all the Christmas lights, the tinsel everywhere,

    the shopping center Santa Claus with children gathered near.

    The music from a stereo was playing loud and clear

    of Santa Claus and snowmen, and a funny nosed reindeer.

    He heard the people talk about the good times on the way;

    of parties, fun and food galore, and gifts exchanged that day.

    I'd like to know what's going on,” the man was heard to say.

    There seems to be some sort of celebration on the way.

    And would you tell me who this is, all dressed in red and white; and

    why are children asking him about a special night?”

    The answer came in disbelief, “I can't believe my ear! I can't

    believe you do not know that Christmas time is here.

    The time when Santa comes around with gifts for girls and boys,

    when they're asleep on Christmas Eve he leaves them books and toys.”

    The man you see in red and white is Santa Clause so sly,

    the children love his joyful laugh and twinkle in his eye.

    They learn to love this jolly man while they are still quite small;

    when Christmas comes HE is the most important one of all!”

    The stranger hung his head in shame, he looked at nail pierced hands,

    his body shook in deepest grief, t'was not as he had planned.

    A shadow crossed his stricken face, his voice was low but clear: “After

    all these years they still don't know.” And Jesus shed a tear.

    ...

October 12, 2013

  • My Ministry Guideposts

       Two quotations from among my many Bible teachers' sayings came as thunderbolt revelations to me; and they now guide me in my ministry: 

      “It is very possible for an earnest Christian to be so poorly taught and to so misunderstand the truths of Christianity that he is unable to adequately practice the Christian life!”     (Victor Matthews, in Plant My Feet On Higher Ground, Emmaus Bible College)

       And  "True Christianity is not the formal, powerless thing that so many have come to know.  Real fellowship with the living Christ, the Anointed One, results in the destruction of every bondage, the removal of every burden, and the fulfillment of every good desire.  There is no life so exciting as the victorious life that is true Christianity."     (Keith Moore, Moore Life Ministries)

       In 1992 God commissioned me with a personal, spoken message, His Spirit to my own spirit:     "I am sending you back to Parke County (Indiana) as a foreign missionary."  

       Parke County Indiana is where I was born and raised; so His words "foreign ministry" were at first a mystery to me.  But as I began to get reacquainted with the place after nearly thirty years out in the world and maturing in my Christian faith, that mystery dissolved.  For I found myself in a culture I did not recognize from my youth: a culture of false religion, scriptural legalism and pseudo-holiness.  I found myself increasingly confronting the same spirits of the Pharisees whom Jesus Himself confronted in His own home country.

      I'm re posting this today because the Spirit of the Lord is prompting me, still again, to blog more about this ongoing confrontation in the days or weeks to come.  Jesus criticized some people who claimed to be God's people by saying they followed the traditions of men instead of the Spirit of God.  So my question today is: Do you hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit of God? Or do you hear the voice of satan repeating the ungodly traditions of men?

    ...

     

     


October 2, 2013

  • Intercourse with God!

    INTERCOURSE...  Oh.  Did that word get your attention?  Well, I want to write about another meaning of that word, intercourse, than perhaps entered your mind.  The broader meaning of the word intercourse is intimate conversation and communion between two persons.   And the fact that most people immediately think of intercourse in its sexual context can actually be helpful!  So don't feel too badly if you're here reading because you thought I was gonna talk sexually.  'Cause I am.

    The intense pleasures experienced during really great, sexual intercourse come closer than anything else I know to compare with the spiritual experiences of intimate conversation and communion which I experience with my Lord Jesus Christ!  I am NOT being sacrilegious!  And I am NOT being perverse!  As a matter of fact, I am being completely biblical.  And my only purpose in this short blog is to arouse your interest in seeking and having an intimate and personal relationship with the Spirit of God through the Lord Jesus Christ.  Have I done that?  If so, please leave a comment.  And ask questions if you wish.

    I will be writing more about intercourse with God, living "according to the Spirit" and "in Christ."  For some of you, your relationship with Christ is already far more exciting and intense than any sexual relationship can be.   But I suspect most of you recognize that your own relationship with God doesn't compare favorably with your experiences with your sexual lover, real or imaginary.  Are you a visitor?   I hope you'll all subscribe to my blog.

September 11, 2013

  • His "New Commandment" Revisited, Retried.

    Sometimes, too often, I am criticized for individualism and non- conformity in my Christian walk.  But I am Holy Spirit- Led.  I'm led Personally by the very Spirit of Jesus!  And sadly, I perceive that most Christian folks are not.   Instead, most Christians rely upon their head knowledge of the codes and guidelines written to the newest Christians in their circumstances and cultures in the first century of the church. 

    As I pondered this, Jesus pointed out three truths to me: 

    One, what some call individualism and non-conformity comes from my trying to obey His "New" Commandment to us that we should love one another, which includes loving as He loved us -- a very tall order.  His commandment supersedes the laws, rules and regulations in scripture because it is their very foundation.  And the kind of love He is commanding is a daunting challenge, as it is defined in 1st Corinthians 13: 4Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Who can love like this all the time except one who is being Spirit- led!

    Two, this kind of love can only be practiced effectively by the more mature of Christians, as defined in Romans 8: 14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God, and in 1st Corinthians 2:  But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

     

    Unfortunately, most Christians are not led by the Spirit of God but are rather very much "still carnal;" 1st Corinthians 3: 1And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to mere babes in Christ. 2I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3for you are still carnal... behaving like mere men?

     

    Three, He said to me: "My  "new commandment"  demands my disciples be weaned off of the Old Law."  The law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.  But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. (See Galatians 3: 24 & 25.)  And in this context, He reminded me that even Paul, the great penman of much of the New Testament, wrote as a "recovering Pharisee;"   that "much of what Paul wrote was intended for Jesus' babes, needing milk instead of solid food," referring again to 1st Corinthians 3.

    Nearly two thousand years old and yet most of the church is still carnal, still trying to keep the Law by their own, limited understanding!

    This includes me, of course, despite my total commitment to His transformation of me.  But God is in control and the church and and are maturing and growing fruitful according to His plan.

    ...

June 29, 2013

  • "...the laws of Christ?"

    Here and now, in the age of grace, true Christians are guided ONLY by "the Laws of Christ" which He Himself spoke about during His earthly ministry, and which NEVER fail to reveal God's love living in us.  Here is my list of those  which most often guide me; but I welcome all to add to my list:

    1.  Do Not Judge One Another!  (Even as Leaders and Teachers in the church!  No, ESPECIALLY as Leaders and Teachers, we must not judge one another.  We must bear with our brothers and sisters, leaving time and space for  The Spirit of Christ to change them as He wills.)

    (Beware of the exceptions traditionally intended by the Apostle Paul.  Heed the warning of the Apostle Peter in 2nd Peter 3:15:  "...as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.")

    2.  Love God with all your hearts, souls and physical strength.  

    3.  Love One Another as we would have others love us. 

    And 4.  Love One Another As Christ Himself Loved Us, putting the needs of others ahead of our own.

    Keeping the Laws of Christ as we are led by the Holy Spirit of God will inevitably get us into trouble with the modern-day Pharisees, the "still carnal" believers, the gatekeepers and other apostates, the so-called Christians surrounding us.

    They will inevitably stumble over our lives in Christ even as they have stumbled over the completed work of Christ.  But this is the cross we are called to take up daily, to live the laws of Christ. 

    ...

June 27, 2013

  • Today is the day...

    About Me: For years I prayed God would get me into His best Bible college! Suddenly, in 1999 He answered by allowing me to be sent to prison for a crime I most certainly did NOT commit. There the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ began to speak more intimately with me, educating me personally, just as He did in the early days with His Apostles Peter, John and Paul, when they were prisoners! Glory to God! Therefore now I know I am blessed, recognizing I have been better-equipped than many of His other servants, grounded in His Word, Spirit filled, anointed to counsel, teach and write. The Lord has led me through and delivered me from many trials. At present, my trials include morbid obesity, heart disease and diabetes; and satan continues to try and persuade me that God's plans for me suck! But God IS Good and I trust Him! Read my credentials at 2nd Corinthians 3: 4, 5 and 6. Email me at JerusalemHill@live.com

    Today is the day,

    June 27th, just over one month since my Mom left her failing body behind "to be with the Lord where He is!"  And I'm still getting used to the idea I don't need to pick up the phone to talk with her anymore.

    Because of some expected controversy, she and I had agreed I should wait until this time after her passing to begin sharing some of the revelations The Holy Spirit of Jesus has given to me. And now I'm waiting, listening for Him to tell me what to say, when to say it and how to say it.

    Generally the message is about the need for believers to seek His Spirit for guidance so that they may distinguish between God's Truth  (the genuinely good news in Christ Jesus) and the false traditions which have come down to us over many centuries from the apostate, the "fallen away," the "synagogue of satan," which calls itself the church but isn't!

    I shared this much of the message with Pastor Jerry and Sister Tammy Bates back in 2002 when I returned to Parke County from God's "best Bible college." We talked about the meaning of Jesus' parable about the tares (false wheat) and the real wheat growing up side by side until He comes for the harvest. (See in Matthew 13: 25 - 27.)   More recently I tried to alert our Wednesday night Bible study group to the prophecies of Jesus Himself regarding the true church and the false church, which are found in the book of Revelation, chapters 2 and 3; but clearly I was stepping out ahead of the Lord's timing and made myself appear pretty foolish!

    Foolishness is the absence of wisdom from heaven caused by failing to wait upon the Lord, and I have often been drenched in it!   And one of my fondest recent memories is of Mom and I laughing over this foolishness, one of many secrets we shared about my ministry.  I can imagine her now, today, face-to-face with Our Lord and recalling that time of laughter between us. Ah, Yes, Today is the day which the Lord has made! I am glad and rejoicing in it, along with my Mom!

    ...

June 26, 2013

  • Permit Me An Introduction: I'm Under Re Construction

    This is a photo of the re construction of the Covered Bridge in Bridgeton, Indiana.  As a boy I rode across the original covered bridge on this site at least twice a day to and from elementary school.  Yes, I was riding as a passenger in a school bus.  The old bridge, which was built just after 1900, creaked and groaned from the weight of the school bus; but our safety was never in doubt.  It took a determined arsonist to finally drop that old bridge.  But an equally determined community rebuilt with the same time-honored materials and engineering.  And you should see the place now!

    This re constructed bridge, built to honor the historical masterpiece which was destroyed, is a metaphor for my own life these days. Except that I'm now much fatter than ever before, I may appear to some as unchanged over the years.  BUT "He Who began a good work in me is faithful to complete it!"  I am being made more like My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ minute by minute, and prompted often to speak as One with authority.  Anyone who visits with me will have the chance to begin to walk through this same bridge, either with me or on your own; I'll just point you in the right direction.

    I am Jerusalem Hill. an apostle (simply meaning one who has been Personally sent) by the Lord Jesus Christ, sent as His "foreign missionary" to my own home county, Parke County Indiana, and to the internet community worldwide. 

    ...

June 18, 2013

  • Between the Extremes

    I am not Antinomian. I do not reject the proper application of Biblical, moral laws.

    Antinomianism (Greek anti,"against"; nomos,"law") is the doctrine that faith in Christ frees the Christian from obligation to observe the moral law as set forth in the Old Testament. The insistence in the Epistles of St. Paul upon the inadequacy of the law to save, and upon salvation by faith without "works of the law" or "deeds of righteousness" (see Romans 3:20, 28; Ephesians 2:9; 2 Timothy 2:9; Titus 3:5) could easily be interpreted as a claim of freedom from all obligation to obey the moral law. Thus, righteous persons might well hold such a doctrine and behave in an exemplary way, not from compulsion but from a devotion higher than the law. (That describes me!  Notice though, that the Holy Spirit dictates what shall be exemplary, not other people!)

    The word antinomian comes from the Greek anti (against) and nomos (law), and refers to the doctrine that it is not necessary for Christians to preach and / or obey the moral law of the Scriptures. There have been several different justifications for this view down through the centuries.

    Some have taught that once persons are justified by faith in Christ, they no longer have any obligation toward the moral law because Jesus has freed them from it. A variant of this first position is that since Christ has raised believers above the positive precepts of the law, they need to be obedient only to the immediate guidance of the Holy Spirit, who will keep them from sin. My personal position embraces that last one, but recognizes the need for believers to “grow up” into such maturity, ie. progressive sanctification.  Paul speaks to "those of you who are spiritual," thus acknowledging that many are NOT "spiritual."

    But neither am I a Legalist. I do not believe that every written instruction applies to every Christian in every circumstance! There are “mere babes” in Christ. And there are “still carnal” in Christ. And these do well to stay safely within the written moral codes of the New Testament Epistles.

    However, I believe that Christians should “grow up,” building upon the foundational Laws of Christ:

    1. Love God with all your heart, soul and strength.     

    2. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. (Treat others as you desire to be treated.) 

    And 3. Love your brother and sister as Christ has loved you! (Christ continuously sacrificed Himself for the greater good of you and me!)

    Christians can only successfully “grow up,” by seeking and learning to be led personally and intimately by the Living Spirit of Jesus, growing progressively more "spiritual," and less and less "carnal" throughout our lives.

    ...

June 16, 2013

  • Part of the last 3% to get the word.

    The rumors are flying here on Xanga about the possibility of their demise!  I'm disappointed.  Xanga has been my blogging community of choice for many years now.  If they survive, I will continue in my Lifetime, True membership!

    If they don't I will continue to blog and build online friendships elsewhere.  Already you can find me at http://jerusalemhill.me.

    And I have downloaded the archives of my blogs on Xanga to my PC which is also backed up by Carbonite.

     

    ...

April 12, 2013

  • For my unbelieving friends, here is my

    Quotation of the Day

    ...that people often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God." That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg--or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.

    -- C. S. Lewis (1898 - 1963), from _Mere_Christianity_