The partnership that is called marriage...

Today – I write a new type of message. A message of one that many disagree on. A message that is guided for one to live “the good life”. A message that most likely will be misunderstood. A message that will likely be ignored or disregarded.

The message today is one pertaining to marriage. One that talks about the partnership of marriage, but shows how that partnership is to take place.

Ephesians 5:22-23 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 

Now – I'd like to point out something. Yes – wives submit to your husbands. What I'd like to first off note – is it's stating wives. Not girlfriends, not fiancées, but Wives. Wives – prior to marriage you were most likely already submitting to the man anyways – the only thing changing now is you're married.

Yes, if your husband were to ask you to clean take the car to the garage for an appointment – you should do it.

The same concept applies with Jesus and the church. Jesus asked Peter to throw in the net eventhough Peter had been fishing all day and caught nothing. This time he caught something. Amazing! It just shows that some of the greatest things happen as an outcome when your husband asks you to do something. You shouldn't doubt this nor be scared of this.

Now – does this mean in anyway by submitting to your husband, that he has the right to verbally abuse you, beat you, yell at you, or make you go and commit crimes? Absolutely not!

Ephesians 5: 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 

Interesting eh? The Bible not only tells a woman to submit to their husband – BUT then tells the husband how to treat his wife and all in the same chapter! Wives, future wives, women – let me tell you, if you think submitting to your husband is tough, try loving a woman in the way that Jesus did. What am I trying to say?

Imagine yourself for a moment as Jesus. You come to earth and your main responsibility is to save Israel. You come to do and do nothing but love Israel with all that you can. Israel says to the authorities “Crucify that person”. So you get whipped, and whipped and whipped, and then carry a cross all across your section of your city. You then get nailed to it. What are you thinking in your head right now?

Jesus says “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”.

That is the type of love that a man is to have for his wife.

Am I here to say one of these lives is more difficult than the other? Not at all. What I'm trying to say is both of these lives are just as difficult as one another. The purpose of marriage is to understand these difficulties and to be a partner for your spouse and help them through their roles and responsibilities.

Wives – if you don't submit to your husband, what do you think will happen? He'll go look for someone who will submit to him.

Husbands – if you don't love your wives, what do you think will happen? She'll go and look for someone else to love her.

Husbands! This is a big problem. I can't speak from a woman's perspective, but I can talk from a man's perspective and that perspective is this. If you're lucky enough, your wife won't leave you because you're not providing the love to her that she needs. The issue is where is she getting this love from? Do you have kids? She's probably seeking love from children. The problem is – children can't provide the love that she needs, and they were never created with that intention. That's your responsibility.

If you're not willing to accept that responsibility – than my advice to you is this: Don't get married.

Yes we all fail. Yes we all have our own issues – BUT men, if you are willing to accept the responsibility, get married. If you find the wife who will submit to you – she will help you on this journey. She will help pick you back up when you slip up. The thing is – you have to be willing to accept the responsibility which is to put your wife first before the rest of the world.

Women – next time you hear someone say – submit to your husbands. Don't think it's a bad thing. It really isn't. Imagine a man loving you so much that he puts you first ahead of everyone and everything.

That is love. If a man is willing to love you like that – what are you most likely to do? Submit to him and do his every will...

Futurists, that lack faith...

In my messages – I generally bring up a common message of “love your neighbour as yourself”.

Today – you will notice, a very different type of message. I'm going to present to you a message that may shock you, but it is what I believe.

The message is this: I believe that the 2nd coming of Jesus, has already happened, not as the Jehovah's witness believe it happened in 1914 – but I believed it happened in 70 A.D. at the destruction of the Jewish Temple – which is when Jesus said He would return.

My purpose in this message is not to explain why I believe this – leave comments below and depending on the feedback – maybe I'll write a message pertaining to this.

This message is simply to show the effects of believing Jesus has already returned versus Jesus will return in the Future.

This past weekend I spoke to a Futurist(someone who believes in a future return of Jesus) – and had some great discussion, and has confirmed things I previously was aware of but again this was my confirmation of what was revealed to me.

Here were some points I identified(not all points but some):

• Futurists have strong faith in a return of Jesus – but lack faith in what Jesus taught or did
• Futurists believe that things need to get so bad for everyone before Jesus will return
• Futurists also contradict scripture when it comes to living it out

Ok – let's say for a moment I'm a futurist. How do I lack faith in what Jesus taught? Well Jesus said things like “ Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

Now – Jesus taught us to pray like this. Jesus himself prayed in this way. Did He do it in vain? I don't believe so. Otherwise the prayer in John 17 was also in vain, right? Why do I say it's in vain? Ok – well if I believe Jesus is returning in the future. I know things need to get really really bad in the world before He comes back, right? The “antichrist”, the 7 years of Tribulation(although I believe it was 3 ½ years), the plagues, the starvation and all that other stuff. So, if all these things need to happen – let's allow it to happen is most people's philosophy. Yet what did Jesus say? “Thy Will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” - do you think Jesus wants people to starve? Do you think Jesus wants the world to get worse and worse and worse?

No – he does not! In fact doesn't scripture teach things like:

Matthew 18:14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. 

So – does God want people starving? Does God want things to get worse? Apparently not. So why does it happen? Let's not even get into talking about this “demon” named Satan. It happens simply because people allow it to happen. Why do they allow it to happen? Because they lack faith in what Jesus taught. The fact that people lack faith isn't something new either – this was another things Jesus taught.

Matthew 8:26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

Jesus was talking to His own apostles and stating they had such little faith. Yet WE the church are to be full of faith – we are to have the faith of Abraham. Let's just go and read Hebrews 11. Or let's just go back and look at the faith that Abraham had.

So you see – I don't believe in a future second return of Jesus – I believe it already happened. So where does that leave me?

I believe we're living in God's kingdom. I believe that things are going to get better – and I know this because Jesus himself prayed for that and taught that. I don't need an antichrist to come along – as it already happened. I just need my Jesus and that is all.

Do you have faith my friends? Do you believe Jesus is returning in the future? If so – do you mind me asking why you pray the “Our Father” in church every Sunday? There's no point in asking for things to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven – if things need to be done on Earth as it is in Hell first. This is the contradiction.

Faith is a powerful thing. Jesus again taught

Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. 

So – you want to know Futurists – why the world is so bad? Because when you pray the Our Father – that His will, will be done on earth as it is in Heaven – you don't believe that to be true until something Future happens.

Have faith my Christian Futurist friends. The world can get better – if you believe.