Stumbling Blocks

“Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea that that he should cause one of these little ones to sin” (Luke 17:1-2 ESV).

Also, “But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak” (1 Corinthians 8:9 ESV).

Biblically, the term stumbling block literally is a “behaviour or attitude that leads another to sin.” Our Lord calls it “temptation.” Temptation gets its sting from the sinful nature, and the sinful nature has an appetite for unwanted needs. These needs are unwanted because we have enough, but desire more through greed and selfishness. The Word of God categorically admonishes us “… and be content with what you have…” (Hebrews: 13:5 NRSV). As it is, there are stumbling blocks we create through selfish desires (James 4:2-3) and there are stumbling blocks coming from outside as our Lord pointed out above. Therefore, if we make ourselves unhappy by desiring things that are not really needed, we are being a stumbling block to ourselves.

What is the Purpose, and What are the Consequences of Stumbling Blocks?

For Christians, we know the drive behind a stumbling block is to hinder our walk with God. These hindrances can have a three-way effect: to derail our relationship with the Lord; or if we are vigilant we will use Satan’s plan of destroying us as an opportunity to glorify the Lord through our obedience; and this obedience leads to growth in our faith and in the Lord (1 Corinthians 16:13).

Therefore, every opportunity to do right or wrong-doing is dependent on our choice to obey or disobey the word of God. Like we mentioned in some of our past articles, the Word of God acts as a custodian to our conscience. The Bible addresses and lists the various stumbling blocks and in this way our conscience has a guide, and when we have a guide we must accept accountability too.

In the account of the fall of man, Adam and Eve were given the command to obey [The Word](Genesis 2:16-17), but the spirit of desire entered Eve, leading to the temptation (Genesis 3:6). Consequently, this led to the judgement of man and the tempter (Genesis 3:14-19). If they had obeyed, this would have resulted in a struggle-free life. The judgement handed down by God, as is evident from the above Scripture, was added to make us earn our living after we rejected through disobedience the free offer of eternal life. While the man and his wife offered excuses, this did not deter the Lord from executing His Judgements. This leads me to ask this question: do we allow others to make wrong choices on our behalf that lead to bad consequences? The serpent acted as a stumbling block to Eve, and in turn she became a stumbling block her husband; is this how we allow others to deceive us? This could be our wives, husbands, friends, pastors, or close family members; the consequences will be borne by us.

Furthermore, in our article titled Ignorant People, we alluded to the fact that when we are brought to account for wrong behaviour we often plead ignorance and as the Scripture says we cannot cheat God in this way (Galatians 6:7). I have another question: do we use ignorance as a stumbling block to our salvation? What a costly consequence! Remember, brethren, we must use stumbling blocks as an occasion to glorify God and to display the fruit of obedience.

The Lord Protects the Little Ones

I will share two short visions the Lord gave Charis recently and this morning (September 16, 2013) as warnings. These visions relate to temptations used by the devil as stumbling blocks. The Bible says, “Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone he can devour. Resist him…” (1 Peter 5:8-9).

Kindly allow me to share a testimony with you: more than three years ago, the Lord gave us names of people to pray for. As a family, we have been praying diligently every day for these people. A week ago, one of these people, a young man, came to us saying he would like to make right with God, and he asked us if we could pray for him. Glory to God! We prayed for him and led him to the Lord and he instantly received deliverance from destructive habits. He immediately joined our group for fellowship and service in our ministry. This young man, Basil (not real name), went about sharing his joy with his former friends and many other people by handing out salvation tracts. The devil assigned one young lady to be a stumbling block to him. This is how The Lord exposed the devil and this young woman through this short vision by Charis:

“I was shown in a vision this morning (September 15, 2013) and saw Jenny (not real name) talking to Basil as they were standing on our kitchen stoop. In the vision, I perceived the Lord was angry with one of our ministry members, so I asked the Lord who that was, and He said,“This is just a warning for My son Basil from temptation”. The scene changed and I saw them both standing outside our gate leading to the street talking and smiling. I then saw a HAND; the Lord’s hand was pointing at Jenny repeatedly. They did not see or notice the HAND pointing and the vision ended”.

This was an actual incident witnessed by people and the Lord replayed it as evidence to show the young man, Basil, and this young woman that He is all seeing. This was a warning to Basil against temptation and to Jenny of consequences if she causes someone to stumble in the Lord. Do you know of Christians causing others to stumble in their faith? Do they know their actions hurt the Lord by leading others into disobedience? Well, the Lord’s finger is pointing at them in judgement!

Before I share the follow-up vision, Jenny responded to our message and accepted the Lord about two years ago; she attended our services and the Lord started giving her messages of rebuke and correction through Charis. After a few attendances she joined another group and bad-mouthed our ministry, and doubted saying the Lord was not speaking to Charis. Without us knowing of her malice and slander, the Lord gave her a message with a stunning rebuke exposing her wrong doings, yet calling her back to Him in love. This past Saturday, she called my wife asking if she may come to pray with us. Although she could not come due to some commitment on her side, the Lord knew her motive was not to come and pray, but to serve as a snare to Basil. The Lord revealed in a short vision this morning to Charis (September 16, 2013) her motives:

“In a vision this morning, I saw the Lord Jesus in His usual attire and Brightness, sitting on a chair in our living room. I heard Him weeping, and I asked the Lord Jesus “why is the Lord crying?” He spoke up and said, “My daughter Jenny did not actually want to come and pray on Saturday; she wanted to come for wrong things.” After the Lord said this, He disappeared and the vision ended.

In conclusion, the Lord protects all His children from the vicious attack of the enemy who preys on our ignorance of his schemes and our desire for pleasure. Also, when we associate with worldly friends, against the counsel of the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:33; 2 Corinthians 6:14), are we not setting up a stumbling block for ourselves?

Let us build up one another in love and out of obedience to Christ, so that we may be found worthy to inherit eternal life in God’s Kingdom.

Your brother in Christ,Glenn K Van Rooyen.

The Foundational Message Of Salvation

The Importance Of Witnessing

Ukraine: We encourage all Brothers and Sisters around the world to please pray for the Ukrainian people. As you may recall a few years ago, the Lord did say that the Ukrainian Christians were not praying enough for their Country. However, as Christians, we are duty-bound to pray for peace and the well-being of all people everywhere (1 Timothy 2:1-3).

As it is, I am not writing this article to defend or promote our ministry, but rather our purpose is to share the Gospel truth. In a recent incident involving children physically attacking and verbally abusing two of the children in my family (Charis and Jaydeen), the Lord comforted us and said that we are not to turn a bad cheek when people insult or attack us unjustly. Despite their insults and actions, we must continue to love them. We should continue to love even those who hate us or persecute us because the Lord Jesus loves them too; He died for us that we may believe and hope in Him and be saved from hellfire (John 3:16).

Also, some time ago I read some disturbing remarks someone made against us, accusing us of being false while in all truthful conscience we obey the Lord by speaking the truth in love only. We do this whether in writing our articles or speaking to people when we witness to them. Brothers and sisters, I reiterate and I know that no matter how hard I try to convince you, some of you will not believe us. We are NOT LYING to you when we say that the Lord Jesus Christ the Messiah, born of the Virgin Mary, sent us to share His visions and messages with you as a warning and for your edification.  We act in obedience to the Lord and are sharing this for your good.

Why Does Mankind Need Salvation?

Biblically, salvation means deliverance from sin and its consequences. This is attained through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12; 2 Peter 3:9).  The Lord longs to save His children and gather them to Himself (Matthew 23:37) and His plan of salvation for humankind began at creation immediately when Adam and Eve sinned (Genesis 3:15).  God is merciful and gracious and longs for all His children to come to Him.  Contrary to what many people believe, God is a most loving and compassionate God:  The Lord is gracious and full of mercy towards us and does not delight in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11). The Almighty God desires for us to repent and return to Him that we may be forgiven and redeemed (Isaiah 44:22; Zechariah 1:3-6; Joel 2:11-13).

In the New Testament, salvation deals with the substitutionary nature of our salvation (Hebrews 9:26; Ephesians 1:7). It came about as a result of God's grace (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:3-7). This grace must be understood against the background that no human effort, however noble, could bring about salvation (Acts 4:12).

Furthermore, this salvation if accepted means deliverance from two evils: sin and spiritual death which is Hell (Galatians 1:4; Romans 5:6; John 3:16-18). Some time ago I received an email from a brother in the Netherlands. He questioned me asking why I always emphasized hell punishment and why the Lord rebukes in my articles. I told him quite frankly, that correction from the Lord means salvation and escaping God's judgments (Proverbs 3:12; Hebrews 12:6).

When John the Baptist started his ministry, he said, "Repent, for the kingdom of God is near!" (Matthew 3:2).  From the Scriptures we know very well that John the Baptist was sent by God ahead of the Lord to introduce Him to the world (John 1:6-7). As a witness of God, John encouraged repentance and forgiveness of sins (Mark 1:4).  At the same time he warned his listeners that if their repentance is fruitless there would be consequences (Matthew 3:7-10).

While we find many religions in the world offering various ways of salvation, our salvation is rooted in the completed work of Christ on the cross (1 Timothy 1:15; John 3:17; 12:47). The Bible uses many different ways to explain and portray the salvation we received; this is to help us understand what God has done.

How We Received Salvation

In the first instance, God the Judge declares believers in Christ righteous and He finds them not guilty (Romans 3:26; 8:33).

Another instance is our deliverance from the slavery of sin. God has freed us from the bondage of sin (1 Peter 1:18-19). Through this salvation in Christ Jesus we received adoption as sons of God (Romans 8:15). Having been God's enemies through sin, through our salvation in Christ we are now His friends (Romans 5:10-11; John 15:15). We are awaiting the fulfillment of our salvation at either our physical death (2 Corinthians 5:8) or at the return of our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 8:24; 1 Thessalonians 5:9; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 1:5). For further understanding on this important teaching, kindly refer to our 'How To Be Saved from Hell’ article. In that article, we boldly point out that the reason we preach Christ is to prepare man for the hereafter judgment (Hebrews 9:27).

True Salvation

While it is good to attend church to fellowship with believers in the Presence of the Lord, church attendance should not be construed as salvation. Often times while witnessing, we meet people who say they are Christian and go to church but not born again. Salvation is not belonging to some church or body, neither is salvation merely our participation in church programs or taking of holy communion.  The Bible says we must be born again in order to enter heaven and escape God wrath (John 3:3; John 3:36). With true repentance from our sins and acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we become children of God (John 1:12-13). We become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). In this we also receive a new heart and a new Spirit leading us to obey the Lord’s commands (Ezekiel 36:25-32). Salvation came through Christ and it is made secure only in relation to our obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:12-13; Matthew 7:21).

Allow me to share this with you: Recently, a brother in the Lord asked us to inquire for him from the Lord if he is going to make it to Heaven.  The Lord answered and said: "My son J will only enter Heaven if he is obedient". The Lord went on to tell us that obedience is the key to Heaven and that our salvation is made secure through us obeying Him (Matthew 7:24-27). Like we acknowledged in our last article titled Developing Self-Discipline, salvation is God's free gift, but obedience is the key to enter Heaven.

Vision of Judgment Against Disobedience

Finally, I will share a very short vision Charis received from the Lord recently. This is therefore worth sharing as it might help save you. In this vision, she saw the Lord sitting on His Throne as Judge and dressed in dazzling white attire. She was allowed to hear how the Lord was delivering judgment on my wife and our 7 year old daughter. She heard the Lord saying to my wife that she was repeatedly warned not to be partial in her treatment of her children, and her disobedience has resulted in a punishment for her. She was warned to obey the Lord in order to avoid further severe punishment. After addressing my wife, the Lord turned to my daughter and told her that in this year (2014) she would turn 8 and that it is time for her to follow the ways of Charis and Jaydeen, by reading the Bible and living obediently and disciplined (Titus 1:6; Joshua 1:8).  Partiality in this case is taking sides with or favoring one child, while ignoring the correction another child gave by reporting the wrong.

The Lord told me to share this vision with you so that you must educate and prepare your children (including those who have turned 8, thus attaining the age of accountability) to do His will (Deuteronomy 6:6-7; Deuteronomy 32:46; Genesis 18:19). I mention this as a reminder because in a separate message the Lord told us that children age 8 and above are hell ready. This might sound absurd to you, and again we are not here to convince you to believe the revelations the Lord gives us; we point you to the word of God. The Lord said that He gave parents the responsibility to teach their children His word (Proverbs 22:6, Ephesians 6:4). I therefore encourage you to live your life in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ to complete your salvation.

Blessed Grace,
Brother Glenn

Be Always Ready And Blameless To Enter Heaven

The Bible admonishes us to be blameless and spotless, stating: “So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to have the Lord find you at peace and without spot or fault” (2 Peter 3:14). Furthermore, “He did this to present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:27).

Resist Sinful Appetites

Warning: Brethren, the Lord recently reminded us that Christians should be blameless to enter Heaven. Some might ask but we all sin and make mistakes daily. Point taken! The Lord means that we should have no sin yes. We are supposed to have no unconfessed sin in our lives. Equally, the Lord warned that those who sin deliberately will also not escape his Judgments because such a Christian is disobedient! Just this past Saturday morning (20 June 2020) the Lord said that unless He keeps us holy we will not be ready to enter His Kingdom and for that, we must continuously pray daily to remain and stay ready! (Luke 21:36). 

RAPTURE SEASON!

This is RAPTURE SEASON! We recently saw reports online (YOUTUBE) that the Pope was advocating for a plural path to God in contrast to Scripture, see Acts 4:12; John 14:6 and John 10:1-27. Please read these verses carefully and avoid the deception that all religions leads to the One and ONLY God of Israel. From the preceding Scriptures, there is ONLY ONE WAY!  As He laid down His life for us, when persecution strikes as per my last vision of Christian persecution so we will have to lay down our lives to enter His Kingdom (Mark 8:35).

Now, as believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, we face daily struggles against sin and evil, which desire to make us gratify our fleshly appetites and stumble, rebelling against God (Hebrews 12:4). We call it a struggle because sin presents itself to us in many forms, overtly or covertly, and we are faced with the inevitable task of choosing either to yield to its demands or to steadfastly resist and continue in righteous living.

In previous articles, we repeatedly alluded to opportunities that Satan presents to Christians, making sin look natural and appealing, while at the same time deceiving us to do evil and disobey The Lord. While we are not encouraging any severe or harsh religious practices, a true mark of a truly born-again Christian is his daily victory against the demands of sin (1 John 5:3-5).

Similarly, we also mentioned that the worldly Christians are leading a compromised Christian life; such people live only to please themselves and others, and not Christ Jesus our blessed Lord (1 John 3:7-10; Philippians 2:21). This is how we can know that we are not fully committed to Christ: when we show bad fruit, including a wicked hateful attitude; when we have a constant appetite for worldly things and power; and when we concern ourselves more with things to please man rather than Christ. If we should test our conduct against this Scripture: “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky” (Philippians 2:14-15), would we rate ourselves as blameless? Truthful living in Christ is real freedom from guilt.

If we are loaded with the Word of God and heed the warnings coming from the Holy Spirit, we would be discouraged from exercising wickedness (John 10:27). We sin in many ways: through our mouths (James 3:6; Psalm 34:13; Proverbs 10:19); sin is also seen by the condition of our hearts, which is laid bare through our attitudes (Matthew 12:34); and our motives are assessed by our conduct, which issues from our hearts. A healthy Christian attitude, however, issues forth love, obedience to Christ, and hate of evil (1 Corinthians 13:4-8; Romans 12:9-21).

Wicked Christians

While the principle of “freedom” has been around since man’s presence in this world, this pursuit of freedom and rights has become more visible through legislative works by our governments. Increasingly, legislation in various parts of the world is being used to promote or defend behaviour that would have been regarded as shameful, detestable, or wicked in the past; turning sin into an acceptable way of life (Isaiah 5:20; 2 Timothy 3:1-5). The secret power of evil makes itself acceptable in human society through deceit, hinging on the principle of ‘freedom’ to corrupt and destroy values based on the Christian truth of peaceful co-existence (2 Thessalonians 2:7). When the church warns the world of the presence of Satan and evil (Revelation 2:9; Matthew 6:13), the secular ‘wise’ men and women repudiate this message as unscientific, outdated and dictating. Admittedly, modern legislation “frees” the conscience of man, and those who have an appetite for wickedness embrace it.

Furthermore, we do acknowledge the presence of evil in our world (1 John 5:19) and the institution of government which God uses to enforce rules to peaceful and just living in human society (Romans 13:1). However, through the collective interest of individuals with self-serving interest in our society, many governments are ‘forced’ to acknowledge the appetites of lobbying groups, leading to widespread acceptance of destructive behaviour, which ultimately eats away our conscience and our fear for God, and the end result is corruption.

People, I would like to boldly confess and declare that the only safe escape from evil is Christ Jesus! Wherefore let us pray for our countries and governments, and abide to the laws promoting equity, peaceful co-existence, and righteousness. However, let us also oppose laws that corrupt society and promote rebellion against God (Acts 5:29). Our Judge, the Lord Jesus Christ, is going to judge us based on our obedience to Him, not obedience to man (2 Corinthians 5:10).

As it is, countless Christians have accepted the worldly definition of liberty and adopted it as a standard in their relations with others. As a result, some Christians exhibit behaviour that is more widely accepted by the world (or “professional”) in their conduct with others, in the process muting true Christian character and not following the commands of the Lord to love (John 13:34) and be a light in the world (Matthew 5:14). Their primary focus is care for themselves and others in order to impress society, with half-devotion to Christ. Also, the appetite for material goods and services outweighs the need for holy and obedient living. So then, we must ask ourselves: on what or on whom is your primary focus? Is it on Christ and what pleases Him, or is it on your needs as emphasized by prosperity teachers and the world?

Judgment is Looming

I must remind you that Judgment is coming against those who practice evil and ignore the Gospel that truly sets us free from sinful corruption and God’s wrath (Romans 2:5-11; John 8:36). Let me remind you further: while love must be the one motivating us to good and peaceful behaviour, love can also be self-rewarding; we must also be driven by our fear and reverence for God our Creator (Hebrews 12:28). Like the Scripture says, riches, influence, friends and status will count nothing on the day of reckoning (Proverbs 11:4; Zephaniah 1:18).

Last week Monday, in a powerful vision, the Lord took Charis into a Heavenly Room as He entered into Judgment with each one of us in this ministry, including our children who have knowledge of right and wrong. This was a very serious discussion as she was allowed to hear the most common three (3) sins we each commit daily. After she shared with us, we shed tears and prayed in heartfelt repentance. If we in full-time service to God are judged often, how much more should those fear who are lukewarm and ungodly? (1 Peter 4:18).

I was also warned this past Saturday morning by the Lord in a dream when discouragement hardened my heart and led me to sin. I was awakened by my own voice and fear, in which I said, “God we are in the flames!” I got up and prayed confessing my sins, instead of allowing wickedness to overwhelm me and eat away at my faith and salvation. The Lord said that neither death nor His soon coming should find us with an unrepentant sinful heart (Revelation 2:10). This is evident by Charis’ rapture visions that we shared previously in July and August of this year.

In conclusion, this ministry has repeatedly warned people that Christ is coming and that He is near. We have been given no specific dates; however, let us live as if the Lord is coming today! (Revelation 3:11; 22:7, 12) The Lord has also recently given us, as a ministry and family, a great shake-up or awakening. Stay tuned and focused on Christ, and be always repentant and holy so that you may escape God’s judgments and be found worthy to enter heaven.

Are you living a blameless and holy life, walking in the fear of the Lord? Are you maintaining a repentant heart? If you desire a closer relationship with the Lord Jesus,  here is a Prayer of Sincere Repentance to get you started. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Peace and Grace to You!

Brother Glenn.