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Greetings
Brethren, friends and neighbors, I
bid you all Shalom and pray that each of you are finding the
available grace and necessary strength, courage and resolve to
stand with Christ Jesus in these difficult times. I wish to thank
those whom have taken the time to correspond with us and I also
wish to thank those of you who have been praying for us at Cephas
Ministry, your prayers are felt and appreciated. The battles
continue to rage on and adversity is relentless. I would also
like to thank everyone for your patience with me as it has taken
time to settle back into “ Hello and God bless. Once again I thank you for your time and attention to this matter. Below is a group of statements, sequential in order. All of these statements come from the same individual. This individual claims no allegiance to cults or false religions. I believe your expertise would be very beneficial. In your opinion, are these statements in line with the fundamental teachings of Christianity? If these statements were a part of a nationally distributed work, would there be need for concern? If you would like to see the actual lessons these statements are taken from, please let me know. I patiently await whatever input you can give me. Thank you so much. Nick responds… It is clear to me that this individual has in fact been
influenced by occult ideologies or false religion. Some of what
is presented here is very similar to Mormon belief and the other
stuff about aliens that is not scriptural came from the Eric
Von Danikan books and works originally; i.e. “Ezekiel’s
Spaceship” and “God’s from Outer Space.”
This is clearly a work of man and not as I discern, the discerning
gift of God’s Spirit. This document does not introduce sound
fundamental reasoning but instead twists the usage and definition
of word usage to make a case against the sound teachings and
doctrines of Christ Jesus. The writer has manipulated scripture
to paint a slightly different picture and uses contemporary understanding
of the English language rather than really looking at original
Greek and Hebrew texts. The rest of my evaluation follows as
needed throughout document. "One famous Greek Philosopher said, 'Know thyself.' What a word of wisdom! " Responding, Nick states, Indeed, we are to know ourselves, our shame and repent of our transgressions, heresy, hypocrisy and vanity and once we’ve discovered “what” we are becoming, make every effort to walk and pattern ourselves after Jesus according to what He showed and demonstrated. "After
knowing God, the greatest knowledge in the world is the knowledge
of self. It is tragic to have
a great deal of knowledge about everything, but yourself.
You need to know who God is and you need to know who you
are!" Responding, Nick says that you
can spend a lifetime “knowing” God and still not be
able to say truthfully, ‘I know God.’ What is tragic
here is not what the writer claims but ‘having much knowledge
and never being able to demonstrate it and show thyself to be
a worthy workman in God’s Kingdom.’ Failure to
apply what you ‘know’ is worse than not knowing because
you fail to “bear witness” and “be the example”
thereof. Simply put, we are called to be faithful “witnesses”
of God’s indwelling “Spirit of Truth!” Furthermore,
‘who’ you are, is far less important in the Kingdom’s
ranks than ‘what’ you are. In fact, “who”
you are is not determined by what you do in life. More importantly,
“what” you are is paramount and is evidenced by how
you respond to your faith. Therefore, responding according to
your beliefs (faith) and being an example therein carries much
more merit than proclaiming what you ‘know’ or ‘who’
you are. "You see,
God made you! And
He made you in His image and likeness."
Nick states, We
possess God’s creative likeness, tenacity, courage, strength,
passions, loves, hatreds and yes, knowledge or at least some
portion or degree of all these and more. Scripture says we
would be as gods, not that we are gods. We have a spiritual
image as well and we know that God is SPIRIT. Therefore,
at best, man can only claim that the Spirit of God dwells within
him thus making us useful servants and vessels of His good works.
God is either with us, in us or we are apart from Him. He still
cannot be a part-taker of our sin or sin nature and when we practice
transgression versus righteousness, He makes a separation from
us. If your heart is not convicted while in sin, He is not in
you and if you experience conviction then that is good evidence
that He is still in you and with you. For
John said, 1 John 3:18-24 “My little children, let
us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure
our hearts before him. For,
if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and
knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not,
then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask,
we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do
those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is
his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son
Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and
he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit,
which he hath given us.” 1 John 5:18-19 “We know that
whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten
of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.
And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth
in wickedness.” "So
when you get a glimpse of who God is, you get a glimpse of who
you are." Responding, Nick says, not “who”
but “what” and what we are is human hosts to
spiritual and eternal beings. This is the very reason our Father
Creator was at one time referred to as the “Lord of
Hosts.” The difficulty arises for us here because
the world is full of spiritual beings and influences yet there
is only “ONE” Holy Spirit and He only dwells within
those who “obey” God’s right and
just example and teachings through Christ Jesus. " In
the 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul seems to
be saying that when we look into the mirror, we don't see the
real us. It is not
until we begin to look into the face of God that we begin to
see the real us. It
is in His face that we see a true reflection of who we really
are. In the beginning, we
know ourselves in part.
But as we grow in our relationship with God, we come into
a fuller knowledge of whom we are. Of course, when we come to
see God face to face, then we shall come into full knowledge
of whom we are." Nick states, this is total misrepresentation
of God’s Word and is blasphemous by nature. If the writer
really believes this, he is heading down a hallway of potential
damnation. The whole document is off course because the writer
is centrally focused on self by attempting to teach the
‘who’ we are rather than the ‘what’
we are. "And
because he knew who God was, David knew who he was.
He knew that he was more than a conqueror through God
(1 Samuel "Since
we were made in the image and likeness of God, we, too, are spirit. God is a spirit being. And you are a spirit
being… The main point here is that man is not body first.
He is spirit first.
He is primarily a spirit being-a spirit being having a
physical experience, not a physical being having a spiritual
experience. You are
a spirit being! Or
more simply put, like God, you are a spirit!"
Reproving this statement, Nick states, now this poor guy is terribly
confused and has written falsehood. The Scriptures clearly
say that we are formed first as flesh first and are fleshly
as the beasts of the earth are also flesh and blood. We then
become spiritual second as we were created as hosts. The
Word of God makes that very clear. Jesus also became flesh and
shed His blood as the atoning sacrifice for our transgressions.
Many Christians stop right there and never go any further as
they so often seem unable to understand that what Jesus established
was an example and/or pattern for us to abide in. “Is
it not enough that we become as the Master” thereby
following in His footsteps and continuing the great works He
thus authored?” The mass of contemporary Christianity is
in terrible unbelief. It is this “unbelief” that will
be their undoing and result in many never being able to “enter
into God’s rest.” "This
is a powerful truth because it liberates you from putting so
much emphasis on the physical or the flesh . . . God wants you
to put less emphasis on the outer man and more emphasis on the
inner man because the inner man is the real you . . . . In other
words, you need to put more effort, more time and more energy
on enhancing or developing the real you". Commenting,
Nick states, I regard this paragraph about as highly as I regard
Spam in my mailbox! Now this person is really stepping out of
bounds! Herein is a self-effort or works ideology. I proclaim
that you must surrender self and be willing to die to self
before God’s imputed righteousness can be evidenced in you.
Anything you attempt to attain or achieve apart from God’s
will and desire is Vanity! "The
fact that God made you puts you in a high class of being.
It puts you in the God class." Now my feathers are ruffled! He has made me angry because
I discern and scripture here-by confirms that we, if only for
a while are made “lower than the Angels” and will one day judge Angels
after we enter the Kingdom gates and our lives are made anew!
His statement here is Blasphemy! "He
goes on to say in Psalm 8:5, 'for thou hast made him a little
lower than the angels.' The Hebrew word here
for angels is actually 'elohim,' which is usually translated
'God.' The New American
Standard and the Revised Standard Versions both say that man
was made a little lower than God." Responding, Nick says, he is limited somewhat by his refusal to allow the more contextually accurate KJV to be the authority and true test of how these words are actually translated. Ps 8:5. “For thou hast made him
a little lower than the angels.” In Psa. 2. Christ was presented as Jehovah's
Son and King, rejected and crucified but yet to reign in On Angels…Heb. 1:4 Angel, Summary:
Angel, "messenger," is used of God, of
men, and of an order of created spiritual beings whose chief
attributes are strength and wisdom. 2Sam. 1Kin. 19:5; Psa. 34:7; 91:11; Dan. 6:22;
Matth. From Heb Fallen angels. Two classes of these are mentioned: (1) "The angels which kept not their first estate place, but left their own habitation," are "chained under darkness," awaiting judgment. 2Pe 2:4; Jude 1:6; 1Co 6:3; Joh 5:22. (2) The angels who have Satan Gen. 3:1 as leader. Cmt. on Rev. 20:10. The origin of these is nowhere explicitly revealed. They are likely what is referred to as demons elsewhere in Scripture. Cmt. on Matth. 7:22. For Satan and his angels everlasting fire is prepared. Matth. 25:41; Rev. 20:10. "This
may be a little difficult to comprehend and apprehend.
It almost sounds blasphemous.
Yet, this is what Jesus was accused of in John 10:33.
(Read John 10:31-36.) In
defending himself, Jesus quotes Psalm 82:6, where reference is
made to men as gods and children of the Most High." "This is not
to say that man is God.
Man is man and God is God.
But man is made in the image and likeness of God.
This means that you were not made in the same class as
the plants and the animals. You were made in the
class of God!" "When
God made man, He breathed into him.
He breathed a little of Himself into man." "Man
has dominion over God's creation.
However, dominion over God's creation begins with you!
It begins with your higher-self taking dominion over your
lower self. It begins
with your spirit exercising dominion over your body."
Nick responds, I think the writer needs to practice what he preaches
here and start taking dominion over his self and the beast within!
He actually started making sense here and the above is an accurate
assessment of the relationship of man and angels. {Please see
my Exhortation, “Men and Angels Made Messengers by God.”} "Speaking
of Jesus, John says, 'as He is, so are we in this world.' As Jesus is, so are we
in this world. If we are as Jesus is,
then we need to ask, 'How is He?' How is Jesus?
As Jesus is, so are we in the world.
We are in the world, but we are not of the world.
We are from another world." Nick reprovingly
states, this passage is taken completely out of context. The
actual passage is referring to the separation that is made when
any of us dies to self, vain teachings, and the pursuit of worldly
pleasures and excessive vices and extreme undisciplined sensualities.
The “new Creature” we become is one where we are no
longer concerned for the works and pleasures, lusts and desires
of man or worldly pursuits but are focused on our Father’s
Kingdom and His righteous standards. I strongly believe this
can only happen while one has active relationship with God and
His indwelling Spirit. Jesus promised that if we obeyed Him and
worshipped The Father in Spirit and Truth as the Father so desires,
then both He and the Father would make their dwelling with us. "That's
why Paul refers to us in Ephesians "Like
Jesus, you came forth from the Father God.
You have come into the world for such a time as this,
but this is not your home. One day you are going
to leave this world and go back where you came from.
You are going back to the other world.
You are going back to the Father." Nick
rebukes, No! Adam came from the dust of the earth and we came
from the womb of a woman. Like it or not, that is the unwavering
truth! Again, the writer here is risking utter ruin and may already
be spiritually bankrupt. The rest of this writer’s piece is I’m sorry to say, gibberish and further blasphemy. The author of this piece needs to seriously turn away from the course he’s on (repent) before his time runs out. Going over this material reminded me of a few men whom I used to know who would come up with strange perversions and wicked deceptions while under the influence of narcotics, excessive alcohol or had been sucking on the pot pipe for too many years. There is definitely a spiritual manifestation at work here and it is not of the God I worship in Spirit and Truth. I hope that I have satisfied your request and given you further insight on what was being said. It was a pleasure to serve in this capacity. With all sincerity and love for the truth, Nicholas
A. Stivers, humbled man, scribe and messenger. On The Scene in America’s Most Stressed Out City
The I do hope
that EVERYONE understands that until my situation stabilizes
whereby I can secure at least a survival income... I won't be
as productive for all whom I am serving as I would like to be
or as they need me to be. That's just the way it is when you
serve the less fortunate and we were not promised anything different.
There has to be a balanced give and take but as most of you have
seen, many are largely on the take and few are they that have
anything to give. We serve the poor, down trodden, afflicted
and have great compassion for the oppressed because we are the
poor and oppressed and can identify with their plight. Ministering to Another Whose Need was Greater... Just the other evening, I was given a mission to perform
in the "hands on" ministry I am noted for here in the
local area. A friend of mine across the Bay who is also another
liveaboard sailor has been really worried about her older brother,
R.C. (50 years old), who was recently left by his second wife
of 29 years who had been having an affair over the last two years
with her own daughters boyfriend (a Mexican National whom he
had helped to come to this country and get his life together).
Evidently, this all started after their daughter was
sent to the Needless to say, this has been devastating to him and
not the first heart-wrenching test he has had to undergo. He
divorced his first wife after having come home from work early
one day only to find his wife in the shower with his best friend.
Then his youngest daughter (6 years old) drowned in a lake after
falling off a raft when on a summer family outing. He has
been more than a believer for many years now. His second
wife and him were married in the I’ve known the family for about ten years. They
were not amongst the elite but overcame much struggle, having
come from a poor family with six children; he remembers
his mother's suicide... So you see, this man is largely being
dealt the same kind of cards many of us are. I listened and responded
with great interest and compassion and held him up in prayer
and delivered encouraging words to let him know that he is not
alone. We talked for nearly two hours. I believe he is strong
in Christ and knows well who it is in Him that is able to "endure
this great conflict of sufferings" though he is
baffled as to why we have to undergo so much painful and unjust
treatment in this life. I told him that it was simply because
we must share in our Lord's suffering. As He suffered and died,
so must we also suffer. I humbly expressed after hearing his story that he has
become a witness to me and was not afraid to call him brother.
I also confessed that I was very humbled by his story and application
of faith. I told him that we need him still in the fields of
harvest and to be strong so that God's witness may continue to
show through him. I reminded him that “God did not
give us a Spirit of fear or timidity but one of strength, courage
and faithful resolve.” My greatest fear for him
of course was the possibility of suicide but I believe he is
going to stay with us and endure the suffering we are all undergoing
together. Please hold this man, R.C. up in prayer and all who
call upon you for help and words of comfort. I assured him that
he is in my prayers daily and also let him know that I have been
deeply touched by his story. In fact, I indicated to him that
by comparison, my problems and suffering were miniscule compared
to what he has to undergo. He is really bonding well with his
17-year-old son through this process and insisting that his son
hold no bitterness or resentment towards his mother for doing
what she has done. What an incredible witness and testimony of
faith. I seriously had to question just who was witness to whom
that night because I was extremely humbled by this man's story.
Aren't you? In response to another letter I had received from a dear
Sister in Christ who fellowships with us here at Cephas, I wrote: “It was wonderful to hear from you and your recent
response to the Father's bidding. I was overjoyed to hear that
you are engaging yourself in an appropriate ministry to others
as they come seeking to be filled for many are they who are empty,
lost and hungry for the example of true discipleship and witness.
May your spiritual gifts flourish as you employ them in serving
others! To answer your questions regarding Pastor Timothy Williams,
author of “Hating For Jesus;”
What I initially gave him were copies of the first ten original
exhortations, which later became part of my book, Apostasy
Revealed. During the early years of my awakening, each
exhortation, as I penned them, were being shared freely with
a broad populous amidst the realm of contemporary Christianity.
As I indicated in some of my later Scrolls and Exhortations on
the website, doors were opened to continue being a faithful witness
and further witness was recorded as I went along which fueled
and precipitated on-going writings. And the witness continues... You were right in your assessment of Timothy Williams
and his Church lacking grace and it became clear to me that Tim
was indeed the leader of a cult. They’re many signs pointing
towards that but I still wanted to give this fellow the benefit
of the doubt. Because he responded the way he did and because
he was "hung-up" on hatreds alone, he showed himself
to be something other than a true disciple. I had actually met
and sparred with several men like him in the late 90's and a
couple of these men were indeed a type of "anti-Christ."
Tim’s Church was filled with women who had to wear head
coverings, keep their mouths shut (they were not allowed to speak
or stand) and the children were unruly and out of control,
lacking any real discipline. In one case, it appeared to me that
one of the childrem was actually filled with a demonic spirit
by the way he responded to the parents. Almost everyone
wore black yet there was no funeral? It was a spiritually darkened
place and it was clear to me that Christ's directives were not
the order of the day. When we fail to apply ourselves to the very pattern and
teaching of Jesus and accept what He judged as being false or
vain, then the "doors" remain opened for the enemy
to come in and reek havoc and torment and keep us from "hearing
and responding" to God's voice alone. Only the lambs hear
the Shepherd's voice! There are many voices and many spirits
in the world we live on and because the Father created us as
spiritual hosts, we become a habitation for these "other"
lost and wandering spirits when we don't surrender to Christ's
authority. That is literally why what Jesus did is called "Salvation.".
We needed a way to be saved from what we could not save ourselves
from. Jesus showed the way and there is no other way to the Father
but through Him alone. Did the Father not say, "Make
no other pattern than the pattern shown you?" We
MUST allow ourselves to be that " John 17:13-26 “And now come I to thee; and
these things I speak in the world, that they might have my
joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word;
and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world,
even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou should
take them out of the world, but that thou should keep them
from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not
of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is
truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have
I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify
myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these
alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their
word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me,
and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world
may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou
gave to me I have given them; that they may be one, even as
we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made
perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast
sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father,
I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me
where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given
me: for thou loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the
world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have
known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy
name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast
loved me may be in them, and I in them.” Other Good News…
The other bit of good news is that while in Florida,
we managed to strike up a deal with Vyz at the Grassy Knoll WDCF
1400 AM Radio and will be going on air March 5, 2004 Fridays
7-8 pm EST with "The Apostasy Revealed Hour." Each
show will be archived and downloaded on an MP-3 file and linked
somewhere on the websites. Still working out details but will
let you know before it all happens. I recorded one of the shows
tonight and have to work up three or four in advance to stay
ahead of the game. Anyone anywhere in the world should be able
to access these archived shows or listen live via Stream on the
Net. I don't have any sponsors except Cephas Ministry of course
so there won't be a bunch of advertising. The first couple of
shows will be live and spontaneous. This will be interesting
to say the least. I've wanted a "mike" to speak into
since 1999 and now it looks like it's coming to pass. Please, please continue in your prayerful supplication
for us here at Cephas and keep looking for the Father's will
to avail itself. Your support and encouragement is greatly appreciated.
We need to continue the mission we are on and Rita could always
use some powerful prayer support from other like-minded warriors
of faith. There is a lot of weekly "attacks" and lately
the Catholics have been bringing out big guns trying to wear
us down. Without going into too much detail, I will tell you
that Rita works tirelessly, 18 hours a day, 7 days a week and
has done so for many years to keep this Ministry alive, active
and functional to serve hundreds of thousands freely with little
reward except the joy returned by others. We’re a target
and she needs your coverage every bit as the rest of our brethren
who are actively "engaged" in the fields of discernment
and harvest. “Pray for the brethren.” I pray that each one whom the Lord uses you to bear witness
with will be touched by the Father's Spirit of truth and hear
the call, receive the understanding, wisdom, discernment and
courage to stand with us in this ever increasing hour of darkness.
In Christ Jesus name I pray, AMEN With all sincerity and love for His Truth and my scattered
brethren (includes sisters) Nicholas A. Stivers, humbled man, scribe
and messenger. Author; Apostasy
Revealed published 2003 by Mountainview Publishing ISBN: 1-928602-92-4 |