The pride of man is much like a computer virus. Have you ever had a computer virus? I once had one on my computer that was called a Trojan virus. If you are ever thinking about downloading a free song online from one of those sites that offer such service and a warning pops up that says “This file may be corrupted. Do you still want to download?” please click on the button which says “No.”            

You see, in my case, my song was already at ninety-nine percent download. And I just had to click “Yes.” Within seconds of doing so, the image of an ugly beastly-looking creature took over my computer screen, flashing in bold letters the words “TROJAN VIRUS! TROJAN VIRUS!” No matter what I did, I could not get the beast off of my screen. Whenever I clicked the “x” to close the window, another would just pop up to replace it. This happened again and again and again. Finally, I had to unplug the computer and take it in to a specialist to have the virus removed.

Similarly, the popping-up of pride in a man’s heart is something we all must deal with as Christians. Nobody is exempt. Sometimes it feels like we keep clicking the “x,” but it keeps on coming up again. So, we humble ourselves before the Lord, calling on the name of Jesus. Through and by the graceful working of the Holy Spirit, God then begins to set things straight in our hearts. Praise God for his sin-virus specialist!

In Titus 3:2-6 we read a reminder that the Apostle Paul writes to his son Titus concerning the attitude a believer should have toward an unbeliever in light of all the “viruses” which Jesus has healed us of by the stripes he bore for us on the cross. I encourage you to examine it carefully. It reads:

“Remind the people…to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men. At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy”

We can see from this Scripture that the Apostle Paul is wanting Titus to remind the people who have come out of a very deep place of darkness, to remember who they were before the love of God was revealed to them. He felt it vital to recall that they were only brought from slavery and into freedom when God unveiled the curtain to them to show them the “new and living way” spoken of in Hebrews 10:20. It is in this light that the people are reminded to, again, “slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate and to show true humility toward all men.”

What Paul is referring to here is an attitude of heart that only comes from the crushing of human pride at the cross of Christ. This “true humility” can only be in us because we truly believe the truth of God’s grace and it has affected us in the inner man. This broken spirit, created by the Spirit of Grace, must remain in us if we are to be used to draw those to the Father who are “foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.” This humility cannot be reproduced and it cannot be imitated in order to reach the lost. God will not be mocked and, most of the time, neither will unbelievers. This is why God, speaking through Paul, calls the humility which we are to show forth “true humility.” I say to you, if the humility in us has been re-manufactured, then it has been replaced by something sinister.  Therefore, I ask rhetorically, is it time to take the computer in? Is it possible, as II Peter 5-9 discusses, that we are not gathering harvest because we have forgotten that we were cleansed of our past sins?

Now, if we possess an authentically grateful heart to God, there will be no limiting of the praise that flows from the fountains of our hearts. The Holy Spirit will dwell in our hearts by faith and through Him we will sing that freedom song in us which declares “Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord (Psalm 117).” This is the Spirit-formed declaration we need in order to obey our dear Lord Jesus’ command found in Matthew 28:18-20 which states:

 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples

of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always,

to the very end of the age.”

In this humble faith, which produces praise, we are then lifted up by the hand of the Almighty himself. For He has promised us in James 4:6 that “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” This is the grace in which enables us to operate in the entirely unlimited authority of our great Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and, by it, we have the full capability to go and make disciples of all nations!

However, I want to remind you that we do have an enemy, named the devil. And even though, according to Colossians 2:13-15, Jesus has disarmed the devil by taking the Law of Moses and “nailing it to the cross,” this devil is still a very good deceiver and is constantly wanting us to turn away the grace offered us at Calvary. It is the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ that has forever defeated him, and he knows this. Therefore, Satan must get our eyes as far away from that reality as possible to have success in stopping us– not only for our sake, but for the sake of the people we might bring to God by our authentic faith in Jesus. He does not want you, the nations, or anybody to glorify God through Him!

So, what is Satan’s weapon or what fiery dart does he use to accomplish such a thing? He plays on human pride– that evil desire that produces judgment, as seen by the fruit of the Pharisees. As the Apostle Paul said in Romans 10:3 about them “Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.” The Gospels declare in Luke 18:9 that these Pharisees were “confident in their own righteousness, and looked down on everybody else.” It is pride that causes men to turn from grace, to desire self-glory and to look down on others. This is the same desire the devil had in the beginning when he said “I will ascend…” The Pharisees ascended in their hearts above the rest of the people. This is one the reasons why Jesus called the devil the father of the Pharisees.

What I am saying to you is that the most vile people we come across as believers can and must be reached. We must see people through the eyes of the Holy Spirit and always remember that “it is by grace we have been saved, through faith– and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8).” We ourselves must remain at the cross to preach the cross rightly.

Therefore, in light of this we ought to easily show forth true humility towards even the most perverse of men and keep our mouths shut concerning slander toward them. This will be a huge surprise to such a person because, even in the world, sinners constantly slander other sinners for the sins they have committed. If you doubt me, you should go get a job in an office building sometime!

In getting to the heart of the matter, the words of Jesus recorded in Mark 12:31 need to get burnt into our souls, especially concerning those in danger of suffering in hell for eternity. Jesus said “Love your neighbor as yourself.” It is in this kindness that we must go, living the holy life offered to us in Jesus Christ. We also must open our mouths to testify, without fear, of the reason why this is possible.  Simply put, since we do not want to go to hell, we should not allow a neighbor to go there either– not without a fight. We must love their souls as we love our own.

Let me close with some practical advice in terms of personal evangelism, in light of God’s mercy toward us. Remember, this is not a formula, but merely advice for someone getting started:

1. Be Patient To use a fishing analogy, sometimes we must give someone a chance to take a hold of the “hook” and not be so quick to reel the line in. We must fish, with patience, like the person’s soul depends on it, remembering that it actually does. A fish will sometimes nibble, much like a person who is becoming interested in the truth. The Holy Spirit will tug with urgency on your heart when it is time to bring them in. It is Jesus who makes you a fisher of men.
2. Pray in the Spirit, asking the Lord for the wisdom in reaching these souls (James 1:5). We need wisdom to win souls as Proverbs 11:30 states: “He who wins souls is wise.” Let us pray without ceasing for fields placed before us, remembering we were in that field once. Also pray for other Christians working in fields around the world. God is listening and will respond to us.
3. Use the Word of God You do not have to have it all “figured out,” so relax and allow the Holy Spirit to work through you. We do not use Him, but he does use us. So, if you are in conversation with a person and it feels as though God may be “in it,” pray to God (in your mind) for guidance. Often, a Scripture will come into your heart that you know. This is the Holy Spirit handing you the tailor-fit Word you need for that situation. Just open your mouth and say “You know, the Bible says…..”  You may be surprised at everything coming out of your mouth and at the ensuing results. While the goal is to have such a person turn to Christ right at that moment, we must learn to take only what the Holy Spirit gives us. Take it boldly and in the anointing He provides. If nothing else you will have planted a seed and that seed, God’s Word, will not fail, but will accomplish that which it was sent to do (Isaiah 55:10). Praise the Lord!

Submitted By Jeremiah Cullett

January 20, 2010

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The Law of the Angels

This is a book which exhibits an incongruence between the title and what the book actually talks about.  The title “The Law of The Angels” sounds rather mystical and interesting but, once you get into the book, there is very little written about angels.  The one reference I find to the title is on page 41 where, as the author is speaking about the different expressions of love, she injects the statement “This is angel law. This is the way the angels live.”  After this brief reference to angels, there is not much more on the subject of angels.  I have seen in certain blogs that some are saying that this book was re-titled upon reprinting and given the title “Love: The Law of The Angels.”  However, the 1979 edition I was able to obtain is simply titled “The Law of The Angels.”

It appears that the thesis of this book is to give the reader a broad overview of the subject of love and how love is to operate in the lives of Christians.  Then, upon giving a protracted and tedious definition of what love is supposed to be in the life of the Christian, the more subtle and actual core emphasis of the book comes out. 

Gwen Shaw in her book The Law of The Angels portrays love as a more feminine attribute than masculine and thus Shaw puts forth the thesis that the Christian women of the world are spiritually superior to the Christian men of the world. And, because women are more spiritually sensitive than men, then by function women can be used by God to express His love to the world more than can be accomplished through “insensitive men.”

I realized that I needed to activate my theological radar defense shield (discernment of spirits) when on page VII of the Introduction we see Shaw say “I wish I could say that my own love is perfect, or that I myself had attained unto the high degree of perfection which you will find in the pages of this book.  These are truths that God has made known to me.” This type of posturing is something that I have become quite wary of lately.  As you will see shortly, Shaw’s statements were born out of false humility.

Before we get into the “love” part of the book, I do want to point out what I believe is another area of problematic theology in Shaw’s book.  It has to do with why Jesus was crucified and what was accomplished in the crucifixion.  On page 14 we see Shaw state “You see, the Law of Moses will never point anyone to the cross.  You know what the Law of Moses did?  It crucified Jesus.  Do you know that it was on the authority of the Law of Moses that the Jews crucified Jesus?”  One might ask why I see this as problematic.  It is troublesome because traditional and orthodox theology teaches us that the Law of Moses had the function of making mankind aware of his sin.  Then, we see that Jesus came to fulfill the requirements of the Law of Moses by offering Himself upon the Cross as a sacrifice for our sin.  And, it was Roman Soldiers who actually crucified Jesus by the insistence of the Jewish Scribes and Pharisees. I see this theological awkwardness as a product of Shaw’s hurried attempt to get straight to her main thesis of her book which appears to be the desire of God to express His love toward mankind, rather than judgment.

One other area to make note of before we get to the main thesis is that of the belief of the eternal existence of man’s spirit or what is known as the “pre-existence and transmigration of souls.” We see this on page 68 where Shaw states “Way back there in antiquity, in the origin of time, far beyond your known history or ability to recall, you were in the plan of God.  You are an eternal living spirit.  Your body is loaned to you for only a season of sojourn on Earth.  As an eternal being, you are without beginning or ending.  And back there, hidden in the midst of a million forgotten eons of time we stood in His glory, being part of His spirit, fashioned even then in His likeness, as He planned for us.  There He created us male and female.”

The above theology is extremely troublesome.  So, according to Shaw, “we always existed”, “we are part of God”, but yet God created us.  So, is God creating “part of Himself” or, what is going on here?

As troublesome as the already mentioned items are, the real “bombshell” of The Law of The Angels happens on page 111.  After having “put men in their place” on pages 72 and 73, we read on page 111 what Shaw is really trying to get the reader to believe.  On page 111, Shaw has been describing a vision she had of Eve praying and asking God to forgive her for her sin of disobedience in the Garden of Eden.  Eve is described as being very distraught and in much aguish before God.  Then, we see Shaw state “I saw how through the centuries, even after her transition (whatever that means), she had wept and cried to God the Father to be merciful to her sons and daughters.  She had interceded for our release and had been permitted to see that her prayers had not been in vain, her intercession had accomplished its goal and she had prayed through.  God is going to begin to show His glory to Eve’s children.  We have finished drinking the cup of our iniquity, our day of redemption is here now.  That is the reason God is using us handmaidens.  Somehow God is going to allow us to make up for our mother’s failure.  We not only want to bless and help our brothers return to the lost paradise, we want to return ourselves.  Oh, God help us!  Brothers, help us!  We need you and you need us!  We went out together and we must return together!…As women travail and intercede, they will be used by the Lord to restore all that has been lost through the fall.” 

So, there you have it.  God is going to use women to restore mankind to Himself.  But, what about the accomplished work of Jesus on the Cross?  Is it not complete?  Didn’t Jesus, through His sufferings and crucifixion restore all?  What was left undone?  What can woman do that has not been accomplished through and by the crucifixion?  If you think these questions are unfounded then, go on to page 115 and see Shaw state “I believe the Blood of Jesus is going to become more powerful in the end time.  More powerful than in the day it poured from His veins…”

If all of this is not a problem for you then, I must direct your attention to the most theologically explosive part of the entire book.  On pages 165 and 166 we see Shaw state “This feminine aspect of the eternal God is the El-Shaddai, the mother-nature of God.  It is in the realm that the Shekinah is revealed and does its high office work.  You will remember us mentioning in chapter 13 that God had created Adam male and female.  If God created man male and female, it was because bisexuality somehow belongs to His own nature.  The fact has been recognized by early rabbinic commentators that this is true.  One even concluded that God had made Adam androgynous, and later separated him into Adam and Eve.  Lantero states that it is recognized that while individuals belong to one sex or the other, we are all androgynous in the sense of having both male and female hormones, as well as potential character traits traditionally associated with both sexes.  This beautiful aspect of the mother nature of God is one which we need to meditate upon more. Why is it that the Glory of God,  His Shekinah, seems to be resting in greater magnitude on the daughters of Eve in this generation? This is very evident, not only in one country but in all the nations where I have worked for God, and especially where women have been permitted by their male elders to let God’s glory be borne witness of through their freedom to speak.  The women are the great intercessors, the fasters, the praisers, prophetesses, missionaries, healers, and they are fast becoming the deepest of teachers.” 

Finally, in reference to the above excerpt, on page 67, we see Shaw describe that when God first created Adam, that he was created with a womb, which God subsequently took out of Adam and used it to create Eve. 

The theology presented in Shaw’s book is simply shocking.  Gwen Shaw, in no uncertain terms, portrays Adam as having been created as an androgynous hermaphrodite.  She even says so in her book.  This depiction simply leaves one speechless.

Such theology by Gwen Shaw opens the door wide open for Satan to flood in with a horde of demonic spirits.  Shaw has theologically emasculated Christian men.  Shaw sets Christian women on a higher plane of greater power and importance than Christian men.  This is a Satanic doctrine.

This book is available through Amazon.com.

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