Gladden My Soul

Psalm 86:1-7 ESV

Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,

    for I am poor and needy.

Preserve my life, for I am godly;

    save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God.

Be gracious to me, O Lord,

    for to you do I cry all the day.

Gladden the soul of your servant,

    for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,

    abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.

Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;

    listen to my plea for grace.

In the day of my trouble I call upon you,

    for you answer me.

When we walk in godliness, living lives which are separate from the world, and holy unto God, and we are trusting the Lord with our lives day by day, and we are walking in obedience to his commands, and we are doing what he has called us to do in being his servants and witnesses, we will face opposition. We will face persecution. And, sometimes that can be very oppressive, and we may be overwhelmed with sadness.

But, it isn’t just the opposition and the persecution which can be so overwhelming, but it is all the evil in the world and in the church, too, and it is all the apathy to God and to His Word, even among those who claim to be Christ followers. And, it is that so many professing Christians are living not much differently from the world, and that they are just as much in bondage to sin as those who make no profession of faith in Christ at all.

And, it is that so many marriages, among Christians, are falling apart because one or both spouses are living in spiritual adultery against their Lord and/or it is that they are also living in adultery against one another or one is living in adultery against the other. And, then the children are impacted by this, too, for the home ends up being absent of true spiritual leadership and guidance, and then the wickedness of the world is being allowed to enter in and to captivate the minds of the young and the old.

And, it is that so many are being deceived by clever enchanters who are telling them what their itching ears want to heart. And, it is that the church, overall, is failing to be a light to the world because she has become one with the world in so many respects. And, it is that the gospel of our salvation is being diluted to make it more appealing to human flesh and that so many, many people are buying into the cheap grace gospel which puts them on that broad road to destruction while promising them eternal life with God.

And, when this is what one faces day after day after day, it can sometimes become overwhelmingly sad and depressing, and so we will need our souls lifted, and joy brought back to our hearts once again.

And, we will need to be reminded of all God’s wonderful blessings to us, and of all the works he is doing in human lives. And, we will need to be reminded, too, of God’s sovereignty over all things, and that he is still in control, and that he is working all things for good for those of us who love him, and who have been called according to his purposes. And, in this way we will find encouragement, and hope and healing restored to our lives.

Psalm 86:8-13 ESV

There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,

    nor are there any works like yours.

All the nations you have made shall come

    and worship before you, O Lord,

    and shall glorify your name.

For you are great and do wondrous things;

    you alone are God.

Teach me your way, O Lord,

    that I may walk in your truth;

    unite my heart to fear your name.

I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,

    and I will glorify your name forever.

For great is your steadfast love toward me;

    you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

There are many gods in this world, and they aren’t all just those we might think of as false gods, either. For, anything which we raise up above the One True God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is our god (our idol). So, food can be our god, or entertainment, or our careers, or our families, or sports, or hobbies, or addictions, or possessions, or control, or pride, or status, or “likes” we receive on social media or on blogs, etc.

A god can be anything to which we give our passion, our desires, our time, our affection, our attention, our money (investments), our minds, and our hearts, etc. And, this is especially true if any of these things (and more) are given the time, affection, heart and attention that should be given to God, and which rob God of our hearts, minds and affections towards him, and that pull us away from our pure devotion to him to follow the lusts of our flesh. So, we must be diligent to guard our hearts against such as this.

And, we need to be in prayer to our Lord for him to teach us his ways that we may walk in them, but then we have to listen to him and do what he says and not be hearers only of the Word who, after we hear, walk away and forget what we look like.

And, we need to have our hearts united with God to where we fear his name, i.e. to where we give him the honor, the praise, the glory, the obedience, the respect and the love which he so deserves and to which we owe him because of all that he has done for us.

For, since he has delivered our souls from hell, he is now our Lord (owner-master), and we belong to him, so our lives should be given over to him to do his will, instead of us doing what we want to do while he gets the leftovers.

Psalm 86:14-17 ESV

O God, insolent men have risen up against me;

    a band of ruthless men seeks my life,

    and they do not set you before them.

But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,

    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

Turn to me and be gracious to me;

    give your strength to your servant,

    and save the son of your maidservant.

Show me a sign of your favor,

    that those who hate me may see and be put to shame

    because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Again, when we are truly walking with our Lord according to the Spirit, and no longer according to our flesh, and we are living our lives to please our Lord, and we are following him in his ways, and we are teaching the truth of the gospel of our salvation, and we are exposing the lies, we will be hated, and we will be persecuted just as Jesus was hated and persecuted.

There will be people who will rise up against us who will seek to destroy us in one way or another. They will try to trick and manipulate us in order to bring us down, or they will falsely accuse us and gossip (slander) about us in order to try to destroy our reputations and to get others to join them in coming against us, too.

Many of these persecutors live as enemies of the cross of Christ who are out to destroy the gospel and its messengers, because they serve Satan, and Satan wants all people to worship him instead of worshiping God. And, so they have devised and carried out a plan to cheapen God’s grace and to dilute the gospel so that people will be tricked into believing that they are saved from their sins and bound for heaven when they are still in slavery to sin and bound for hell.

These enemies of the cross of Christ are also devising a plan for making it a crime to preach the true gospel, because they are trying to prove that the true gospel divides people and that division is bad and that we all need to come together as one voice, one mind and as one heart, and thus destroy all that divides us as the people of the world. And, thus, many of us who are teaching the true gospel will be forced into compliance with their “peace plan,” or face the consequences.

So, we need the strength and the wisdom of God in these situations. And, we need to remain steadfast in our faith and not compromise with the world. And, we need to call on God for help and for his grace to be shown to us. And, then we need to keep on in doing the work of the Lord and teaching the truth of his gospel, for many people need salvation from their bondage to sin and to find true freedom in Christ to now walk in his righteousness.

He Gives Purpose  

An Original Work / June 9, 2012

“Listen to Me when I’m calling to you.

Obey freely My word.

Follow Me in all of My ways.

Do all that I say.

Hear Me gently whisper to you

My will for your life and future.

Give all of your life and heart to

Follow Me always.”

Repent of your sins and worship Jesus.

He’s your Lord and Master.

He died for your sins so you could

Live with Him today.

He has a plan for your life and

He gives purpose and direction.

He gives meaning to your life,

So follow Him today.

“I love you so much I gave My life for

You to walk in My ways,

Living for Me each day as you

Bow to Me and pray.

Witness for Me of your love for Me and

Of My grace and mercy,

How I died to save you of your

Sins now and always.”

https://vimeo.com/119038798

Thursday, January 31, 2019

Unity and Peace

Ephesians 4:1-3 ESV

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

A Prisoner for the Lord

Paul said that he was a “prisoner for the Lord.” Was he speaking literally or figuratively? Or, both?

He was a literal prisoner many times, in real physical prisons, because of his faith in Jesus Christ, and because of his testimony for the gospel of our salvation from sin. He was hated and persecuted much, too, because of what he taught about Jesus and about the gospel of Christ.

Yet, there is a figurative aspect to this, as well. For, when we come to faith in Jesus Christ, we are delivered out of our slavery to sin, but then we become slaves of Christ’s righteousness, and a slave is much like a prisoner, only he is in willing slavery to righteousness and to obedience to Christ, out of his own choosing, because of his faith in the gospel of our salvation.

Yet, when we are no longer slaves to this world of sin and to Satan, and we become slaves (bondservants) of Christ’s righteousness, then we, too, will be hated and persecuted for our faith. And, many of us may be literally put in jail, too, for it will become a crime to be such a follower of Jesus Christ.

For, “unity” of all people, regardless of beliefs or lifestyle, is the goal of the global beast and of his one-world religion. So, we will be called upon to unite with this one-world religion or face the consequences. And then, we, too, will be able to say with Paul that we are prisoners for the Lord Jesus.

Worthy of the Calling

We are being urged here to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called. So, what have we been called to?

Called to belong to Christ – Rom. 1:6

Called to be saints – Rom. 1:7

Called according to his purpose – Rom. 8:28

Called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord – 1 Co. 1:9

Called to freedom – Gal. 5:13

Not called us for impurity, but in holiness – 1 Thess. 4:7

Called us to a holy calling – 2 Tim. 1:9

Called you out of darkness into his marvelous light – 1 Peter 2:9

Called us to his own glory and excellence – 2 Peter 1:3

Thus, we are to walk in a manner worthy (commendable) of that calling. So, this means that we are to live lives which are separate (unlike, different) from the world and unto God and to his righteousness. We are to see our lives as no longer our own, to be lived how we want, but that we now belong to Christ, and we are God’s possession, and he is now master of our lives.

We should conduct our lives in a manner that is in accord with God’s holy purpose and will for our lives, obeying his commands, and doing what his Word teaches us we must do as followers of Christ. We should walk (in lifestyle) as though Jesus truly did free us from our addiction to sin, no longer in impurity and immorality, but in righteousness and godliness.

And, we must make righteousness our practice and no longer make sin our practice (our habit), for we have been called out of darkness (sin) into God’s wonderful light (truth, righteousness).

Thus, we should live our lives in a manner which is to the glory and praise of God in all that we do, think, say and are, not in absolute sinless perfection, necessarily, but as a matter of conscience, of love for God, and as the normal course of our lives.

Humility and Gentleness

And, we are to do this with all humility and gentleness. And, humility is the opposite of pride. But, know this: Pride can be inverted, too. In other words, if a person goes around putting himself down all the time, especially if it is to get others to build him up, that is also pride, and it is false humility.

True humility is not looking for the praise of humans or for human approval or for human validation. It is not centered in self at all, but it is centered in Christ and in genuine love for others, expressed in the way in which God loves us, and gave himself up for us for our deliverance from sin.

Although it is nice to receive human approval, that should never be our goal for what we do or for why we do it. So, this means that our righteousness and holiness must be genuine, and it should not be put on to impress other humans in hopes that we will get kudos (“likes”) from them. We should do what we do for the praise and honor of God, even if no one ever “likes” us.

And, we should do what we do with gentleness, too, but this does not mean with weakness or false humility. But this word means “meekness,” which is “gentle strength” (1).

For, Jesus Christ was meek (gentle), but he wasn’t weak. Read what he said to the Pharisees, and even some of the things he said to his own disciples. Read the instructions he gave us on what it means to be one of his followers, and how a large majority of his followers left him because they said his teachings were “too hard.”

So, gentleness does not back down from the truth in order to not hurt people’s feelings. It is not powerless, but it is power that is controlled, and that is operated with reserve (with restraint and with godly wisdom). For, we don’t have to blow people away and be harsh to be truthful, but we shouldn’t retreat or water-down the truth, either, to be kind and gentle.

Bearing with One Another

With patience

We need to be patient with other people, too, for God is patient with us. This does not mean we are to be tolerant of sin, especially continued and unrepentant sin, though. And, this does not mean that we ignore abusive and addictive behaviors, either.

Scripture teaches that we are to lovingly confront those who are caught (trapped) in sin in order to restore them. And, it teaches that the church needs to not turn a blind eye to unrepentant sinful practices among its members, either. But, that they need to exercise godly discipline towards those who are continuing in sin and who are unwilling to repent.

We are told in scripture that “Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins" (Jas. 5:20 NIV). Obviously this is not speaking about concealing ongoing sin, for the context of this is about turning a sinner away from his error of sin. So, the covering here is the covering of the blood of Jesus in forgiveness of sin, which comes about when we truly repent of (turn from) our sin.

Bearing with one another, though, means we don’t give up on people. Although it may take a very long time for some of them to see the light, and to turn away from their sins, and to God, we don’t lose hope, but we keep praying, and we keep believing God for changed hearts of the Spirit of God.

Unity of the Spirit

This word “unity” is a tricky word today, for the beast one-world order and its one-world religion are all about unity, but it is unity with the beast.

Even within the institutional church we hear much about “unity” and about how we all need to unite with one another. But, more often than not, that unity is with men and with marketing schemes and with business plans and goals, but it is not unity with Christ and with the truths of His Word.

So, we need to be discerning about this word “unity” and find out with what we are uniting before we jump on board.

For, even within the church they will quote scripture about unity to try to guilt-trip you into uniting with men and with humanistic teaching and goals and purposes. So, before we “unite” with anyone, we need to make certain it is “unity of the Spirit” of God and that it is not unity with men in their deceitful scheming.

Bond of Peace

When we are truly walking (conducting our lives) according to the Spirit of God, and no longer according to the flesh, and we are maintaining the unity of the Spirit, in the bond of peace, we will be at peace with God and with our fellow believers in Jesus Christ who are doing likewise.

But, this word “peace” is another tricky word today, for this New World Order has their own “peace plan,” but theirs is not based in peace with God, but in harmony with the beast and with his plan for the world. Their peace is all about absence of conflict and the whole world uniting together as one mind, one heart, and one voice, etc.

And, in order to have their kind of peace, we have to destroy everything that divides us as the people of the world. And, the gospel of Jesus Christ divides – saved and unsaved, Christian and non-Christian, godly and ungodly, and those bound for heaven and those destined for hell, etc.

So, be careful that the “peace plan” you are following is God’s peace plan, which is in harmony with him and with His Word and with His gospel message of death to sin and living to righteousness. And, when we uphold that, then we will know true peace, even if all hell is breaking loose all around us.

So, a bond of peace is on God’s terms, not on man’s terms, thus it doesn’t mean everyone will like us, for many will hate us and will persecute us for righteousness’ sake.

Blessed Are You 

An Original Work / August 29, 2012

Based off Luke 6:20-49 NIV 1984

“Blessed are you; blessed are you

Who are poor for God’s kingdom is yours.

Blessed are you; blessed are you

Who are hungry, you’ll be satisfied.

Blessed are you; blessed are you

Who weep now, for you will laugh with joy.

Blessed are you; blessed are you

when men hate and reject you because of Christ.”

“Rejoice in that; rejoice in that day

And leap for joy; great your reward.

But I tell you; but I tell you

To love those who hate you; do them good.

Pray for those who; pray for those who

Treat you wrong and say kind things of them.

Do to others; do to others as you would

Have them do; have them do to you.”

“If you love those; if you love those

Who love you, what praise is there for you?

Because Christ is; because Christ is kind,

Be merciful, just like He is.

Forgive others; forgive others

Their offense against you; be ye kind.

Hear My words and; hear My words and

Put them into practice, then you’ll be fulfilled.”

https://vimeo.com/115046573

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

(1)       https://biblehub.com/greek/4240.htm

Down in The Dumps

An Original Work / January 29, 2019

Do you ever get down in the dumps?

You’ve certainly taken your lumps.

Discouragement’s settling in.

You wonder if you’ll ever win.

Time seems to not be your best friend.

You wonder if this will e’er end.

Will you ever see the light of day?

You cry, and you hope, and you pray.

But, time then goes on with no change.

You wish it would all rearrange.

You wonder, is this all you’ll see.

A miracle’s not meant to be?

Things keep going on as they were.

True change, of which you can’t be sure,

Elusive seems to you right now.

So, humbly, on your knees you bow.

You have no control of this, see? –

This working of your enemy.

For, God has permitted it now,

That one day, all would to him bow.

He prophesied these days would come.

When evil would reign over some;

When we would be hated, for sure,

And we would be called to endure.

So, don’t let discouragement in.

One day, this all will have an end.

God’s purpose for all will take place,

And we’ll see Him then face to face.

So, trust Him now with everything.

Your offerings now to Him bring.

Believe that your life’s in his care,

And do not give up in despair.

Humility vs. Pride

Mark 9:33-35 ESV

And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

God honors humility but he chastises pride. Jesus said that if anyone would come after him he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow (obey) him (Lu. 9:23-25).

It isn’t about what we know. It is about what we do with what we know. We can have all sorts of head knowledge about God, and about his Word, but knowledge can puff up. We have to put the Word into practice. We have to do what it says. This is humility vs. pride.

It isn’t about how long we have been Christians, either, or what church affiliation we have, or what ministries we have been involved in. What matters to God is that we humble ourselves before him, turn away from our sins, and turn to follow him with our lives in obedience to his commands.

And, it isn’t about religious performance and rituals, either. We can go through all the motions of Christianity and have our hearts far from God, and be living to please our flesh. True humility submits to Jesus as the master of our lives, and it bows to his will and purposes, and it does not demand its own way.

Mark 9:36-37, 42 ESV

“And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me… Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.’”

Jesus used a child as a symbol of humility, simplicity, and childlike faith, i.e. the kind of faith we must have in order to be saved from our sins. This kind of faith takes God at his Word, trusts Him, and does what he says. For, this kind of faith is God-given and God-inspired, and thus it submits to God.

Children, in some cultures and/or in ancient history, were or are treated as though they are less, or as though they are just the property of the parents. Even when I was a child, in the 1950s and 1960s, I kept getting the message that “children are to be seen and not heard.”

Yet, in today’s culture here in America I sense that the pendulum has swung the other direction and that children are often being treated as though they are the masters and their parents are their servants.

But, the whole point of this, I believe, is that we should not regard anyone as inferior to us or as less valuable or less important. There is a line of authority which must be respected, and to which we must submit, but we should treat no other human being as though he or she is less while puffing ourselves up by stating that we are superior or greater. And, this includes children who should not regard themselves as superior to their parents.

The other point of this is that we should treat others the way we would treat Jesus Christ. Several places in scripture we are told that how we treat others is how we treat Jesus, especially with regard to how we treat his followers, i.e. his servants who with childlike faith are walking in obedience to him. So, if we treat fellow believers in Jesus, who are walking with him, with disdain, then that is how we are treating Jesus, too.

But, then there is a severe warning here, as well. We must be so careful that we don’t do anything to lead another believer in Jesus Christ to sin against God, especially if we do so knowingly and willfully, with the full intent to drag that other Christian down into the mud.

But, sometimes this can happen if we mistreat others, for we may lead them into discouragement and depression by our ill-treatment of them. And, this may lead them to fall back into sin, too. But, mainly this has to do with encouraging our brothers or sisters in Christ to sin against God by convincing them to lower their moral standards.

Mark 9:43-48 ESV

“And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’”

When we trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, we die with Christ to sin, we are reborn of the Spirit of God, and now, in the power of God’s Spirit living within us, we are able to walk in holiness, to the glory of God. And, by the Spirit, daily we are able to be putting to death the deeds of our flesh so that we can live to his righteousness, pleasing unto Him.

But, becoming a follower of Jesus does not mean we are no longer tempted to sin or that we will not battle the flesh. For, we still live in flesh bodies, and we will still be tempted to sin, and we still have the propensity to sin against God. And, this is why so much of the New Testament is dedicated to teaching us how to say “No” to ungodliness and fleshly lusts so that we can live self-controlled, upright and godly lives (See: Tit. 2:11-14).

So many professing Christians these days are still in bondage to sinful addictions and so they “struggle” with (regularly give in to) the flesh on a consistent basis. Part of the reason for this is that many of them have bought into the cheap grace gospel which makes no demands to death to sin or living to righteousness, but still promises them eternal life with God. And, so they have a false sense of security that they can continue in their sinful addictions without guilt and without consequence.

Many of them, too, have bought into the psychology that says that it is a sickness and they really can’t help themselves or that there is no cure. But, that is a lie straight from hell! For, Jesus died on that cross to deliver us from our sinful addictions, not to coddle us while we continue in our sins.

Jesus made the way of escape for us from our sinful addictions when he died on that cross. In his death he put sin to death so that he might put sin to death in our lives. We just have to take the way out he provided for us. We have to be serious about sin and cut out of our lives everything that is even leading us into sin. For, many people continue to fail, because they continue to hold on to those things which are regularly leading them into sin.

So, if the internet is leading you to sin, then cut it out of your life, or at least cut out private internet access. Don’t have a smart phone. Go back to a flip phone or a house phone. Don’t be on the internet except in the presence of someone who cares enough about you to not let you go where you should not go. Or, if TV is your downfall, cut it out. No one needs TV! If social media or gaming or videos are your weakness, cut those out, too.

For, the Bible teaches that if we make sin our practice, we have no inheritance in the kingdom of heaven, so please take this seriously (See: Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Gal. 5:19-21; Gal. 6:7-8; Eph. 4:17-24).

Blessed Are You  

An Original Work / August 29, 2012

Based off Luke 6:20-49 NIV 1984

“Blessed are you; blessed are you

Who are poor for God’s kingdom is yours.

Blessed are you; blessed are you

Who are hungry, you’ll be satisfied.

Blessed are you; blessed are you

Who weep now, for you will laugh with joy.

Blessed are you; blessed are you

when men hate and reject you because of Christ.”

“Rejoice in that; rejoice in that day

And leap for joy; great your reward.

But I tell you; but I tell you

To love those who hate you; do them good.

Pray for those who; pray for those who

Treat you wrong and say kind things of them.

Do to others; do to others as you would

Have them do; have them do to you.”

“If you love those; if you love those

Who love you, what praise is there for you?

Because Christ is; because Christ is kind,

Be merciful, just like He is.

Forgive others; forgive others

Their offense against you; be ye kind.

Hear My words and; hear My words and

Put them into practice, then you’ll be fulfilled.”

https://vimeo.com/115046573

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Church

John 4:19-26 (ESV).

The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

Jesus, Our Messiah

Our God is a triune God – Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit. He exists as three distinct persons in one being – one God. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, was with God from the beginning, and he is God, and he is our creator. He was sent by the Father to the earth, took on human form, suffered as we suffer, and was tempted in like manner as we are also tempted, yet without sin. And, this was so he could sympathize with us in our weaknesses, and so that he could be our pure sacrifice for our sins.

But, the Jews hated Jesus, even though he was one of their own, because he confronted them with their sins, he warned of divine judgment, he told them he was God, he didn’t submit to all their traditions, and he wasn’t fooled by their hypocrisies. They were jealous of him, too, and they were threatened by his (temporary) popularity among the people, feeling that their own positions of power might be at risk. So, they harassed him at every turn, and eventually they put him to death by hanging him on a cross.

But, it was the Father’s will that Jesus should die on that cross. For, in his death he took our place, our punishment for sin, so that we could be delivered from our slavery to sin, and from the penalty of sin (eternal death), and so we can now walk in his righteousness and holiness in his power. Yet, he didn’t remain dead. He rose from the grave victorious over sin, on our behalf, so that we can now live with him to his praise and glory.

Thus, when we come to faith in Jesus Christ, we die with him to sin, we are transformed of Holy Spirit from death to life, reborn of the Spirit of God in newness of life, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

The Temple of God

When we put our trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord (owner-master) and Savior of our lives, the Holy Spirit comes within us to dwell. He lives within us to empower us for godly living and to strengthen us for resisting Satan. He also lives to counsel, encourage, urge, comfort, teach, correct, and rebuke us, as necessary, so that we have the guidance of God within us to teach us the right way to walk, and to warn us against following after the wrong way.

Because the Holy Spirit now lives within those of us who believe on Jesus with God-given and God-inspired faith, that means we now have God living within us. So, WE are now his temple, the body of Christ, his church. So, the temple of God is no longer a building built by human hands. Thus, the church is not a building. It is not a denomination. Thus, First Baptist Church or West Hill Presbyterian Church are NOT the church. We, the people of God, are the church, and we exist everywhere, all over the earth.

Yet, many people have carried over from Jewish and from Catholic tradition that the church is a man-made structure, and that it exists within a building, and that the building is the “house of God” and that God’s Spirit lives within that structure. Thus, they will teach that when we enter that building that we are on holy ground. But, that just isn’t true.

No building is the church. No building or denomination is the house of God. God does not dwell in buildings built by human hands. So, just because a structure or an organization has the name “church” does not make it the church. For, the church is not an organization, and it is not a business, although that is what it has largely been turned into. But, the church is a living organism made up of God’s people, no matter where they gather.

Many people have left the organized institutional church. But, that does not necessarily equate to them leaving the church. For, they may leave the organization called “church” in order to unite with the true church, which is comprised of those who truly are following Jesus Christ with their lives. So, just because they don’t attend a gathering of people called “church” does not mean they are necessarily forsaking the assembling of themselves together. For, they may be gathering together outside of the human structure called “church” to fellowship with Christ’s body, his church.

For, the institutional church is a mixture of the world and the church. It is a mixture of God’s people in an unholy union with the government. And, it is not God’s design for his people to be unequally yoked together with the ungodly or for them to turn his body (his house) into a marketplace.

In Spirit and Truth

Since God now dwells within those of us who are his, by faith, and we are his body, the church, we can enter into his presence anywhere, at any hour of the day. For we are his temple, and the Holy of Holies now lives within us.

So, in order for us to enter into God’s Holy presence, all we have to do is talk with him, just like we might talk to another person who is in our presence. No formalities are required at all, just simple faith and trust, and a heart open to hear what the Lord wants to say to us, and a willingness to obey. We don’t have to say any fancy words. We just need to be sincere.

We can worship God any time of the day, too, in any location. For worship is also not a formality or a routine, but true worship of God is giving our hearts and our lives to him in full surrender to his will for our lives.

It, too, is forsaking our former lives of living for sin and self, and it is following our Lord Jesus in obedience to his will and his purposes for our lives. And, it is no longer being conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but it is being transformed in the renewing of our minds away from our sinful patterns of behavior to now walking with our Lord in his holiness (See: Rom. 12:1-2; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Gal. 5:16-26).

As the body of Christ, his church, we are thus to encourage one another in these ways. We are to help one another to grow in our walks of faith, and to live godly, holy and pure lives for the glory of God. And, we are to speak the truth in love, one to another, and we are to speak to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, for our spiritual encouragement and strengthening in the Lord.

And, we are to use the gifts of the Spirit, which God has given each one of us, to instruct one another and to build one another up in the faith, to help, nurture and comfort one another, and to minister to one another’s needs. And, this way we will all be able to work together as one body so that we might all reach maturity and unity in our faith in Jesus Christ and, thus, no longer be tossed here and there by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming (See: Eph. 4:11-24; Rom. 12; 1 Co. 12).

And, this is how the body is supposed to operate. This is the church. And, this is what we all need to be doing, because the days are evil, and we don’t want anyone to lose faith. But, we want to see all our brothers and sisters in Christ living holy lives for the glory of God, which is where we will find true peace, hope, comfort and healing.

A Believer’s Prayer

An Original Work / July 31, 2012

With my whole heart, Lord, I pray

To be Yours, and Yours always.

Lead me in Your truth today.

May I love You, and obey.

Lead me in Your righteousness.

When I sin, may I confess;

Bow before You when I pray;

Live for You and You always.

Love You, Jesus, You’re my friend.

Life with You will never end.

You are with me through each day,

Giving love and peace always.

You will ne’er abandon me.

From my sin You set me free.

You died on that cruel tree,

So I’d live eternally.

Soon You’re coming back for me;

From this world to set me free;

Live with You eternally.

Oh, what joy that brings to me.

I will walk with You in white;

A pure bride, I’ve been made right

By the blood of Jesus Christ;

Pardoned by His sacrifice.

https://vimeo.com/114796263

Monday, January 28, 2019

Necks on The Line

Ephesians 6:10-12 ESV

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

The Devil’s Schemes

If we are going to be able to stand against the schemes of the devil, then we need to know what those schemes (tricks, ruses, deceptions) are. We need to be made aware of how he and his scheming works, too, and how he is presently working within the gatherings of the church, and within governments, and in our individual lives, too. For, if we are not discerning about these things, we may easily be caught in his traps unaware.

For one, he makes something that is evil appear as something good, and he makes what is good appear as something that is evil. And, he does this by twisting the truth to his advantage and through subliminal messages, too.

For example, I have found in some books written supposedly by Christian authors, which are purportedly written for Christians (for the church), that not only will they take scriptures out of context to make them say what they want them to say, but they will carefully place scriptures here and there to make you think that what you are reading is scriptural, but while they may never refer to those scriptures at all.

For they know, if you see the scriptures, that your mind will naturally make an association between the scriptures and what the author is saying, and so it will give you the sense that the author is supporting what he is saying with scripture, when what he is saying may, in reality, be opposed to scripture.

Another trick of the devil is to give a verbal impression that something in particular is taking place while the actions themselves tell a different story, and so you end up believing that what you are seeing is what was verbally communicated while what is being presented before you gives an entirely different picture. And thus you believe, again, that there is a connection between the two, when, in fact, the two are opposed to each other.

Case in point: We are told that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, and yet the primary focus of the holiday is on Santa Claus, Christmas trees, decorations, food, gifts, games, parties and movies.

So, we are convinced that if we put a manger scene in our house that we are giving honor to Jesus, and that by giving gifts to one another that we are honoring Jesus, too. But, while we picture Jesus as a helpless baby in a manger, we also tell how Santa is going throughout the world on a sleigh in the sky delivering gifts to the children of the world all in a single night. So, who gets all the glory? Santa. Who has the hearts of the children? Santa (alias Satan). Or, if not Santa, it is the gifts they are going to receive (1).

And, this is how the false (cheap grace) gospel works, too. They give you the impression that what they are teaching is the true gospel, because it is half-true, but then they throw in a bunch more stuff that isn’t true, but they twist it to make it sound true, and then this “other stuff” is what appeals to your flesh, your emotions, for it makes you feel good, and thus you feel it is good for you. But, they call it the gospel, and so you are convinced that what you are hearing is the gospel, but the attention is drawn to the flesh.

For one, they convince you that all division (differences) is bad, and that we must all unite together as one, but with what? And, with whom? For, even within the gatherings of the church not all “unity” is unity with Christ and with His Word, but it is unity with man and with marketing schemes and marketing books and humanistic philosophy. But, they will use the scriptures to guilt-trip you into uniting with them.

They will also twist the scriptures to make you feel as though standing on the truth of God’s Word is a bad thing, for it divides people, and that division is bad, and it is unchristian, of the devil and that it is not the gospel.

But, Jesus called us to be separate (unlike, different) from the world and to not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. And, Jesus definitely teaches an us-versus-them mentality when he says his sheep listen to him and they follow (obey) him, and that those who don’t are not of his sheep fold. Then he says that if we forsake our lives to follow him that we will have eternal life, but if we hold on to our old lives, that we will face death.

So, Satan’s scheme is to convince you that the true gospel is the false gospel and that the false gospel is the true gospel, but the false (cheap grace) gospel appeals to the flesh, for it makes no demands on you with regard to repentance (death to sin) or with regards to obedience to Christ (living to him and to his righteousness all in his power and strength).

Ephesians 6:13-18a ESV

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

So, the only way in which we are going to be able to stand against the devil’s schemes is that we have to know how he operates, and the way in which we know this is by the Holy Spirit, and by putting on the armor of God daily.

Now, this putting on the armor of God is not some routine we go through or something we claim in a prayer. For, putting on the armor of God means we are applying these things daily, in all practicality, to our lives, to our lifestyles, to our walks of faith.

So, this means we have to be truth tellers and not those who practice telling lies. We have to be living righteously in the power of God and not just claiming Jesus’ righteousness over our lives. We have to be those who are sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, but not in word only, but in lifestyle.

And, we have to be those who put our faith into practice, who live what we say we believe, and not just mouth it. And, our salvation from sin needs to not be about some decision we made one day or some prayer we prayed, but we must be walking according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh, living as though we truly have been delivered from our bondage to sin.

And, we must bathe our minds in the Word of God so that we can know how to use it against Satan’s lies, but also we might live it, which is how we truly fight off Satan’s lies and his evil schemes against us. And, we must be in an attitude of prayer at all times so that at any given moment, as prompted by the Holy Spirit, we can pray to God for ourselves and for one another.

Ephesians 6:18b-20 ESV

To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

The only way in which we are going to be alert to the devil’s schemes, though, besides all of the above, is that we must be discerning about what we are daily taking into our minds and into our hearts. For, if we are feeding our minds daily with the junk of this world, it is going to be counterproductive to us living the truth of God’s Word, or even to being able to comprehend the truths of God’s Word, that we may apply it to our daily lives. For, as the saying goes, “Garbage in, garbage out.”

And, for us to truly make supplication for one another, we must make certain that we are walking in the truth we have been given and that we are not giving the devil a foothold in our lives by our participation with the things of this sinful world. For, we can’t clearly hear the Spirit speak and know what to pray if we daily are being entertained by and are feeding our minds and hearts with the philosophies, values, principles, thinking, attitudes and behaviors of the world. For, they are opposed to each other.

And, in order to pray for one another that we may be bold in our witness for Jesus Christ and for the truth of his gospel (death to sin and living to righteousness), we should also be those who are sticking our necks out on the line, potentially to be chopped off, because we are proclaiming the truth of the gospel, too. Then, we can be united in prayer, one for the other.

He Gives Purpose  

An Original Work / June 9, 2012

“Listen to Me when I’m calling to you.

Obey freely My word.

Follow Me in all of My ways.

Do all that I say.

Hear Me gently whisper to you

My will for your life and future.

Give all of your life and heart to

Follow Me always.”

Repent of your sins and worship Jesus.

He’s your Lord and Master.

He died for your sins so you could

Live with Him today.

He has a plan for your life and

He gives purpose and direction.

He gives meaning to your life,

So follow Him today.

“I love you so much I gave My life for

You to walk in My ways,

Living for Me each day as you

Bow to Me and pray.

Witness for Me of your love for Me and

Of My grace and mercy,

How I died to save you of your

Sins now and always.”

https://vimeo.com/119038798

Sunday, January 27, 2019

(1)       http://christsfreeservant.blogspot.com/2018/12/christs-dismissal.html

What Causes Fights?

James 4:1-3 ESV

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

What causes quarrels and fights among us who are believers in Jesus, or among all people? Sin! Yet, this is not speaking of differences of beliefs or differences of opinion here, but this is speaking of noisy, heated, and angry disputes, i.e. loud and obnoxious confrontations with others just because we didn’t get our way; just because we didn’t get what our fleshly lusts craved, when we wanted it, the way we wanted it; and because we did not attain the sensual pleasures we so fervently sought after, which can merely be pride.

Or, these fights and quarrels may be a means to getting what we want, too. In other words, they may be staged (orchestrated) just for that very purpose. And, this is what is happening in the US government right now. Our leaders, who are all on the same team, play-act as though they are in opposition to one another, but this has a purpose. And, that purpose is to convince the people that our government is broken and that it needs fixed, or it is to give cause to the government to fix what is broken, by any means possible. And, this was all pre-planned from a very long time ago.

This is basically what the US government and their allies (the New World Order of the beast) have been doing throughout the world for some time now. They go into other nations and they create chaos, fake uprisings, create anarchy and unrest and terrorist attacks, et al, and then blame others for what they have perpetrated so that they can then go in to these other nations to “save the day,” i.e. to take over these other nations, to confiscate their land and their natural resources, and to seize control of their governments. And, this is now coming around full circle to America, too.

So, what we have going on here is that from the very beginning of our nation we were created to bring about this rule of the antichrist beast. Our nation was founded on false gods and false religions but in combination with Christianity, i.e. it was eclectic and syncretistic from the onset (See our national seal with the all-seeing eye of Horus hovering over the unfinished pyramid, which is a masonic symbol, not a Christian symbol).

So, the plan all along was that out of many we would become one, i.e. a one-world-order of the beast (of Revelation), i.e. of the antichrist. And, that is the plan that is in motion, and that is in process, and it is in the closing stages of preparation for the rule of this antichrist beast and his one-world government, and his one-world religion.

Thus, what this means for the church, too, is that if the church is in an unholy union with the US government (via the 501c3), that means they are under the authority of this beast, which is the de facto government of the USA. And this beast is under the authority of Satan. So, the church, in union with the government, is a national (state) church, which is the false church, not the true church. And, the authority over its head is wicked, evil, corrupt, vile, immoral, treacherous, deceitful, manipulative and threatening.

James 4:4 ESV

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

The Lord Jesus sees such an unholy union with the US government (with the beast) as spiritual adultery against him, which is what it is. He also sees this friendly relationship between the US government (of the beast) and the church as hostility against him, which it is. We can’t be unequally yoked together with the world, which is under the control of Satan, and not be in hostility against our Lord, in other words.

So, the results or the fruit of this unholy union between God’s people and the world is that the church has been on a moral and spiritual decline, and the truth of the gospel is under serious attack (persecution), and a half-truth (false) gospel has emerged and has been accepted by the vast majority of the church here in America – by the church which is in union with the government (with the beast) and with the world.

So, the true church (outside of this union) which is preaching the true gospel of our salvation, and which is calling the people of God to come out from the world of sin and to be separate (holy unto God), is under attack, big time! For those who are promoting the false grace gospel are like an army and they are everywhere spewing forth their lies and coming against the truth.

And, the Pope is a strong and persuasive voice right now against the true gospel and for the false gospel, and for the false church (the false prophet), and for the rule of this antichrist beast. For, he is vilifying the true gospel and the Jesus of the Bible, which he does by twisting the scriptures.

Twisting of Truth

The Pope’s central message right now appears to be that division of any kind is bad, for it builds walls instead of bridges, and that we need to be those who build bridges.

But, he is part of this beast order, and so he is part of this plan to create division (quarrels and fighting) in order to prove that our present system is broken and that it needs to be fixed. And, of course he has the remedy to fix the problem, which was also pre-planned from a very long time ago. So, he is not against Trump. They are on the same team just playing their parts in the “act,” i.e. the performance, i.e. the ruse.

So, the Pope now comes in to “save the day” with his “unity” message. So, he is breaking down the old order of Christianity in order to bring in a new order of this beast, i.e. the New World Order, which then fixes the problems of the old order so that we can now all live in peace and harmony with one another. And, this is because they will have now destroyed all that divides us as a people of the world, i.e. all differences in beliefs, all independent governments, and our basic human rights.

The lie that the Pope is basically spreading is that division is bad, and division builds walls which divide people, and it sows fear, and it is of the devil, the father of lies. He also appears to equate all differences of belief or opinion with bickering (quarreling and fighting), but this just is not true.

And, he also associates this building of walls (divisions) as being not Christian, of the devil, and that what they, who are builders of walls, are promoting is not the gospel, either. And, added to that, he expressed his opinion that no leader “should have the right to question another man’s religion or faith” (1). And, now we are at the crux of the matter.

Basically, Jesus Christ (of the scriptures) built walls, i.e. he did not come to bring peace but a sword, and to turn even our own family members against us, because we follow what he taught us. Yet, he built a bridge, too, which is his salvation, but it is restricted to those who would believe on him. And, he defined belief as death to self, death to sin, following (obeying) him, and living to him and to his righteousness. And, that builds walls, because it says he is the only way to heaven and he has the only truth which leads to God.

So, by the Pope’s own definition of those who build walls, Jesus was a wall builder, which the Pope says is based on fear, and that it is of the devil, and that it is non-Christian, and that what it teaches is not the gospel.

James 4:5-10 ESV

Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Jesus’ “fix” for what ails our nation and our world, though, is opposite of what our government and this false church and the pope are promoting. He wants us to resist all that is of Satan, by God’s definition, though, not by the Pope’s definition of what is of the devil. And, he wants us to draw near to God, i.e. for us to be turned from darkness to the light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that we can receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 26:18).

And, this means that we need to have our lives cleansed (purified) of sin, not just in theory, but in all practicality in our daily living and in our deeds (hands), and in our hearts (the very core of who we are).

And, we are no longer to be double-minded, tossed here and there by every wind of teaching, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes (Eph. 4:14). But, we are to weep and mourn over our sins resulting in true repentance, i.e. the forsaking of our sinful lifestyles in order to follow our Lord in obedience and in surrender to his will and purposes for our lives.

And, we are to humble ourselves before Almighty God, yielding our lives to his control, being honest about our sins, and sincere about our walks of faith, by the Spirit of God. We are to be holy unto God, separate (unlike, different) from the world, no longer living to please our sinful nature, but walking in the commands of our Savior in order to live holy lives, pleasing to him, for which he died on that cross that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us (2 Co. 5:15).

Our true worship, then, should be given over to the One True God – Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit – and to no other gods. And, true worship of the true God means we follow (obey) Jesus Christ with our lives, and we do what HE says, not what the Pope says, and not what preachers say who are teaching a false grace gospel absent of death to sin and living to righteousness. So, don’t be fooled! Just because it sounds good, doesn’t mean it is good. So, know the truth. Live the truth. It will set you free!

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Resource articles:

(1)       https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/25/americas/pope-walls-panama/index.html

(2)       https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/prisoner-of-his-own-impulse-inside-trumps-cave-to-end-shutdown-without-wall/2019/01/25/e4a4789a-20d5-11e9-8b59-0a28f2191131_story.html?utm_term=.08fec994dee7