Each Part Working Properly

Ephesians 4:11-13 ESV

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…”

God has given many different roles (parts in the body) to his people, his saints. And, we don’t all have the same function. To some he specifically assigned them to make ready (to prepare) the saints of God for the work of the ministry, which is for the building up of the body of Christ to maturity. Thus, all of us, within the body of Christ, have a responsibility for encouraging, strengthening, and nurturing one another to maturity in Christ.

Building Up

So, how do we go about building one another up in the faith? Well, first of all we need to understand what that means, for it means to encourage one another. And, to encourage means to inspire (stimulate), cheer, and reassure, which also means to influence, and to move or guide others by way of inspiration of God. In addition, it means to urge, incite, counsel, admonish (warn), persuade, and to move to action, to stir up and spur on.

You won’t see this much in today’s modern market-driven church, though. No, there we are being encouraged to “stay in our own lane,” and to only say to people what makes them feel good about themselves. Or, we are told that we have to form relationships with people for at least two years in order to earn the right to admonish, to influence, and to stir them up in the Lord, or to even share the gospel with those who are lost in their sins.

Or, we are given the impression that the preacher is to be God’s sole voice to us, and so we are to sit back and be quiet and just listen to him. It is almost as though you have to have a seminary degree for people to listen to you, as though you have no authority to speak unless you are in some leadership position within the church. But, this is not how God designed his body to work.

Yes, there is a line of authority to be followed within the gatherings of the church, and there is structure and protocol to be followed, as well, as laid out for us in the Word of God. And, we are not to usurp authority where it is not given to us, or where it is not our place. I agree with scripture on this.

Yet, that does not mean there is not a place within the body of Christ for all of us to exercise our God-given spiritual gifts and ministries for the purpose of inspiring and urging one another to walk in faithful obedience to our Lord. For, this passage of scripture, and others, too, talk much about how we are all necessary, and how we all need to be doing our part, and how we are all to spur one another on to following our Lord in surrender to his will.

How, When and Where?

But, this doesn’t have to wait to be done until we are in some official position or until we are in a formal gathering of the church. For we, the body of Christ, are the church, and we are all over the world in so many different places. And, there are so many different ways in which we can use our gifts and fulfill our callings within the body of Christ which are outside the formal gatherings of the church.

The important thing here is that we, the body of Christ, are caring about one another’s spiritual development. It doesn’t mean we go around jumping down everyone’s throat, though, or that we take a high and mighty position that we are somehow perfect, or that we have arrived, while everyone else is beneath us, and so they should listen to us.

And, it should never be implied, either, that this (above) is our stance, just because we are taking our God-given responsibility for our brother’s and sister’s spiritual development seriously, and because we are caring enough to speak the truth in love in order to help our fellow saints grow to maturity in their walks of faith with the Lord.

So, how can we do this? Well, if the church, in general, is under the impression that only the preacher is to speak to us about our walks of faith, then it may be difficult breaking through that barrier. For, many people do have this idea that the preacher/pastor is to be the one to encourage us spiritually, and that it should only happen during the formal gatherings of the church.

Yet, as we read the scriptures, we realize that this kind of encouragement of one another on a deeper spiritual level should be a natural outflow of our walks with the Lord and with one another. And, these should be the kinds of things we talk about when we get together with other believers in Christ, instead of us talking about all the same things that the people of the world are talking about.

So, when we get together with other believers for a meal or to hang out, or we talk with them on the phone, or we text or chat with them via an electronic device, or we speak with them on social media, or we write blog posts and read each other’s blogs, or in whatever other ways that we communicate with our fellow Christians, we should be talking about Jesus and our walks of faith, and we should be encouraging one another.

Ephesians 4:14 ESV

“… so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

So, why is this so important that we are all actively encouraging one another in our walks of faith, and in admonishing and spurring one another on to holiness and righteousness and walks of obedience to our Lord Jesus?

For one, it is because the days are evil, and because temptations are strong, and there is so much deception out there encouraging the saints of God to engage themselves in fleshly and worldly pleasures and to forsake holiness and righteousness, too. So, we encourage one another in our walks of faith so that none of us become hardened in our hearts against the Lord, and so none of us continue in willful sinful practices.

We need one another, too, because there is so much deception going on, even or especially within the gatherings of the church, and even among the leadership. Yet, so much of it is so subtle, and it has crept into the gatherings of the church so stealthily, over many decades, to where so much of it has gone on undetected probably by the vast majority of those who profess the name of Jesus as their Savior.

For, there are many wolves in sheep’s clothing within the gatherings of the church working to lead the people of God away from their Lord, and away from the scriptures, in order to follow after the ways of men, instead. And, they are very crafty at what they do, too, so that the naïve and the immature are likely to not even realize they are being duped by master manipulators and deceivers.

These wolves in sheep’s clothing are convincing many prospective believers in Jesus, and many immature Christians, that faith in Jesus Christ is merely forgiveness of sins and the promise of heaven when they die. And, some are even going so far as to say that Jesus doesn’t require us to turn away from our sins or to follow him in obedience, and in surrender to his will. But, they are lying to you, and that lie will come back to bite you if you buy into it.

For, scripture is real clear that faith in Jesus Christ means we die with Christ to sin that we might live with Christ to righteousness. It teaches us, too, that Jesus gave his life up for us on that cross that we might be delivered out of our addictions to sin, and walk in his holiness, not that we are merely forgiven our sins so that we can go to heaven when we die.

Scripture is also very clear on the subject of our walks of faith and what they should and should not look like. And, so the scriptures teach us that if we continue in sin, in practice, that we don’t have eternal life with God, and we are not saved. We are not forgiven of our sins. And, they teach us that we are all going to one day reap what we sow. If we sow to please the flesh, from the flesh we will reap destruction (decay, death). But, if we sow to please the Spirit, then from the Spirit we will reap eternal life (Gal. 6:7-8).

Ephesians 4:15-16 ESV

“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

So, if we truly care about other people, and if we truly love our brothers and sisters in Christ, we will tell them the truth of what God’s word teaches us with regard to sin, to judgment, to salvation from sin, and to eternal life.

For, all people are going to come before God one day, and he is going to say to a good number of them that he never knew them, and that they are to depart from him, even though they called him Lord and did things in his name. And, this is because they never submitted to him as Lord. They never turned away from their lives of sin. And, they never walked in obedience to his commands. For, this is what is required as part of genuine faith in Jesus.

Zeal for Your House

An Original Work / August 1, 2016

Based off Jn. 2:17; Ps. 69:9

Zeal for Your house, it consumes me.

Lord, I love my times with You.

I love to worship You and sing Your praises.

Time in Your Word brings me closer to You,

List’ning to You speaking to me,

Gently guiding me in truth.

Lord, You are my life’s example,

Showing me how I should live.

I love to walk with You where’er You lead me.

No greater joy have I when serving You.

Loving, giving, resting in Your strength,

I’m yielding to Your will.

Zeal for Your house, it consumes me.

See the church turned upside down:

Marketing ventures taking place of worship,

Men of the gospel turning into clowns.

Gospel message made appealing,

So the world will feel at home.

Lord, we need a great revival.

Turn their hearts, Lord, back to You.

Open the blind eyes, turn them all from darkness,

Lord, to the light. May they return to You,

Turn from their sin, forsake idols,

Be restored to God again.

https://vimeo.com/177433676

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

The Truth in Jesus

Ephesians 4:17-19 ESV

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

Who are the Gentiles? “Gentiles” (or “Nations”) is a term used to describe the people of the world who have not trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of their lives, which includes Jews who do not believe in Jesus as their Messiah (See: Romans 9:6b-8; Gal. 3:26-29; Gal. 4:22-31; 1 Jn. 2:22).

We, who profess faith in Jesus Christ, are not to conduct our lives in the same manner as those who do not believe in Jesus Christ – not even in the same manner as many who profess faith in Jesus Christ, but whose lifestyles speak the opposite. In other words, our flesh is not to be what determines (dictates) how we live, what we believe, and what we do (practice).

For, those who are outside of faith in Jesus Christ are still in the darkness, still living by their flesh. Yet, some of them put some Christians to shame, for some of them live more righteously, at least by human standards, than do many who profess to be followers of Jesus. For, there are people who do not believe in Jesus who live moral lives, who do good deeds, and who minister to the poor and needy. Yet, their good deeds will not save them.

For, not one of us, no matter how moral we are, and no matter how many good deeds we do, can be good enough to gain God’s divine approval. For, we have all sinned, and we have all come up short of God’s glory, i.e. of his divine approval and his holiness and righteousness. For, not one of us is without sin, and sin is what separates us from God (Rom. 3:23).

Yet, this does not mean that holiness is not a requirement of God for salvation. And, it does not mean that we can “believe” in Jesus and still walk in sin, thinking our sins are forgiven and we have our ticket into heaven. For, the whole reason Jesus died on that cross is that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us (1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Co. 5:15, 21; Rom. 6:1-23).

So, faith in Jesus Christ, which is God-given and God-persuaded, submits to the Lord Jesus Christ in surrender and in obedience to his will and purposes for our lives. So, this is not our flesh trying to be good enough to earn our own salvation, on our own terms. But, this is our faith in Jesus working out through our lives, by the power of God’s Spirit now living within us, empowering us to die daily to sin and self, and to live daily to Christ and to his righteousness.

Thus, we are no longer to be under the control of sin and the flesh and Satan. We are no longer to be those who make sin our practice. We should not be among those who are living in immorality, in the lusts of their flesh, in the pride of life, doing what is evil, wicked and impure. We are not to be those who ignore God’s commands so that we can engage in evil deeds. This should not be what defines us, and it should not be what rules in our hearts.

Ephesians 4:20-24 ESV

But that is not the way you learned Christ! — assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

So, what is the way that you learned Christ? Were you told that a mere acknowledgement of Jesus was enough to secure your salvation from sin? Or, were you led to believe that a mere acceptance of God’s grace would secure you heaven as your eternal home? Or, were you told that if you repeated some words after someone in a prayer that it meant that now you were God’s child, that heaven is guaranteed you, and that nothing can take that away from you, no matter what?

Were you instructed that if you received Jesus Christ into your heart that you were now saved from your sins? And, were you told that this was forever, and that it didn’t matter how you lived from this moment forward, because God’s grace now covers it all? Or, were you even told that God requires from you no repentance (no turning away from sin), no obedience to Christ and his commands, and no submission to Jesus as Lord (master)? And, were you given the impression that God no longer sees when you sin?

Or, instead, were you taught the truth that is in Christ Jesus that you are to put off your old self, your former way of life which is corrupt through deceitful desires? Were you told that faith in Jesus Christ means you die with Christ to sin that you might live to Christ and his righteousness? Were you taught that when you come to faith in Jesus Christ that the Spirit of God turns you away from darkness (sin) to the light of righteousness, and from the power and control of Satan to God – to Jesus, to follow (obey) him?

And, were you taught, too, that involved in this life transformation is the Spirit of God transforming (renewing) you in your mind away from a lifestyle of sin to surrender to Christ, and to a life of walking in obedience to him? And, that this is what it means to be “born again”?

And, then were you instructed to put on your new self in Christ Jesus, to apply what Jesus did for you via his death and resurrection to your new life in him? For, this new self is not like the old self. It is radically transformed of the Spirit of God in death to sin and in living to righteousness. For, in your new birth you are created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. For, this is why Jesus died, to free you from your slavery to sin, not so you would continue in your sinful lifestyles without guilt.

But, this is not saying we will be perfect. None of us will reach perfection until we are with Jesus for eternity. For, as long as we live in these flesh bodies, we still have the propensity to sin against God. We are still tempted to sin against God. And, we will most likely fail in one area or another from time to time. For, if we could be perfect, Jesus wouldn’t have had to die.

BUT… lack of perfection, or the fact that we still live in flesh bodies is never an excuse for continued willful sinful practices against God; against Jesus. For, in Jesus’ death on that cross, he became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God. In his death and resurrection, he provided the way for us to be delivered out of our slavery (bondage, addiction) to sin, and he provided the empowerment of the Spirit of God to live righteously.

And, he set the standard for true faith in Jesus Christ and the punishment for those who do not put that faith into practice. For, his word teaches us that if we live (walk, conduct our lives, in practice) according to our flesh, to do what it desires, that we are going to die in our sins, no matter what we profess with our lips. Yet, he says that if we, by the Spirit, are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, and if we are walking (in lifestyle) according to (in agreement with) the Spirit of God, then we have eternal life with God.

So, know the truth, and live the truth, because your life depends on it.

[See: Lu. 9:23-25; Jn. 6:35-66; Jn. 10:27-30; Ac. 26:16-18; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; 2 Co. 5:15, 21; Gal. 1:3-5; Gal. 2:20; Gal. 5:19-21; Gal. 6:7-8; Eph. 2:8-10; Eph. 4:17-24; Eph. 5:3-6; Col. 1:13-14, 21-23; Tit. 2:11-14; 1 Pet. 1:13-16; 1 Pet. 2:9-10; 1 Pet. 2:24-25; & 1 Jn. 1:5-9.]

Follow Him  

An Original Work / February 21, 2013

Based off Luke 9:22-25

Jesus, Son of God,

Died for us on a cross.

Anyone who would come to Him

Must deny himself and follow.

He must take up his cross daily;

Die to sin and self each day.

Father, God above,

Loved us so: gave His Son.

If you want to save your old life;

Keep on sinning, follow your ways,

You will lose your life forever;

Hope of heaven gone away.

Spirit of our God

Gives us life in God’s Son.

Nonetheless, if you die to self;

Forsake your sin; follow Jesus,

You will live with God in heaven,

And forever praise His name!

https://vimeo.com/117316842

Monday, April 29, 2019

Victory Over the Flesh

Philippians 2:1-4 ESV

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

“Unity” is a buzz word these days. You hear it in the news, from political leaders, in the workplace, in the church, from the Pope, and from other religious leaders. But, the unity that most of them are talking about is not that of having the same mind as Christ, but it is unity with business marketing schemes and plans, and with global political tyrannical agendas.

So, when we hear people talking about how we all need to be united, and how we all need to be of the same mind and heart and voice, then we need to be discerning with regard to what exactly we are uniting with. For, there are even preachers who will use scripture to guilt people into uniting with them in their business goals and objectives, but that is not the unity of scripture. I want to make that abundantly clear.

If we, as followers of Christ, are to be united in mind, one with the other, it needs to be the mind of Christ. So many leaders in our nations and in our churches are pushing a unity that is not of the mind of Christ at all, but is of the mind of man, of the flesh. It has as its goal that we all come together as one, that is all the people of the world, and that we throw off all which divides us as a people so that we can all live in harmony with one another.

It sounds good, but it isn’t necessarily good. For, what this means is that we have to give up the mind of Christ, and we have to find common ground with all people of all walks of life, and of all religions or beliefs, to where we can all come together as one.

So, we have to give up our faith in Jesus Christ, at least the part that says that he is the only way to God the Father and to heaven, and the part that says we have to die with Christ to sin that we might live with him to righteousness, because those beliefs are not compatible with the people of the world.

So, the unity we want to pursue is that of being likeminded with Christ first, and then we will be likeminded with those who are also likeminded with Christ. This is not saying we will agree on everything, but that we should have the same goals and objectives, which are to forsake our sinful practices to follow Jesus in obedience to his will and to his ways. And, it should be, too, to share the gospel of our salvation with others, so that they can be one in mind and heart with the Lord Jesus, too, in fellowship with him.

For, the “same love” we are to have with one another is not the kind of love the world talks about, but it is spiritual, and it prefers what God prefers, which is what is holy, pure, moral, just, honest, faithful and trustworthy. So, this kind of love is not about our emotions (feelings), nor is it selfish, and that is why it puts others’ true needs above our own, and it won’t take advantage of others, or willfully do what we know is going to harm them.

Philippians 2:5-11 ESV

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

If we are to be likeminded with Jesus Christ, we need to humble ourselves, die with him to sin and live to his righteousness in his power at work within us. And, this is daily that we must deny self and take up our cross and follow our Lord Jesus in obedience, too. Daily we must, by the Spirit, be putting to death the deeds of the flesh, and daily we must be conducting our lives according to the Spirit of God, and according to God’s will for our lives.

We are not perfect people, although we believe in Jesus, because we still live in flesh bodies, so this is why we have to empty ourselves of ourselves on a regular basis, because that flesh likes to roar its ugly head, and because Satan wants us back for his kingdom. So, he will pull out all the stops to try to trip us up in one way or another. And, this is why we must also daily put on the armor of God with which to fight off his schemes against us.

Not only this, but we must humble ourselves even to the point of death for the sake of the name of Jesus and for the sake of the gospel of his salvation. We must obey our Lord even if it costs us our reputations, our possessions, friendships, family relations, jobs, comfort, or literally our lives in death. We must be willing to have people think badly of us, call us names, accuse us falsely of things we did not do, and reject us and persecute us, too.

But, this is for the salvation of human lives that we do this, that we willingly suffer in order to see others go free from their sinful addictions, and in order that they might have eternal life with God.

So, this is why it is so important that we have the mind of Christ, and not the mind of the flesh or of the world. For, we have to be willing to tell people the truth about their sins, and about judgment, and about salvation, and about repentance and obedience, too.

If we truly want to see people come to faith in Jesus Christ, then we can’t water down the message to make them feel good, or so they won’t feel judged, or so they won’t feel uncomfortable. The message of the cross is supposed to be an offense to those who are dying in their sins. But, it is the message which will rescue them out of their slavery to sin so that they can walk in Christ’s righteousness and holiness in victory over the flesh.

Philippians 2:12-13 ESV

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

When we believe in Jesus Christ with God-given faith, we submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ over our lives. We die with him to sin and we are resurrected with him to newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. The old has gone. The new has come. We no longer are under the control of Satan and sin but we are now under the ownership and Lordship of Christ, our new master.

The Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us, and he leads us in all righteousness. He teaches us all things about Christ and he counsels, instructs, encourages and guides us in the way we are to go. He comforts and helps us, too, and he empowers us to live godly and holy lives, pleasing to God. But, we have to do our part. We have to surrender to the Lord daily, walk in obedience to his commands, and die to sin and self.

For, Jesus did not die on that cross merely to forgive us our sins and to promise us heaven as our eternal home. He died to free us from our slavery (addiction) to sin so we can walk in his holiness.

But, this is not works-based salvation. We are not trying to earn our salvation by good works. This is the Holy Spirit of God working in us, giving us wisdom, counsel, strength, encouragement and empowerment to forsake our flesh and to walk by the Spirit.

But, we have to cooperate with that work by surrendering to the Lord and following his lead. And, this is what it is to fear the Lord, i.e. to honor, value, respect and obey him. And, this is continuous throughout our Christian lives until the day we go home to be with him forever. And, oh, what a glorious day that will be!

But, if we do not forsake our lives of sin and our idols, and if we do not follow our Lord in obedience, but we choose to hold on to our old lives, instead, because we don’t want to give up our sins, then we must know that scripture teaches us that we will die in our sins, not have eternal life with God (Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 5:5-9; Gal. 5:19-21; Gal. 6:7-8).

Much Too High A Price  

Phil McHugh and Greg Nelson

You paid much too high a price for me, Your tears, Your blood, the pain –

To have my soul just stirred at times yet never truly changed.

You deserve a fiery love that won’t ignore your sacrifice

Because You paid much too high a price.

https://youtu.be/FeNA1NoJJH4

Sunday, April 28, 2019, 4:44 a.m.

Persevering

2 Corinthians 6:3-10 ESV

We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

We who share the gospel of Jesus Christ, for the salvation of all who would believe, need to be living lives which are above reproach.

This does not mean we will be perfect, but that we need to daily, by the Spirit, be putting sin and self to death. Daily we need to be putting on the armor of God with which to fight off Satan’s evil attacks against us. Daily we need to be purifying our hearts, walking according to the Spirit, and no longer walking according to the flesh, living to fulfill its evil desires. Then, no one should have cause to accuse us of anything, nor should we be a stumbling block to those who are also walking this Christian life and witness.

Yet, this does not mean that we won’t be misunderstood or accused falsely or mistreated because of our walks of faith with Jesus Christ and for our testimonies for him. Yet, when we are mistreated, misunderstood, and accused falsely, our consciences will be clear, because we know that we are walking with the Lord in obedience to him, and that we are doing his will.

Satan wants nothing more than to destroy us, though, in any which way that he can. If he can’t get us to sin against God, he will attack us in many different ways in order to break us emotionally, to wear us down, and to try to dishearten and to discourage us, because he hopes that we will give up. But, we can’t give in to him. When we are under attack, we need to cry out to God in our distress and allow his grace to meet us in our time of need.

Satan, too, will use circumstances in our lives, or people in our lives, to hurt us, to tire us, to wear us down, and to attempt to defeat us in so many ways, but we can’t give in to him. We have to keep calling on our Lord to rescue us, to minister his grace to our hearts, to comfort, help and keep us in his love. We have to pray through these trials and these difficulties, and cry out our pain and suffering so that the Lord can lift us up, and so he can fill us with his joy. And, we have to keep fighting off the lies with the truth.

As well, we have to keep telling the truth, even when falsely accused, and even when misunderstood or treated unfairly. We have to remain transparent and sincere. And, we have to keep loving others and forgiving them, because that is right, and because this is how Jesus treats us.

It is hard, though, to not be believed. It is difficult to not have support. And, it is doubly painful to be treated as an enemy when you are a friend, and when you are truly loving others with Christ’s love. Yet, these are all things that Jesus went through for you and for me so that we could be delivered from our slavery to sin and be able to walk in fellowship with our Lord.

Yet, there is no hardship, suffering, or injustice that we are going through that Jesus did not also go through in one way or another. So, he feels our pain. He knows what it is like to not be believed, or to be called a liar, or to be treated like the enemy. He knows what it is like to be abandoned, betrayed, deserted, denied and rejected by his closest companions. So, he empathizes with us in our suffering, and he is there to give us comfort, and to strengthen us, too, so that we can carry on in doing what he has called us to do, in the joy of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 6:11-13 ESV

We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open. You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. In return (I speak as to children) widen your hearts also.

Not everyone we love is going to love us back. Not everyone with whom we share the gospel of Jesus Christ is going to open their hearts to us, to hear what we have to say, or open their hearts to Jesus, to receive his free gift of salvation from sin. And, not everyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ is going to love us back or receive our words or open their hearts to us, either.

For, when we are truly transparent and honest, and we don’t wear masks, or put on shows, or try to say what is going to get us liked, but we speak the truth in love to others for their salvation, and for their walks of faith with Jesus Christ, there will be some or many who will shut us out, and who will close their hearts to us, because they don’t want to hear the truth.

For, so many people these days, it would seem, just want to keep everything light and fluffy, fun and entertaining, and on a surface level, but often fake and superficial. They don’t want anyone to see into their hearts, to see what is really going on in their lives. So, sometimes they make everything a joke, or they feel like they have to entertain, and it is so that their hearts will not be exposed, but everything kept hidden.

So, if you are one who is sincere, honest, transparent, with a pure heart, and with genuine love for others, the kind of love Jesus has for us, you may find yourself and your heart getting stomped on regularly or dismissed or even rebuked, for people may misjudge your motives or they may see you as a threat to the sanctity of their masks that they choose to wear.

So, this is a call to all those who are holding back their hearts from the Lord, and thus from his servants, too, to open wide your hearts to receive the truth from God’s words which can save your souls from hell and which can give you eternal life with God.

It is a call, too, for all who profess faith in Jesus Christ, but who are holding on to sin in their lives, and thus are withholding their hearts from the Lord, to open wide your hearts to the Lord and to his messengers who are bringing you the truth of God’s Word. Open your hearts wide to receive from the Lord and from his Word all that he has for you. Forsake your sins and your idols, and trust Jesus Christ fully with your lives.

2 Corinthians 7:5-6a ESV

For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us.

But, even if they should not open their hearts to us, and many reject us, mistreat us, abandon and betray us, we need to not let that take us out. We need to not give in to fear of the “what ifs.” We just need to keep looking to the Lord, crying out to him in our suffering, and trust him to comfort us with his love and mercy. And, we need to keep on keeping on in the love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in doing what he has called us to do, and all for his glory and praise. For, our work will be rewarded.

I Will Lift My Eyes 

An Original Work / December 12, 2012

Based off Psalms 121-125

I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.

My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.

He will not let your foot slip, and He who watches will not sleep.

Our Lord watches over you, and your life He will keep.

I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.

My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.

I give thanks to Him.

I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.

I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n.

Because of His great love for us, He made us alive with Christ.

Through the kindness of our Savior, He gave us new life.

I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.

I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n;

My home, now in heav’n.

Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.

Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.

Those who trust will ne’er be shaken. God will supply all we need.

Our Lord has done great things for us. He’s our friend, indeed!

Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.

Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.

I can count on Him.

https://vimeo.com/112516626

Saturday, April 27, 2019

Because I Love You

Colossians 1:13-14 ESV

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Jesus Christ, God the Son, didn’t just save us from the punishment of sin, but he delivered us from the complete and absolute ownership, power and control of darkness (sin, evil, wickedness) over our lives. Amen!

And, he didn’t just forgive our sins and promise us eternal life with God in heaven, but he transferred (relocated, moved, reassigned) us to the kingdom of Christ. He turned us from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that we could receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 26:18).

In other words, our old lives were done away with when we put our trust in Jesus Christ, for we died with Christ to sin. And, we were resurrected with Christ to newness of life, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. And, this is the “good news” of the gospel! We are saved from our sins so that sin is no longer our master, but that Jesus Christ is our Lord.

For, when he redeemed us with his blood, he bought us back for God, that we might be God’s possession, and that our lives would no longer be our own to be lived how we want, but that we would now live our lives for the Lord, for what he wants, and for his glory and praise. Amen!

Colossians 1:15-20 ESV

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Jesus Christ (God) is absolutely sovereign and in control over all things, over all our circumstances, and over all rulers and powers on this earth and in the heavenly realms. Nothing can happen in our lives except that our Lord allows it to happen, for Satan has no power over God. Satan can only go as far as what God allows. God always puts limits on evil, even though he has allowed, and he will allow evil to have much dominion and control.

Jesus Christ is the head of the body of Christ, his church. And, he is to be first and foremost in the life of the believer in Jesus. Yet, much of the church has joined (partnered) with the government, and the world of big business, and they have turned the church into a marketplace. And, they have altered the gatherings of the church to appeal to the world. And, thus they have also diluted the gospel message to make it more acceptable to the world.

Because so much of the church has deserted Jesus Christ as their first love, and as their only Lord, and they have followed after humans and false gods, instead, they have taken on the character, attitudes, thinking and behaviors of the world, too, so that many who call themselves Christians look and act no different from those who make no profession of Christ at all.

And, because they are walking the same pathway that the world is walking, they are headed in the direction of following the antichrist, instead, and of becoming his worshipers. For, they have deserted the Lord in favor of what the world is offering them, and so they are moving away from Christ to what is antichrist, and they are on very dangerous ground.

Colossians 1:21-23 ESV

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

We truly need to get this!! We ONCE were alienated and hostile in mind towards God, and doing evil deeds, etc. This should not still describe the life of a true follower of Jesus Christ! The whole purpose of Jesus dying on the cross for our sins was to deliver us from our slavery to sin so that we could now become bond-servants of his righteousness. So, our testimonies should be that we ONCE were hostile to God, doing (practicing) evil deeds.

So, it is those of us who ONCE were hostile in mind towards God and doing evil deeds, but who have since died with Christ to sin, and have been resurrected with him to new lives in him, to be lived to his righteousness, who he has now reconciled (made submissive, reunited us) to God.

And, he did this in order that we might be holy, blameless and above reproach before him, but not just positionally, but in action (in our conduct). For, we are to be holy in all of our conduct, scripture teaches. And, being holy means living our lives separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being conformed to the likeness of Christ. So, we are not to be like the world in character, thinking, attitudes and/or behaviors.

So, this reconciliation to God is conditional. We have to continue in the faith, stable and steadfast. For, our salvation is not a one-time event, then we are good to go, and we can then live however we want from that point forward. We have to continue in our walks of faith, and we have to walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh if we want to have eternal life with God. For, if we shift from the truth of the gospel to a gospel which says we can live however we want, then we need to know we are believing a lie.

Colossians 1:24-29 ESV

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

Why does the Lord have me write what I write every day? For one, it is because so many of God’s people, and/or those who make mere professions of faith in Jesus Christ, have wandered off from the truth to follow after the lies. It is a lot like a husband or a wife who has wandered off and is now in an extramarital relationship with someone else, male or female. And, they are buying into the lies which say they can still be in relationship with God but be in love with the world at the same time, but scripture says, “No!”

God has given me the assignment of making the word of God FULLY KNOWN, i.e. to teach the whole counsel of God so that many will truly be delivered from their sins and have the true hope of heaven when they die. For many liars and deceivers out there are convincing many who say they believe in Jesus that their sins don’t matter to God now that they are “saved,” and so they feel they have the license to keep on in their sinful practices, and so they convince themselves that God will do nothing about it.

So, part of that assignment is to warn people of the dangers of thinking that they can remain in their sinful practices, in their idolatry, and in their adulteries, and yet have heaven still guaranteed them when they die. And, it is to let them know that God’s Word says that if we walk in (practice) sin, in our flesh, living to fulfill our fleshly lusts, that we are going to die in our sins, not have eternal life with God (See: Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Eph. 4:17-24; Gal. 5:19-21; Gal. 6:7-8).

Yet, this wins me no popularity contests. It does win me rejection, rebukes, cutting remarks, slander, etc., though I have supporters, too, online mostly. So, why do I do this, knowing the hits will come? I do this because I love my Lord, and because I love my fellow humans, and those who make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. And, I want to see people set free from their slavery to sin, to walk in victory over darkness, and to have sweet communion with their Lord, because they are walking in obedience to him.

Zeal for Your House

An Original Work / August 1, 2016

Based off Jn. 2:17; Ps. 69:9

Zeal for Your house, it consumes me.

Lord, I love my times with You.

I love to worship You and sing Your praises.

Time in Your Word brings me closer to You,

List’ning to You speaking to me,

Gently guiding me in truth.

Lord, You are my life’s example,

Showing me how I should live.

I love to walk with You where’er You lead me.

No greater joy have I when serving You.

Loving, giving, resting in Your strength,

I’m yielding to Your will.

Zeal for Your house, it consumes me.

See the church turned upside down:

Marketing ventures taking place of worship,

Men of the gospel turning into clowns.

Gospel message made appealing,

So the world will feel at home.

Lord, we need a great revival.

Turn their hearts, Lord, back to You.

Open the blind eyes, turn them all from darkness,

Lord, to the light. May they return to You,

Turn from their sin, forsake idols,

Be restored to God again.

https://vimeo.com/177433676

Thursday, April 25, 2019

Venom

1 Peter 1:13-25 ESV

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”  

And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for “All flesh is like grass    and all its glory like the flower of grass.The grass withers,    and the flower falls,but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

God’s Grace to Us

The grace that will be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ, when he returns, is the same grace we have now. It is a continuous grace, which brings salvation, which is also continuous, and which won’t be complete until our Lord’s return (Rom. 13:11; 1 Co. 1:18; Heb. 9:28; 1 Pet. 1:5).

And, this grace teaches us to say “No!” to ungodliness and fleshly desires (worldly passions) and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s return (Tit. 2:11-14; Eph. 4:17-24).

So, what is this grace? It is Jesus’ death on a cross, at which time he who knew no sin became sin for us, putting our sin to death with him in order that we might die with him to sin and live with him to righteousness – being resurrected with him from death to newness of life in him, by the Spirit of God (1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Co. 5:21; Rom. 6:1-23).

It is God rescuing us from our bondage (slavery, addiction) to sin so that we can walk righteously before him – all in his power at work within us. It is the empowerment of the Spirit of God within us leading us into all truth, giving us wisdom and discernment; giving us the strength to stand strong on the Word of God, and helping us to walk (in lifestyle) according to the Spirit of God and no longer according to our sinful flesh (Rom. 8:1-17; Gal. 5:19-25).

And, God’s grace to us is forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life with God in heaven. But, this forgiveness and hope of heaven do not stand on their own. They are contingent on us receiving the gospel of our salvation from sin with childlike God-given faith which surrenders to God and yields to the Lordship of Christ over our lives; which dies with Christ to sin and lives with Christ to righteousness as a matter of lifestyle and practice in conduct (Lu. 9:23-25; Jn. 6:35-66; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

It is Jesus redeeming us from our former lives of living for sin and self and buying us back for God with his blood so that we might now become God’s possession, with him as our master and with us as his bond-servants, walking in obedience to him and to his commands (1 Co. 6:20; 2 Co. 5:15).

And, it is the calling, the equipping and the empowerment of the Spirit of God to live lives which are separate (unlike, different) from the world of sin and separate unto God and to his service, which is what holiness means. We are to no longer live like the world does, feeding our own flesh, and giving way to idolatry and to fleshly lusts of greed, immorality and the like (Rom. 12:1-2; 2 Co. 6:14-18; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Pet. 2:4-9; Rev. 18:4-5).

Man’s Grace to Us

God’s grace to us is divine, holy and pure, leading us to holy and righteous living, free from the control of sin and Satan. Man’s message of grace, on the other hand, which is flesh-driven, leads us to continue in sinful practices (addictions), while falsely promising us forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God in heaven.

The light of the gospel, according to man, sets the lowest standard for us to live by, which is at the bottom – corrupt, vile, immoral, impure, dishonest and wicked. And, it comes to us via a network of those controlled by Satan and his evil hordes, whose goal it is to deceive, manipulate and trick us into believing their lies and into rejecting the truth. For, Satan’s goal is to keep us under his control and to keep us from surrendering our lives to Christ.

So, his servants and messengers suppress the truth they don’t want people to know, which is the necessity for us to die with Christ to sin and to live with him to righteousness, walking daily by the Spirit of God and no longer by way of the flesh, if we want to be saved from our sins and have eternal life with God in heaven (Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

They hide that truth and they focus on the end result of that truth being realized in people’s lives. For, it is kind of like having the resurrection without first having the cross. They pass over the necessity of death for salvation, and they promise life eternal absent of surrender to Christ. But, Jesus had to first die for our sins before he could be brought back to life, and we, too, must die to sin if we want to have eternal life with God.

They completely bypass repentance, submission and obedience to Christ and living to righteousness. They bypass, too, that Jesus redeemed us from our slavery to sin to be God’s possession, a redemption we receive by faith via our submission to his Lordship. So, their gospel of grace is a vehicle of death, but not death to sin, but of dying in our sins. And, they enter into Jesus’ sheep fold via what is dishonest and crooked, not through “The Door.”

These liars and deceivers, too, will tell you that righteousness and wickedness can co-exist within the life of a believer in Jesus. Thus, they will have no conscience whatsoever about doing what is evil and doing what they consider to be righteous simultaneously. They can prepare to teach a Bible study while looking at porn at the same time. For, to them, evil and good are on friendly terms with each other, so one can be a Christian, they say, and yet still be walking (living) in sin (Refute: 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

These liars, deceivers and manipulators will fake righteousness, too, as a cover-up for evil in order to fool people into believing that they are living righteously when secretly they are engaged in evil. They are really good at avoiding the truth and with performing for an audience in order to give a false impression that they are on the right track while secretly their characters and conduct are full of corruption, wickedness and immorality.

A Venomous Bite

Yet, since they oppose the truth, they will secretly work to undermine the truth of the gospel via slandering the righteous in hopes to discredit them so that people won’t listen to them when they try to share the truth. They will make up all kinds of lies against the Lord’s servants and witnesses and will make them out to be evil while they promote themselves as good.

They also are coming strongly against the whole idea of holy living, living lives which are separate from the world and unto God. They are taking cheap shots at the teachings on separateness, too, saying it is “unchristian” and “unloving.” For, their goal is to bring the whole world into unity with the beast New World Order and its one world religion, so they are stressing that separateness is bad and that unity of all people of the world is good.

So, if the Lord’s servants are teaching the truth of the gospel, and they are confronting Satan’s lies, and they are refusing to compromise with the world, and they are holding on to the Word of God, they are now being targeted for extinction. Those who are teaching the cheap grace gospel or who are adhering to it themselves, are now fighting back with venom, i.e. with spite, hatred, and meanness for the purpose to silence the truth.

But, the Lord’s messengers must not be disheartened or discouraged, for God has all things under his control, and he is going to work all things for good for those who love him (obey him) and who have been called according to his purposes, which are that we forsake our lives of sin to follow Jesus Christ in obedience and in surrender to his will (Lu. 9:23-25).

For Our Nation 

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: we’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

https://vimeo.com/112351857

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Left Behind

Romans 1:28-32 ESV

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Between 1995 and 2007, authors Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins authored a series of novels called the “Left Behind” series. The novels primarily center on their interpretation of End Times events, which involves a pretribulation rapture of the church.

Although I do not adhere to the same eschatological interpretation of scripture as they do, i.e. I do not believe in the pretribulation rapture of the church, among other things, still there are some aspects of their interpretation of these end times events that I believe depict for us well what is happening in our present world today.

I thought their depiction of the New World Order and its leader, Nicolae Carpathia, at least partially, was a very good description of this present day beast New World Order, with its beast controlled media, etc. Yet, I am not agreeing with their characterization, as a whole, just some of it.

But, from what I understand of what scripture teaches and what is happening in the world today, in relation to prophecy of scripture being fulfilled, this beast and its global New World Order are rising, increasing in size, are on the move, are advancing, and are conquering nations, peoples and Christ’s faithful followers throughout the world (See Rev. 12-14).

So, the “left behind,” in this case, are not those who were not in genuine relationship with Jesus Christ before the rapture of the church, but they are the abandoned, rejected, ignored and dismissed servants and followers of Jesus Christ, who are taking his gospel message throughout the world.

And, the ones leaving them behind are their leaders in the government, in the churches, and in their homes and families. But, they aren’t just abandoning them, but they are betraying them, and they are coming against them, too, opposing them continuously, and even slandering them.

Duplicity and Deception

But, just like in the “Left Behind” series, there is a lot of deception going on, i.e. a lot of duplicity of people pretending to be one thing while they are another, pretending to be for us while they are against us, and pretending to be concerned about our welfare while secretly they are plotting our destruction.

For example, Republicans and Democrats are not actually opposing each other. They are two sides of the same whole. The same is true with the US supposedly opposing other nations which are also fully involved in the New World Order. They are in unity with each other, following the same business plan for taking over the world, but who pretend opposition to one another.

It is like those who portend to be Christians but who are wolves in sheep’s clothing. Outwardly they give off the appearance of righteousness, but it is outward only, for they are really secretly involved in all sorts of evil, wickedness, immorality, seduction, and murderous plots against those who they truly oppose. They pretend to be against evil, while they embrace it.

With regard to these who fake loyalty and devotion to their own people, but who secretly are plotting their destruction, their message worldwide is “Unite with us, join with us, cooperate with us, or pay the consequences.” Much of the destruction we see going on in other nations, and even within our own, may, in fact, be for the purpose of intimidation and for sending a message: “Either you cooperate with the ‘international community,’ or pay the price!”

In The News

The mainstream media, at least here in America, is beast controlled. They also pretend to be in competition with each other, but they are all owned by the same wealthy elite and powerful people of this world who are the ones bringing this world under the rule of this beast and its one-world religion.

So, most of what we see in the news is either totally fake, partially fake, or the events are real, but the players are false, i.e. these are false flag operations. Real people get killed or injured, but the events are preplanned by this beast N.W.O. in order to accomplish their global business plan for the takeover of the world. And, then they blame someone else for their crimes.

Yet, they often will insert the actual truth of what they are doing in their news stories but “hidden in plain sight,” i.e. kind of like those pictures for kids where you have to find the hidden images. For, they kind of blend into the background. But, if you have read these stories over many years, with a discerning mind and heart, and you are good at seeing patterns, the patterns will begin to jump out at you, for they repeat the same phrases.

Hidden Messages

For example, in these news stories about the purported bombings in Sri Lanka, I saw several hidden messages contained within. I saw a double message or a message with two sides to it.

They mentioned that Christians were in the minority in Sri Lanka. I felt the message here was about professing Christians who are in the minority – those who are faithful followers of Jesus Christ, who are holding strong to the Word of God, who are walking in obedience to the scriptures, and who hold to Jesus’ gospel of salvation in its entirety (See: Rev. 12:17; Rev. 14:12). We are considered to be “religious extremists.”

There was also a message of censorship, too, of those who are telling people the truth, but not just about the events taking place in Sri Lanka, but who are preaching the fullness of the gospel of our salvation, and who are opposing state sanctioned religious institutions, which are diluting the gospel and are giving people freedom to continue in their sinful practices.

Again, we are in the minority, and we are considered “extremists,” and so we are being charged with attacking “the churches,” which is a false accusation. But, this will warrant the beast N.W.O. to come after us, to censor us, in order to silence us, so that it will stop the spreading of the gospel, from it going any further. This is coming, and it is coming fast and furious. Already they have in place for people to report on others on the internet, so as sure as anything, this is coming.

For, they have to get us out of the way so that they can accomplish their goal of bringing all religions all together under a one-world religion. And, they are quite advanced in this already. Thus, they have converted “the church” into a place of business, marketed just like any other business, and they have diluted the gospel to make it more socially acceptable.

Now, “sharing the gospel” has been altered to mean “being nice” to people and doing “good deeds,” etc. The goal is not to offend anyone but just to make everyone feel good about themselves and about us. So, we are told we need to “stay in our own lane,” i.e. mind our own business, and not get in anyone’s face about nothing, i.e. to not say anything that might make them feel uncomfortable.

Also, I will note here that the purported bombings in Sri Lanka are the working of this beast New World Order, who hires terrorists, sometimes, to do their dirty work, such as Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and ISIS, etc. It has their M.O. written all over it, including the news stories about it.

Whether or not the events reported have actually taken place exactly as they have reported them, I have no knowledge of that. But, their hidden messages announcing what they are actually doing, are all throughout the news stories that I read. And, I know that all of this is for the purpose to advance the beast N.W.O. agenda of world domination, which includes bringing the whole world under a totalitarian socialistic global regime.

Rejection of Jesus Christ

What this all comes down to is a worldwide rejection of the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and his gospel, and its messengers.

The majority of people in the world don’t want to hear that they must submit to Jesus Christ as Lord (master) of their lives, or that they have to forsake their former lives of living for sin and self, or that they have to follow Jesus Christ in walks of obedience to his holy scriptures in order to be saved from their sins and to have eternal life with God (See: Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Gal. 5:19-21; Gal. 6:7-8; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

So, they are abandoning Jesus Christ, and his scriptures, and his servants, in order to ease their own guilty consciences, so that they continue in their sinful lifestyles unhindered. So, God is giving them over to all this evil, to do what ought not to be done. But, one day Jesus will return to take us home to be with him and to judge all this evil on the earth. So, there is hope for the repentant. One day we will be with our Lord and evil will be no more.

For Our Nation  

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: we’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

https://vimeo.com/112351857

Tuesday, April 23, 2019