Inherited From Your Forefathers

“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.” (1 Peter 1:13-21 ESV)

What was my “former ignorance”? What were the “futile ways inherited from my forefathers”? I believe the Lord wants me to talk about these today.

I live in the United States of America. I was born here in Akron, Ohio, which is in the northern Midwest of the USA, although it appears more right to center and not in the center of the country. I had a mother and a father, two brothers, and two sisters. My parents were people who religiously practiced attending weekly church services (Sunday mornings and Sunday nights, and Wednesday evenings, usually). But at home my dad was an abuser of the worst kind, and my mother was emotionally withdrawn from us children, although she was a good mother in many other respects.

The church services we attended were of a particular church denomination which was fairly fundamental evangelical, and which definitely believed in the gifts of the Spirit, used properly, and the filling of the Holy Spirit, and walks of surrender, obedience, and submission to Christ as Lord of our lives. From the age of 7, I believe, I attended children’s church camp at our church camp on Lake Erie one week each summer. And at the age of 7 I repented of my sins and I believed in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of my life, and my desire was to live for him and to obey him and to not be a hypocrite.

I did not have good role models except for one pastor’s wife and one pastor that I had, and some others, with regard to how the Christian life was to be lived day in and day out. But I began my journey with Christ, and little by little I began to learn what a true Christian was supposed to look like, and what it means to be a genuine follower of Jesus Christ. And at age 16 I began teaching the Scriptures, and I was involved in Christian ministry consistently, although I had a short period of time when I wandered from my faith. Praise God, the Lord brought me back. And my heart’s desire was and is to follow the Lord with my life, but I had much to learn, and much growing up to do.

Early on I was very trusting of most people. I believed whatever the news media told me was happening. I believed my government leaders, that what they were telling me was the truth. I pledged allegiance to my government with hand over heart, and I sang the songs of loyalty and devotion to my country with great enthusiasm, and I believed our military were in these other countries protecting us from our enemies. And I believed what the preachers were preaching, that it was true, unless it was something blatantly false. And I used the “canned” gospel presentations which used Scriptures out of context to teach what was not fully true if taught in context.

I knew right from wrong, and I was spiritually discerning in some respects, and I did practice testing the spirits, but I was blinded to so much deception and trickery and false teachers and preachers and politicians and newscasters, and the like. Then one day the Lord began opening my eyes to see what was going on in today’s modern market-driven “churches,” which are really businesses of men being marketed to the people of the world. And at the same time he began opening my eyes to the lies coming from the news media and from our government that I had been believing a long time.

And I began seeing “the church” and the government and the news media in a light that I had not really seen before, not to this degree. For the Lord was opening my eyes and giving me insight to see so much of what is passed off as truth but really are lies in disguise. And I began to see that our government was not “right and left,” but one whole posing as right and left, but working for the same people, the elite of the world of the “beast” of the book of Revelation. And I began to see clearly what our government has been doing in these other nations, and it is not for anyone’s good, but to harm, to kill, and to destroy, and to rob others of their own resources.

And I began to see how twisted the primary gospel message being taught today really is, and how so many “wolves in sheep’s clothing” and “charlatans” are serving church congregations as pastors and elders, and how they are following the marketing schemes of men in order to draw in large crowds of people from the world into their gatherings in order to increase their numbers and to build their businesses. And I had my eyes being opened to so much corruption going on within “the church” and within the government and the news media, et al. And it was very eye opening.

And so I stopped believing the lies, as far as I know, and I started believing the truth of what is really happening in the world and in the church and within the governments of nations and where we are historically with regard to the last days and the warnings of the Scriptures with regard to what we can expect to be taking place in these final days before our Lord’s return. And the Lord led me to begin writing down what he was teaching me from his word each day and to put these writings on the internet to share with other people. And I am not claiming that I had or that I have everything perfectly correct, but I do believe that my eyes have been opened.

And the biggest thing, or the most important thing, was in learning what the Scriptures teach IN CONTEXT with regard to the message of the gospel and the teachings of Christ and of his NT apostles so that our eyes do begin to be opened to our “former ignorance” and the “futile ways inherited from our forefathers.” And so that we reject the lies and so we embrace the truth and that we now put the truth into daily practice, and so we are now sharing that truth with others for their salvation from sin and so that they are not led astray by these “Pied Pipers” who are leading many to their deaths.

So, the point of this passage of Scripture is that in preparing our minds for action we need to have the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit in showing us the lies we have been believing so that we now reject the lies and we now embrace and live the truth. We need to no longer be conformed to our former ignorance, which many still are who are still living in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord after they have made professions of faith in Jesus Christ. And some of them know the truth, but they refuse to live the truth that they know. And we need to not be still following the futile ways inherited by our forefathers, but we need to reject them and live the truth.

Do not believe everyone and everything you hear or read, even if it fits with what you have always been taught, or even if it fits with your traditions and culture and practices handed down to you from your ancestors. Let the Holy Spirit renew your minds and hearts and open your eyes to see the lies. And then be those who are putting to death the lies and who are encouraging the self-indulgent professers of faith in Jesus to renounce the lies of Satan and to now believe and live the truth of God’s word. For if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to God, we will not inherit eternal life with God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]

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.

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