Tolerance of Jezebel

Sunday, March 5, 2017, 9:14 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Should I Not Preach Jesus.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Revelation 2:18-29 (NASB).

Eyes Like Fire (v. 18)

“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this:

God takes sin seriously, and so should we. When God forgives us our sins, that does not mean he ignores our sins from that moment on. He doesn’t. Our God is loving, merciful and gracious, but he is also holy, righteous, and just. Jesus saved us from slavery to sin so that we might become bond-slaves of his righteousness. God called us to be holy and to live godly lives, pleasing to him. Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. If we continue in sin (living in sin, making it our practice), we will die in our sins, and we don’t have the hope of eternal life with God, even though there are people who will tell you that you do. If we claim to be in Christ, and yet we have allowed sin to creep back into our lives, or if we have tolerated sin in others, then the God with eyes like a flame of fire is going to speak, and he is going to warn, and he is going to call us to repentance or else to face his divine correction. This is because he loves us!

Love and Faith (v. 19)

‘I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first.

In the gathering of the church there will be those who have close walks with the Lord, who are following in his ways, though not perfectly, and whose goal it is to please their Lord and to obey his commands (his instructions). They are growing in maturity with Christ. There will also be those who are struggling in their walks of faith who are still living like spiritual infants rather than moving on to maturity in Christ. There will also be those who profess to know Christ but who have truly never been born again of the Spirit of God, but are Christians in name only. And, there will be those who have made no profession of Christ at all, but they are there, perhaps, with a family member or a friend, and the reasons for being there could be many. Added to that, the church met in multiple locations.

So, when the Lord addressed this church gathering, as a whole, it is to be understood that not everyone there was doing what is right, and not everyone was doing what is wrong. There is clearly a mixture, which becomes quite apparent when you read this entire passage. So, how do we reconcile the fact that he commends them here for their faith, love, service and perseverance, and then chides them for tolerating “Jezebel”?

I don’t know, other than I know that none of us are perfect, and that we are all growing in our faith, and we are being conformed to the image of Christ, if we are walking according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh. So, we may be doing really well in some areas, but then be lacking in others. And, these are areas where God wants to change us, to mature us, and to make us more and more like Jesus. So, we need to listen to him, and then we need to obey what he shows us.

You Tolerate Jezebel (vv. 20-23)

But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.

Ok, so what does it mean to tolerate? It means to bear, endure, accept, stomach, permit, put up with; “to allow the existence, occurrence, or practice of (something that one does not necessarily like or agree with) without interference; be capable of continued subjection to” (Google).

And, who or what is “Jezebel?” There are many opinions on this, so let’s look at what she represents here. A prophet or a prophetess is someone who speaks the words of God, so this is someone who is a Bible teacher or a preacher, or someone who claims to speak for God, or it could be a personification of a larger group of people who are leaders within the church, as a whole, and/or who have enormous influence over the people. Since the church met in multiple locations, it could be that this was speaking of just one of the local fellowships that met in a home, and that the church at large was not dealing decisively with this issue.

Ok, so what was the character of this Jezebel? She/he/they are those who are sexually immoral and who lead others astray to what is immoral and ungodly. Jezebel could, thus, be a personification of the institutional church here in America, though not speaking of each individual person or congregation within the church as a whole. There is so much immorality within the church which is being tolerated consistently, i.e. it is ignored, placated, and allowed to exist and to be practiced as a matter of everyday life because no one wants to be the “bad guy” and they want everyone to feel comfortable and non-threatened. Statistics report that probably as much as 75% of pastors are involved with pornography, so no wonder they are diluting the gospel and saying we don’t have to repent of sin or obey God.

God is not looking the other way. He notices all the sin that goes on within the church unchecked and largely ignored or placated, and he sees all the church leaders who are looking at pornography behind closed doors, and he observes how sensuality is even present in “worship” services, i.e. in gatherings intended to attract the world with slightly cleaned up worldly entertainment, and how righteousness, holiness and godliness are being pushed out the door in favor of tolerance of sinful practices. And, he will judge his church, most certainly.

Hold Fast (vv. 24-29)

But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you. Nevertheless, what you have, hold fast until I come. He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

If we, though, are not partakers in all of that, and we do not practice tolerance of evil, but we confront sin, and we speak out against evil, and we do not tolerate sin in our own lives, but are dedicated to holiness, then this is not addressed to us. Instead, we are being encouraged here to hold fast to our faith in Jesus Christ until he comes for us, and to not give way to Satan, and to not let sin creep back into our lives, but to remain steadfast in love, purity and holiness until the end. This is a call to perseverance.

Should I Not Preach Jesus

An Original Work / July 4, 2013

Based off 1 Corinthians 9:16-10:13

Woe to me should I not preach Jesus.

I’m compelled to preach the full gospel.

I make myself a slave to ev’ryone

To win their hearts to Christ.

All this I do for my Lord Jesus,

And for the sake of His Name;

Do it for the sake of His gospel,

So that I, its blessings gain.

Scripture notates the sins of others;

Written down for us as examples

To keep us from setting our hearts

On evil as did those of old.

Do not worship other gods of man;

Do not give your hearts to them;

Not partake in immorality.

Do not test your Lord and King.

So, be careful if you think you are

Standing firm in your faith in Jesus.

God has given his word to warn us,

So through faith we will not fall.

No temptation has o’ertaken you

Except what is commonplace.

God is faithful to not let you be

Tempted past what you can bear.

He gives the way of escape.

https://vimeo.com/116057811

Acts of Immorality

Saturday, March 4, 2017, 10:13 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Should I Not Preach Jesus.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Revelation 2:12-17 (NASB).

“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this:

‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’

The Sharp Two-Edged Sword

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Heb. 4:12

Jesus Christ is the one who has the “sharp two-edged sword,” and he is the speaker. He speaks on the authority of God, and on the authority of the Word of God, because he is God, and because he is the Son of God, and because he is the Living Word of God who died on a cross for our sins.

His Word is living and active, meaning it is not merely a historical book with useful information contained inside. It is also not merely a training manual useful for teaching believers in Jesus Christ how to live the Christian life. It was God-breathed when it was written, and it is still alive and speaking to hearts today with the full power of God and the witness of the Spirit of God behind it. As believers in Jesus, when we read the Word of God, it isn’t like reading any other book. The words come alive to us, and they speak conviction, encouragement, hope, healing, restoration, judgment, warnings and blessings, too, to our hearts. It is like God is right there speaking to us.

God’s Word is not light reading. It is not for the faint-hearted. It is also not for the casual reader who thinks five minutes a day reading some Bible verses satisfies God or our Christian (religious) obligation for the day. The Word of God is part of our spiritual armor we are to put on every day with which to fight off Satan’s evil attacks against us. In combination with our other armor, we are able to use the Word of God to refute Satan’s lies, false doctrines, idolatry, spiritual adultery, sinful addictions, deceptions and the like. As well, it contains the gospel of our salvation which gives us the hope of deliverance from slavery to sin for the ones believing in Jesus, who have repented of their sin, and who have turned to follow our Lord in obedience.

Where Satan’s Throne Is

Satan’s throne is on the earth where humans dwell. Yet, there are certain places in this world where his presence is certainly more felt, and his influence is definitely wider spread. His realm of influence appears to be extending further and further by the day, all over the earth, as this world of ours keeps growing more and more wicked by the hour. Not only is Satan yielding greater sway in people’s lives, but he is also exerting immense power, authority, rule and dominion over the earth and its people. This power and rule is authoritarian and is subversive and it is tyrannical. As a result, many Christians throughout the world are suffering great persecution and even death at the hands of Satan’s agents (his servants).

It seems, sometimes, that those who are truly standing on the Word of Truth, who are not denying Jesus by living sinful lifestyles, or who are not compromising with the world in order to be accepted by the world, are growing fewer and fewer in number, as more and more people are giving way to deception, to the lies of Satan, and to their own sinful desires. And, thus the faithful may be finding themselves having fewer and fewer friends, and may be suffering much in the way of rejection, mockery, persecution, false accusations, and the like, just because their desire is for Jesus and to please him in all that they do and say.

Acts of Immorality

One of the biggest weapons Satan is wielding against people today, and most especially against Christians (or professing Christians), is luring them into sexual sin and/or into romantically or sexually adulterous situations. If people watch TV or surf the NET indiscriminately, or are addicted to social media sites or chat sites where they can have private conversations without the knowledge of their spouses, and with someone of interest to them, they are ripe to being drawn into the world of sexual sin and romantic adultery.

Hey, even if you don’t have a TV and you are very careful as to which internet sites you frequent, they (the people who lure you) have pop-ups and ads to the side or to the bottom of “safe” sites in order to trap you, or to try to trap you. Everywhere you go, pretty much, has TVs blaring with sexually alluring exhibitions, or they have seductive store window displays, or seductive magazine covers in check-out lines in grocery stores. Sex is everywhere, because it sells, and because Satan is behind its presentation so that he can trap as many people as possible and to render Christians inoperable. And, even some of the strongest Christians can be brought down if they are not careful and prudent concerning what they allow their eyes to see and regarding what they permit their minds to take in on a daily basis.

Turn from Sin

There are many professing Christians who are trapped in sexual addiction who feel that they don’t know the way out or that they can’t get out. Yet, Jesus has already made the way out. He took upon himself the sins of the entire world when he died on that cross. He put sin to death so that we could die to sin and live to righteousness. Through God-given faith in him, in which we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are resurrected with Christ to newness of life, we have been delivered, not just from the punishment of sin, but from the bondage (addiction) to sin. Amen! We don’t have to keep sinning! Jesus gave us the way of escape. We just have to yield to him and let him work in our hearts, and surrender to his will for our lives, letting him be Lord (owner-master) of our lives. We have to put off sin, by the power of the Spirit, and put on Christ, his word and his purity.

It isn’t that most people who call themselves Christians don’t know what to do when they are sin addicted, but it is that they choose to remain sin addicted rather than to allow Jesus to give them the victory. And, I believe that is one of the main reasons so many professing Christians have adopted what I call a false grace gospel, because it doesn’t require that they change their lifestyles. They don’t have to repent of sin or obey Jesus. All they have do is say they believe in Jesus and they are told they have their salvation secured and heaven guaranteed. And, if they begin to feel any guilt for their sin, then they are told to repeat in their minds a list of statements, some false, regarding who they are in Christ. This is to alleviate all guilt so that they can keep on sinning, while claiming heaven as their eternal home.

Yet, that is not the GRACE of God which brings salvation, which teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s return. That is also not the gospel of our salvation which teaches that faith in Christ means forsaking our former way of living for sin and self and dying daily to sin and self by the power of the Spirit working within us. The gospel message taught by Jesus teaches that if we say we have fellowship with God but we walk (in lifestyle) in darkness (sin), we are liars, and if we walk according to our flesh or if we fail to lose (die to) our old lives of living in sin, that we will die in our sin (See: Tit. 2:11-14; Lu. 9:23-25; Ro. 6:1-23; Ro. 8:1-14; Eph. 4:17-24).

If we want to have eternal life with God and to be free from sin, then we need to yield control of our lives over to God and die with him to sin so we may live with him to righteousness. We need to obey him and stop sinning (by the Spirit) and we need to put on (live to) what is righteous, holy and pure. We can’t do this in our own flesh or according to our own plan for our lives. This will only come about through submission, surrender and yielding to our Lord and allowing him to change us from the inside out. We have to stop playing with fire and mean business with God, and be willing to cut out of our lives everything which hinders our walks of faith or which leads us down the path of sin. If we are not willing to go the distance with God, then we will miss out on the blessings of obedience and our eternal rewards.

Should I Not Preach Jesus

An Original Work / July 4, 2013

Based off 1 Corinthians 9:16-10:13

Woe to me should I not preach Jesus.

I’m compelled to preach the full gospel.

I make myself a slave to ev’ryone

To win their hearts to Christ.

All this I do for my Lord Jesus,

And for the sake of His Name;

Do it for the sake of His gospel,

So that I, its blessings gain.

Scripture notates the sins of others;

Written down for us as examples

To keep us from setting our hearts

On evil as did those of old.

Do not worship other gods of man;

Do not give your hearts to them;

Not partake in immorality.

Do not test your Lord and King.

So, be careful if you think you are

Standing firm in your faith in Jesus.

God has given his word to warn us,

So through faith we will not fall.

No temptation has o’ertaken you

Except what is commonplace.

God is faithful to not let you be

Tempted past what you can bear.

He gives the way of escape.

https://vimeo.com/116057811

Write These Things

Saturday, March 4, 2017, 9:22 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “When I Am Afraid.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Revelation 1 (NASB).

A Fellow Partaker (vv. 9-11)

I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

I, Sue J Love, your sister and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus Christ, to those who are followers of Jesus Christ, and who are also suffering persecution for the sake of His Name, and for the gospel of Christ. I empathize with you in your suffering.

It was in a time of great suffering and persecution that God called me to this ministry. He used the passage in Habakkuk 2:2 in 2004 to call me to write what he teaches me from his Word, and to post it on the internet.

Then the LORD replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.” (NIV)

The “revelation” for me was whatever he taught me from his Word each day. To make it plain was to write it in such a way that it was practical and understandable and applicable to our daily lives, and to the church of today, and to the world in which we now live. I believe the Holy Spirit guides me in what to say. My “tablet” is a laptop computer, and the “herald” is the internet, which runs with it. And, thus, the name of my blog is “Run With It.”

I Turned to See (vv. 12-16)

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.

In the years since God called me to this ministry, he has revealed so much of himself to me through His Word and through the witness of the Holy Spirit in my heart, as well as through my own life experiences and tribulations.

I don’t see him in such a physical way as did John, though, but I have grown to know his character, his heart, his passion and his compassion. As he has allowed me to go through much suffering, I have learned to feel what he feels and to share many of his passions (zeal) for truth, righteousness, holiness, godliness and faithfulness. I have also known his comfort, encouragement, counsel, love, mercy, and faithfulness to me, his servant, especially during times when I was (or am) hurting deeply.  

My God is a God of love, mercy, kindness and forgiveness, but he is also a God of justice and righteousness, and one who keeps his Word. He is completely faithful in all that he does. He has a purpose for everything he does in this life and in this world, too. And, he will accomplish his purposes in human hearts in His Way and according to His Will and His Timing. He demands obedience and repentance. They are not optional. He commands honor, respect, reverence and regard for Him and for His Word, too, and he does not take our sins lightly or smile at us when we rebel against him. Yet, he gives us all we need in order to live godly and holy lives, pleasing to him.

Do Not Fear! (vv. 17-20)

When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

I read a secular book a few years back titled, “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway.” The title says it all! It is not a sin to feel fear. That is a natural human emotional response to troubling situations. Hey, I even jump out of my skin (not literally) when I hear a sudden loud noise, or when I am deep in concentration and someone sneaks up on me and all of a sudden I notice someone is there. I feel fear, but I then have a choice as to what to do with the fear. I can allow it to overtake me, or I can overtake it in the power of God’s Spirit living within me. I can even feel it, but then go against it.

I can recall numerous (too numerous to mention all) situations in my life where I felt fear but I went against the fear and did what was right and necessary anyway, and the feeling of fear then dissipated when I obeyed God and I didn’t let fear get the best of me. Sometimes we may obey God while “shaking in our boots,” you know. Fear has a way of humbling us and making us realize our absolute dependence on God, and not on ourselves, when in weakness we rely on his strength in order to do what he says.

Writing or speaking or teaching things that many people don’t WANT to hear, but that they NEED to hear, and that will get you rejected, hated, ostracized and persecuted (ill-treated) takes much courage and determination to obey God and to love people enough to share with them what they NEED and not necessarily what they WANT, i.e. what is best for them instead of what necessarily makes them feel good all the time.

The main antidote to fear, though, is to trust in God, even if the feeling of fear is still persisting, for a time. We must recall that our Lord Jesus is absolutely sovereign and in control over all things and all powers, including he has the keys of death and Hades, so we should never fear death or what humans may do to us, because God has it all under his control. We must continue to obey him, submitting our lives to his will, and to do what he has called us to do, which for me is to write what he teaches me, even if what he has me write is not popular and if only a few read it. Still, I trust Him!

When I Am Afraid / An Original Work

October 17, 2016 / Based off Psalms 56-57

When I am afraid, Lord, I will trust in You.

Your Word, Lord, I praise. I yield my life to You.

Enemies pursue me, slandering Your Name.

Lord, have mercy. I trust in You. Hear my cry today.

Lord, I love Your Word. It comforts me today,

As I look to you, and bow my head and pray.

You are Christ, my Lord. You saved me from my sin,

That I may walk, Lord before You, purified within.

Steadfast is my heart, O God, I sing of You.

I will praise You, Lord. To You, I will be true.

Oh, how great Your love. Your faithfulness endue.

Be exalted, God of heaven. Glory be to You.

https://vimeo.com/187821104

Out of the Fire

Friday, March 3, 2017, 6:49 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “My Heart’s Desire.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Jude 1 (quoting select vv. NASB).

Contend for the Faith (vv. 1-4)

Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,

To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.

Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

So, here is the situation we are in today within the church. There are certain people who have presently crept (sneaked) into the gatherings of the church unnoticed. Now, it isn’t that they are physically invisible, but that their lifestyles are secretive, and that they put on a good show outwardly so that the believers in Jesus will think that these people are one with them in the faith. But, they are not (see description of them in next section)! They are ungodly people who turn the grace of God into free license to continue in sin. And, many of them are preachers, elders, and teachers, too. So, they are in positions of leadership and influence within the church gatherings.

What many of them have done is to change the nature of the church gatherings by opening up these assemblies to the world, advertising them and marketing them to the world, as though they are big theatre, which many of them are. Since their customer base is now the world, they engage in worldly means and methods to attract the world to the “church.” They utilize human marketing schemes (plans, tricks, gimmicks) to lure the world into these meetings and then they entertain the world in order to keep them coming back. Their goal is to be non-offensive, so the world will feel at home in the “church,” and thus they also dilute the gospel to make it acceptable.

They teach a half-truth (false grace) gospel which teaches that people can merely say the words “Jesus is Lord” and believe that he died to free us from condemnation, and to promise us heaven when we die. In addition, they teach that nothing is required of them at all – no repentance, no obedience and no submission to Christ and his cross. Not only that, but they tell them that, once they have repeated a prayer after someone, their salvation and heaven are guaranteed them no matter how they live from that point on. In fact, they tell them that God is pleased with them and that he delights in them no matter what they do, even when they are living in gross sin.

So, we are being encouraged here to contend earnestly for the faith. This means that we need to oppose and challenge what is false, and we need to proclaim what is true, and not sit in silence while the church goes down the tubes. We need to tell people the true gospel, which is that we are to turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so we can receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ. We need to tell them that faith in Jesus Christ means we die with Christ to sin, and that we are resurrected with Christ to newness of life, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24). We need to tell them that Jesus died, not just so we can escape hell and go to heaven when we die, but that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

We need to tell them, as well, that God’s grace to us is not a free license to continue in sin without guilt and without remorse. They need to know that his grace, which brings salvation, teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s return (Tit. 2:11-14). They need to be told that faith in Jesus Christ means that we no longer conduct our lives according to our sinful flesh, but that we now live our lives according to the Spirit of God. In fact, if we live according to the flesh, we will die in our sins, but if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, we will live with Christ for eternity. If we say we have fellowship with God, but we walk (in lifestyle) in darkness (sin, wickedness), then we are liars (Ro. 8:1-14; 1 Jn. 1:6).

The faith that they teach is man-made and of human origin. But, the faith which saves us is God-given, and thus it is divinely persuaded as to God’s perfect will for our lives. If we are persuaded by God as to his will, then we will surrender to him. We will submit to his purposes. And, thus we will be crucified with Christ in death to sin and resurrected with him to newness of life, to be lived to his righteousness. We won’t have this misconstrued idea that we can keep on living however we want and still go to heaven when we die. We will know the truth, and the truth will set us free! Free from sin!

The Ungodly Persons (Summary vv. 5-16)

They:

·       Indulge in gross (sickening) immorality

·       Go after strange flesh (unnatural relations)

·       Reject authority (are contentious and rebellious)

·       Revile (insult, abuse) things they do not understand

·       Follow after their own instincts, like unreasoning animals

·       Have gone the way of Cain and rushed into the error of Balaam

·       Are hidden reefs (hazardous obstructions) in your fellowships

·       Feast (partake, dine) with you without fear

·       Care only for themselves

·       Are wild waves of the sea tossed by the wind (double-minded)

·       Cast up their own shame (disgrace) like foam (fine bubbles)

·       Are wandering (deviating, straying) stars

·       Do ungodly deeds in an ungodly way

·       Speak harshly against God, his Word and/or his servants

·       Grumble and are fault finders

·       Follow after their own ungodly lusts

·       Speak arrogantly

·       Flatter people for the sake of gaining an advantage

·       Are mockers

·       Cause divisions

·       Are worldly-minded

·       Are devoid of the Spirit

Build Yourselves Up (vv. 17-25)

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

So, as followers of Christ, we are to build ourselves up in our “most holy” faith. To build up is to develop, encourage and increase ourselves in our faith, but we do this only in the strength, power and counsel of the Holy Spirit who dwells within the Lord’s true followers. And, “most holy” means that we are not to be like the world, but we are to be set apart from being like the world because we are being made to be like Jesus. So, this means that we need to be walking by faith, by the Spirit, and in agreement with the Spirit, and that we should no longer be living to gratify the sinful cravings of our flesh. And, the Lord is able to keep us from stumbling, and to make us to stand strong and steadfast in our faith, too. All glory belongs to God!

So, what responsibility do we have to those who are pretending to be Christians, but who are ungodly, or who believe they are Christians because they have believed a lie? Or, to those out in the world who have made no profession of faith in Christ at all? I believe we have a responsibility to tell them the truth and to expose to them the lies they are believing. And, we must stay strong in our faith and not let them bring us down with them, even if they fiercely attack us. Then, perhaps, we may snatch some of them from the fires of hell and save them from condemnation and from a lifetime of slavery to sin, so they may know Christ and have eternal life with God.

My Heart’s Desire / An Original Work / June 29, 2013

Based off Rm. 10; Lu. 9:23-26; Ep. 4:20-24

Loved Ones, Oh, my heart’s desire

Is that you might come to Jesus.

Many appear zealous for God,

But they do not trust in Him.

They have not submitted to the One

Who saved them from their sins;

Not forsaken their sins,

Nor have they obeyed their King.

The word of the Lord is near you:

The word of faith we’re proclaiming:

That you must confess your faith

In Jesus as your Lord and King:

Believe in Him as your Lord,

And follow Him where’er He leads.

Share the gospel; be a witness,

And meet others’ needs.

Beautiful are the feet of those

Who bring the good news of Jesus:

Anyone who would come to Him

Must deny himself today;

Die to sin and self, and

Let the Spirit transform you in heart;

Put on your new self in Jesus,

Yielding to the cross.

https://vimeo.com/115643303

Truth or Consequences

Thursday, March 2, 2017, 7:16 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “My Heart’s Desire.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 2 John 1 (Select vv. NASB).

The Truth (vv. 1-3)

The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth, for the sake of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever: Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

The truth is critically important, obviously. In just a few sentences, John mentions “truth” four times. Truth is honesty, sincerity and it is kind, if said in love. It is the opposite of what is false (a lie). Lies are NEVER kind! God’s truth is holiness, righteousness, purity, integrity, and honor, etc. It is HIS WORD. It is the gospel of our salvation. And, it needs to be coupled with love. Also, love is truth (honest). If we lie to one another, even if it is so we don’t “hurt one another’s feelings,” it is still a lie, and that is not love. This is not to say we need to go around being opinionated with everyone, for that is not kind, but that we should not willfully lie to people for whatever reason.

Walking in Truth (vv. 4-6)

I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment to do from the Father. Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.

As followers of Jesus Christ, it is essential that we walk (conduct our lives) in truth. It saddens me greatly to see so many professing Christians buying into the lies of the world which tell them it is ok to tell lies. Remember here that even false compliments are lies. Withholding information that is required and necessary is also telling a lie, like if a married person commits adultery against his or her spouse, even if it is a light flirtation or looking at pornography, it is still sin, and it is sin against the spouse, and it needs to be confessed. Some people withhold the truth, they say, in order to spare others’ feelings, but lies hurt much greater than the truth told in love. Leading people to believe something is true that is not true is also a lie.

Yet, walking in truth is not just the absence of telling lies. We have to put off telling lies, and we have to put on telling the truth. We need to make it our practice to tell the truth. As soon as we realize that something we said was not true, even in the slightest way, we need to confess it and correct it.

Also, walking in truth means conducting our lives according to THE TRUTH, which is the gospel of our salvation, the WORD OF GOD. This means that we need to know the truth through serious time spent with God in his Word, and via having ears willing to hear and to obey the truth that our Lord shows us. Truth makes no compromises with the world. It does not blend lies and truth together to make people feel more comfortable about living in their sins. It doesn’t allow just a little bit of dirt into our lives so that we identify with the world, either, or so that people will like us and not think we are “goody-goodies.” There is a lot of pressure out there to conform with the world, and it comes even from within the church and from church leadership.

Notice here that the definition of love is that we walk according to Christ’s commandments (his instructions to us). If we obey the Lord, we are walking in love, because love does no harm to its neighbor. So many people compromise truth, they think, in order to “show love,” but that is not love. It is pure selfishness! It is not loving to tell lies, which includes withholding the truth so that people won’t be upset with us, so we won’t get rejected. Too many professing Christians are all about doing what will make other humans “feel good,” but they are not concerned with doing what will please God. They know that if they follow the Lord, and if they do what his Word teaches, that they will have to give up all of their sinful practices, as well as they will have people hate and reject them, and they don’t want that.

The truth is, though, that if we do truly walk in truth, that we will be hated, rejected, mocked, ostracized and persecuted (ill-treated). If we walk (in lifestyle) in truth, people will think we are stuck up, i.e. that we are “staying aloof from others because one thinks one is superior” (Google). They will think that we think we are better than them just because we choose to follow the Lord and to not participate in sinful practices. Our lifestyles will be an offense to those who are compromising with the world, and so we will not have many friends. We may have very few friends, in fact.

The closer we walk with our Lord in obedience to his commands, and that we walk in truth, and do not compromise with the world, the more the people of the world (even worldly Christians) will pull away from us, so we need to be prepared for this eventuality. Yet, we need to be willing to suffer for the sake of the truth - for the sake of the gospel of our salvation.

Denying the Truth (vv. 7-11)

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.

Who is a deceiver? He is one who not only practices telling lies, but who does so calculatingly, with the full intention to lead others to believe what is false. Deceivers usually do this for their own evil intent, usually to gain some advantage over another person, or to achieve some intended evil purpose for his own benefit. A deceiver may even make a show of being a Christian, i.e. a follower of Christ, in order to lead others to believe that what he is doing is righteous, but it is a cover-up for evil. He may even fake religious activity all the while he is doing what is pure evil, wicked and impure.

A deceiver, by the very nature of the word, may verbally acknowledge Jesus Christ as having come in the flesh, but not truly honor God with his life. He (or she) may be one who professes Christ as Savior, and even claims to be brought from darkness into the light, but who is still walking in darkness. And, this person may do this in order to lead others astray. These deceivers tell enough of what is true in order to lure in those who do know the truth, but who don’t know it well. And, then they stealthily and cunningly insert clever lies into the truth in such a way that the unsuspecting and the naïve do not notice, because it sounds like truth. And, thus, they catch people in their net of deceit and trick them into believing lies disguised as truth.

The antichrist is anyone who is against Christ and who is opposed to him in lifestyle, not just in words. Many people can fake Christianity, because they know the lingo. They can talk a good talk, but they don’t walk the walk. Yet, we are antichrist if we deny him by our lifestyles, i.e. if we willingly, knowingly and obstinately reject God’s grace to us, and if we persist in unrepentant sin and rebellion against God and the truth of his Word. And, by God’s grace, I mean the grace that sets the sinner free from slavery to sin, and which frees him to walk in truth and in Christ’s righteousness, and which teaches him (or her) to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s return (See: Tit. 2:11-14; Ro. 6:1-23; Ro. 8:1-14; Eph. 4:17-24; Lu. 9:23-25).

So, we need to watch out that we don’t become prey to deception and thus fall away from following the truth as Jesus and his NT apostles taught it. We must abide (remain, stay) in the teaching of Christ, in steadfastness, if we want to have God, and be found in him. This means that we need to be students of the Word of God, so we know the teachings of Christ and of his NT apostles, so that we can walk (live) in TRUTH. If we are spending most of our time in the pleasures of the world, but we are spending very little time in the Word, and in obeying what it teaches us, we are ripe for deception, and may easily be led astray from our pure devotion to Jesus Christ.

The truth is that Jesus died, not just so we can escape hell and go to heaven when we die, though many teach this. The truth is that a mere confession (verbal) of Christ as Savior is not enough to save us, nor is a mere intellectual assent to what he did for us in dying for our sins. Jesus said that if we want to come after him, we must deny self and take up our cross daily and follow him. He said if we hold on to our lives (sinful lifestyles), we will lose them for eternity, but if we lose our lives (die with Christ to sin), we will gain eternal life with God. Paul said that if we walk according to the flesh, we will die (in our sins), but if by the Spirit we are putting to death the misdeeds of the flesh, we will live (eternally with Christ). And, John said that if we claim to have fellowship with God, but we walk (in lifestyle) in darkness (sin, wickedness), we lie and do not live by the truth (Lu. 9:23-25; Ro. 8:1-14; 1 Jn. 1:6).

So, we need to reject lies and walk in THE TRUTH!

My Heart’s Desire / An Original Work / June 29, 2013

Based off Rm. 10; Lu. 9:23-26; Ep. 4:20-24

Loved Ones, Oh, my heart’s desire

Is that you might come to Jesus.

Many appear zealous for God,

But they do not trust in Him.

They have not submitted to the One

Who saved them from their sins;

Not forsaken their sins,

Nor have they obeyed their King.

The word of the Lord is near you:

The word of faith we’re proclaiming:

That you must confess your faith

In Jesus as your Lord and King:

Believe in Him as your Lord,

And follow Him where’er He leads.

Share the gospel; be a witness,

And meet others’ needs.

Beautiful are the feet of those

Who bring the good news of Jesus:

Anyone who would come to Him

Must deny himself today;

Die to sin and self, and

Let the Spirit transform you in heart;

Put on your new self in Jesus,

Yielding to the cross.

https://vimeo.com/115643303

Water and Blood

Wednesday, March 1, 2017, 10:00 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “I Sing of His Mercy.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 John 5 (Select vv. NASB).

Born of God (vv. 1-4)

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

What does it mean to believe that Jesus is the Christ? I can tell you it is not mere intellectual acknowledgment. James said that even the demons believe, and they shudder. So, what is it, then? And, who is the Christ?

Christ is the Anointed One (of God). He is the promised Messiah of Israel, i.e. he is the God-anointed deliverer to redeem both Jew and Gentile from their sins. He is Jesus, the Son of God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father chose him to come to the earth, to take on human flesh, to suffer as we suffer, and to be tempted as we are tempted, yet without sin. He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. Yet, he willingly went to the cross for you and for me so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; so we might walk in the Spirit and not according to the flesh (1 Pet. 2:24; Ro. 8).

So, what does it mean to believe in him? Well, first of all God the Father must draw us to Christ. Even the faith to believe in him is a gift from God. Because this faith is God-given, it is spiritual, and not human faith. Therefore, it is divinely persuaded as to God’s will for our lives, and as such, it submits to the cross of Christ and surrenders to God’s will for our lives. It repents of (turns from) sin, and turns to follow Jesus Christ in obedience. Yet, even the repentance is granted by God, and the ability to obey is given to us by God, too, so none of this is of the flesh, but only of the Spirit. We don’t produce our own salvation, in other words, but we are saved by the blood of Jesus, and we are regenerated by the Spirit of God.

Therefore, to believe that Jesus is the Christ is to have faith in what he did for us in dying on a cross for our sins, and to appropriate that to our lives by acceptance of God’s gift of grace into our lives, which teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s return (Tit. 2:11-14).

Water and Blood (vv. 5-8)

Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.

So, what does it mean that Jesus came by “water and blood.” There are varied thoughts on what this means, so I will share with you what I believe the Lord is showing me here. For one, to come by water means to be born of woman, i.e. to be flesh. Jesus, when he walked the face of this earth, was fully God and yet fully man. Although he was God, he became flesh and made his dwelling among us. Yet, he also came by blood. To come by blood, would be to come by his death on a cross for our sins, which is how he, thus, redeemed us from sin so that we could be saved and have eternal life with God. He came by life (water) and he came by death (blood).

Yet, I also see that water symbolizes cleansing (holiness, righteousness, purity). Through faith in Jesus Christ we can be cleansed of our sins and be made pure and righteous. And, yet, he came by water and blood. So, the blood represents death, and the death is death to sin. So, if we want to be cleansed of our sins, we must die with Christ to sin. We can’t have the cleansing without the blood. We can’t live unless we first die with Christ to sin so that we can be resurrected with Christ to newness of life in Him. Too many people these days want the resurrection without the cross, but you can’t have one without the other. He had to die so we could live. And, we have to die to sin if we want to live with him for eternity.

Continuing in Sin (vv. 16-21)

If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.

We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

This passage of scripture is a little complicated, i.e. it has many different interpretations as to what the sin leading to death entails. So, once again, I am going to share what I believe the Lord is teaching me through this.

To truly be born again of the Spirit of God we must have accepted the gift of faith given by God, which means we would have believed in our hearts, not only that Jesus died that we might be free from condemnation, and have eternal life with him, but that he died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. We would have accepted that coming to faith in Christ means we forsake our former way of living for sin and self, i.e. that we must repent of our sins, and that we must turn from sin to God/Christ, to follow him in obedience.

Jesus didn’t die just to forgive us of our sins, but to cleanse us, and to deliver us out of slavery to sin so we might be servants of his righteousness. If we are truly born again of the Spirit of God, we have been crucified with Christ in death to sin and resurrected with Christ to newness of life in him. We now walk according to the Spirit of God and not according to our flesh. Yet, this does not mean we will never sin again. It just means we are not living in sin, i.e. that sin is no longer our master, and that we are not continuing to sin against God in “willful and obstinate rejection of God's grace and persistence in unrepentant sin” (Pulpit Commentary).

So, when this says something about us seeing a “brother” (one who professes to believe in Jesus Christ) commit a sin not leading to death, I believe this is speaking of someone who has been cleansed of his sin, forgiven, delivered out of slavery, and who has the hope of eternal life. If he sins, Jesus Christ is our sacrifice for our sin, i.e. that sin is covered by the blood of Christ. We can pray for that person to be renewed and restored in his relationship and fellowship with the Lord. We can pray for healing, strengthening, encouragement, and for steadfastness of faith for him/her.

Yet, if this “brother” is one who is living in willful and obstinate rejection of God’s grace and persistence in unrepentant sin, then this is speaking about a false brother or sister in Christ whose faith is based upon a lie. The lie says that they don’t have to turn from their sins and that they don’t have to obey Jesus or his commands. It says, in fact, that God is pleased with them no matter what they do. It gives carte blanche (free rein) to continue in willful sin against God while promising them the hope of heaven when they die.

This is sin leading to death, because there has been no repentance, and there has been no death to sin, and no living to righteousness, because the “believer” has been told he/she doesn’t have to, that nothing is required of them at all, and that God does it all. What a mockery of our faith!

If we are truly born of God, we can’t continue living in sin (in lifestyle). We can’t be those who make it a practice to sin, and especially to then cover it up with lies and deceptions. We especially can’t proclaim we have been brought out of darkness into God’s wonderful light, if we are still walking in the darkness. If we do that, then we are liars! If we claim we have not sinned, when we have, then we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we give off an image to others that we are living righteously, but we are knowingly living in secretive sin, and if we are refusing to acknowledge the sin and to repent of it, then we are not born of God, according to God’s Word. There is no forgiveness of sin for such a person. But, there can be if he/she repents of their sin and turns to follow the Lord in obedience.

I Sing of His Mercy / An Original Work

Based off Psalm 32 / April 10, 2014

Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven

By the blood of Jesus Christ.

Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does

Not count against them; freedom found.

When, in silence, I did not confess

My sin to You; had no strength.

Then I owned up to my sin and

You forgave and cleansed me within.

Therefore let the godly pray to You;

Draw near to You; grace they’ll find.

They will not be o’ertaken by afflictions,

But in Christ peace abounds.

Lord, You are my hiding place.

I find my refuge in You secure.

You protect me from all evil.

You give songs of vict’ry in You.

Lord, You teach me to walk in Your ways;

Counsel me in love, I know.

Help me to not be stubborn and

Unwilling to follow in Your truth.

Thank You for Your love and mercy.

I put my trust in You always.

I rejoice in my Lord and

I sing of Him throughout all my days.

https://vimeo.com/91747192