Wow, have I heard this statement coming from a lot of people as of late. When I say a lot of people, I mean people who go to church once in a while, and people who have never darkened the door step of a church. "But why can't I understand the parables?" I will give you an answer. It's one that some may not believe, it's one that some may look at and say so what, but it is supported by the Bible, God's Holy, Inspired, Inerrant Word to mankind.

You can not understand the parables, the teachings of Jesus, unless you are a blood bought, born again believer in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. What good is the Bible then you might ask; It is good because it reveals the love of God, and the truth of how we are to live life are found in John 3:16-21.

"16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, BECAUSE THEIR DEEDS WERE EVIL.
20. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they were wrought in God."

For a person to understand the teachings of Jesus, he/she must be a born again believer in Jesus Christ. Being born again doesn't mean just lip service though, as we see in this passage. It means a total turning from the life that we live before coming to a saving knowledge of Christ, to living..."doing the truth." What is truth? The Bible says: "God's word is truth." So, we must turn from a life of sin, to a life of right living according to God's word. The phrase I placed emphasis on: "because their deeds were evil" speaks about every person who walks the face of the earth unless they have made that commitment to Christ. It doesn't mean you have gone out and murdered or raped, but it means that we are born under the curse of sin thanks to Adam and Eve, and because we are born in sin we are evil, "sinful" in nature. That doesn't mean we don't know how to do good, it just means the sin curse has not been broken from your life.

Now to show you that you must be a Christian to understand the teachings of Jesus in the parables.
The answer is in the following passage
In Matthew 13:10-15. I will quote verses 10, 11, and 15 here because they bare out the emphasis of the passage.

"10. And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11. He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given."

When Jesus spoke these words to the disciples, he spoke to those who were chosen. people whom he had called out of the world, and into the light. They are the ones who are to understand the teachings of Jesus, the parables, and the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. They were chosen by Jesus, but they only fit the group of the chosen because they answered his call. Who are the chosen in our time? Those who have heard and answered the call of God.

1 Peter 2:9
"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:"

Who is Jesus calling today? He is calling all men/women. That means me, you, and anyone else who will listen.

John 12:46
"I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness."

Did you notice that word "whosoever," that means anyone who will. Anyone who hears the call of God, feels the weight of guilt and shame for their sin nature, and comes to Jesus for forgiveness, anyone.

Matthew 13:15
"FOR THIS PEOPLE'S HEART IS WAXED GROSS, AND THEIR EARS ARE DULL OF HEARING, AND THEIR EYES HAVE THEY CLOSED; LEST AT ANY TIME THEY SHOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND SHOULD UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART, AND SHOULD BE CONVERTED, AND I SHOULD HEAL THEM."

Some say Jesus has blinded people to the gospel so that they can't be saved because God doesn't intend for everyone to be saved. For that to be true you have to ignore the rest of the Bible. Men's eyes are blinded because of the sin nature, men's hearts are hardened because of the sin nature, means ears are closed because of the sin nature. The longer one goes without the cure, salvation through the shed blood of Jesus, the more there eyes are blinded, their ears are dulled, and their hearts are hardened. Don't let that become you.

I was at a meeting on Bible Prophecy last week and a question came up about I Corinthians 3:15. When read by itself, it can be made to mean just about anything except what it really means. When read in context, it is easily understood. A persons works will not get them into heaven, the Bible makes that very clear. A person, a believer "will" on the other hand be rewarded for their good works if they are done out of a heart of love for God. I have done a study on the passage for the person who asked the question, I will share that study with you now.

Our fruitful witness
Produces a crown (reward)

Also notice:
I Thessalonians 2:19-20
"For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?
For ye are our glory and joy."
II Timothy 4:7-8
"For I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
James 1:12
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
I Peter 5:4
And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
Galations 6:8
For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
Ephesians 6:8
Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
Romans 14:13-14
"Let us not therefore judge one another anymore: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.
I know an am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself but to him that esteemeth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean."

In I Corinthians 3:15 we know the text is speaking about the believer because even though the persons works are burned by the purifying fire of God's righteousness, the person is saved.
If we take this verse and couple it with the scriptures it can be linked to including all of Romans 14 we see that there will be people in eternity with us that we would say will never make it into God's kingdom, that's by looking through human eyes. That's why God says judge not lest ye be judged with the same severity. (Matthew 7:1-2)
God also tells us in Romans 14 that we are not to judge others, and we are not to put a stumbling block in front of them by our actions.
Since God is speaking to the believer in Romans 14 and I Corinthians 3:15 we can be assured that the believer's works will be judged as well as the believer him/herself being judged.
The believer will be raised to life everlasting regardless of their works. They receive life everlasting based on their belief in, and acceptance of what Christ did for them at Calvary. Their atonement is through the appropriation of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. The believer's works have no bearing on their eternal life.
The believer will be rewarded according to their "good" works. There is a list of 20 things the believer is to do, or not to do as the case may be in Romans 14 alone. If the believer does those works they have been told to do out of a heart of love and worship for God, their works will survive the purifying fire of God's righteousness and they will be rewarded for them. If those works are done for selfish motives and a self serving attitude, the "look what I've done for God" attitude, they have already received their reward...the praises of men and their works will be destroyed by the purifying fire. Those works will not be rewarded by God, but because the person doing them was a believer they will receive eternal life.

~~Image #match Sharing Restricted~~

Life is a poem waiting to happen. Start writing.

 

Leave a comment | Comment Pop

Grams,
You asked me a very good question a few weeks ago; I want to answer that question now.

That question is: “Why do people take one or two verses out of the Bible that support their beliefs, and use them to pound away at others to prove their view if Christianity is correct, and then exclude the rest of the scriptures that speak on the subject because they go against their beliefs?”

There may be many reasons that people do what you are asking about, brow beat other people with their own beliefs. The number one reason that people do this is that they “fear” the consequences of being wrong. They go about their lives with their own beliefs about God, and about the Bible. Many people ”believe” they know what the Bible says even though they’ve never read a complete chapter in the Bible, much less the whole book.

They walk around with their heads held high, all the while asking themselves. “What if I’m wrong? What if my beliefs aren’t 100% correct, is God going to punish me?” They would rather settle far into their own beliefs, and push those beliefs on others, than to think for one moment they could be mistaken. To accept the idea that someone else could be right, would mean that they themselves could be wrong and headed straight to hell. They never take into consideration that God isn’t sitting there on His throne taking down error in doctrine notes. Yes, we should be firm in our beliefs, but we should know whether or not our beliefs are based on the Bible, or simply on our beliefs about the Bible.

What I mean is this; are you sure you’ve been taught the Bible? This statement is going to get me in a lot of trouble, but that’s OK. I’ve been in trouble for standing firm on the Bible before. Catholics, unless they are in a reformed Catholic Church, are being taught wrong. Many things they practice are a sin in the eyes of God. They don’t know this because they believe the Pope is God’s only mouthpiece. They also believe their priest is their mediator between them and God. These are just two of the terrible fallacies in the Catholic Church, I could go on. That’s not to say that other denominations are any better. If you read my blog, you see that I play no favorites when it comes to denominations.

We should also understand that God is able to cause us to abide by His word, His doctrine, if we are willing to listen to that still small voice that speaks to us about our actions and attitudes. When you are first saved, you become a new creature in Christ, God then begins to instill in you His ideas of right and wrong. Even though you don't "know" the Bible as a new Christian, God has a way of letting you know you have erred. I'm sure all of us who have surrendered our lives to Christ at some time remember those guilt feelings that we use to get when we did something wrong after we became a Christian. That was God saying, "Hey, that was a no-no. We would stop and say forgive me God, I sinned, help me not to do it again. When we quit listening that closely, we begin to allow sin to live in our lives again. The point is, If we'll listen, God will get our attention and lead us in "His" doctrine, not man's.

To really answer the question, we have to look at two passages of scripture.

Isaiah 28:7-14
“But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way, The priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.

Whom shall he teach Knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk, and are drawn from the breasts.

For precept shall be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to his people

To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest;
and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken,

Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.”

I’m going to talk about something now that is probably going to be very controversial at first sight. If so, please get your Bible out and read the scriptures as you read what I have written, and read the cross references as well. I don’t mean to be controversial, or confrontational, but some parts of God’s word just seem to be that way for some people.

I was talking via e-mail to Grams. Grams means the world to me. She has seen her share of trouble, visited her share of churches, visited her share of denominations, and probably knows nearly every doctrine there is to hear. That tends to be true as we age in our Christian walk. Grams asked me a question though that got me to thinking. It is a question that people need to hear the truth about, and a question that refired my engines. That question is: “Why do people take one or two verses out of the Bible that support their beliefs, and use them to pound away at others to prove their view if Christianity is correct, and then exclude the rest of the scriptures that speak on the subject because they go against their beliefs?”

Grams, that is a very good question, and it is one I will address in a couple of weeks. It brought to mind one of those doctrines that really needs to be addressed at this time. I touched on it in my last article, but I have to go deeper into this false doctrine now. That doctrine is: “Once saved, always saved. Nothing you can do will get you into heaven; nothing you can do after you are saved can keep you out of heaven.”

Baptists will be ready to stone me for this article, and Pentecostals will cheer me, but I am taking neither side in this article. I am on God’s side and His side only. His doctrine is my doctrine, not mans, and it is His doctrine that I will promote. I can not and will not promote the “once saved always saved” doctrine because of all of God’s word, not just a few select verses. I know the arguments for the doctrine.

Romans 8:35-3
”Nothing shall separate us from the love of God….”
John 6:37
He that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”…and there are several others.

That’s it, I asked God to forgive me of my sins, I believe Jesus died for me on the cross, He said it was all I had to do; believe on Him. I’m a Christian now and nothing can ever change that, nothing can keep me from going to heaven. The Baptist Organization actually believes this to be true. They believe you can sin and go to heaven. How many people are going to hell because of this doctrine? Why? Because they “choose” to ignore other scriptures that would prove them to be wrong. The aforementioned scriptures prove their point of view so they exclude any others on the subject.

My Bible tells me that “Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” in Hebrews 13:8. If that is the case, what of those other scriptures, aren’t all scriptures still true? Yes they are, so let’s look at a couple of very important scriptures, and let’s revisit the two previously mentioned scriptures they use.

Jeremiah 2:19
“Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and they backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord God of hosts.”

Jeremiah is admonishing Judah for the sin of its people. What was that sin? They had backslidden. Backsliding means to turn away from God after your conversion, or after you become a Christian. To further prove that this was their sin, look at the word “forsaken,” It means to walk away from, or better yet to have deserted God. Think about it, an Army deserter runs away from the Army, and the Army is no longer part of their life. It’s the same with someone who backslides/forsakes/deserts God. He is no longer part of their life.

God will never force a person to be a Christian. He gives us our own free will, lets us decide whether or not we will serve Him, and He lives with our choice. He will continue to draw us to Him, but He will never force us to serve Him. Jeremiah, speaking for God went on to say that forsaking God was what? An “evil” thing, and a righteous God can not allow evil into His presence.

Here I think we should revisit John 6:37. The Baptist use this verse to say that Jesus will never leave you, never turn you away no matter what. This is very true. Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you, and He won’t turn you away. But I want you to notice what that verse didn’t say as well. The verse didn’t say you couldn’t turn Him away. I have news for you. If you become a Christian, then turn your back on God and revert to a life of sin, you will not enter heaven, the New Jerusalem.

Revelation 21:27a
“And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth…”
Sin defiles the spotless garment of salvation, sin is an abomination to God, sin cannot enter into His presence. Does that make God’s word a lie? Of course not. If you turn your back on God after becoming a Christian, that is your choice, not God’s. You will have to spend eternity with that choice. God won’t force you not to, and He will not keep you from doing so.

Now for a few more verses of importance, once you become a Christian, you can not sit on the pew service after service and do nothing more. Being a Christian is an interactive condition.

Jude: 20-23
“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
And of some have compassion, making a difference:
And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

A life of Christianity is a life of constant action, and interaction with people and with God, a condition of being busy for God. Look at these words:
building, praying, keep, looking, have, making, save, pulling, and hating. Which one of these words does not require either an action for God, or an interaction with God, or with people? Not one of them. All of them are marching orders for the Christian. Not once did the Bible say I want you to do this, it said “DO THIS.”

No, your deeds, and your actions can’t save you, but they prove you to be a Christian, and they prove that you take your relationship with God seriously. No more arm chair quarterbacking allowed, and no more excuses. More to come next week, unless God speaks sooner.

Praise God for His word, and for His blessings. Blessings to you.
Brother, Rob

 

If you look at the title of this article and say to yourself this is definitely not a Christmas story, you would be right; and, you would be wrong. This is exactly what it appears to be, a wake up call, a warning, an answer, and the reason for that very first Christmas.

Have you watched the news lately, I mean really watched the news? Have you noticed what is happening to the economy, how much trouble America’s biggest businesses are in financially, how many jobs have now been outsourced, how there are more people now who can’t afford to live than there are who can, how more and more of America’s businesses and land are being sold to people from foreign countries, how freakish the weather has become all around the world, and finally; how many of our rights have been, and continue to be taken away from us?

What is happening in our world was prophesied over 2000 years ago. It is written in a Best Seller that happens to be the least read book in the world, the Holy Bible. The Bible continues to be the best seller year after year. People seemingly have to have a Bible in their homes. Once they have a Bible in their home it goes on a shelf and collects dust. It’s almost as if people believe having a Bible in their home gives them some type of protection against bad or evil. The Bible is not a Talisman or a good luck charm to be placed on a shelf, or left in a safe place, it is an instruction book, and like all instruction books, it has to be read to be of any value.

Whether or not people choose to believe this, the fact is, the United States Government is broke. The feds manipulate the interest rate to try to keep things from collapsing, but all they are doing is placing a bandage on a fissure in our government’s finances that refuses to be healed. The financing that the President receives to fund the war is no more than the treasury printing more money. The more money we have in print, the less your dollar bill is worth. The dollar cannot stretch any more than it has without being destroyed. The economic downturn that is looming on the horizon will be horrendous. The Bible says:

1. Ezekiel 7:19
They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.
Ezekiel 7:18-20 (in Context) Ezekiel 7 (Whole Chapter)

That prophecy was made for a time in the very near future. Every prophecy in the Bible has come true with the exception of those concerning the very soon coming of Jesus Christ as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Those too will soon come to pass.

Have you noticed how much less your dollar buys today compared to last year? How about compared to two years ago, or five years ago even? Have you noticed the rise in the price of electricity, or fuel oil, or natural gas? Have you noticed the shortage on gas? You would have to be dead not to wouldn’t you? So you can readily see, there will be a time very soon that money will mean absolutely nothing.

Take a look at today’s food supply. How many tons of beef have you seen recalled lately because of e. coli? How much fish have we seen recalled due to levels of mercury above what the FDA says is safe? How many other food recalls have we watched take food from the shelves of our grocery stores? This is also a prophecy that was made over 2000 years ago. The Bible says

1. Matthew 24:7
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Matthew 24:6-8 (in Context) Matthew 24 (Whole Chapter)

Do You see that word famine in that verse? All of the food recalls are just the beginning of the problem. Have you noticed the drought that a large part of the United States is in at the present time? Have you noticed the water supply drying up in Georgia, and in parts of Tennesee and North Carolina? Have you noticed the water shortages in Africa, and the food shortages there? It is all tied together in the prophecy. According to Jack Van Impe, a well known Bible scholar and evangelist, if you have a roof over your head, you are richer than 75% of the world’s population. That is a sad but true commentary on the state of things in our world today.

I could go on and on about many aspects of prophecy that are being fulfilled, or are in the makings but I won’t. I do want to talk to you about our rights though. How many of your rights have been taken away in recent years? How many of your rights have been infringed upon by our government? The bad part about it is, we keep allowing it to happen, and it’s not going to stop. The worst part of it is the discrimination against churches and church workers, i.e. pastors, deacons, Sunday School teachers and Children’s Church Workers. There is a law in congress now that if passed, will prohibit a pastor from speaking out against homosexuality or lesbianism from the pulpit. Look as hard as you want, you won’t find it unless you know where to look. The bill is attached to another bill as a rider. Which bill is it attached to? It is attached to the bill to get more money to fund the war. If the president passes the bill to get more money to fund the war, pastors will no longer be able to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ without fear of being sent to prison, and/or fined a large amount of money.

The people responsible for drafting this bill attached it to the bill for money for the war because they hope it will be passed without question by our president. Like the situation we are in or not, this is not the way congress should be doing business. If you want to get churches closed down, or pastor’s mouths shut, do it honestly. Since when did speaking the truth become such a problem in America, especially if it is spoken in love?

God tells us to love everyone. I can honestly say that I do love everyone. I wish everyone was a Christian. I wish everyone could see for themselves that the Bible is an inspired book. I wish everyone could come to know the love of Jesus in their lives. I don’t want to see anyone die and face the wrath of God, but the Bible tells us that people will absolutely refuse to acknowledge God even when they know for a fact that God is the only answer.

That brings me to my last point. Christmas! What is it all about? What was the reason for that first Christmas? Was it just so we could say something happened? No! The reason for that first Christmas was so that you and I could have a way to be with a righteous, holy, loving God. Jesus Christ, the baby born so long ago in a food trough in a stable came so we could have life everlasting. He came so that we could be free from sin’s heavy bondage. He came to die.

As you celebrate this Christmas, no, not holiday season, Christmas, remember what it is really all about. Look around you, watch what is going on in our world, and prove me wrong.

Merry Christmas, and may God richly bless you and yours as we celebrate Jesus coming the first time to a manger, and await Him coming as King of Kings.
Brother Bob

 

Why do we have Halloween anyway? When did the celebration begin, and where was it first celebrated? Is it a good holiday, or a bad holiday? Can Christians celebrate Halloween in good conscience, or should they shun the holiday altogether?

The truth of the matter is: Halloween is celebrated because America is a land of many people, and of many cultures. Halloween pre dates Christianity, and was celebrated in different ways wherever you found the celebration being carried out.

Halloween is a multi-faceted holiday, and in order to understand it, we must break it down, and define each aspect. What surfaces as the foundation for Halloween may surprise you, it may even shock you.

The first thing we must understand about this holiday is the very definition of the word Halloween. In order to do so, we will need to break it down into Hallow, and een. The first part of the word, “Hallow,” means holy, to be revered, to be set apart for worship. The last half of the word, “een,” would be better written as e’en. It literally stands for evening, or the evening of, or; the evening before.

Now we must come to understand the significance of November 1st. When people first began to live in villages, their lives were lived in accordance with two seasons, one of which began on May 1st, and the other which began on November 1st. May 1st was the start of the growing season, and it was the day that cattle were released from the barns to graze in the fields. May 1st is known as Beltane, and was a time for celebration of life. November 1st was the time when the cattle were brought back in from the fields, and the crops and plants began to die. November 1st is known as Samhain, or Sow(rhyming with cow) win. If the names sound funny, it’s because they are Celtic in origin. The holiday has its roots in Scotland, and Ireland. This time of the year, November 1st in particular, was a time to celebrate and honor Anwinn, the Lord of the Dead.

It was believed that the spirits of those who had died during the year, returned to their homes that night. The reason they did this was because they needed help from their kin folk in crossing over from this world, to the spirit world. The people who were left in this world would hollow out turnips, and gourds. They would use these to carry the spirits of their dead loved ones to where they needed to be to cross over.

Along with the spirits of family members who had died, it was believed that evil spirits, witches, and goblins also roamed the earth at this time. To protect the spirits of their deed loved ones from these evil spirits, they would paint scary faces on the turnips and gourds. In order to protect themselves, and to hide their own identity from these evil spirits, they would also paint their own faces.

At this time, the holiday was not yet known as Halloween. What we have done so far is simply give you a brief look at the origin of the Day of the Dead. Another thing that supposedly happened at this time was that Faeries were allowed to roam the earth. They would go door to door begging for food. If they were given gifts, they would bring good fortune to that home, if they were not given anything, they would supposedly bring mischief to that home. This is where we get our modern day Trick or Treating from.

About 43A.D. Rome defeated the Celts in a battle over religious matters, and control of Europe. About 500 years later, the Catholic Church banned the pagan celebrations, and made a new celebration of All Saints Day, a day to honor all saints. This is when October 31st became known as Halloween

Should Christians celebrate Halloween? Whether or not a person decides to celebrate this holiday ultimately is their decision. I can tell you from the Scriptures what God’s answer would be. God would say a definite; No! I will back this statement up with the use of 4 scriptures, and the test of individual scriptures is whether or not they hold their meaning when used in context. These do!

2 Corinthians 6:17
“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.”
First of all, God tells us to be separate. We are to turn our backs on, and not participate in things that are questionable. If it is something that has no good in it, and nothing virtuous about it, it is questionable according to the Bible.

Philippians 4:8:
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
In looking at the above list, ask yourself how many of them fit a celebration honoring the dead. The answer of course, is none! If there is nothing good in it, we are to stay away from it, which our next scripture will prove.

1 Thessalonians 5:15-22 gives the Christian a list to live by. Here is a paraphrase.
If you’re a Christian:
1. Don’t seek revenge on against those who do you wrong.
2. Seek good for yourself, and for everyone else.
3. Rejoice in every situation, and at all times.
4. Keep a prayer in your heart at all times.
5. Give thanks to God in any situation that comes your way.
6. Allow the Holy Spirit to control you, and work through your life.
7. Don’t despise, hate, or ignore direct revelation from God, or those who speak it.
8. Test everything against the scriptures. If it is good according to the scriptures, it is good for your life.
9. Do not take part in anything that is evil, or that even appears to be evil. If it looks wrong, it is wrong.
God says we are to stay away from anything, note (all), that appears, not everything that is, but everything that appears to be evil. When we celebrate Halloween, it appears we are for honoring, (worshiping) the dead, whether that is our intent or not.

Many times, the only Christian witness we have with other people is through our actions. We cannot physically speak to everyone who crosses our path, but we can show Christ in our actions, and through the choices we make about what we will participate in.

I will finish by saying this: No one can be your judge except for one. He is the Supreme Judge, God Himself. It doesn’t even matter what I, or anyone else thinks, but it does matter what He thinks. How can you know what He thinks? By reading His word.

Last, but not least, I will leave you with one more of His thoughts. Let every man “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”… Philippians 2:12. The only way to do this is by using the scriptures, all of the scriptures as our guide for living. The directions are God’s, the choice is yours.




 

After I placed the poem "Lead Me on to Heaven in my portfolio I was asked a question, one which I feel compelled to answer here. I will direct the person who asked the question to this entry, but maybe it will answer the same question for some of you. At this point, I will quote the section of the poem in question, and the statement from the person.

I am taking this opportunity to write for a few minutes about today's church. I'm not going to say anything about one denomination, or one church's doctrine, or one church's structure, just about the church in general.
In days past, and I should probably say many days, the church lived, and acted in the power of the Almighty God. God's power is seriously lacking in today's church. It's almost as if "Christians are walking around in a zombie like state, saying: "I believe the Bible, I know God is all powerful, I know God is a righteous God and a person has to live a holy life in God's power in order to be accepted by God, I know a person has to repent of their sins to become a Christian, I know...I know...I know...," and then living as if God doesn't really exist. It is no wonder that the average person on the street has a hard time believing we are telling the truth when we say God loves them, and that they can trust the Bible as God's infallible word.
In days past, many churches believed that God can heal. The Bible says: "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: James 5:14. Most churches don't keep anointing oil on the pulpit now. Many probably do not know what a bottle of anointing oil looks like, and I have not seen one person in the last few years who asked the elders of the church to anoint them, and pray the prayer of faith over them. Now a days, if there isn't a doctor somewhere close, there seems to be no hope in sight.
In the past, most of the older folk in the church, the 40 and up group that is, could walk around quoting scripture from nightfall to sunrise. I don't know any who could do so now, most could not quote 20 verses if you asked them to. What's wrong with that you say? The Bible tells us in 2 Timothy 2:15: "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." That word study includes reading the Bible, and memorizing scripture. We are to let the word of God dwell in us. How can God's word dwell in us without first becoming alive in us, and how can it become alive in us if we do not know His word?
This brings me to my main point about the church today. With all of the missing aspects of what the church use to be, there is still an aspect of the church that gives me hope for a future church that may resemble the church of old. That aspect is the youth involved in the churches. By youth, I mean young teenagers and under.
I have been a minister, and an evangelist with several churches., and I have taught the Senior Adult Sunday School Class in every church I have been affiliated with so I know something of what I am speaking about. I now teach the 1st and 2nd grade Sparks Class in our church AWANA Group. What I am seeing has absolutely amazed me to this point. The group, (approximately 25 kids) is learning Bible verses, and learning the deeper things in God's word as well. We have question an answer sessions every so often to see how much they are retaining, and the answer is everything.
They say this time period we are in is in serious trouble where the church is concerned. The reason for this assumption is the appalling amount of teen-agers we have in the church today. If things continue as is, they say there may not be a church of tomorrow, but I beg to differ. Our kids are beginning to show me the church of tomorrow, because they are doing the things of the church of yesteryear.






 

People are troubled everywhere,
Others just don't seem to care,
Jesus wants us all to have His love.
Problems here cause so much pain,
Still no-one will take the blame,
Jesus' love comes only from above.

Jesus' love will lead us on,
Jesus' love will take us home,
All we have to do is live His way.

Troubles come our way each day,
Trials fall across the way,
Jesus' love can help us when we pray.
Satan's snares will never stay
If we'll only kneel and pray,
Jesus Christ hears us when we pray.

I wrote this song poem while I was still in high school. Believe it or not, that's been 31 years now. Everyone in my family was arguing at the time, and God just sort of opened me up and poured it in. Next thing I knew, it was down on paper guitar chords and all.
The funny thing is, it sounds like it may have been written today when you look at what is going on in this world. No matter how you look at it, and no matter when it was written, the message is true. There is only one solution to everything that is going on in our world today. That solution is God.
We in America must get back to being the nation that we were in the beginning, the nation built on Biblical principals. Whether you've noticed it or not, the farther away from God our country grows, the worse things get for us. No-one wants to admit that they need God in their lives, or to even acknowledge that there is a God, but the fact remains that He IS STILL GOD!
The thing we really don't want to admit is the "SIN" factor. That's why no-one wants to see the Ten Commandments displayed at the local courthouse anymore, and the reason no-one wants to consider the Ten Commandments as valid anymore. The thing about the Ten Commandments is this, they are just as valid today as they were when God wrote them on the stone tablets. One big thing about them that you've probably already heard is this, the Ten Commandments are not multiple choice. You can't pick and choose which commandments you want to abide by, they are indeed set in stone.