“But ye would not.”

When Christ spoke these words, He had just said, “I would have gathered you together as a mother hen gathers in her chicks.” But the repsonse?  “[They] would not.”  But Why not?  There are two (2) root answers to this.  One is a divine answer and the other a very human answer.

The divine answer is simple but not preached or taught for the most part. The doctrine of God’s Free-will Election of whom He wills to Salvation is the divine answer, “I will have compassion upon whom I will have compassion and I will harden whom I will harden,” is said clearly and plainly by God the Father.  Christ says, “even so the Son quickeneth whom I will.”  The Holy Spirit also speaks on this when He forbids Paul from going to certain places with the Gospel.

This doctrine can be seen in John five (5) when Christ heals one, “certain man” who was among a “great multitude of impotent folk.”  he passed over and left the great multitude in their impotency or, interms of typology, in their SIN and sins.  The prededing is the divine answer as to why persons will not believe the Gospel.  We shall move on (DV) to why persons will not believe from a human perspective.

The answer or answers to the question, “Why will persons not believe the Gospel?” from a human perspective are these:

*Authority and submission
*Pride
*Dead family members
*Living family members
*Christ-ians
*No understaning
*Other’s opinions
*Etc.

*Authority and submission: Sinners seem to know what many Christ-ian preachers do not.  I have asked sinners why they will not come to Christ and I received a very honest answer, “Because I would have to stop doing X.” Now let me be clear at this point.  Many a minister would say, “No, No, No, You come just as your are.” Reader, That’s a hymn and not Scripture. In Scripture when men came to Christ they knew they were coming to a new Lord, a new Master and leaving behind those sins and that SIN that weighed them down and made them servants to SIN, (s)atan, and self.  In many of today’s churches this is not mentioned, there is no mention of repentance or Christ as Lord.  It is wrong, very wrong. Even though many churches have forsaken the doctrine of repentance, the sinners still recognize it!!! This is of God.  Authority and submission is one (1) reason persons will not believe in Christ.  Many person respects not authority and are unwilling to submit to authority.  This is easily proven by crime statistcs, the broken family, the hatred for Police and President and the ease in which those, without understanding, express that hatred in terms most belligerant and violent

*Pride: If love of money is the root of all evil, the first leaf or pedal must be pride. It is sad but it is true that some, if not many, Christ-ians are slow to confess their faith in Christ before others. This is a real phenomonon,. Even Scripture, Even Christ, Himself addresses this.  Paraphrasing the Lord, Whosoever is ashamed or embarrassed by Me, that person shall I be ashamed in the Presence of My Father and the angels. Does this mean that those who were embarrassed by their faith in Christ are damned? Or does this mean the ashamed will be marked by their embarrassment?  You research this question, and learn the answer on your own.  It is pride that allows not a person to confess sins, and the failure to do what is right and good.  It is pride that says, “I determine my own destiny.,” or  “I’m in charge of my fate.”  It is pride that will not confess sin and it is pride that will not put one’s soul into the Hands of the Christ.

*Dead family members:  This is a rough one.  If a person is to come to Christ, with granted repentance and gifted faith, they will be acknowledging that beloved family members, who have not come to Christ, are in Hell.  This is a hard truth to face, but truth it is. We all understand this feeling and our hearts break with this knowledge.

*Living family members:  Many a person may want to attend church, but they do not because of a husband or a wife.  It is true that when one spouse is a Christ-ian and one is not, it causes a division and Christ told us it would.  Christ forewarns persons, that to be one of His is to love Him and to Hate everyone else. Hating everyone else means being loyal to Christ and obeying Christ even when it divides a family. Some persons will not pay that cost.

*Christ-ians:  This is so bad, but it is also true.  Some reject the faith because of professing Christ-ians they may know. We know a guy; if he was the poster child for Christ-ianity, Christ-ianity would die. I say die, humanly speaking, of course.  This guy that portends or pretends to be a Christ-ian is more of an advertiser for (s)atanists, Psychopaths, Sociopaths, Wolves in sheeps clothing, and the God-hated reprobate.  It is sad but it is true, Christ-ians, like the Pharisee, hamper, and hinder a persons entrance into the Kingdom.

*No Understanding: Those that reject Christ and the Gospel Command are blinded and they receive not the things of the Spirit. They that reject Christ have dead spirits within their souls and therefore, they are spiritually blind,  s. deaf,  s. dumb, and  s. lame, and s. lost.

*Other’s opinion: Many reject Christ due to the opinions of others. Many have the very wrong idea concerning the Person of Christ.  They see painted pictures that represent Christ wrongly.  They think of Christ as merely a swear word. Still others cannot see Christ or look upon Christ, except as a sweet baby. Some even see the faith as a feminine quality….these persons are ignorant to Scripture. And yet others see Christ-ianity as a crutch and they are correct. However, they being crutchless, shall fall into the Hands of an angry and Living God, Who is called a “Consuming Fire.”

*Etc: This list is not exhaustive, persons have many an excuse to reject the Christ, an ox, newly bought property, a funeral, or “almost thou persuadest me,”  or “Come at a more convenient time.”  or even (s)atan’s own and copywritten, and trademarked,  “I will…”   etc. etc. etc.

Thanks be to God, He never accepted any excuses from me. There is no reason to reject the Christ, only poor excuses.

Reader, Heaven and Hell are not the issue in salvation, The issue is, Who own’s you?  The issue is, Who purchased you? And what was the Price?  It is not about souls being saved, but Souls glorifying God.  It’s about “adding to the church such as should be saved” to glorify God and to expand His Kingdom and His reign.

Yet the answer of the wicked and the unrighteous is not a simple, “No, thank you.”  They answer with wood. They answer by Crucifying the God-man, the Christ, the Son of God, the Son of man…..our Lord Jesus.

Godspeed.

“…But Thou would not.”

There are places one can look to test the pulse or the state of America.
* The Television
* The News
* The Church
*The Family

One can judge the condition of America by what is popular on television programs. Some of the popular shows are those that are very ungodly. In the past there have been shows like “Glee” that was very popular.  This show was very, very pro gay, lesbians and all the others letters that stand for ungodliness.  There is a program called, “Lucifer.”  This show portrays the god of this world as a detective.  Anytime (s)atan or Lucifer is depicted on television it should be in an negative role.  This is not the case. Normally when a man of God is represented it is an a negative way.  In Law and Order: Criminal Intent, it portrayed a preacher as a bi-sexual that used a gay prostitute behind the scenes.  This is what television thinks about God and His people.
One can also watch sports programs to see the very overpaid men in the world, showing blatant disregard for the country that has given them their living.  These athletes are the most overpaid and spoiled men that have ever disgraced the television screens. Another place is in the WWE.  There is a charcter that portrays all the positive attributes of America…Loyalty, Respect, and Honour.  Yet when this man’s music begins a chat also begins saying this man s****!!!.  However, when a man portraying a dead man and a devil worshiper is featured, the people cheer wildly.  When a character portraying a false prophet and a god, who sings, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.” is featured the people cheer him. When a narcissist, called “The Rock” shows up, the arena goes CRAZY…  Remember reader, Christ is the Rock.  When a retired wrestler is mentioned or shows up, again, the people go Crazy.  This man portrays a belligerent, boss-beating and disrespecting drunk.  When a man, another retired wrestler shows up the people begin to worship.  This man’s monicker is, “The Nature Boy,”  or in other words, the Natural Man.  Reader we know how Scripture presents the natural man, do we not?  This man has, atlast count, four (4) ex-wives, he is an alcoholic and was a terrible father, by his own admission.  This man has also used Christ’s Name in vain on live television.  I used to enjoy watching his antics until I learned what I have written about him in the above.

What I have written about the characters above speaks more to the WWE watchers than the wrestlers themselves.  The watchers represents all “classes” of America.  The poor love wrestling, and the very elite love wrestling.  The president of the USA is in the WWE Hall of Fame.  I say that not in a negative sense, I like it to tell you the truth.  One cal watch Trump on the WWE Network and you will see, what I think, is a positive side of the man.  However, in saying that the “WWE Universe” represents all levels of America, that also tells us the view and beliefs of America and it is not favorable. When the American public cheers a beligerrent drunk who beats up and flips off the boss and curses and boos a man that represents true American values for America’s children.  When America boos a man that has made more “Wishes” to terminally ill children, it speaks ill of America.

When the WWE Champion is called “The Beast Incarnate” and is loved by America we are in trouble. Reader, need this writer remind you that the Beast Incarnate in Scrupture is the Anti-Christ?  This is not lost on the WWE writers, in the long ago past there was another man called the beast.  The writers wanted this man to where a 666 on his forehead and become a follwer of the Undertaker!!!  The man refused and was soon gone from the WWE.  Methinks we have made our point in regards to the television being a source that can be referenced in regards to the real state of the Union.

Another place one can check up on America is in the comment sections of news articles that concern Christ-ianity in America.  One example: When ever you see an article about Franklin Graham or his sister Anne Graham Lotts and read the comment section you will read the most horrible things you can imagine.  Many will even speak ill about Billy Graham.  To be sure many keep their hatred hidden in articles referring to the Saint’s recent death.

However, the hatred for Bro. billy’s children are not so easily hidden.  On these comment sections there is, approximating, one (1) positive comment or a comment rebuking the wickedness per probably ten (10) or more hate-filled rants.  We said it before, the whole reason we are on FB is because we had to  address some of the cowerdly and most-ill informed comments about Billy Graham and we had to be FB subscribers if we wanted to comment.  We found it rather simplistic to shut these ignorant person down.  We pointed out that their comments are completely without merit and asked them to please show one supporting facts to back up their emotional and small minded rants.

It is a rare case when some one would respond with anything more than another mindless comment, like telling me to do something that is humanly impossible or wishing all Christ-ians would die or that all Christ-ians would go to H***.  Reader, some may think I’m wasting my time on these comment sections.  Those well meaning persons are very wrong, we are told in Scripture to defend the faith, and to rebuke sin when and where we find it.   Social Media is a place where sin runs and rants wild.  Social Media is where unsaved and most cowerdly persons will allow themselves to be heard.  These persons say not these things in public or in the office.  The Social Media sites are the one place where cowerdly sinners can be found.  Let me say this to those who might look to defend the faith on Social Media, do not ever say anything you would not say to the person’s face.  Anything I say I would be more than happy to say in person.

To prove this, I will give examples: Once we rebuked a stranger standing behind us for talking about Hell as a place to party with friends…The Words the Spirit gave us at that moment left him and others in line speechless.  When we saw a man selling shirts that say, “I Can’t Breathe,” which was a reference to a man being killed by poilice.  We confroted the man with the blantant lie and the greed that was causing him to sell these things. He responded with “Dude, I’m just trying to make money, I’m not a political guy.”  The point I made was I fought in MMA and I know a man can breathe if a man can speak.  If the man was saying, “I can’t breathe” he was lying.  Others we have confronted, a women selling Islamic lies about Christ.  We have confronted men, black men…normally I do not specify skin color because normally skin colors matters not, but in the case it does.

We saw a number of black men standing next to a van and they were giving white persons th evil eye.  This was just after a police shooting.  Again, we walked up to these men and confronted them and stared them down  You might say, “Brian or Keith or Loder, are you crazy, the numbers were not fair!!!”  I would completely agree with you.  Those men were completely outnumbered!!!  One (1) man + God = The Majority.  Examples: Adino v. Eight-hundred men (800), Aldino wins.  Elisha v. A king’s Army, Elisha wins.  Elijah v. The prophets of Baal, Elijah wins.  Gideon and a small army v. a bigger army, Gideon wins. Christ v. the world, SIN and death, Christ wins.  The disciples v. the world, the Disciples win.  Athansius v the world, Athanasius wins, etc. etc. etc. I agree those black men were outnumbered and were at a great disadvantage.

Reader, I believe my Bible and my God,  “…of whom should I fear, of whom should I be afraid?”  “…Thou art with me.”  “If God be for me who can be against me.”  Reader, we do not say these things boasting in ourselves, God Forbid. We say these things in honour and to honour our God, for “MY God Is so BIG, so Strong, and so Mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do…”  God knoweth His servant’s heart..I say these things, knowing that my God hears me and witnesses my intentions and motivations.

One thing each of you should take from the past paragraph is: If he, with God, can do these things, so can I, with God, do these things.  Or better yet, If God can do those things with him, God can also do those things with me. Reader, the math is simple. God plus one (1) person = The Majority.  That mathematical equation has been proven many times, each time it was put to the test.

Another place one can test the American waters is by observing and noting the news media. One should not or rather must not simply look at the screen when the news is on. One must not simply listen and believe what the media says, regardless if it’s CNN or FOX. Full disclosure and it should be obvious, I find FOX to be more trustworthy and true to facts that CNN.

Do yourself a favour, watch, observes, listen and hear a speech by the President of the U.S. then listen to the coverage that both networks give it afterwards.  You’ll have to DVR one, of course.  CNN will be talking about a speech you did not see or hear,, whereas FOX will present it in a more balanced way.  To test the American waters one need not worry so much about the new story, itself.  The news story will speak for itself, but observe and hear the news anchors and their guests lie through their teeth.  Watch their body language and it is obvious that they are lying and they KNOW IT!!!  Watch their blinking rate increase, and listen for their voice to change, usually it heightens.

These persons…these liars know exactly what they are doing.   The media is like the J. Witness cult, they will lie if it brings about good…good in their estimation and evil in ours.  The media and the left hunt the illegal alien and the ignorant and the emotional vote in order to win, this is a method of the J.W. cult too.

Reader,
Put my words to the test, prove my words.  Research, investigate, observe the media, the sport’s audiences, the t.v. shows (that get high ratings, “Glee,” “Lucifer” does well, but Brother Tim Allen’s, “Last Man Standing” is cancelled and not because of ratings, methinks) and the comment sections of religious centered news articles.  Also look at what is considered to be Christ-ianity in our country and in our churches. Christ-ianity has gone to the world and the world has infiltrated the church, The wheat has been overtaken by the tares, and they that have no root are falling to the wayside and are spiritually dead.

Reader,
“Be not soon shaken” by this news that probably isn’t really news to anyone. Be not “in a strait” and “Let not your hearts be troubled.”  All of the above is good news!!!  It Maybe not good news to America or the world, but to the citizen’s of another city, another city called, Heaven, that is Kingdom of God proper, it is most welcoming news.  “Even so, Come, Lord Jesus.”  Even so, even though your return means much trial and tribulation for all, although your return means the wrath of God being revealed, Even so, Come, Lord Jesus.
For the super saints who will think, “Man, that is not a very loving attitude.”  Let me agree and disagree, it may not be loving toward God’s enemies, for there will come a time that the Christ-ian’s love for the enemies of God and the faith will end and the Christ-ians love for the King will be made manifest through destruction, turmoil, trials, tribulations, wherein the hearts’ of mighty men will melt. In these days the Christ-ian’s love will be for Christ and the family of God only.
Therefore, Take heart ye soldiers of the Cross…Take heart.”

Another place that betrays the state of America is the family unit. All of the above can be thought the root of the family’s demise in America. Another option is SIN. The above sins are the symptoms of the SIN root.  This is why Christ-ians say (or do they say?) that Christ and His Gospel is the Only Answer.  Plans, steps, education, money, comdoms, guns, mental illness, medicine, poiticians, policy, legislation, man’s laws, etc. will never be the answer. The Answer to all of the above is a new heart and a new spirit and a new Lord. Th only place that one can obtain these gifts, these answers is from God. To remedy all of the above there must be a new creation…a starting over point.  A new creation and a starting over point are found Alone and Only in God and in Christ Jesus.

However, we know that this will never happen. To be sure, there will be a new Heaven and a new Earth, there is no question or doubt on this point. The New Heaven and The New Earth will come, only after the predecessor is destroyed, dispatched, dismissed, departs, and dies a violent and bloody death.

And again and again and again, will I say, “EVEN SO, LORD JESUS, COME” and “Tarry Not.”

“I had fainted unless I had  believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and [H]e shall strtengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”  (Psalm 27)

Reader,
When does your eternal life begin?  When does everlasting life start? When shall we be in God’s Kingdom?  When do you get to walk with God?  The answer to all four (4) questions is….Now, Now, Now, Now.

The moment one meets Christ in Salvation, eternal life has begun, everlasting life has begun,  one has entered into the Kingdom of God, and to walk with God is the assurance of that salvation and eternal and everlasting life.  Of course, some persons may be taken to God and their bodies may lay, rest, and await it’s glorification.  But once your mind, your spirit is made alive by the Presence of God and His Holy Spirit takes up residence and inhabits the soul, real life, real eternal life has begun and the resting of the body only allows one’s faith to be made sight.

If one is waiting to enjoy their eternal life until they depart this mortal coil, they are losing out.  Our eternal life is now; everlasting life has begun and our light should so shine so that all men may see it and glorify our Father Who is in Heaven.  An example:  David was anointed King of Israel, but David did not sit upon the throne of CIsrael until much later, after he was anointed and made King in private. In fact there was already a king on the throne but that king had been rejected by God.  This is how eternal life is,  we have been anointed, we are royalty, we are royalty right now, but no one else really knows that yet, but it is still true.  Saul didn’t know David had been anointed, God gave Samuel a good cover story for his travel to anoint the new king.

God told Samuel, He had rejected Saul as king and that God’s Spirit had left him.  God directed Samuel to go to the house of Jesse and anoint the new king, for God had provided Himself with a man after His own heart.  Samuel said to God, “How can I go? If Saul hear it he will kill me.”  now watch this….and try not to smile, “And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD.”  “And Samuel did that which the LORD spake…”

In other words,  Samuel said to God, If I go Saul will know what’s going on and he will kill me because he has temper tantrums like a little baby.  And God said to Samuel, Yeah, you’re right, hmmmm…Hey, say this, tell Saul you are going to offer a scarifice to Me and I’ll make sure Saul believes you. And then Samuel said, AH, Yeah, that’ll work..  HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD????  HA!!  He makes me laugh with a merry, merry heart that is full of “JOy, Joy, Joy, Joy down in my heart…WHERE??? Down in my heart.”  The JOY of the LORD truly is my strength, reader and I’ll not share it with another……“and if the devil doesn’t like it he can sit on a tac….sit on a tac and if the devil doesn’t like it he can sit on a tac…” and so can his children (Children’s song).

Our eternal life in salvation is like David’s life.  Samuel went to the house of Jesse, God passed over the other sons of Jesse and chose David to be King…the first shall be last and the last shall be first. David knew what God had done, Jesse knew what God had done, and Samuel knew what God had done and the sacrifice knew what God had done, methinks the rest of the family knew not. David is the new chosen king of God’s people but know one knows. This is how it is with our salvation and eternal life,  we are anointed, we have life in Christ and we are awaiting the great coronation but until then we appear to be meek and mild Christ-ians.

Imagine though how David must have felt, think about what he thought about.  He is King and is in waiting.  He probably thought differently, felt differently, and even acted differently.  He probably spent a great more time in the field with the sheep…..and God.  He probably spoke often with God, he probably contemplated his future and what he would do with the authority God had given him.  He probably thought about life as an adventure, with God being His teacher in all things proper from that point on.  Reader, this is how Christ-ianity is and could be for everyone, this is what my Christ-ianity is to me.

God and eternal life ought not to be thought of as being or starting after death, NO, No, No,  The adventure starts here. This is the day the LORD hath made,  this is the acceptable time, enjoy God here and now,  in the land of the living.

Godspeed and Godthink.

“[Don’t]…think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”  (Romans 12)

“And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others?”  (Matthew 5)

“Blessed art [T]hou, O LORD…”  (Psalm 119: 12a.)

Reader, Please follow my train of thought, if you will. In this article we would write about seriousness and levity.  In the second (2nd) passage, we have our Lord speaking to how one might engage another, He teaches us here that persons are individuals and each person is to be treated or engaged with a correct and proper manner that is peculiar to that person. Does this make sense? Can you see the point i’m trying to exposit from Christ’s Words? My point and the focus of this article is concerned with treating persons the same or treating persons differently.  This also will lead us (DV) to our engagement and exchanges with the Master.

If everyone is treated the same by a person, no one in that person’s life will be a standout…Am I making sense?………..?

Let’s do it- this way, When we engage God in prayer and in practicing His Presence, IE. Praying without ceasing, being instant in prayer, and praying always everywhere; entering into a spiritually palpable and spiritually tangible place where God is and remaining there, prostrate at His Feet.  All of this can be done while one is driving a car, jogging, labouring, grappling, looking at the t.v. and in the midst of many persons.  Christ was alone praying, Scripture tells us, and then we read the words, “[H]is disciples being with [H]im.” Our Lord was alone praying and His disciples were with Him.  Do you see how this works? He was alone in prayer though He be in the midst of His disciples. This is where the Christ-ian enters into a real and very intimate bonding or mystical uniting with God.  Think about Moses leaving the Presence of God after spending time with Him; then we see Joshua also is present (probably unknown to Moses but certainly known to God) and Joshua remains after Moses departs.

Reader, There is a way to enter God’s Presence and remain there, never losing or leaving His known, and dare I say, His felt Presence.

Reader, we should address God differently than we do other persons. An example: Some use the thee and the thou in prayer. This is different than how they engage others.

Another thought, this writer enjoys popular culture and is amused by the humour from the funny persons in the world system. We like to laugh as a merry heart does everyone good. We use the world as God teaches us to, we use the world, we venture into the world, but we are not of the world and the worldly enjoyments do not take us captive to their vanities. God giveth us richly all things to enjoy so enjoy them we will; after all, this is the day the LORD has made, right?  Aren’t we to rejoice and be glad in it? Everything under the heavens belongs to God, and Christ has inherited all things and Christ-ian….O’ Christian, know ye not?  Know ye not?  We …are …..joint-heirs with Christ, our Elder Brother…Give praise to God all ye that hath breathe. Please give glory to God.

Having written the above, now we are to make our point, our point as Solomon Kane makes his point with his rapier.

We will (DV) enjoy all that God richly bestows upon us.  We will be merry in our hearts as God allows, BUT when we come to the Word of God and we come unto the God of the Word…we are changed…in a twinkling of an eye, we are changed; we are changed to a spirit of soberness and gravity. God is to be treated differently, He is to be revered, and feared in a Holy Manner.  This is how we and others know God and His Son are matters of seriousness.

We are not saying everything has to be legalistic and depressed, dark and smokey…No, not at all.  We are to glorify God and enjoy Him for all times, this is the chief end of man. We have met God and when one meets God, one becomes an eternal being and we shall be with Him forever,  from now through forever, we need not wait to know Him deeply and to love Him radically.  “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD : be of good courage, and [H]e shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”

“…Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knowseth nothing yet as he ought to know.”  (1 Corinthians 8)

As my children would say, POW!!! Paul just burned your whole world….”  Solomon tells us that the beginning of knowledge is the fear of the LORD. There are some very impressive believers. I have watched and listened to a young woman, many years ago, cite from memory the entire Book of first (1st) or Second (2nd) Peter. That is remarkable, is it not?  We have also seen and heard a man on youtube preach from memory the entire Book of Hebrews, this is to be applauded and rewarded. I’ve seen a little boy a very young, little boys sound off all the Books of the Bible.  There are many persons that have learned from catechisms, which by the way are not unique to the Catholic theatre of man made religious tripes and idols.

A catechism is a sound way to instruct all Christ-ians in the knowledge of God and things germain to the faith.  The Puritans used the catechism as did Charles Spurgeon.  One knows not who will be one of God’s elect, however, when one is taught by a catechism prior to one’s regeneration, they are well instructed already when/if the Spirit bloweth upon whom He will. It is no different than say a law student being taught in the law before s/he becomes an attorney.  Children should be trained in the things of God even prior to the Spirit attending that child’s spirit and soul.

Having said all of that we must make a very important, a very, very important point. That point is this:  One may know many, many things about God and that is good and right.  However, with all the knowledge one has regarding God; Is God personally and experientially known by that person that knows so much about God?  Is that person walking in the ways of the Master?  Is that knowledgeable person keeping Christ’s Words?  Does that person love Christ, that he knows so much about.

An analogy:  I know many things about Lincoln, I know many things about Jonathan Edwards and Martyn Lloyd Jones, I know many things about Arthur Pink and Charles Spurgeon, bit i do not know them in any experiential or intimate way.  I have never met any of these men named. I hope to, when God gathers all His people together, but in this stage of my eternal life I only know about these men, but I do not know these men personally or experientially.  The same can be true of a man that knows many things about God without ever knowing God.  This is a sad state, no doubt. We see these type of knowledgeable persons and very active persons being dismissed and dispatched in Matthew twenty-five (25) when Christ says, ” I never knew you.” These never known persons laboured in the church, they did many good works, they knew many things about God but it is clear, they knew not Christ and Christ never knew them.  Frightening, very frightening, is it not?  This reminds me of the last Supper when Christ said one would betray Him…each person present thought to himself,  “Is it I?”

Beloved reader, it is good to know about God, to know the Word, but do not confuse knowing things about God with knowing God.

Godspeed.

“…supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.”  (1 Timothy 6)

The shepherd of God’s flock or Christ’s undershepherd is always concerned with the spiritual health and spiritual growth of those that God has given him.  The shepherd’s focus is upon his sheep, he knows them and they know him and they recognize his voice, they hear him and will not hear another. However, in some circles or camps the focus is on growth in terms of the number of persons attending.  Some equate God and His blessing with the growth in numbers of persons attending.  They say things like, “We had x persons, God is so good.” I wonder if God would still be good if that number of persons was cut in half.  Would God be half (1/2) as good? I remember hearing about a preacher and his family asking for a vote of confidence from the congregation.  All the persons present got up and walked out, leaving the man of God and his family standing alone. I know not the circumstances involved, but what I want to know is, Is God still good when something like that happens to a man?

Having said all of that, how big is your church?  How big is your ministry?  Persons ask me that and I tell them our ministry is out of our home and we minister to a handful of persons.  Some say, “Oh.”  or “Okay, there’s nothing wrong with that.”  and when they say these things we sense a surprise in these persons and they know not what to do or how to responsd to our ministry.  Most think a church is a visible building with a steeple on top.  In reality churches are in schools, store fronts, basements, attics, and homes through out the world.  The church, “In the beginning” was in the homes of the saints.  The Bible has many references to home churches, nine (9) times does the Holy Spirit mention the house or home church.  The Philippian church was made up of maybe ten  (10) or eleven (11) or so believers. Look in the Book of Acts and search for the names that are of the Philippian church. Okay, okay, I’ll do it for you… There is Lydia, there is the Philippian jailor and his “whole house,” there is also Epaphroditus, there is the feuding Euodias and Syntyche and maybe Clement. The Book of Philippians, a most encouraging epistle, is existent due to a home church of less than fifteen (15).

In the home church there is intimacy, accountability, and no over head costs.  This means any monies can be used toward the kingdom and not utilities.  Understand me right, I’m not disparaging the local church, God Forbid. At the same time the local church must not disparage or be embarrassed of the local home church(es). In our mind’s eye we see the local churches in our area as the O.T. Temple and our home church and or other home churches as synagogues oe satellites.  This writer preaches and teaches in our home and we are proud to be affiliated in a sense with two (2) local Bible churches. This writer loves and respects these churches, their pastors and their congregations and we believe these churches, their pastors and their congregations love us too. It’s a bit heavenly, if you will.

However having said all of that, In my mind and in my God-formed, God-wired, God shaped shepherd-warrior’s heart, I see my minstry being world wide.  My shepherd’s heart constrains me and compels me to see any one and everyone as sheep in my flock.  This can also be looked upon as the Good Samaritan Heart also.

We are not interested in denominations or labels. We use them , however, to understand where a person is coming from or knowing how a person might be thinking but other than that we have no use for denominations or labels. We do not look upon Christ-ians as Apostolic, Baptist, Congregationalist, Catholic, Charismatic, Episcopal, Fundementalist, Methodist, Presbyterian, etc.  We look at persons and ask them “What think ye of Christ?”  The secondary issues are secondary issues.

The Primacy of the collective and common salvation is, “What think ye of Christ?”  “I can forgive a man of many things if he gives me a sense of Christ.”  said Martyn LLoyd Jones.  When Tozer and Martyn LLoyd Jones shared a stage…imagine the power of the Spirit Present there and then…., Tozer said to Lloyd Jones, [Paraphrasing] “You came your way and I came my way but we both ended up here.”  Tozer’s meaning ?  Tozer was a Bible teacher and mystic of the first order.  Lloyd Jones was a sound and methodical expositor of Scripture, yet both men sat together under and in- One Christ Jesus, Lord and Master of both.  The great preachers looked past all labels and denominational walls and saw people who were in need of Christ and His salvation.  Judging others according to denomination is a kin to racism, is it not?  It is a spiritual ism of some kind.

It is certain that there be points of difference but if they do not hinder a man’s salvation, they are secondary.  Having said that, we should be informed with the beliefs unique to each denomination so we might know how to perceive them.  For example, Some of the apostolic (pentacostol) camps believe one must speak in tongues in order to be saved.  They see tongues as a sign gift,  this, of course is not Biblically supportable.  The Christian Church believe one must be baptized to finish one’s salvation.  They also believe the Lord’s supper should be taken weekly and that’s fine and good and supportable, but baptism being the finishing touch to one’s salvation is unacceptable, Solus Christus,  Christ Alone is our Salvation, there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved and there is a  we  that must be saved.

In dealing with catholic persons, things can get prickly.  We know there exists saints, real, saved, sinners turned saints in that theatre of man made religionism. The catholic church is sound on the Trinity and they have many assets that could help the brethren, but their Mary-worship and prayers made to saints is so wrong and offensive to God and His Son. These are not secondary issues, these are spiritual crimes with murdered souls in it’s wake..  It is idolatry and that sacriledge must be addressed if there is to be any fellowship…true fellowship.  The Catholic mass and their teaching on Christ’s Sacrifice happening again and again and again in each mass must go.   The confessions to priests can be helpful,in terms of therapy, i might imagine, but it could not be an ordinance…..it seems to me there is a germ of possible blackmail present, it is similar to the Scientologists use of confessions against those wanting to leave that cultic religion which is based on science fiction books and business principles.

Summary and point of this article:  Though we be a small home church with, “those few sheep,”  we see the entire world as our sheepfold.  We are our brother’s keeper, we are the Good Samaritan, we are the undershepherd of God’s creation.

Is your church and or ministry to small?  Do you have a great BIG God?  or is your God too small too?  Our God and His Church is Universally Big and so is our ministry.

Next time someone asks me or asks you, “How many you got?”  We should respond with, “As many as there are in this old world.”  Like Moses, like Joshua, like David, like Peter, like Paul, we should see our ministries and our sheepfold to be world wide and open to all that know Christ as Lord and Saviour and open to those that “must be saved” as “the Lord [adds] to the church,  daily such as should be saved.”

Godspeed.

“But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep in Beth-lehem.”                                                                                                                                         (1 Samuel 17)

In a culture that is in desperate need of role models with godliness of character, integrity, faith, dignity and grace one needs to look any farther than King David.  The Life of David is what movies are made of.  David had his mountain tops and his valleys to be sure.  Scripture does not hide any of David’s faults, SIN or sins.  However, the general tenor of this man’s life was a life of faithfulness to God.  Even in David’s down times, he was in love with God.  This is something every Christ-ian needs to understand, in our down times, in times of weakness, and even in times of backsliding we belong to God and God belongs to us. Even when a Christ-ian has that which can be compared to a child’s temper tantrum, it is God’s child having a temper tantrum.  Even in times when a      Christ-ian is angry at God or is in fear of God, it is an anger or fear in faith…in Christ.

David shows us his character by the way he handles his responsibilities.  David was called to play the harp with King Saul as his only audience. David knows he is to be king at some point for God sent Samuel to anoint him king as God had rejected Saul and God’s Spirit departed from Saul’s side. However, in verse fifteen (15) we see David leaving his position near royalty to “feed his father’s sheep in Beth-lehem.”  Many a man would consider the sheep to be something small and dismissed and unimportant when compared to a spot at the kings side. This is not so with David. David, like Moses left the “good life” to be alone in a field, in a wilderness, if you will, with God.

Next we see David taking foods to his brothers as his father directed him. A good leader must first know how to follow. In verse twenty (20) we see David “[rising] up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper…”  David rises up early to the day the LORD has made. We are certain David was glad in it and David was sure to rejoice in it as well. Reader, please note David’s care and concern over the sheep.  He left the sheep with a trusted keeper.  David learned his responsibilities as king in the field with his father’s sheep.  He that is faithful in the small things will be faithful in the big things.  He that is faithful in big things, was certainly faithful in the little things.

In verse twenty-two (22) we again see David’s care and character. “And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren.”  David is again proving himself to be a man of great care and is conscious of his responsibilities in the little things.  Reader, it is always, always in the little things that great things are found.  Sherlock Holmes says, Big inferences come from little trifles. And it is true.

Look at David Again.  We see David caring for that which other’s might see as insignificant, “Eliab [David’s] eldest brother…said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness?”  David has arrived with food for his brothers and he hears the challenge of the giant from Gath called Goliath.

He hears the challenge and sees the challenge go unanswered. David, with his God-given warrior spirit, will have none of this!!!  He understands not why no one has answered the challenge of the giant. This is when his eldest brother reproaches him, “I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart…”  In truth Eliab knew nothing at all.  Herein we see the first shall be last and the last shall be first.

Everything and everyone is against David at this point. His brothers think him prideful and naughty. AND THEN when David answers the giant’s challenge everything go haywire. David is brought before Saul, the God-rejected, yet refreshed king. Saul tries to talk David out of this futile gesture, but David knows David and David knows God and God knows David and everyone else knows nothing. Saul then offers his armour to David.  Reader, most commentators miss this…Do you know why Israel chose Saul to be their king?

He was head and shoulders above everyone else. Foolish man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks upon the heart. So when Saul offered his armour to David, can you imagine the size difference?  Saul big and very tall, David “was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to…”  Saul’s armour would engulf young David. Methinks Saul was having fun with David.  Saul a very big and very tall man should have been the one to fight Goliath but as the Spirit of the LORD left him so did his confidence and his faith. David’s son, Solomon would later teach us that there is strong confidence in the fear of the LORD. King Saul stands as the example of apostacy.

Instead of engaging the giant Goliath, King Saul saw fit to make fun of the one man that had what was needed to destroy the giant Goliath. After all the apostate king had done, there he sits mocking God’s chosen man, This may be where Psalms number one (1) is born in David’s mind,   “…nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” The God-blessed man does not sit in the seat of the scornful. Therefore, Saul is no God-blessed man. Nevertheless, David was tactful and composed in that setting, he respectfully declined the offer of Saul’s armour. When Saul was foolish and silly, David, a man after God’s own heart, was serious and steady. This scene reminds us of the Clown king Herod wanting Christ, our Lord to do magic tricks during the illegal trials of God’s Only Begotten Son.

[Sidenote: We speak of perspective being a useful help.  Was it our Lord on trial or was the entire political, legal, and religious sects on trial before the Righteous Judge?]

We know how this recorded event ends; it ends with Faithful David killing the giant Goliath. David was faithful in killing a lion and a bear, little things,  and thereffore we should expect David to be faithful in his killing of the giant from Gath, a big thing.

Herein this article is a man who could stand as a role model for the boys and the men of this country.  Of course we are predestinated to be Christ-like but in the mean time, could we be  David-like?

“…I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.”  (Galatians 2)

The above text deals with Peter’s dissimulation and Paul’s face to face rebuke. Peter was at liberty to enjoy his time with the gentiles. He ate what the gentiles ate and he experienced the Christ-ian freedom that the gentiles lived in and with. However, when the jewish believers showed up Peter stopped his liberty and fell back into the jewish Christ-ian way of believing. This caused Paul to erupt and rebuke Peter for this.  Paul saw that this could be taken as a rebuff or as an offense against the gentile’s liberty.  After all is said and done, things worked out.  This is not the point of our article.

Our point in this article is the faithful wounds a friend and brother can inflict upon another brother.  This writer has the tendency to get political when there is a school shooting or a terrorist attack.  This writer can give ground to the old carnal man and say things that should not be said by a shepherd of Christ’s flock. I fall into a second (2nd) amendment advocate instead of seeking to make sense of the senseless.

This happened recently with the latest school shooting….the latest school shooting….think about those words for a minute.  When I was in school gum chewing and tardiness, and swearing were chargeable offenses.  Today it is capital murder.  I wrote a few posts on FB on the gun debate.  I acted as a proponent for guns.  This is not where my gifts should be used. Except for speaking to SIN and sins involved in these crimes.

A good friend and faithful brother messaged me to counsel me to focus more on Christ and the hope of the Gospel instead of being led astray on political issues.  I forgot that the God-chosen soldier cannot get entangled in world system issues if he is to be a faithful soldier to the Captain of his Salvation. This faithful brother is a pastor of a larger church and he has many responsibilities in terms of the church and the Christ-ian academy that is a ministry of the church.  This friend is also a father of a number of children. Yet, this friend found the time to pray for me and send me a faithful wound.

Reader, this is singular to the Christ-ian church.  It is the reponsibility and priviledge of every Christ-ian to be their “brother’s keeper.”  We are to provoke one another to good works.  We are to prefer one another over others. We are also duty bound to rebuke a brother when it is needed. Love covereth a multitude of sins. Love also reigns in a brother when needed.

Reader, This writer has the warrior’s spirit and the prophet’s fire in our bones and like the prophets of old, we are very passionate in our beliefs and teachings and this passion can translate rather harshly in our writings.  I am thankful for the faithful wounds of friends. We are reminded of David’s words, “In faithfulness God afflicted me.” God hurts us that He may heal us and so do good and godly and Christ-like brethren.

Godspeed.

“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord…”  (2 Peter 1)

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on [T]hee : because he trusteth in [T]hee. Trust ye in the LORD forever : for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength…”  (Isaiah 26)

Reader,
When you sing, “Peace like a river attendeth my soul” is your voice ringing true?  Does peace like a river attendeth your soul?  Do you know peace? Do you experience the calmness of your faith?  Or  Do you still find yourself fretting and worring about things you cannot do anything about?  Do you worry or are you full of care concerning your family, your career, the future?  Do you look at the world and see violence and antipathy?  Does this discourage you?  Does this cause you to be shaken?

The world’s answer to this is medication. Sometimes medication is needed and is God’s will.  When Christ used mud to give sight to the blind, did He not give His blessing on the use of outside agents to heal?  When God called Dr. Luke to be a companion and biographer to Paul, Did God not put His blessing upon the medical field? Methinks the answer is obvious.  We do not count ourself among the super saints who resist any medicines. Having said this……………………………………………..

Having said that, if medication is not necessary how is one to obtain peace?  How might one obtain multiplied grace and peace?  Peter tells us grace and peace can be multiplied “through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord…”  What meaneth Peter?  How can one obtain peace through the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord?  Let us investigate.

First and foremost, one must know God personally through the Lord Jesus. One must experience God through the Holy Spirit of God in Christ. If one does not have this relationship there is no hope of peace being granted from the Godhead, none at all.

How does one come to know the Godhead personally?  It is rather simple, Repent of your SIN and sins, SIN being the root of sins and sins being the symptom of SIN. Once one repents of who and what they are, one can then believe unto eternal life.  These are God’s terms: Repent and believe.  What does it mean to repent and believe?  To repent means to change one’s mind which results in a change of actions. Repentance is the turning from SIN/sins  to  God and holiness.  What does belief entail? belief like repentance brings about works.  To believe in Christ is to trust and obey, just like the song sings. To believe in Christ is to believe “in Christ.” “in Christ” is a state or a position or a placement. Therefore we must believe while being in Christ.  To believe also entails a submission to Christ’s will.  To believe is to Love the Lord Jesus.  Let me explain from Scripture……………………….

Scripture tells us that if a man does not love Christ, that man is damned (1 Corinthians 16:22).

Scripture also tells us that “[Christ] being made perfect. [H]e became the [A]uthor of eternal salvation unto all them that obey [H]im…”  (Hebrews 5:9)  Oh! and by the way, when in Isaiah nine (9) Christ is called the Everlasting Father, this is what is meant, the     “[A]uthor of eternal salvation.”  Do not confuse Christ with the Father in Isaiah 9.

What do we see from the above Scripture passages?  To believe, to be saved one loves and obeys Christ.  It’s that simple, Love Christ and because of this love, obedience is not in question. This is the beginning of peace.  Salvation is peace with God,  “And having made peace through the [B]lood of [H]is [C]ross…”

The above is again a state or a placing of the saint into peace; there remains no divide between God and that saint.

What about the sense or the feeling of peace?  Is there a peace that passeth all understanding?  There is.

How does one obtain this elusive peace?

This peace is found in and through the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.

Reader, The more one knows God the more peace one will have. Scroll up and read Isaiah again.  Perfect peace is promised to the person who will stay the mind upon the Godhead, Jehovah.  In the stead of groupthink or selfishthink, one might Godthink. If you Godthink you will know peace.  If you Godthink all day, you will find peace …”Peace like a river attending to your soul.”

If we are cognitive in Christ, if we reckon ourselves in Christ, if we are yielded in Christ there is no place for drama, there is no place for worry, there be no place for fretting.  Nope…Nada…Zilch… Zero….there is no place for worry.  Grace and peace nullifies worry.  Grace and peace necessitates the destruction, the Dismissal, the dispatching of worry.

The more intimate the Christ-ian is with the Godhead- the more peace will the Christ-ian experience.

“…God took him.”

Reader,
Humanly speaking, the above mentioned preachers and faithful servants of God dies.  However, speaking from the spiritual, “God took [them].”  This seems to be a pattern with God.  Before judgment and wrath falls upon a nation, God removes some of His servants, saving them from what is to come.  This is what happened to St. Augustine when the vandals were at the gates of his beloved city.  God saving his faithful servant from the sight and the knowledge and the suffering that was sure, allowed Augustine to lie down and die.  Paul as well was taken before he was to see all of that was to befall his beloved church. Noah and Lot and their own, minus Lot’s wife, was kept from witnessing the carnage that fell upon the carnal.

In the New Testament, Christ tells us lest the days be shortened no flesh would be saved but for the elect’s sake the days would be shortened. To be honest I’m not certain of His meaning here.  Could He mean that some or many of the saved would fall into apostacy, lest He takes them out of the world before such a terrible thing occurs?  If so, the future holds frightening realities, Reader.

Let me be clear on a certain doctrine.  The doctrine of the rapture and the doctrine on the Second Coming.  This writer does not….let me repeat….This writer does not hold to a rapture of the saint that will take him to Heaven during a seven (7) year tribulation period back on earth. There are too many passages and examples that disagree with this view on the rapture.
Examaples:  Neither Noah or Lot was taken to Heaven.  They were left in the world but protected nonetheless.  When Ahab and Jezebel were persecuting Elijah, was he taken out of the world?  No.  To be true, Elijah, like Enoch from our Scripture text above, was translated out of this earth without seeing death.  These two (2) most certainly were raptured however, though Enoch was raptured prior to the flood, Elijah was not raptured do to persecution.  God killed Elijah’s persecutors.  As I said Enoch was translated before the flood, but let me remind you, Noah was not.

The above provides you with examples.  In the paragraph below, (DV), we will provide you with Scripture texts.
* “Immediately after the tribulations of those days shall the sun be darkened…And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven…then shall [every eye] see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And [H]e shall [THEN] send [H]is angels [to] gather together [H]is elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to another…”  (Matthew 24)
In light of the above passage, when does Christ descend and send forth His angels to gather up His elect?  The answer is found in the first (1st) four (4) words.
*Peter tells us that “judgment must first begin in the house of God.”  What can we make of this except the church is present during the tribulation.
*Paul teaches us that we will see the anti-Christ, when does the anti-Christ appear?  During the tribulation and after the falling away of the church into apostacy.
*Another tricky passage is 1 Thessalonian 5:9,  “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ…”  Many take this to mean the church is not appointed to the tribulation.  Reader, this can be cleared up by some simple questions.  1. Our Salvation is it a temporal salvation or an eternal salvation?  2.  The tribulation, is it an eternal judgment or a temporal judgment?  The answer tp the former is eternal and the answer to the latter is temporal.  Therefore do you, Reader think God is comparing a temporal judgment with our eternal salvation?  Nea, beloved, The point of the text is eternal wrath and not a seven (7) years period of tribulation.
*I’m not dogmatic on this next point, but could many believers fall away from the faith and apostacize when they realize they are in the tribulation period (whenever it comes) and they have not been raptured?  Reader, we are in the beginning stages of a falling away, methinks, there can be no doubt….I can be wrong but methinks not.  Could the final apostacy be capped with the expected rapture not culminating in the final stage of the believer’s salvation?  When Anti-Christ is realized and Christ-ians are still earth bound, shall their-faith, and not the gift of faith from God,  falter, and fall, and ultimately fail them?  Could all of this happen, humanly speaking, because of unsound teaching in the church, generation after generation?  Could this be because Christ-ians are illiterate, Biblically speaking?  Could this be because Christ-ians accepted the traditions and tall-tales of teachers in the stead of the Sound and Proven, and Tried Doctrines of God?  Could all this be because the church did not put out the heretics?
Reader, I mentioned this in another article, I heard a radio preacher say that another preacher thought the radio preacher was joking when he mentioned Second (2) Thessalonians!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kind of like when a preacher will tease his people with 2nd Hezekiah.  There be no such book.  But Reader, this radio preacher was not jesting when he said the other preacher thought Second (2nd) Thessalonians a trick.

“O’ God, my God, O’ God, Save Thy people from the church of men lest we fall into pervasive, pernicious and persevering posits and the problematic propounding of perdicious Polemics.”

[Sidenote:  Reader, We use not words that begin with the same letter to be cute or funny.  We use this form of writing, at times, because it is helpful to the memory].

Billy Graham may very well be our generation’s Methusaleh. Methusaleh lives nine-hundred and sixty-nine years (969) and when this man was taken to God through death, the time of judgment had come.  Billy Graham entered his one-hundredth (100th) year when he turned ninety-nine recently.  Is this a heads-up?   R.C. Sproul another faith-filled and faithful servant of God was taken to God, through death last December.  Is this a heads up?  Since these kinds of deaths come in threes (3’s) we might expect another righteous man or woman of God to be taken to God through death.  I say, “taken to God through death” because this is how God brings us to Himself, spirit and soul, while the body awaits it’s promised glorification.  However, the rebellious and unrighteous are not brought to God. Death takes the unrighteous, the rebellious, the riotous, the revelling, the ruthless, and the disrespecter and hater of all things God, and drops them into Hell.

Those that are dropped into Hell await their summons to the Great White Throne Judgment, they will appear before God, not in glorified bodies but in corrupt and cankered bodies.  Corrupt and cankered bodies that finally manifest all that was and still is inside of them, their thoughts, feelings, and will.  Think Walking Dead but with alertness and understanding. Those that are dropped or will be dropped into Hell are many of those that berate, backbite, be-little and hate the Graham family in comment sections of articles regarding the Graham family members. Reader, What persons say about Billy Graham and his children are as reprehensible as you might imagine.  The wicked charge the family with all manner of slander. Yet none can ever back up their vile and vitriolic Vomit.

These wicked persons put Graham in with some of the televangelists that are unholy and ungodly.  I trust in our Lord’s Words, men will give an acount for all that they idley speak.  The wicked wish Graham would “burn in hell.”  Of course they do. The wicked wish everything was turned around.  God and God’s people would be in Hell and (s)atan and his minions, the wicked article-commentators included, would be in Heaven. BUUUTTTTTT ….TOO BAD & SO SAD…that is not how things are or ever will be.  God’s people either are or will be in Heaven and (s)atan and his minions, article commentators included, will be dropped into Hell and await their summons to Judgment and the Lake of Fire.

Let us be thankful and let us acknowledge our thanks to God for His Holy Ghost inhabited servants that have shown us and others the way to Christ.  Let us that have breathe ever be about praising and giving worship to our God.

Godspeed.