“…[B]y the grace of God I am what I am…”  (1 Corinthians 15:10)

“I am made all things to all men, that i might by all means save some.”  (1 Corinthians 23)

“…if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”  (Galations1:10)

“I am what I am and that’s all that I am… Popeye “The Sailor Man”

 

We’ve all seen it and we’ve all probably done it.  We see (2) two persons arguing and the phone rings and one of the arguers answers the phone with a completely changed tone of voice. This person has changes their voices in a split second.  Similarly, (2) two persons can be arguing on a Sunday morning, argue in the car on their way to church or sit in angry silence, but when these (2) two enter the church, they are holding hands and smiling!!!.  Like I said we’ve seen it or we’ve done it.

Presenting a united front or answering the phone with a happy voice is not wrong to do. It does, however show how quickly we can put on a mask. I’m not saying that there aren’t times to wear a mask.  (2) two arguing parents should not let their children see them argue and fight or to show the children that there is a rift in their relationship.  If parents can control their emotions and tempers and discuss a disagreement then, it may be appropriate to let their children see how a healthy relationship works and how to work differing thoughts, opinions, ideas, approaches, methods, etc out.  As Christ is our Example, we are examples to our children.

I will, at this point, thank God and my wife for (21) years of marriage, and (19) years of parenting.  My wife and I have had many trials and tribulations: illness, financial difficulties for a time due to the chronic illness, difficulties with controlling my pain management (Pain pills are as close to demonic possession as one can come without being actually demonically possessed). However, with all of the hardships and hits our marriage took, we were always one flesh, one love, and having the same outlook and approaches to raising our children and insulating our marriage from fiery darts. I have said for years that I know that have God’s favour. Scripture tells us when a man finds a good wife, he has God’s favour. I found…I was given a good wife.

Having said all of the above, let us now discuss the H(O)llow-ness of mask wearing and man pleasing.  It is hard and sometimes dangerous to wear masks and to be a man pleaser and to keep up a false front.  If a non-flying animal decided to put on the mask of a flying animal, that mask wearing animal would fall to the ground after it jumps off the precipice.

“It is what it it is,” is a very helpful deterent from trying to change what cannot or should not be changed. Likewise, a person is who s/he is. A person is not what we want them to be or wish them to be, they are not what they pretend to be. In other words, You are who you are or you is who you is. To wear a mask goes against who and what God wired you to be. It is tantamount to asking God why he has made you this way with a spirit of dissatisfaction.

There are times and there are places when and where mask wearing is appropriate. Our Lord disguised Himself at times. The difference between appropriate mask wearing and h(O)llow mask wearing is, the purpose, intent, and motivating factor behind the mask. If we wear a mask for the purpose of pleasing others, we are h(O)llow inside. On the otherhand, if we wear a mask with good intent and motivated by a a good purpose, we are acting appropriatley.  The danger comes when we trick ourselves into believing we are that person.

There is a common phobia of clowns. We know many persons that dislike clowns and we think you do, too. Why is it, that we are uncomfortable with clowns?  Methinks it is intrinsic, it is innate to be suspicious of those that are pretending to be someone they are not.  One who wears a mask cannot be easily trusted.

Why is it bad to be a man or person pleaser?    Why is it that we cannot please both, God and Man?  We cannot please both because fallen man and are diametrically opposed to each other. God is Holy, man is unholy and corrupt. Sin pleases man; Holiness pleases God. The unregenerate man is sin; God is Holiness. Therefore, to please man is to do what is wrong; to please God is to do what is right. I’m not saying that it is wrong to be good to others and to please others, what I’m talking about is pathology (Pathology = A person’s way, ie. the deviant path they are compelled to walk). Pathological man-pleasers are not confident, they do not see themselves as being complete inside, they find their worth in pleasing others.  A pleaser does not know who or what they are suppose to be. The pleaser, being  stuck in this vacuum of self identity, they take on traits of others they see as being complete. Another way a pleaser can be dangerous is when the pleasing changes into control and the pleaser decides they are owed something back.

Hats are different from masks:
We all wear different hats, I’m a Christ-ian, I’m a son, I’m a husband, i’m a father, I’m a brother, i’m an uncle, i’m a nephew, i’m a preacher, i’m a pastor, i’m a friend, I’m an enemy, i’m an ally, i’m a customer, etc.  We are many hats to many different relationships.  When we wear the right hat at the right time all is good, but if we wear the wrong hat at the worng time all is not good. If I wear a fathers hat when I’m with my wife I am being condescending. If I am wearing a son’s hat with my wife, she becomes more of a mother than a wife.  If we wear a pastor’s hat in another pastor’s church, we are stepping on toes and crossing lines that shouldn’t be crossed.

To Summarize:
Mask wearing can be appropriate at times.
Pathological mask wearing is not good and can be dangerous.
The right hat should be worn at the right time and in the right relationship.
One cannot please man and God; if one chooses to please man, one chooses to displease God. If one is to please God one will certainly displease man.
We are who we are and not who we might pretend to be or who others want us to be.
Others are who they are and not who they pretend to be or who we want them to be.

To be who we are Glorifies our Maker and allows us the liberty to be.

 

 

“…[T]here is none that doeth good, no not one.”  (Romans 3)

“And [Christ] said unto [the rich young ruler],  Why callest thou [M]e good? there is none good but one, that is God…”  (Matthew 19)

 

As you might deduce from our (1st) first title, my wife and I never went the Santa Claus route. And before anyone takes offense, let us explain.  We did not celebrate Santa Claus in our home, Santa Claus was a fictional character that we could enjoy if we desired, but we never presented him as a non-fictional person. Neither did we or do we judge others that do. Christ-ians have liberty to do as they please and what they do is between them and God. Lost persons will do what lost persons will do, we have no place in telling them how to celebrate Christmas, nor do we care to.

We can have pesonal convictions without forcing them upon others or judgeing others that do not share our personal conviction.  An example: I do not wear clothing that depicts characters. My personal conviction is that I am owned by Christ and I “advertise” only for Him…if I were to wear a super-hero shirt or a sports shirt I would be in breach of contract, so to speak, for It was Christ that purchased me and my servitude. Again, this is a personal conviction, others can and may wear what they want…that’s the beauty of Christ-ian liberty and personal convictions. I don’t concern myself with other’s choice of clothing, that’s their business. That mindset speaks to grace, as well. We are not to push our likes or dislikes on anyone…We all have  liberty in Christ.

Any way….. I got off subject. My reason for the Santa Claus title really was to use the words, “Be good for goodness sake” and to working through the question or possibility of being good outside of Christ-ianity. Can a person be good without being saved?  Is there such a thing as an atheist that is a good person?

I understand that this can be a weighty subject but I think we can work our way through it.

From our quoted Scriptures above the Bible is pretty clear….there is none that doeth good, no not one. Christ stated pretty plainly that there is none good but God. He was in no way suggesting that we was not God Incarnate or that He was not Goodness, Himself. The Master was simply dealing with the young man at the young man’s level of understanding. The young man approached Christ and called Him, ” good master” or good teacher. The point is this, if all that the young man saw in Christ was a human teacher then He could not be good as humans are fallen and completely mastered by sin…inside and out. The Bible is clear, there is none; there is no person that is good in himself, in hus nature, in his pathology, or even in the good that he may do. There is no such thing as a person being good intrinsically. THe Word of God is clear…….but.

But what about all the charities and all the “random acts of kindness” that persons do? I will give an example that I think will explain my point: I saw a show on t.v. In this show a person was going out of their way to help another person. The other person kept trying to get the former to leave her alone, but the former was determined to help. Finally the latter asked, ” Why do you even care?”  the former replied, “Because it makes me feel good.” That may sound ok and acceptable. But let us ask the question, was the helpful person being good? Did his action make him a good person?

Does an action that benefits another equate to the act-or being a good person? I posit in the negative. Intent and motive is EVERYTHING. If I perform a good deed because it makes me feel good, I am not performing that deed out of goodness or for the sake of goodness itself, but because I benefit. That’s not goodness, that’s self-centered-ness and self gratification. The deed may be helpful and it may be good but the one performing it is not necessarily good.  At the core, persons do good deeds out of obligation, fear, guilt, expectation, tradition and because it makes them feel good about themselves. Doing a good deed for these reasons does not make a good person.

Humanly speaking , however, we do say things like, “he’s such a good guy,”  or  “He’s a good man.”  When we make statements like that we are speaking about human or societal standards and relative goodness. Compared to Hitler, most persons are good, if we compare ourselves to this week’s media villain, we’re pretty good. But these are not the standards that matter or that mean anything at all, if we are looking at the eternal big picture.

Scripture, in addition to the (2) two quoted texts above, also says, “[W]ithout faith it is impossible to please God.” After reading that we must ask ourselves, what pleases God?  Scripture tells us all that pleases God, for our purposes, I will point out (3) three, 1. Christ pleases God.  2. Holiness pleases God.  3.  Righteousness pleases God.  These (3) three please God in addition to faith pleasing God. Therefore…..

Therefore, there are two (2) standards that determine goodness.  With humans, if one is better than the next guy he is good.  This however has no eternal value and this standard of measurement has, does and will lead persons to Hell. The other Standard that has eternal value is Christ. In Christ one has faith, in Christ one is made holy, in Christ one is seen by God as righteous.

To summarize, we must stand with Scripture and state that one cannot be good (for goodness’ sake) outside of Christ and the only way to be good is to be in Christ and to use God’s Standard of Goodness.

“[T]hy [W]ord is truth…”  (John 17)

 

There have been many reason given for why persons read books.  Some say it is an escape from the real world.  It was said in a biographical movie about C.S. Lewis, “The Shadowlands,” starring Anthony Hopkins, that “We read to know we are not alone.” Some read to learn and grow in knowledge. Some read to self-help.

The Bible is all of the above. When one reads the Bible one can escape the world and when the Bible reads them, they literally can escape the cluthes of the world. The Bible is full of inspiring biographies and when we read the Bible we know we are not alone. The Bible teaches and provides knowledge to those who read it’s pages and those that read it’s pages will grow in many ways and in many directions.

The Bible, we are told can make one wise unto salvation. The Bible can comfort those who mourn. The Bible can infuse great confidence, and can teach us to think properly, critically, and logically. In by gone years it was the Bible that taught young persons to read. The Bible is the guide for life and is the new parent’s guide to raising children. The Bible is the Book that teaches a business man his ethics. The Bible discloses all that can be known concerning God and His many Holy attributes, and God’s Ways, Works, Thoughts, and Words. The Bible answers the questions, “Why are we here,”  and “Where did we come from.” The Bible is the Answer Book.

Why is the Bible so important?  the Bible is so important because it describes and defines what man is without God. The Bible also states what man is when he is in the will of God. The Bible proves that God is. How you may ask? This is not original with me, The Bible proves God is because bad men would not condemn themselves with such writings and good men would not lie by speaking for a God that is not. Another reason the Bible is so important is that it proves the Lordship and Sonship of Christ. Again, this is not original with me, but is original with C.S. Lewis, it is called the Trilemma and it goes like this…Either Christ is a lunatic, a liar, or the Lord of Heaven and Earth. This is Lewis’ answer to those that use the old and tired cliche, “Christ was a good man and a good teacher, but not the Son of God.”  Lewis would answer with the fact that Christ could not be a good teacher because He claimed deity, therefore He must be a lunatic. Lewis would continue with the fact that Christ could not be a good Man if He were a liar because He claimed deity and liars are not good. The only other option is Christ was and is the Lord of Heaven and Earth.

The Bible is important because it declares that God is and that Christ is Lord of Heaven and Earth. The Bible further states that man is fallen and is depraved by nature. Man, therefore, in that state of depravity cannot enter Heaven at the time of his death, instead he will be cast outside the merciful Presence of God and will forever inhabit Hell.

The Bible is so important because it has good news. The Bible states that God loved so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to live a perfect and sinless life, to become sin incarnate and die upon the Cross in the stead of persons who will believe, and then to defeat death by rising from the dead. The Bible is important because it declares the Gospel, which means good news and the good news is this, if a sinner will come to Christ in a spirit of repentance and humble submission and will acknowledge Christ’s death was for him and because of him, he can be saved from the penalty of sin, from the power of sin, from the pleasuring in the pleasures of sin, and some sweet day, the very presence of sin.
After writing the above good news let me say this, there are no step by step instructions to salvation. There is no check list to being saved. If one comes to God, one need not have all of the above in mind. When God draws a person to Himself and saves him, all of the above takes care of itself. One need not state, “I receive you as my Lord and Saviour, I come to you in the spirit of repentance and humble submission and i acknowledge your death was for me.” The truth is, when one comes to God seeking His salvation, by their very coming to God they are acknowledging all of the above.

The Bible is important because it is the only way to find God and God’s salvation, God’s promises, God’s peace and hope in God. The Bible is the only Book that can tell man who and what he is and what his future holds, whether it be good or bad. The Bible is the only Book that will tell you what you can expect from God and what God expects from you.

Why does the Bible have so many enemies?
See above.

“And David…lay with her…and she returned unto her house.”  (2 Samuel 11)

“And [Moses] looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian [that beat Moses’ fellow Hebrew], and hid him in the sand.”

 

When I was a kid, I heard one of my friends say, “A!?.”  His mother jumped up and asked, “What did you say?” My friend’s response?, “it’s in the Bible, Momma.”  My friend found out that “sparing the rod spoils the child” is in the Bible, too.

Sinful actions by persons in Scripture do not give license to commit similar sin. Though David and Moses both found God to be forgiving, they both suffered greatly for their sin. Forgiveness does not = escape from the penalty of one’s actions. Let us remember the repentant thief on the cross. Though he found forgiveness, he still paid a great penalty for his crime…death on a cross, a bad reputation or name to his contemporaries, and the pain he caused his family and friends.

It is a Bible fact, that through a broken and contrite heart, David found forgiveness.  However, David was told by God, through the prophet, Nathan, “…[T]he sword shall never depart from thine house……Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house.

The sword and God-raised evil from within David’s house took the form of *Bathsheba’s baby’s suffering and death, *an incestuous rape of David’s daughter by her brother Amnon, *by the murder of Amnon by Absolom, *the death of Absolom after he betrayed David, his father.  *Another son of David, Adonijah, instead of mourning over the nearing death of his father, David, announced himself king-elect and had a party.

While the sin of David does not give anyone a license to sin and to presume upon God’s mercy, grace and forgiving Nature, David’s sin can comfort those that have, shall we say, sinned greatly? But to be sound in our doctrine, sin is sin; all sin offends God, there are no little sins or big sins from God’s point of view. It is written in James, if we break one law we have broken them all. However, though sin is sin, some sins will cost the sinner more than others in life. For example, murder will cost one more than lying to a friend or a boss, but neither the liar or the murderer will enter Heaven at their death. In life, there may be a variable in sin’s costs, but once a sinner dies, sin will cost him an eternity in Hell.

None should ever presume upon God’s grace and forgiveness prior to premeditated sin. “I’ll ask for forgiveness later” will not do. Your premeditated sin will not be forgiven…let me restate that, your premeditated sin will not be forgiven. If you sin, willfully, while presuming upon God’s forgiveness afterwards, your real problem goes far deeper than the sin you are about to perpetrate. The sin you are about to commit is not the issue, your arrogance, premeditation and your presumption is the issue. God will not forgive your sin until the real problem is dealt with.

Using the words  “will not forgive”  may cause some confusion. Some may be thinking, “Wait a minute, haven’t I been forgiven by God?” Let us clarify. If you are a Christ-ian, you have been justified and that equates to forgiveness. Justified is a legal term. To be justified equates to being found innocent by God, the Judge. This justification was and is made possible by Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, alone.
Once one has been justified, one enters into the sanctified family of God. God, therefore, is no longer your Judge; God is now and forever will be your Father.

Having clarified that, when we say, “God will not forgive…” we are stating that there is a problem between you and your Heavenly Father and until you set things right, you must not expect His Fatherly forgiveness. An analogy: A spoiled child of a wealthy father acts up without fear. This brat does so because father’s money will protect the spoiled child. However, this time the father does not come to the rescue. Why not?  The spoiled child is abusing the father’s wealth of love and grace. Therefore, until the spoiled child comes to respect the father, until the spoiled child learns to be thankful and grateful for the father, there shall be no help or forgiveness from the father.

To commit a premeditated sin and to expect or to presume forgiveness from God for that premeditated sin is to Abuse God’s grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness. Before one will receive their Heavenly Father’s forgiveness for the premeditated sin and presumptuous expectation of forgiveness, one must repent of their abuse of the divine.

 

Godspeed

“Beside those things (bodily suffering) that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.”  (2 Corinthians 11)

 

Two of the many things that can harm the heart of the Christ-ian is a fellow believer falling into sin and falling into sin themselves. The passage above from 2 Corinthians 11 speaks to the fact that the care of the church caused Paul more stress and concern that all the bodily stress and pain he suffered over the years of his service to God and to God’s people. That is a rather strong statement, please read Paul’s list of bodily sufferings he endured in 11:23-27.  I dare say that only a minister of Christ can begin to understand that which Paul tells us and very few ministers at that as most ministers I know have not suffered bodily, yet they do suffer concern for Christ’s church.. in other words, I know what it is to be concerned with the state of the Church but not the bodily suffering of Paul.

Paul further tells us in his (2nd) second letter to Timothy that he was betrayed by almost all his associates save Timothy, Luke and Christ, Himself. Paul knew the pain of another believer’s betraying of him, the church, and of Christ.  How many of us have been badly hurt to see someone we love fall away from us and Christ?

John tells his readers in his (1st) first epistle that many have, “gone out from us because they were not of us.”  What heart break this caused the one who remained faithful and suffered much over a lifetime for Christ and the church.  All the Apostles understood this as they all suffered martydom, save John.

What is the cause of this pain? 1. They feel a sense of betrayal.  2. They have the heart and mind of Christ so they know the pain He feels when “believers” turn on Him.  3. The Soul of Christ has no pleasure in them that draw away from Him.  4. There shall be great heartbreak at the white Throne of God’s judgement.

Sometimes, however, some of those that turn from God and return to the world find their way back to Him and they find compassion and forgiveness from Him. How many of us have experienced this divine compassion and forgiveness? From the Book of Acts, we learn of John Mark, the nephew of Barnabus and a fellow servant with Paul. John Mark traveled with Barnabus and Paul but at some point he departed, as he returned home. We are never told the reason for his return home. But praise be to God and God’s irresistable grace and beauty, we now know John Mark as Mark, the human author of, “The Gospel According to St. Mark.”
Reader, I am enjoying goosebumps at this moment. St. Mark, like so many of us, has felt the weight of our Heavenly Father as He fell upon our necks as we prodigals returned from the muddiness of the world?!
Paul, later,  in his epistle of (2nd) Second Timothy 4, told Timothy to bring John Mark with him as Mark would be beneficial to him and the ministry. This tells us we should accept others back to the fold if God has.

Paul also directs the Corinthian church to institute church discipline upon those that live in open sin. But, Paul also instructs the church to receive the sinner back into the church if/when he repents and returns to Christ and the life of faith.
Lest we are to fall away, let us remember our weaknesses and the possibility of our own fall if we stray away. Let us always take heed to our frailties and look to God for His much needed and necessary grace and strength.

The other thing that causes heartbreak in the believer is his/her own falling away from Christ.  We must clarify what we mean by falling away. But (1st) first let us state what it is not. Every Christ-ian has or will grow cold but this coldness does not last long. There are times when one fails to read God’s Word and spend time with Him in prayer, in communion, in practicing a continuous God-consciousness. This is not falling away.  To fall away is the choosing of the lordship of the world and one’s love for the world over the Lordship and one’s love for God. This falling away lasts for a longer period of time than one’s growing cold for a shorter period. This falling away is harder to hide than coldness, as coldness is between you and God whereas falling way will be notices by all and not God Alone.

When one grows cold, they will still attend church most of the time and remain in contact with fellow believers and they will sorrow over their coldness and will envy those with a close walk with Christ. The one that falls away will eventually abandon the church and fellow believers and they will grow angry with those that remain faithful. The one that is cold will make excuse if they miss a service or (2) two, yet the one that falls away will cease to make excuses and will not fear offending those that seek to encorage their return to Christ, the church and spiritual fellowship. The one that falls away will grow in anger toward God and will take pleasure in offending His holiness. The one that grows cold will know they are in the wrong and will even apologize to God for that coldness yet not find a way to return from whence they have [grown cold] for whatever reason.
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Reader,
You may wonder how I have insight to these conditions. The simple truth is, “Been there, done that, as they say. I have experienced the falling a way thrice or (3) three times. I am aware that by making these confessions I might lose credibility by being this open. This might even be a stumbling block for some that read me or sit under my preaching/teaching and those that humble me by seeking my counsel. I never want to be a stumbling block, lose my credibility or turn others away from my Biblical counsel. However, I must take that “chance” as I believe far more could be helped by my confessions than those that might turn from my ministries. I believe I know my readers and knowing them, i doubt any will turn from me. I will also state to any that would turn from me…you are in the wrong and your reasons for turning from me will be your true stumbling blocks.

Now, onto my confessions, my observations, and lessons learned:
1. After I was saved as a child, I was not taken to church regularly and I eventually grew cold and fell away.
2. After being saved as a teenager (i’ll explain being “saved” twice as no one is ever saved twice), and once again evading God and the church because God took something from me and would not return it when requested by my prayers and promises. I took to sinning greatly by doing all I could think of that might…that would offend God and hurt Him.

1. I attended a VBS at (9) nine years of age. My neighbor, Pam Schei, who was born (7) seven days after me, invited me and i went.  I heard the invitation at the end of the VBS and I suppose it sounded like a good idea so I went forth, got on my knees and repeated the sinner’s prayer. Was I saved at this point? Honestly I know not. What I do know is that I had a real attraction to the Bible and I would present a false Gospel through out my youth all the way through High School when the subject of religion or God came up. I have always had a very strong and somewhat continual God-consciuosness as far back as I can remember. I never follwed up my childhood “salvation(?)” with church attendence. Later in my teenage years I went “a bit” wrong or rather really wrong.
   I dated a girl when I was (16-17-ish). She was in somekind of a rut. She was a self-cutter and was put in the hospital’s psyche unit more than once. This caused me such pain that to relieve my pain and maybe in attempt to empathize, I began cutting myself, too. At one point I had over (50) fifty cuts at once. I had even put a gun to my head and pulled the trigger and……goosebumps…..the gun failed to go off.  Is there any wonder why Christ is the great love of my life?
   Eventually I was sent to be with my Dad and Grandpa in Mississippi, My Dad was watching out for my G-Pa along with my Aunt Romelle and my cousins. I began attending church as it seemed like church attendence was state law in Mississippi. It certainly was the law according to my G-Pa. Thank God for saved elders.
   During a “revival” service I fell under the conviction of God. It was over-powering and overwhelming to say the least. Those who say, “God is a Gentleman and will never force Himself upon anyone,” are wrong. The Love and drawing I felt at that moment was irresistable and still is!
   To address the “twice saved” problem. *Was I saved at (9) years of age at VBS and was brought under divine conviction in my teen years? *Was I not saved at (9) nine but was saved as a teen? or *Was I saved at (nine) and due to my failure to attend church, I thereby failed to grow in the knowledge of Christ, and in His Grace? or *Was I regenerated at (9) nine and converted as a teen?” I like to think the first, third, and possibly the fourth.
2. The (2nd) second time I fell away was after returning home from Mississippi. I again failed to find a church to attend, my excuse being, “I can’t find the right church.”  This time I did not fall away very far…I was still conscious of God; the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak.
   God’s answer to this was a deeply cut thumb by (36″) thirty-six inch industrial lawn mower blade. I drove myself from Bolingbrook to Hinsdale with a small amount of cotton absorbing the blood.  I entered the ER and they took me right away and as they did I passed out from blood loss….traveling mercy is not a cliche, Christ-ian.
   After coming to, my nurse asked my religious affiliation and i answered, “Southern Baptist” (at the time). Nurse Mary then said, “Oh, I go to a Southern Baptist Church too.” I suggested my doubt that it was my idea of a S.B. Church. Nurse Mary challenged me and suggested that my injury was a Word from God.
   I answered her challenge.
   Through a deeply cut thumb I began attending church again, my mother, and Big Mama (G-Ma on my Mother’s side) began to attend, too. Later, a girlfriend began to attend and professed faith in Christ and was baptized to her Jewish father’s discontent.
   3. But eventually I, again, turned on God because He “took” something from me and refused to give it back. My reaction to God was an all out assault on that which pleases God. I left the church again and began to drink heavily. I would spend my paychecks on alcohol and “gentlemen’s clubs.” I then ran my credit card way up and hurt everyone who loved me. During this time I literally broke every commandment save murder and stealing.
   I can remember one night, during this spiritual tantrum, so clearly.  I had just broken up a couple’s engagement (I was coveting my neighbors soon to be wife), I tried to get at the groom-not-to be but was held back by (11) eleven others and was once again barred from this pub. After all of this I parked behind a gas station and began to vomit outside of my truck…I was like the dog that returns to it’s vomit. At that moment…His Words seemed audible, “What are you doing?” He asked and I confessed, “O’God, I don’t know.” He then told me to do what I do know and that was to walk with Him in the spirit of continous confession, repentance, humility and love.
   Two (2) of the lessons I learned from that night: 1. The worst thing God can do to a person when they fall away is to be O’ So good to them. His goodness and love will be that which breaks them and causes their return and that goodness and love will be the driving force in their eternal loyalty to Him.  2. One can sin in faith.  I never lost my faith or belief in God, my anger and tantrum proved my faith in God.
   During my time of betrayal, I still proclaimed the greatness of God and His Gospel. Even though I was living in sin I would proclaim the greatness of God to those also living in sin without Him. Even during my time with a married, atheist woman I would seek to bring her to Him. When I was dating a witch, yes, a witch…crystal ball, black cat, black buckled shoes, spell books and all the other tripe I would warn her of God’s wrath. Praise be to God, I even learned of a worker in the “gentlemen’s” club leaving her life of sin and of her coming to Christ. Her coming to Christ caused a lot of discussion among the working women and their male clients. Was it right to proclaim God while in such a rebellious state? I know not, but I do know that I could not not proclaim God.

   To summarize in bullet point:
   * God can use anyone to bring about His purpose, even a prodigal.
   * One can sin in faith. My acting out did not disprove my faith but cemented it.
   * God’s love is unconditional, though my love grew cold at times, His never did.
   * The worst God has ever hurt me was by His faithfulness, goodness, and by His love to me during my times of betrayal, my betrayal of that very faithfulness, goodness, and love.
   * Never count anyone out or lose hope for anyone.
   * Through all that I have done and been, I have learned the silliest way to react to anything is by turning on or from God.
   * We will fail Him but by His great grace, we will not, ever again, fall from Him.
   * God’s love can be found in our failures.”
   * We are saints and sinners simultaneously.
   * God remembers that we are made from dust.
   *Finally, We can grow cold, we can fail and we can faulter; God will not.

   Whether I have walked with God from (9) nine years of age or from my late teens, I know God has always walked with me, watched over me, and has loved me with an everlasting, unexplainable, unmeasurable and unconditional love. Something else I know is my life belongs to Him and His life belongs to me. I am His and He is mine. Though I may…though I will fail Him, my love and devotion for Him and to Him will not grow cold and has not grown cold for over (2 +) two plus decades. We now live in a place of God’s Perpetual Presence. His pleasure is our purpose even when we fail. He defines our very person and our very existence.

   To the Godhead be the Glory.

   Godspeed.

 

 

“Where sin did abound the grace of God does much more abound.”  (Romans 5-8)

 

Sometimes a sinner will make a comment and not really mean it or even believe it.  I think this is one of those times and one of those statements.  Still it is said enough times but enough pesons that it is worth our discussing it. I think when most persons say such a thing they believe the humour in it will change the subject. Believers, let us not be redirected by such a comment but instead let’s use it to teach a main doctrine of our faith, namely “Where sin did abound, grace does much more abound.”

The (4) four most important words in this passage of Scripture are, “did” and “did much more.”  With these words we learn and teach that at one point in the lost man’s history sin, it’s penalty, it’s power, and it’s pleasure did abound in his life. This word, “did,” states that the sinner was a servant of sin and that his free will was not free at all but was totally sub-serviant to the abounding lordship of sin. The next (3) three words, “does much more…” proclaims the great doctrine that God’s grace “does much more…”  The word, “does,” declares that the power of God’s abounding grace is currently and presently greater than the power of sin was when it “did” abound it the past.  The following (2) two words, “much more,” demonstrates that the current age of God’s grace abounds, “much more” than the past age of sin’s lordship over lost man.

Having made the last statement however, does not mean that every person lives in the state of God’s much more abounding grace. It states that God’s abounding grace that is much more powerful is open to all that will enter in to it through repentantance and belief. There are yet many, many sinners that are still under abounding sin. These persons are still under sin and it’s power, penalty, and pleasure. Sin is still their master and they still operate under sin’s lordship.

To say that a church would cave in if one entered it is very foolish and is offensive to God and the doctrine we are discussing. No church has, will, or can fall down if a great sinner were to enter.  We are told in Hebrews 1 that Christ upholds all things, iE. all things in the universe and that includes the church.  Christ, Himself teaches us that the very gates of hell shall not prevail against the church. Further more, paul states in his letter to the Corinthian church that many teachers and preachers are actually (s)atan’s ministers transformed in to angel’s of light.  In other words many church ministers are in league with the devil, whether they know it or not!!!

Other truths from Scripture that diminish yet destroys this ridiculous comment and excuse are, The Book of Acts tells us that Christ died to establish and to keep the Church as an agent of righteousness. For one to then suggest that it would fall down due to one’s sin is to belittle the death,resurrection and power of the living Christ…what blasphemy!!!  Another argument against foolishness is the fact that God is sovereign and nothing, no nothing can stop or stay His Hand and Reign over all things, including the church. To state such a Scriptural doctrine of God’s Might, Sovereignty, and Strength is to go against God Himself!!!

Therefore, to state such foolishness and blasphemy is to go up againt Scripture, sound doctrine, and the Triune God, Himself.

To the sinner yet under the penalty, power, and pleasure of the sin that abounds over you, Today is the day, now is the time…Repent of all you sin, renounce it today and believe in God and the power of His Abounding grace or remain under sins curse and perich in your sins. Your humour may change the subject with some Christ-ians but it will not disuade the anger, fury, and wrath of the Christ-ian God when the age of abounding grace soon comes to it’s end. Soon your opportunity to live in and under abounding grace will come to a close. Soon any hope will end. Your time of finding God will end, as your end and eternal destruction will come nigh. Your everlasting torment in hell and outside the mercy of God will begin without an end.

Christ-ian,
Let us never forget to be thanful and we enjoy God’s grace that does much more abound than did abounding sine once did.

Sinner,
You have only (2) two options, 1. the Lordship of Christ and His abounding and saving grace or 2. the lordship of sin and eternal torment.  I beseech thee as does sound Biblical truth and doctrine….”Choose you this day whom you will serve…”

Godspeed and once again, please overlook any spelling and/or grammatical errors.

“But woe unto you, scribes, and Pharisees, hypocrites!…”  (Matthew 23)

 

How many times have I heard the old, tired cliche? Everyone that has uttered that seems to think they are the first to say such a thing. This certainly is not the only rehashed cliche,  “That’s not how/what I was taught,” or  “If I went to church it would fall down,”  or  “I know all that stuff, already,”  or  “Jesus and I have an understanding,”  or  “Maybe someday,”  or  “Sunday is my only time to rest, ”  or  “I went to church when I was a kid and,”  or, or, or, or…..

All if not most preachers and church goers have heard all or most of these cliches and boring excuses before and time and time again.  It is the Christ-ian past time to listen to such things. We could comment and put to rest all of these but we will (DV) look at the favorite one about the hypocrites in the church. We will test that theory today, (DV).

“I don’t go to church because it is full of hypocrites.” Before we look at this excuse, let us look at one of the favorite answers given by many believers and church goers,  “You are right and if you came it would have one more.” While that may sound true and guttsie, it is false. The reason it is wrong is because it is simply untrue.

Are there hypocrites in the church?…sure, is the church full of hypocrites?…certainly not! What is a hypocrite? The hypocrite means actor or one that wears a mask. Again there are actors and mask wearers in the church, but she is not full of them.  It is more accurate to believe there are far more hypocrites outside the church than inside.

One is sure to find an innumerable actors, mask wearers, hypocrites in the world than in the church.  Places like Hollywood, politics, and anywhere else one looks.  If one would watch the news anyday of the week in recent weeks, it is over run with reports on the rampent hypocrisy in Hollywood and liberal and progressive politics in the Democratic party. These institutions are quick to attack when they see blood in the Republican party, yet when the blood is in their own waters they remain silent. This silence is a manifestation of their hypocrisy.  However, in the Republican party, when one of their own falls, they are more likely to do what’s right and renounce their own. This maybe to defend their party but it is not hypocrisy.  Be sure, Reader, I am fully aware that there is hypocrisy in both parties.

Back to our original question RE: hypocrisy in the church. What makes one a hypocrite?  Doing the same thing one tells others not to do and doing it with the full knowledge of one’s hypocrisy. For example, if a pastor preaches against pain killers and those that use them, yet is an unrepentant addict himself, is he being hypocritical? The pastor is indeed a mask wearer.  However, if he preaches from a place of sympathy and even empathy and is repentant before God, he is not.  Your present writer has had his own bouts with the pain killers never once preached from a place of strength, superiority, and judgement against those that are in the battle of their lives.

I faced that battle and lost to that battle for years. The only way victory was won was full dependence upon the grace and full support and understanding of my very Good God while I lay in my bed laying in puddles of sweat and suffering through withdrawl for alomst (2) weeks. I threw up for most of the time and wishing and even praying for death.  To this very day I have nothing but encouragement for those that are still in the cluthes of that enemy. But I have zero sympathy for the hypocrisy of those that are or have been abusers and preach against ohers in that same conditions, especiaaly against those that are ever confessing to God for their weakness and brokenness.

Therefore the Christ-ian that repents for their sin and seeks to encourage others in their own battle is most assuredly not hypocritical.  Those in hollywood are certainly hypocritical as are the politicians that defend their own while accusing the other party for the same crimes or accusing the other party when they no them to be innocent. A person or group that remains silent when they know their own party, group, or ilk is wearing masks are just as hypocritical.

To those persons that continue to use this cliche, please come up wwith something more original or truthful like…..”Thank you for your invitation to your Church but I’d rather not attend.”  This will be more original, more thruthful, and more worthy of respect.  To the Christ-ians that answer this excuse with, “You’re right…” please stop agreeing with them and looking for common ground. There is no common ground to be found in this area.

Godspeed.

P.S.
Please overlook any mis-spelling or grammatical errors. Your writer is/was enduring another panceatic assault at the time of this writing and I really needed to get back to bed, as was stated above, I do not use pain pills anymore. Brethen pray for us.

“The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican, I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all I possess.”  (Luke 18)

 

Or in other words, but in the same vein and spirit, “[g]od (little g b/c he’s “praying thus with himself”), I thank thee that I use not the NIV or the ESV, or the RSV, or any other version…. And [g]od I thank thee that I’m not Catholic or Seventh Day Adventist, or Methodist, or the wrong flavoured Baptist. [g]od, I thank thee that I go not to the movies, or wear the wrong kind of apparel. [g]od, I thank thee that I went to the right Bible school, where I learned not to be worldly, and I learned to be better than others boys with long hair (and/or girls in pants). [g]od, I thank thee that I attend all and every service possible and I thank thee that I work and work and work and work to earn your favour…..I thank thee [g]od, that I am not like those who live freely in liberty. which is really sin, like movies and motor cycles, and other fun things that I’m told and taught are wrong.”

I think you have gotten my point by now. The Pharisee is not extinct or gone from the world… no, not at all. The Pharisee is very much in the world and by that I mean he is very much in the world and of the world. The Pharisee thinks he earns and deserves God’s Grin with all that he does that other so called Christ-ians aren’t doing. He/she wears the right clothing, has the right hair length, and she has the right skirt length, and they listen to the proper Christ-ian music. You see their pharisaical standards are very much worldy.

The Pharisaical spirit or mind set is all about outside and visible duties and standards and that is the very definition of worldiness. All is appropriate, everything is tucked in and at the proper length, the right Bible is clutched as a sign of rightness….not righteousness, but rightness. The Pharisaical spirit looks down the spiritual nose at others, they misheard our Lord, they thought He said, ” He that hath a nose (instead of an ear), looketh down it at others.”

I know I sound harsh and that is because I am being harsh. I had a pharisaical mindset once. I think most new converts do at the beginning. The new convert is learning what is right and wrong, true and false, good and bad, they have a new world view and they have not yet learned to balance it with humility and meekness. The new convert, naturally thinks every one should be saved and he recognizes the sinfulness of sin in other’s lives and he is on top of it….everyone one must stop sinning and be saved…don’t they understand?

The above paragraph pretty much defines the new born believer in his infancy and that is natural, we have all been there, but then as God’ grows us and the Spirit’s fruit begins the ripen we begin to balance out….we are not okay with sin….we still want everyone to stop sinning and be saved but we have grown in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord and we learn to remember the sinner mindset (b/c we had one), we have learned that the Christ-ian need not be “on fire” all the time but we must be set as a light at an even and steady burn.

The pharisaical spirit does not understand this because he is yet carnal, after (15) fifteen years he’s still obnoxious and  so “on fire” for God that other’s cannot stand to be around him for all the smoke. The Pharisee is one who is worldly and all he does is in the flesh…it is all carnal… it is to be seen, recognized, and acknowledged. Readers, I understand this mindset.

I understand this mindset. I have been inprisoned therein. I was the guy that wanted his wife to wear skirts just to make everyone else happy or rather so I wouldn’t have to deal with the looks and judgement…after all, in this mindset, people think she should be submitting all over the place and if she’s not in a dress or a skirt, I’m not “leading” my household and if I’m not leading my household, how can I be a preacher and lead a church. I’ve been there, I’m tell’in you. I also wanted my kids to sit perfectly still and silent like a little angel statue….I was young and stupid and I was of the pharisaical mindset….As Paul would say, I did it in ignorance.

Good grief, I was even told that my shaved head, go-tee and a Korean wife, in pants, is not the way to get a pastorate in a certain type of pharisaical church. Readers, this is worldliness magnified, manifested, and on display!!!, but the Pharisee can’t see it, he/she is blinded to it.

Some may call this a hit piece on a certain brand or camp or circle of so-called[c]hrisianity (lower case on purpose) and I suppose it is. It is a hit piece because that spirit or mindset must be hit, IE. pointed out. Our Lord sure pointed out that pride-filled spirit and mindset often and on every occasion He encountered it and was engaged by it. He used Words like hypocrite, vipers, whited sepulchres full of dead men’s bones, and cups clean on the outside but dirty on the inside to describe the persons possessing this spirit.. He knows the heart of every person and it is clear that He has a special distaste for the pharisaical spirit  or (non)spiritual pride and as we grow in Christ-likeness we must also develop a distaste for the pharisaical spirit and we must point it out when it looketh down  it’s nose at others.

“…[L]et everyman be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath…”  (James 1)

 

IN America the Constitution gives every citizen the right to free speech. That right was first granted us by God. In the Gospels we find the politicians and religious leaders seeking to quiet Christ and in the Book of Acts we see the same ilk trying to quiet the Apostles. In Paul’s epistles we read that he is imprisoned for his faith, yet the Word of God is not bound. The Word of God cannot be bound, for when the Word and those that speak the Word are persecuted it only caused it to grow and spread. One could liken the the persecuted Word of God to the Word of God that was and still is Flesh. The power of the Word is seen when it is challenged or threatened just as the Power of God was released in the death and subsequent resurrection of our Lord Jesus.

A question that one should ask one’s self is, does free speech equal speaking freely? Of course it does, but does that then mean that one should always express every thought that crosses one’s mind or should one think that one’s expression means more than another’s expression? The answer to both questions requires only one answer…No.

While everyone has a right to express their thoughts, their ignorance, and folly not everyone should do so all the time. The Scriptures teach us that we should be slow to speak. In the Proverbs we are told that the fool speaks all his mind and even a fool will be thought wise if he keeps quiet. The Proverbs also tells us that it is a fool who answers a matter before he hears it. Therefore, when one hears another speaking all their thoughts, “I’m just say’in,” or “I’m can’t help myself, I just speak my mind,” or “I’m gonna call it like I see it,” one may be in the company of a fool.

It has been said, opinions are like noses, everyone has one. But does that imply that one should share those opinions without discretion? If you are familiar with the life of C.S. Lewis, you may remember he had a tutor named W.T. Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick lived in a place called Great Bookham. It is in this place that Lewis was tutored and became the man he was to become, save Christ’s apprehension of Lewis. On his way to Great Bookham, while watching the passing scenery as the train sped by, he thought to himself that Great Bookham would have a wilderness and heavily forested geography. When Lewis arrived at his destination we was met by Kirkpatrick. Lewis making “small talk,” stated that Bookham was less wild than he had thought it to be. “STOP,” said Kirkpatrick. The Great Knock, as Kirkpatrick was called, asked Lewis upon what basis he made his presupossition.

The point this tutor was making was the foolishness of having an uninformed opinion of anything. In our country, today,  persons are speaking and writing whatever crosses their biased minds without any foundation of fact. It seems as though if I can imagine X, X must or might possibly be true. We can recall President Trump’s first days in office as President, some hack…err, journalist wrote about Trump removing a statue or bust of Martin Luther King as soon as he entered the People’s House. This was fabricated. Someone imagined that he could do it so they said he did. This is an act of pride and bias. It is God Who can make that which wasn’t into that which is… a hack and biased “journalist” cannot. It seems that journalists and commentators are actually believing their own press and are accepting the praise of their readers and sycophants. Persons with an outlet, like politicians, commenators and journalists are shark-like. When these sharks see blood in the water, or in other words, when they determine which way the wind or the polls are going, they jump in and try to make a name for themselves at other’s expense.

Today’s atmosphere is charged with divisevness, contempt, biasness, and an abuse of free speech. Today I heard a congress woman actually say that she would, “Take [Trump] out tonight.” This fool is inciting hatred and her ilk is pressing her on…it is mob mentality. This congress woman should be taken into custody, she blatantly said she would, “Take [Trump] out tonight.” And then we have Madonna admitting to thoughts of blowing up the White House. These are foolish people, they are betraying their own foolishness, ignorance, and folly; we must not forget the celebrated persons who vowed to move to Canada if Trump won….None has done so. They are all alike, there is nothing behind their words. Obama drew his red line and then did nothing when the red line was crossed…all talk with no support or back up.

That is the M.O. of the liberal fool, all talk. Peter speaks to our  time from his ordained place in time. He compared ignorant [and paid….probably Soros] protesters, who speak against dignities that they understand NOT, with animals that are bred to be destroyed or slaughtered or eaten. This is what we see on news broadcasts, people speaking their minds and their thoughts without discretion but pregnant with misinformation, prejudiced presuppositions and unethical biases.

The wise man keeps his mouth shut and observes, he “think[s] on these things” and at an appropriate time or in due time he speaks his God-filled and God-counseled mind. He will speak with composure, knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and prudence. We learn from Christ’s Example at His illegal trials, Silence can say everything.

To summarize: Think thoughts through…… and then speak from a well thought place of Christ-likeness.

Godspeed.

 

“Judge not…”  (Christ’s Sermon From The Mount)

 

Another action that demonstrates one’s spiritual immaturity is the judgementall spirit and enjoyment in judgeing another. The subject of judging can be a confusing but it need not be. To clear up this subject we will put it this way. The Christ-ian is to judge all things but not to be judgmental.

In other words the Christ-ian is to judge all things such as right/wrong, good/bad, true/false. However he is not to do so with a judgemental spirit. He is to judge all things on the merit of that which is being judged. If something is bad it is bad based on the Word of God and not upon the person performing the act.

As to the often misinterprted, “judge not lest thou be judged…” This passge being one of the most often misinterperted and misapplied passages need not be.  The truth simply means, the one judging will be judged according to the standard of judging hhe has set. In other word, If you state that a person should have his/her hand chopped of if he steals, then you have subjected yourself to the same manner of judgement if you steal.

If you take pleasure in the judgement of another your heart is in the wrong place you are spiritually immature. If you find yourself on the wrong side of the truths as laid out up above, you are spritually childish.

If we are to judge all things according to 2 Corinthians 2, how are we to go about that?
First, we are to judge our selves before we judge another. Before we set out to judge another individual, let ss judge ourself and and determine where we went wrong and confess this to God before we ever judge another. Once we have examined ourself and made confession, let us determine to me merciful when judging another before we detremine anothet to be guilty. Once all of that has been accomplished, let us bring up our brother’s sin before him in love while a;ways remember our weaknesses.

Let us remember that the whole purpose of going to the brethen with his sin is to help him get things right before him and God. If all is rectified between God and the brother praise God for His mercy to the brother and yourself and God. You have won your brother back to God and love has covered a multitude of sin!!!
If your brother takes offense and refuses to come to God, then he must be approached again but this time you must bring another along. If the brother agains to repent then he must bee brought to God and the entire Church body. If this also fails, he must be sent from the body of Christ until he repents. This is never easy but these stepd must be followed in order to keep order in the Church.

But again, no enjoyment must be had in this process.

And again, if you find pleasure during any part of this process, you are spiritually immature and this immaturity should be dealt with before you take part in any part of what we have just written.

Another trait that determines spiritual immaturity is pleasure in legalism.  I have spoken to many different “stripes of professing believers and I must confess that one of the most trying to my patience is the legalistic believers.  The legalist will always find away to turn a conversation to legals no matter how spiritual the discussion may be.  One can be discusssing prayer and the legalist will change it into women in pants or listening to the type of music being played while one is praying. The legalist will change a discussion into something that will point to himself and he will have a self satisfying smile as he does so. The legalistic believing is on of the last persons I find myself seeking to dialogue with.

My point being, the legalist is one of the most sriritually immature believer there is, for he is the type that will always turn the discussion to himself and he will do so while judging another…ugh.

Godspeed.