“…[F]or if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”  (Galatians 1)

“Readers, this article will seek to answers many unanswered, but easily answerable questions. The passage tells us why politicians and celebrities are so off track and always on the wrong side of issues?” Celebrities and politicians are often wrong because they are overwhelmed with the need to be man pleasers. Their problem….they are always pleasing the wrong people and I doubt that even they believe the insane and illogical statements that they pronounce and proclaim before cameras.  I think it is a “catch 22.”

This is the “catch 22,” The politicians / the celebrated / idolized persons speak their unrighteous lies because their fan base believes the them. The fan base believes them because they know nothing else. Therefore the fan base accepts what they are told with out any qualification or thinking for themselves.  They are told to believe what they are told and they fan base,therefore believes what they are told time and time again and the celebrated person keeps speaking non-sense because they think this is what the base wants and believes. If the celebrated persons would stop the speaking non-sense, the sycophantic base would not know what to think or what to believe. It really is a vicious and damaging circle.

With all that said, here are the things I understand one should never do: 1. Congratulate a heavy set woman on her pregnancy because she may not be pregnant.  2. Ask a woman her age. 3. Pull on Batman’s cape. I….err rather, he doesn’t like that.

We are going to break the (2nd) second rule but not in a way you might think.  In this article and maybe a few subsequent article we will ask your age…not as in when were you born but rather how old are you, spiritually. Some persons can say they were born again many, many years ago but not have aged spiritually…they may still be a spiritual infant of toddler. While others may have been saved only a few years, yet they have matured, spiritually, to an older spiritual age. So we will seek to investigate (DV) our spiritual age through is article.

Allow me to be clear and explain whay I said above so that there is no confusion. There are example in Scripture that will clarify. Bezaleel from Exodus is an example. God “downloaded” knowledge into Bezaleel in an instant what it took others years to learn through experience and many years of on the job. Paul is another example, God gave Paul a great amount of knowledge and understanding that the (11) eleven other disciples spent (3) three years learning. Another example is the imputed righteousness of Christ. Christ lived a righteous on this earth for (33) thirty-three years and we that are saved spent years racking up our sins, yet in a period of hours on Calvary and only moments on our knees did God transfer our sins upon Him and His righteousness to you and Me and all that have been and will be saved.

Therefore, spiritual age has nothing to do with our physical age or the years we have been saved. Our spiritual age is determined by our time spent with Christ. Let me carify with another example. We have seen elderly saints that are still spiritual toddlers and we have seen young persons that are spiritually ancient. Age is determined by one’s growth (or aging) in the grace and the knowledge of Christ. We have met elderly saints that are years younger, spiritually, than ourselves. There are elder saints that are still wasting their time on do’s and don’ts than on growing in their knowledge of God and His grace.

Okay, Methinks we have claified our points and remarks. Let us move on to determining our spiritual age and ways to spiritually mature in Christ. We trust that saints will not be offended by what is written and read. We are simply going to speak on Biblical principle and truths.

Since you brought up the sublect of being offended, let’s discuss that subject… or as Eddie Murphy would put it as he mimicks Buckwheat on SNL, ” OOO’tay.
Reader,
1. If you are a Christ-ian and you are easily offended or look for ways to be offended you are not a mature believer. Yep! You are being called down to the ring. If you are the type that is easily offended and even goes so far as to look for offenses, you are a spiritual infant. If your spiritual self or your spiritual senses goes off easily or bothered by little or even big things, you are not spiritually mature. The spiritually mature experience a peace that passes all understanding. The spiritual mature rests in the knowledge that God knows. This is one way one turns the other cheek. The mature Christ-ian soars like eagles and the immature believer runs through the mud like a chicken with it’s head cut off.

2. If you are slow to to forgive, you are spiritually young. But, before we expand on this topic let’s explain and clarify what forgiveness is and how it works. Forgiveness can not and must not take place or occur unless there is a confession of wrong doing and an acceptance of that confession, period. One cannot and must not forgive another if the offender is not remorseful or is not seeking to explain or is not seeking forgiveness. To forgive one who has not or is not sorry is immoral and unrighteous, and even ungodly for even God does not forgive lest forgiveness is sought and God is the Epitomy and Definition of moral, righteous and Godly. HOWEVER, Though you cannot, must not FORMALLY forgive an offender without their desire and request, you cannot and must not hold bitterness in your heart.
When a person that is “godlier, more moral, and more righteous” than God says, “Oh, I have already forgiven you,” if or even, when an offender seeks forgiveness, is wrong and has condoned the offense. What is really going on or what is being said is the offended party holds no bitterness inside, which is proper, but formal forgiveness has not taken place; forgiveness is a formal and humbling act of contrition and mercy, humbling on the part of the former and mercy on the part of the latter. Now let us speak to the immaturity of the unforgiver.
If you are one who does not forgive others when they seek it and would, in stead, retain the feelings of bitterness, or power or control, you art spiritually immature. Though that is bad there is a worse problem at the root of things. If you are not a ready, willing, and waiting forgiver, you have never truly understood the forgiveness of God that is found only in Christ, In fact, you, the offended, should be so ready, willing, waiting, and wanting to forgive the offender you will go to the offender and bring said offense to said offender’s attention in a loving manner. Reader, if you are not a forgiver you may not even be spiritually immature, you may have never been born again and are still under the penalty of sin. Forgiveness is one hallmark of the forgiven.

3. Prayerlessness is a sign of and a reason for spiritual immaturity. Spiritual maturity is the sign or evidence that one has spent and does spend much time with Christ through prayer, Christ conscienceness, and time in the Word of God. Christ-likeness can come only through time spent with Christ. The Proverbs tell us, he who would be wise must walk with the wise and one who will be a fool walks with other fools. Therefore, one who will be Christ-like or wills to be Christ-like must walk with Christ.

4. If you are one who delights in gossip, back biting and lives in the spirit of a judgemental attitude, you are spiritually immature. The thruth in that sentence speaks for itself, let’s move on…

5. If you delight in another’s fall, you are spiritually immature. Proverbs tells us, one should never pleasure in God’s judgement of another because God may very well turn from His wrath of the guilty and turn to you for you are guiltier that the guilty due to your pride-filled pleasure. I’ll be more clear by way of an Old Testament example. In the Old Testament there was a legal licensing for one who is called, a avenger of blood. In other words, if a man killed an innocent, a family member, a relative could be designated to hunt the killer down and take that killers life. HOWEVER, if that designated avenger of blood took a personal pleasure in the killing of the murderer then God’s justice was not served but man’s wrath and vengeance was. God therefore said, if the avenger of blood takes personal pleasure in the slaying of the murderer of an image bearer of God, He shall be called a murderer and shall be hunted. There must be no pleasure in justice except in the fact that justice has been served and civility has been retained. Justice is a concept of balance, if one takes a life, the taker of life has forfeited his or her own God-given right to life. The termination of the killer’s life is meant to bring balance back to God’s moral and ethical universe.

We’ll stop there.
God willing, we will continue with signs of spiritual immaturity and ways one can gain spiritual maturity, like how to spend all you time in prayer or to be God conscience at all time or what to pray for or about when you run out of things to pray for or about…good stuff and important stuff.
Godspeed.

 

 

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me….”  (John 6)

“…[I]f thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God Raised [H]im from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”  (Romans 10)

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on [H]im, If ye continue in my [W]ord, then are ye [M]y disciples indeed…”  (John 8)

“If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Ananth-e- ma Maranatha.”

“And being made perfect, [H]e became the [A]uthor of eternal salvation unto them that obey [H]im…”  (Hebrews 5)

“Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”  (James 2)

 

Sometimes a preacher knows that what he is about to say will get him in trouble. He knows that some persons will be upset with what he says or writes. This is one of those times.

 

Anyone with any knowledge of Biblical prophecy knows we are living in the last days of the last days. All of Christ’s prophecies and other Old Testament prophecies are all converging as they never have before. We are told in Scripture that the next scheduled prophecy is the falling away and revealing of the anti-christ. I’ve got my pick on anti-christ but we will be discussing more of the falling away in this article.

People will be offended who think they’re right because that’s how they were taught. This type of “believer” has been told what to believe but not why. In the above passages we highlighted parts of the passages to draw your attention to them. We will now define the Christ-ian.
1. The Father gave certain persons to Christ and Christ lived the perfect and righteous life for those certain persons. He died in the stead of those certain persons, and rose again for those certain persons in particular.  Those certain persons, in their lives were called by God…drawn by God to and by the truth and revelation of the Gospel. Those certain person were then justified because of Christ’s death in their stead or in their place…He paid the price and penalty for the sin and sins of those certain persons only, those persons who have and will believe. Now those certain persons are Christ-ians and are living a sanctified life unto the Lord, The Lord and Saviour Who purchased them. What I just said is a Christian is one whom the Father elected to be saved. God passed over others leaving them to die in their sins and chose to save certain other persons, Hand picked by Him. It is what it is, readers. So now we know that the believing persons were chosen by God…that is who a Christ-ian is…hand picked by God. The mark, therefore, is a mark of passion, humility, continuous thanks, praise, worship and love for Christ.

2.  The Christ-ian Submits his life as a living sacrifice. The Christ-ian submits himself to the Lordship of Christ. As the passage from Romans 10 states, if a person confesses the Lord Jesus they will be saved. This confession is the confession that you have submitted to the Lordship of Christ.
The term Lordship causes a problem for some but it should not. Anyone, for whom Christ lived, died, and rose again and were called, justified, and sanctified come to him in repentance and they gladly live a life that is pleasing unto Him…that is Lordship. The person that is drawn to God takes the Lord’s yoke and gladly lives in service to God…we seek to please Him and shy away from the things that will displease Him….that is submission to Christ’s Lordship. It’s not a formal declaration, “Christ, I receive you as My Lord and Saviour…I will submit to all thy pleasure. etc.” Though that last sentence is true, one does not have to have all of it in mind…in other words, submission to the Lordship of Christ is built into your Salvation, if your salvation is real and is of God. The mark of the Christ-ian is the gladness to follow the Lord in the spirit of submission. After all, if Christ submitted to all of the Father’s good pleasures and purposes, should we not do the same unto our Lord and Saviour? Were we saved to continue living the old lifestyle of sin and rebellion to holiness?

3. Our (3rd) passage has the words, “if ye continue” highlighted. Christ teaches us and the world that a true disciple of His, a Christ-ian, will continue in His word, works and commands. “If ye continue,” the word continue implies a continuing or a continuation from a point or a place. Our Lord is simply saying that the Christ-ian will continue from one point or from one command to another. Once a person has come to the understanding and meaning of the Cross and comes to the Lord and is saved, the very next step of obedience or evidence of your belief and submission to Christ is baptism.
I have observed that baptism serves many purposes. Baptism demonstrates one’s salvation and humble obedience to the Lord, it is an outward showing of God’s inward grace, and in it’s absence, it betrays a person’s false confession in Christ. We and many pastors have seen it many, many times. A person makes a profession of faith and as soon as you mention baptism, they are gone. A person that makes a profession of Christ but refuses to be baptized demonstrates a false confession and a commitment to follow Christ in obedience. The mark of the Christian is-they follow up their confession of Christ with their baptism and continuing will to please God.

4. Our fourth passage from above has the word love emboldened. Love is a mark of a Christ-ian. One’s passionate and all consuming love for Christ is a hallmark of one’s faith. If a person shows no love for Christ, he is none of His. One may object and say, “You can’t see or tell how I feel about Christ.” That objection is ridiculous. Love can be seen and recognized. If a man loves his wife and or children, that love is manifested by his life laid down for them. All that he does is for the betterment of his family. His love can be seen.
The same is true of one’s love for Christ. Peter said, we “love Him (Christ), whom we have not seen.” People will see and recognize that we do love Him by seeing our love for the One Whom we have not seen. The Bible tells us that grace, faith, and love can be seen. How do we love our Lord and how would others see that love?
Our love for Christ is manifested through our words, our works, and our ways…This is the same way persons recognized Jesus Christ as the Messiah, by His words, works, and ways. Others will see our love for Christ by the way we love others, IE. others will see our love for Christ by treating them and engaging them as Christ would. Our love for Christ is seen by our continuous loyalty and determined dedication to the Word of God, to the people of God, to the ways and the words and works of God. The mark of a Christ-ian is determined dedication to Christ, to The Church of Christ, to the Words, works, and ways of Christ.

5. The next passage, from above, has the word obey highlighted. To obey really is the mark that defines one as a Christ-ian. One who does not seek to obey the words or follow the ways of Christ is no Christ-ian. For Christ-likeness is the point of our predestinated end. God loves His Son So much that He wants us to be just like Him. As you read above, “he that continues in my word is [M]y disciple, indeed.” In other words, if you are not concerned with obeying Christ, you are none of His, for the Christ-ian lives to please Christ. But let me be very clear on one point, none of us pleases Him all the time. We are saints and sinners at the same time. The Christ-ian sins…a lot, but less and less as he grows in grace and the knowledge of Christ. In our own person, we are sinners extrodinaire, but in Christ we are saints alive . The mark of a Christ-ian is obedience and sorrowful confession when we falter before our loving Father…He remembers that we are made from dust.

6. In the last passage above the word works is highlighted. As we have been saying a mark of the believer is the work he does for Christ and others. Let us be clear, works do not earn us salvation with God….they do not. Works, however are a mark of our faith and dedication to Christ. Our works are not wrought to be seen by men, but by God. Work has many definitions and unfortunately works in the church has become the standard of the faithful Christ-ian, “If I’m not seen doing good works, then it’s a waste of time.” Good works is a smile and acknowledgement that you care for another person, Good works is doing the right thing when no one is looking, Good works is loving others as we love ourselves and how we love Christ, good works is esteeming others above ourselves, good works is the spirit of longsuffering others, good works is looking out for others and taking an interest in them and their circumstances, good works is doing what Christ would do in any situation.

To wrap this article up, we will summarize the hallmarks of the Christ-ian: The Christ-ian is one who is chosen by God to be saved and become Christ-like, the Christ-ian is one who confesses Christ as Lord, the Christ-ian is one who continues, perseveres, endures, and keeps on keeping on in the faith of Christ, the mark of the Christ-ian is a passionate love and loyalty to Christ, the Lord and Saviour of our lives, souls, and our eternity. The mark of the Christ-ian is a passionate and loving obedience to Christ. The mark of the Christ-ian is following Christ in His works, in His good works and in His good ways….The determining and indelable mark of the Christ-ian is Christ-likeness period.

Godspeed.

“Go ye into all the world, and preach the [G]ospel to every creature.”

 

I have a high regard for Christ-ian missionaries. I see them as being on the front line of activity. There is almost a romantic aire about the mission field. I enjoy hearing all that happens in those far a way places. It sounds and seem very adventurous. And then…

I have heard from many missionaries over the years. I have seen some missionaries mistreated by the brethren. They can say, “I have been in peril by the brethren,” along with Paul. I have seen missionary do a very questionable thing with support money and i was angered and am still unhappy about the situation. A church I had been a member at took up a collection for a missionary’s wife’s surgery. The missionary was so thankful. Later, we learned he used that money for the mission field. He may think it spiritual, I think it wrong and loveless. But he is one example of a bad missionary to the many more good examples.

One other thing that causes me anger and sadness at the same time is a “missionary” who  is more of a shake-down-artist than a man of God. I have sat in seething disgust, anger, and sadness, as I listened to a man of…something equates a financial gift or offering with a person’s faith. (Little faith = Little Offering; Big Faith = Big Offering). This “missionary” is no better than any of the televangelists calling for “faith-filled giving.” This “missionary” had so much anger in his presentation. It seemed as though he was trying to bully the money out of the church. Normally the questionable “missionary” uses guilt, “Don’t you care, people? Don’t you care about these poor children that have no…?”

As high of an opinion as I have of good missionaries, I have an equally low opinion of “missionaries or better yet, mercenaries.” I would even call into question the church and the minister that supports such tactics. It reminds me of a hireling allowing the wolves to slaughter the sheep. I know these are harsh words. And I know some may read them, disagree, and even suggest that we would not say this to the “missionary’s face or the supporting church’s pastor. Some may charge me with hiding behind a keyboard. If this sounds like you, know me you do not. They are being hidden behind my keyboard. This is not tough talk either. Read Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians.

What, then, should a missionary present to the church? or How should a missionary behave in his presentation? The answer is so simple, I am shocked that so many have missed it. If a missionary wants my support, set before me the facts. Tell me a little about the place you are going (Dv), what your hopes are, what you intend to preach, and what you intend (Dv) to do. And then……tell me a whole lot about Christ. Tell me about your love for Christ and Christ’s love for you. Don’t use guilt tactics as that is equal to the enticing words Paul refused to use. In other words, tell me about yourself, God’s call upon your life, the people you seek to reach, the how and why of it all, and then tell me about Christ.

To use anger, bullying tactics, or guilt is all flesh, it’s all carnal, it’s all man-centric, and nothing to do with the moving of the Holy Spirit. The use of these tactics manifests one’s lack of trust in God and the will of God. If God is not ordering this “missionary’s” steps, then this “missionary” is not a good man for the task at hand.

This type of “missionary” seems to come from a legalistic school of thought. I have attended a “Pastors’ Week” at a certain college years ago. We didn’t attend the entire week. We attended the last day. We sat in this auditorium for (2) two hours as a man was praised, idolized and dare I say, worshipped? At the end of this show, there was an invitational. The invitation went like this, “If you want to have a life like this…if you want to be a man like this then get up….come up here and give your life to God.”   If you think that was bad, wait…. “You do not need to be called…..if you aren’t called, then volunteer your life to God.”  By volunteering this mouth piece meant, guit your job and go into full time service to God, whether God wants you too or not.

To be fair, I know persons that have come from this school of thinking and they are fine men of God, Some pastors, some not. I also know men in the November-December of their lives that still buy into all of it. I was told of a man that said, “If there isn’t any work in heaven, then I don’t want to go.” This is the legalistic mindset. It’s ironic that the legalistic believer in something hates the catholics so much….it’s because they are from the same mold.

I love the faithful missionary…I loathe the man-centric mercenary.

As to the question of who is “the better” missionary, the Calvinist or the Arminian.  Christ-ian history has already answer this. Research the history of missions and you will find it is the Calvinists that saw the great reapings. You see, the Arminian goes to the mission field wanting and wishing to see persons saved. Whereas, the Calvinist missionary knows God has many persons reserved unto Himself. The Calvinist missionary also knows God has sent him to find His elect, just as God sent His Son seeking him.

 

 

 

“And the evil spirit answered and said,  Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?”                                                                                                                                                   (Acts 19)

 

Reader,
Do you believe in demons? I am not asking if you believe the Bible speaks of them but do you believe they are active in the present day?  We will make a bold statement at this point. If you do not believe in the current day acttivities of the demonic you do not believe that Christ saves in out current day. To say you believe that demons were active at some point in the past you must also think that Christ was active at some point in the past.

Demons activity is spoken of in Scripture as if they are here and now. Paul writes and teaches that (s)atan’s angels of darkness are transformed into God’s ministers of light. Paul also warns us of doctrines of devils. The book of Revelation has plently to say on demons as do the book of Acts, the epistles, and the Gospels.

I believe that some of the crime we see today, especially the crime that is hard to explain has demons behind it, especially the crime that has no M.O.  When a loving son kills his loving mother with an axe, cuts her heart out with said axe, sits atop her lifeless and heartless corpse, playing with that heart until the police arrive it speaks of demonic activity. What the police find adds to my conclusion: the son is in a fit of hysterical laughter. All of this is out of no where and there is no apparent mo, it sounds of demonic inspiration or possession.
This past “motiveless” slaughter in Vegas also could be an act of demonic possession, especially when the murderer has no “religious affiliation.”

We have experienced demonic activity and even attacks in the past. We have shared this with only a few until now, as the truth can kill ones credibility. It is interesting to see who has accepted my word as true and who hasn’t. There have been Christ-ian preachers that will not accept my word as truth and there have been some that have humoured me, but it was obvious they believed not. Then there have been others that have believed without hesitation. None of these have upset me or affirmed me as I know what I know.

I will relate to you a few of these events. (2) two of which had eyewitnesses. (1) one, I had spend hours searching for a object. I had torn the room apart or to be more accurate, I cleaned my room and put everything away. The room was spotless. This object was no where to be found…I was frustrated to say the least and I was outraged to say the most. I finally gave up the search. The next day, after services were held, I entered the bedroom and found this object in the very center of the bedroom floor.  (2) two, I was alseep on the bed. Debbie had fallen asleep in the living room. Out of nowhere I awoke to the sense of my ankle being grabbed and then my body was thrown to the floor. I did not simply fall out of bed as I would be laying next to the bed. I was thrown nearly (6) six feet and landing close to my dresser. I had a large bruise on my right thigh as a sovenir. My twins heard it all. (3) three, I could not find my wallet. It was no where. My wife and I searched everywhere. I again was angered. We decided to take a break and cool down. I went back to the bedroom to seek grace and to confess all that I was thinking and feeling. Lo and behold, the wallet was at the foot of the bed. My wife and I both had looked under the bed a number of times.

There have been, of course, the hundreds of time an object had been moved from one spot to another. I share these with you knowing that there will be a number of different responses. (1) one, Some of you will think I am absent minded or you will come up with some other rational explanation. (2) two, Some of you will write me off as having “finally lost it.”  (3). Some will humour me with a nod and a smile and maybe a, “Wow!” (4) four, Some will accept it as true as you accept it as a real spiritual and Biblical phenomona. (5) five, Some of you will think, Finally someone is acknowledging my experiences as true and Biblical. (6) six, Some of you will not know what to think. (7) seven, Some will put me in the class with the other whackos.

To numbers (1) one – (7) seven, Your conclusions are all perfectly understandable and they are all valid (except (2) two and (7) seven). Your conclusions a related to your own experiences. There are experiences that are Biblical but hard to accept, even by Bible believers. The Baptism of the Spirit or what is also called the filling of the Spirit, is difficult for some to accept as they have never experienced it and their denomination frowns upon such things or they fear being thought too Charismatic. But those that have experienced it have no problem believing others when others say they have experienced it. Those who are familiar with Jonathan Edwards, Moody, Martyn LLoyd Jones, Wesley and a few others know that these men speak of the phenomona as being personal and experiential. Therefore being familiar with these men and their soberness and gravity accept the experience as factual and Biblical. Wesley, by the way, had many experiences with the demonic.

I do not and am not putting myself in a class with the men above. I am merely using them to make a point. My point is this, those persons that read this and know me well know me to be “grounded,” sober, grave, seriously minded, and not one to draw attention to myself. I have nothing to gain by writing this but instead, much to lose. On the other hand, there may be some that gain much from this.

Why do demons do these things? Demons have an agenda, a network, and an hierarchy (See Billy Graham”s book on Angels). Their purpose, in the case I am writing about, is to *weaken the mental faculties, *cause persons to distance themselves from the demon’s subject, or in one word, isolate him or her, *discredit the subject and his or her teachings, *cause him or her to be a laughing stock, *to oppress the subject, *to cause the subject to doubt God, and *ultimately to dishonour God when the subject falls in view of the public.

How does one stop this activity? Stopping this entity depends upon how much strength it has gained over it’s subject. If you believe you are the subject of such an entity and it is new, simply recognize it for what it is and it should lose all power and control over you. If you are a believer, you may simply say, “In the great Name of YOUR LORD and Master, Christ Jesus (for Christ is their Master), You must leave this place right now and never return. In the Great and Mighty Name of Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, you are commanded to depart, thou unclean spirit.” This must be said in faith, nothing doubting. You need not trust any power of your own because all the power will be of God and there is no doubting of God’s power in the believer. This is not your battle, this is a battle between the Sovereign Holy Spirit that resides in you and the filthy demon. This is true of possessions, the battle is between the Spirit of God and the puny demon inside of the person possessed. The exorcist and the possessed are merely the battlefield and the two factions at war are God and a demon, God’s lap dog.

If the entity is dug in and has much control over a person or a home, one should seek help from a man of God. DO NOT seek out mediums, psychics, or reality T.V. stars. DO NOT seek out a Catholic priest. DO NOT seek out an exorcist that is exclusively an exorcist as in that’s all he does. One who is being oppressed or possessed must seek out a man of God, who loves God and is loved by God, one who believes the Word of God and preaches the Word of God, one who is known by the demonic realm as in our text above.
All Christ-ians are exorcists, all Christ-ians have power over the demonic realm if their faith is at a level that they know God can use them as a vessel for exorcism. The Christ-ian that says, ” I can’t do that” cannot be used as a vessel of exorcism. The Christ-ian that states, ” With God all things are possible,” can be used.

The Catholic exorcist is all show. The priest has no power over the demon as he puts his faith in man written words called, the “Rites of Exorcism.” The only reason a demon would seemingly submit to the power of the priest is to keep persons and peoples enshrined in the ritualism of Catholocism or the demon simply grows bored of the blah, blah, blah, of the priest. The Catholic church holds no power over the demonic as they are empowered by the demonic. One might call it a Catholic-demonic conspiracy.

The mediums and psychics, the real ones are not gifted but are toys and play things of demons. The medium is simply the puppet and a demon is master puppeteer. A person who is being attacked, oppressed, or is the focus of a demon will not find help, real and pure help from these puppets. The majority of mediums are no more than talented in the art of reading persons on sight. Sherlock Holmes would have made a good “gifted psychic,” no doubt. One can find books on how to do this at Amazon. On the other hand, there are the real articles. The real article is however, as I said before, a puppet being used, voluntarily, and at some point involuntarily, by a demon.

How to find a man of God: Simply approach a preacher, pastor, missionary, evangelist….a minister of God, and ask them if they believe in demonic oppression and possession. Read his reaction more than listening to his words. The Holy Spirit that lives in your instincts will guide you as to who you should trust.

The man of God should ask many vetting questions. He will want to know, if this is a case of possession, if the subject has seen a doctor or psychiatrist, as some mental diseases can present as demon possessions.

As we draw ever closer and closer to our Lord’s return, we should expect to see demonic activity increase. To those who believe that demons are real but doubt their activity, ask yourself, “What are they doing?” If they are not attacking God’s people then what are they doing here? Some are oppressing unhappy families, some are possessing occultists, some may even be possessing animals, (Mark 5). Some may be possessing politicians (Not, I say not a sleight against President Trump), some may be possessing men and causing them to commit unspeakable acts against others.

The greatest defense against any demonic activity is a happy family and a saved, Holy Spirit indwelt soul. However, preachers of God, you may have a happy family and a saved soul, but in our case we are target #1. Before Anti-christ is revealed, Paul says there will be a great falling away of professing Christ-ians. Might this falling away begin with men of God falling from grace? I’ve seen it before, a preacher falls and many of the congregants leave the church altogether, even some that were members from the very beginning.

Take heed to the Words of our Lord, “Watch and pray.”

 

“Jesus said unto him,Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment and the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and all the prophets.”  (Matthew 22)

“Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.”  (Romans 14)

“A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”  (James 1)

 

I have learned in my many years of Bible study and walking with Christ, that when the Scripture say, ” Jesus said,”  I should  “Take heed,”  “I should behold.”  That is not to say that others words in Scripture are less valid or less important. “All words are pure words,”  “All [S]cripture is given by the inspiration of God.” I am simply stating that when the Captain of my Salvation speaks, I listen and take not.

In the (1st) passage above, “Jesus said unto him, thou shalt love the Lord thy God …with  all thy mind. The (2nd) second passage states one must be “fully persuaded,” and the (3rd) third passage warns us against being double minded and being careful with other double minded persons.

The passages above are all driving at one point. The point that Scripture is making is this, To do something properly and successfully one must be “all in.”  “With all thy mind,”  “Fully persuaded,” and no double mindedness. This truth is applicable to everything in life. If there were a “key to success” this would be it. This speaks to the moment that you move from thinking or wishing to knowing.

This is true of our salvation. Paul says it this way, “…I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that [H]e is able to keep that which I have committed unto [H]im…” Paul with all his confidence tells Timothy that there is no doubt in his mind that Christ is able to keep and preserve his soul against the day of his home-going. Paul had no doubt that he had a soul and that his soul is everlasting and ever-living and he has trusted Christ with the possession of so much value. He is all in. He knows that Christ died at Calvary for his personal sin and sins. He Knows, as a matter of fact, as his faith is the evidence as well as God’s honouring of that very precious faith, which is iworth so much.

The Lord ponders the value of the soul in Scripture. He makes the startling observation that an individual’s soul is worth more to the individual than the entire world and all that it offers. He tells us that a person may have the entire world at his feet, but what does all of that really matter if when he dies he loses it all just to spend eternity, outside of God’s mercy and kindness, in hell? Not only does our Lord teach this to us but He shows us by way of His example.

When our Master was in the wilderness, He, too, was offered the entire world and all it’s kingdoms and all that goes along with it. Yet our Master, our Example, did not take the offer, for “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and [H]im only shalt thou serve, ” said he to the tempter. Please note: His answer hearkens back to the first of God’s commands, therefore to worship God and God Alone is equal to loving Him with all thy mind, from what our Lord has said in our first passage above.

To love God with all thy mind is to worship Him rightly and to worship God rightly is to love Him with all thy mind…with everything you have inside of you….to truly love God is to love God greatly and to love Him above all else and all others.

As was written above, being fully persuaded in our minds is being all in. We stated that this is applied to our salvation. This fully persuaded mindset, however is applicable to all of life.

Whether we are taliking about loving God, being a good parent, being a good employee, defending one’s self (One must be fully persuaded if one is to defend one”s self againt an attack. One must also guard that mindset when the attack comes. If attacked one must “hit pause” get into the proper mindset of defense, living, and hurting the attacker, nothing doubting: biting, elbowing, kneeing, using your heel if on the ground, headbutting the nose or jaw, eye gouging, etc. To survive one must have the proper mindset, one must smile, and one must become the predator instead of the prey), all of it depends upon the fully persuaded mindset. I am not talking about “positive thinking,” I am speaking about being determined, I’m talking about being fully persuaded or fully convinced. However, the one ingredient that cannot, must not, be left out is the will of God.

No Christ-ian should be fully persuaded, convinced, all in, lest God is in it. Proverbs 3, “Acknowledge God in All thy ways…” The Christ-ian must never, ever, ever be fully persuaded or do anything with all the heart, with all the strength, with all the mind, lest God be acknowledged and God be in it. “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the ends, thereof, are the ways of death.” or failure.

The Christ-ian should know and be fully persuaded that God might put stumbling blocks in the way of the believer, if said believer arrogantly decides upon his own way. In the Old Testament, If Moses or David would decide upon some thing without consulting God, failure was imminent and much was lost.

Reader, Never be fully persuaded on anything, no matter how good it looks or sounds without bringing God into it. As James teaches us, don’t say I will do this or that but instead say, God willing, I will do this or that. Remember, the “I will spirit” was that which brought Lucifer “down to earth.”

 

 

” Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.”  (Genesis 4)

Years ago in a promo Jake “The Snake” Roberts, a pro-wrestler said, “This [snake] was never the dangerous one, I’ve always been the real snake you needed to fear.” This promo was in response to his very real cobra being banned from ringside. Roberts, for most of his time in the WWF would bring a large python, Damien to the ring. After he gained a victory he would open his green gunny sack, where damien was kept safe, and would then drape Damien, a (15) fifteen foot python all over the proned body of his opponent. The commentators would always speak well of Roberts and Damien. However…

However, once in a while the script calls for a wrestler to turn heel or turm into a bad guy. When this would happen to Roberts the commentators would speak ill of him AND of his practice of draping Damien upon the bodies of his victims, now they were victims and not opponents. When Roberts really went dark he began bringing a Cobra, a very large (8) eight foot or so King Cobra to ring side. In one instance he actually tied another wrestler, Randy Savage. in the ring ropes, and let the Cobra bite (chew on) Savage’s arm. Obviously the cobra had no fangs and if it did it was de-venomed.

After a while Roberts left the WWF scene and went else where with his snakes. In the mid (90’s) nineties he returned with a preacher gimmick and an albino python, named Revelation. Once again the commentators loved Roberts and loved to see Revelation draped upon Roberts opponents. O’ lest I forget somewhere in the years spoken of above Damien was “killed” (Scripted) by Earthquake, a huge man, squashing Damien. After Roberts recovered from this “loss” he returned with a much larger python, named Lucifer. Lucifer was years before Revelation.

What does the above have to do with the gun issue? Simple, the pythons and the cobra were never a danger to anyone until it was released. Everyone loved to see the snake draped upon another wrestler unless Roberts was the heel and the victim was a beloved babyface or good guy. Roberts made it clear in the promo, i began with above, the snakes were never the real danger, he was.

All that I have written concerning Jake “The Snake” and his snakes can easily be applied to the gun isuue, as Sherlock Holmes would say, “The parallels are exact! HA!” and they are exact. A gun is a non-living object with no awareness or motive to do anything until a living person makes it an extension of his mind, of his hate, of his prejudice, of his psychopathy, of his determination.

We can also apply the circumstances of Cain and Abel. Cain used a large stick or club to kill Abel. By his use of a club we could note that he had doubts about his actions as he knew he could not bring himself to strangle Abel. Also by not strangling Abel it might speak to the fact that his issue was Abel’s acceptance by God and not Abel, himself. As a club is quick and impersonal. Cain was angry at God and released his anger upon one of God’s image bearers.

The last word of the (2nd) second paragraph up is determination. Determination combined with a pathology of hatred or prejudice eguals intent to murder. When a person is determined to kill that person shall kill. That person will kill unless he is met with another person determined to live and has a defense equal to the killer’s assualt. That is to say, if the focus of rage even sees the attack coming. A cowerd  or physically weaker killer will most likely never let you know it’s coming, this is why cowerds use arson as a weapon and women use poisons. The fact is this, if a person is determined to kill another he will kill another.

If one wants to kill, one can use a knife, a pencil, a car, a book, a pillow, rat poison, anti freeze, a pipe bomb, hands and feet, knees and elbows, the inside cup of the elbow, an animal and a gun. I wrote animal. There was a case where a dog, out of nowhere, attacked and slaughtered a person said dog knew and loved. No one could figure out why this dog would snap like that. It was later discovered that the dog heard a voice mail message with a trigger word in it and the dog upon hearing the trigger word attacked and killed. The weapon, in this case, was not only the dog, but the spoken word of a determined killer. Therefore it seems to me that determination is the real weapon of mass murder and mass destruction.

A few word concerning the media and the (s)atanic supported left. Yes, I said (s)atan supported.  A few weeks ago there was an article by a “leading satanist” that they supported Hilary Clinton and the democratic party. The real satanists with an outlet and power are the media, the left, and ISIS. I shake my head in wonder at the stupidity of poiticians and, celebrities, and late night talk show parrots of ignorance. Peter spoke of these persons in the second chapter of his second epistle. Peter said they are speaking evil of dignities or dignitaries and about things they do not understand. He likened this type of person to the brute beasts that are bred for slaughter…they are simply stupid cattle chatting amongst themselves not understanding anything.

Some of the talk show hosts with brains point out that this ilk of stupidity (my words) are very hypocritical. The celebrities are hypocritical because many of them make their ridiculous amounts of money playing gun toting action heroes. The Talk show hosts also point out that these celebrated and idolized persons are protectected by gun toting security.

Our Lord might say something like this, “Ye gun protected hypocrites, ye wander about in safety because of your gun toting security, but you rail against the everyday persons that use guns to defend themselves.” He never said that, I am only making a supposal as C.S. Lewis would call it. He may also say, “Ye that have made millions of dollars from playing gun loving action heroes, Ye are speaking ill of the citizens of America that own and use guns properly and pay you to play the gun toting action heroes.”

These celebrities make their living playing fictional characters. They then have offensive award shows celebrating themselves, each other and the fictional piece they have authored. They compare themselves among themselves, St. Paul would say. He would go on to say, this type of person is not wise.
One must ask the question, do these celebrated persons know the difference between a fictional world and a non-fictional world. Do they ever stop playing the part of the pride-filled, ego maniacle, self-centered, ignorant and dumb-defining fictional persons they really are? Maybe someone should shout, “CUT, Thats a Wrap, people.”

“And Moses built an altar, And called the name of it Jehovahnissis [The LORD is my Banner].  (Exodus 17)

 

It is in the news almost everyday. Today persons are dishonouring the flag of our country and rebeling against civil authority. The news casters and persons on the street and families sitting around the dinner table are all acting the same questions, one of which is, “Why?” Church atteners are asking the same question and maybe even another question, “Did Pastor X just say what I think he said? Did he just speak evil of our president?”

With the bent of my mind we blieve we might have the answer to these guestions.
“Why are persons burning the American Flag and why do they hate civil authority?”
We will address the question regarding civil authority first. Have you every attended a pro wrestling event or whatched one on television?  If you every did or ever will, pay attention to the man in the black and white shirt. He is the third man in the ring if it is a one onn one match up. (4) four things to note. 1. You will hardly notice him though he is in all the action and in almost every camera shot. 2. He is much smaller that the competitors. 3. He has all of the authority. 4. If either competitor lays a hand on him, they will be immedietly disqualified, suspended, fined or even terminated.

1. He is hardly noticed.  This is because ne needs not get involved, lest a rule is being broken or he needs to make the all important (3) count and call the winner.
2. This referee is sometimes (1/2) half the sixe of the competitors if not smaller. Why does he need not be bigger?
3. He need not be bigger because his size does not determine his authority.
4. His authoriy is determined due to that which backs up his authority. That which backs up his authority are the rules, the ownership, board of directors, and all the fines and possible means of discipline. If a competitor shows any hostility toward the ref, everyone and everything that gives the ref his authority and power will be threatened and offened. Any attack on the ref is an attack upon all the back him and all that is above him. To attack the in ring authority is a tremedous attack upon all.

With the above being written, do you now see why the worshppers of chaos hate and attack civil authority like the police? The attack upon the police is an attack upon everything that gives the police his or her power. The attackers are sending a messgae of disrespect and hate to all authoriy and most of all upon Him that bestows this aithority and power to disciplines.

The ultimate Power of Authority is God, Himself. In the Book of Exodus God tells Moses that they do not hate him or resist his authority but it is God, Himself they resist. In Roman 13, Paul states that all authority is given by God and that all civil authority is dispensed by God. He states that there is no power or authority in place that He did not put in place. Therefore anyone that rebels or resist this authority is resisting and rebeling against Him. Those that fire upon and even murder police officers, in reality are seeking to kill God again plain and simple.

Why do the people seek to destroy the Flag that represents is country? The answer is the same as above. The flag represents God that provides and appoints civil authority. In our text above, Moses calles a place Jehovahnissi ( pronounced Jehovahniece). Jehova nissi means The LORD is my Banner.
Moses gave this place the name that he did because God had given the Israelites a great victory over the Amalekites, a great enemy of God and His people.The detail of the victory are these: Moses went to a high place and he held the Rod of God above his head with his (2) two arms. When his arms held the rod high above his head the people would have the battle in hand. When Moses arms and the Rod would lower, the Amalekite army would begin to have the advantage.
(2) two men noiced the effect Moses and the Rod was having upon the battle. These men, Aaron and Hur came to Moses sides and held his arms up high. The army of God would take the advantage and keep the advantage. The Army of God would discomfit the enemy of God. Mose would then name this field of victory, Jehovah is my Banner because when the warriors would see Moses and the Rod of God they would be strengthened.
This is true on many fields of battle. Many soldiers of the U.S. militart would confess that the Flag or Banner of these United Stae of America gave them the strength and ability to carry on.

Those that hate this country and what it stands for no this and therefore hate the flag and what it represents. Many Christ-ians would tell yo that the Banner or Flag reminds them of God’s love and blessings upon this country over it’s history. Flag burners know this too and they hate it all. When these flag burners burn our great flag, they are burning, God, God’s people, America’s history, Americ’a churches and all the good America stands for. America does not dispute the negative things in this countries history, but there is much more good to praise it for.

I understand that the flag represents these person’s rights to express there distain for this country and that is the catch 22. I am not calling for the flag burning to be made illegal because that would be burning the flad in a symbolic way because it is the flag taht gives them the right. What I am suggesting is to do what is done on FaceBook, make these flag burners famous for the flag give me that right too. Take a picture and put it on FB or local light posts and telephone posts. Believe me when I say it feels good to say these burners should wrap themselves in the flag before burning it but that gives them what they want. It is the same when a Christ-ian spits on a militant atheist, it may fell good but that is ecactly what the atheists want and like for they use it against us and their false ideas of God. Don’t spit on them but simply pray against their attemps.

We are living in 2 Peter 2. I’ll not quote the passage but I will ask you to read it for yourself. 2 Peter 2 speaks directly to what one sees on their nightly news and morning paper. It speaks about sinners speaking against dignities which they know nothing about. That speaks to these ignorant protests and those that speak evil of the president.  It is proven when reporters ask this protestes what they are protesting. Generally speaking the vast majority cannot be understood and when they can be understood they make little to no sense.

The same can be said for night times talk show parrots. I would like very much to be invited to any of these night time shows, including Bill Mawr. I confess he sounds intelgent and understands more than the Kimbles, Fallons, and pother parrots of ignorance but that would make causing him to look stupid all the much more. The thing with Mawr is I mind myself agreeing with some of what he saws, that is what makes him so dangerous. I remember seeing a documentary about religion he made. I remember  agreeing with some of what he was saying about those he had on the show. This is because he chose his guests very carefully. Mawr chose some “believers” that were very ignorant concerning the faith and were very Biblically ignorant.

Fellow Bible believers, You are doing yourself, and the kingdom of God a great dis-service if you do not take the time to understand your Bible, and the current state of this country. We must be able to give a reason for the hope we have from Scripture and our God. We must be able to give a ciherent understanding for the state of this world and this country. Learn what is going on. Learn what the enemy believes and what he is saying. If you know what the enemy believes and what he is saying and you have an understanding of the truth you can stand up to them for all they have is lies, lies and more lies.

Another question some are asking concerns the stand the churches are taking today. In Ephesians, Paul prophesies that in the last days before anti-christ is revealed that the church must first fall away from God and the true faith as taught in the Scriptures and sound Churches. Scripture also speaks of servants of (s)atan transforming themselves into angels of light or servants of God. We are and have been seeing this since the New Testament was writte and even in the Old Testament. This guise of (s)atan’s servants was dealt with by the great prophets of old like Jeremiah, and the apostles of Christ like Paul and Peter. The church of Christ and the true men of God still deal with the liars and sons of (s)atan to this very hour.

There should be no wonder when men and women speak lies from the puplit for a pulpit does not a man of God make. Many of the preachers from the black community, especially those that are being interviewed by the mainstrem media, are deceivers and sons of the wicked one. Before you call me a racist or race baiter, let me say I will not waste my time defending myself. Those who know me will attest to my love for all of God’s Creation and that is all I have to say about that. I have preached in the black churches before and have had some of the best times worshipping with them.

My first time to minister to my blackbrothers and sisters was in Iowa. My family and I were visiting family and when the Lord’s dat rolled around we chose to attend the local black church. It was not a larde church, but nothing is small when God is in. We arrived and took our seats, The pastor entered from the back of the church and began shaking hands. He made his way to my family and I. The first thing he said to me was, “I believe you, sir, are a preacher of God. He then asked if I would take my place in the pulpit and preach the morning service! I certainly did not expect this but when a man is called to preach he is called to be instant in the Word.

We ascended to the pulpit and preached the Word to a church where many of those attending were retired elderly black preachers! As I proclaimed the Word these men would stomp their feet (I admit I was starles at first) with power, they would them stand to their feet. I realized this is what was dome when they agreen with the preaching and it was to encourage the preacher. After word we were invited to have lunch with the pastor and the congregation as they were having a pot luck.

I had the time of my life. It truly was a blessing from my Lord. These people and their pastor had never laid eyes upon me but recognized me as a prophet of God and turned everything over to me. We had visited that church a number of times afterwards and would write letters of encouargement and offerings to help them and to encouarge them. On our last visit I am saddened to say a new “pastor” had taken over. Our welcome was cold and suspicious. There was no more than a handshake by a few.  The messgae was one of blacks are superior and that Hilary Clinton was the answer to all their problems. There was no more elderly pastors rising with praise. It was a “church” with a different spirit. We were not welcome to lunch with them and it was obvious that they wanted us to depart. There was even a painted picture of a black “Jesus”…”another Jesus.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.”  (Luke 2)

“[God] spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly.”  (2 Peter 2:5)

“The Lord is not slack concerning [H]is promises, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”  (2 Peter 3:9)

 

The above passages require a student of the Word or the Bible Scholar, as scholar means student, the qualify or define some terms. In the (1st) first passage we find Caesar taxing all of the world. As you read this passage you must STOP! You must stop and ask yourself, “Did Caesar tax the entire world without exception? The answer is… of course not. Caesar taxed all the world that he reigned over. Caesar taxed the world that we would be concerned with as we read and study the “Book of Luke.”

The (2nd) second passage speaks of the ungodly world. If we apply the principles from our last article, we should deduce that there is then a world of the godly. Is this the world our Lord spoke of in John 3:16? There are different uses for the word world. World can = Planet Earth, World can = World System as in, a friend of the world is the enemy of God, World can = every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation as in Revelation 5:9,
“And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for [T]hou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by [T]hy [B]lood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation…” Revelation 5:9 gives us the definition of world as it is used in John 3:16.

The (3rd) passage is one of the most Arminian abused passages. However, if one simply reads the passage one shall see the meaning. The key words for our purpose are, “longsuffering to us-ward.”  The Arminian approach to this verse is to leave the (1st) first clause out. When the Arminian reads this passage they see only, “…God is not willing that any should perish.” But the (1st) first clause is the Sentinel that guards God’s truth. Let us read it again and please allow me to ampliphy the passage. “The Lord is not slack concerning [H]is promises as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any of [us] should perish (John 3:16 language), but that all [of us] should come to repentance.”

Qualifying Biblical terms protects sound doctrine and eliminates private interpretations. I’ve heard a preacher say, “All means all, Folks,” but it certainly does not. Others have stated that world means everyone but it certainly does not. The Bible knows nothing of, “Jesus died for you.” It isn’t to be found, “Folks.”When Scripture speaks of Christ’s death He speaks of Christ dying for the ungodly and for enemies, never for “You.” At the last supper, Christ speaks of His Blood being shed for many and not all. In Luke, He speaks of the Blood being shed for you, as in those present. Scripture only speaks to the fact of Christ’s death and resurrection being for the individual ONLY AFTER the fact of regeneration and conversion, not before.

With the above being said, We never say to a person that, “Christ died for you.” Scripture tells us that that which is worthy of all acceptation is, “Christ died for sinners.” One must leave the convincing and the convicting to the Holy Spirit.

Godspeed

 

“A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”  (James 1:8)

“…God is not in all [the wicked’s] thoughts.”  (Psalm 10:4b)

 

Christ tells us in His discourse on the Holy Spirit in John 14-16 that the Spirit has many different offices or responsibilities. One of these offices is to teach and to guide us in the learning and understanding of the Scriptures. With that being said, we should gather that we are  to do more than merely read the words on the page.. We are to study the Scriptures like the Bereans did. We should “search the Scriptures,” as Christ told the Pharisees, “for in them ye shall find [M]e.” We are to spend time in the Scriptures. We are to spend time with God in the Scriptures. Pink said, “the Bible is not for the lazy man.” Rather the Bible is for the person who devotes and invests time in the Book of books. That is not to say that we should not simply read the Bible. We should read the Bible AND we should study the Bible. One may sit and simply read the Book for spiritual entertainment. One Must study the Book for spiritual growth.

There are many helps in studying the Book. The serious student should own a good concordance. I use either the Strong’s or Young’s Analytical. Young’s will give you the original Hebrew word for the Old Testament and the original Greek for the New Testament. These are indespensable.  A good Topical Bible will allow you to look up topics and then see where they are mentioned throughout Scripture. “The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge” will allow the student to look up a verse and then follow that thought throughout Holy Writ. While I find the KJV to be the very best translation, I find using other versions as a type of commentary.  The Ampliphied is very helpful as are many others. I have used a Parallel Bible to great success in understanding a text.. The Blue Letter Bible is  remarkable if you are an online user. Another tremendous aid is the KJV Easy Reader.

Of course, there are a number of Bible commentaries that will help you learn and grow. Most would suggest Matthew Henry to be the very best.  John Calvin’s is useful but has less depth than Matt. Henry. That is not a poor critique however as there are times one needs a quick reference commentary. There a commentaries on single books of Scripture as well if you want a tremendous amount of information. A.W. Pink has single book commentaries on Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, 1-2 Samuel (“The Life of David”), John, Hebrew, 1John. He also has a great commentary on the lives of Elijah and Elisha as well as a magazine called, “Studies in the Scriptures” that spanned over (30) thirty years. These are available through “Chapel Library.”

Luther has commentaries on Romans, Galatians, 1 Peter and James.  John MacArthur has a commentary set on all of the Books. J. Vernon MacGee has a set that is very basic but valuable. Spurgeon has a set as well as a study on the life of David.  Saint Augustine has a commentary on Romans, John, and Psalms. These are neat as you get to read the thoughts of a man that lived in the 300’s.

(3) three books that revolutionized my understanding of God and my walk with Him. “Mere Christianity,” “Practicing the Presence of God,” and “The Sovereignty of God.”  “Mere Christianity” give a birds eye view of the faith with remarkable and very notable insights. Another reason is this is the seminal work that introduced me to C.S. Lewis. Reader, This is a man you should know.  If you want to introduce a child to the faith you couldn’t do better than “The Chronicles of Narnia.”

“Practicing the Presence of God” is the book that changed my walk with God. If you ever wondered what it is to “pray without ceasing” or how to do so, this little book will help. This book is made up of 13-15 letters. Each letter is under (2) two pages. The letters concern praying or remaining in the spirit of prayer. These letters were written by a monk in the 1600s. Yes, a monk. Reader, if you pre-judge this work based upon it’s author, you will greatly miss out. There is not another book like it RE: Prayer and dwelling in Gods Presence all day long.

“I speak as a fool,” We have been told by persons that we are the most spiritual person they know and that we are the person closest to God that they know. (2) two thoughts on that: 1. Bro. Lawrence and his book, “Practicing the Presence of God” is one of the reasons we walk closely with God, humanly speaking.  2. We do not take this as a compliment, but as a judgement upon current day Christ-ianity. Get this book and APPLY the principles.

“The Sovereignty of God” by Arthur Pink.  If you want to revolutionize your understanding and view of God, this will do it. This is thought to be the definitive (non-inspired) book on the topic of God’s Sovereignty and it was written in the early 1900s. You will once again be in awe of our great and awe-ful God (aweful as in full of awe). This is the book that introduced me to Pink and I thank God for that.

Now that we have written on reading v studying and mentioned a few very helpful books, let us now (DV) spend sometime learning how to get meat out of a verse. (2) two of the priciples I use to gain much from a verse is [Sidenote: Notice we did not say interpret, as that is a dangerous word and is misused. There is no such thing as a private interpretation (1 Peter 1).  No one is allowed to believe anything other than what the A(a)uthor is intending.  “This means x to me” is not allowed.] the opposite meaning and the “if then.”

“The double minded man is unstable in all his ways” This tells us that the man that is always second guessing himself or is always changing his mind is unstable and could not and should not be counted upon for leadership and is not to be depended upon. That is not to say that one cannot change one’s mind. If a you change your mind based upon new information you are not double minded, instead you are wise. The best way to keep from being double minded is to wait until all information is in and has been analyzed. We have not exhausted this verse, but let us move on and implement our “if then” principle.

If a double minded man is unstable in all his ways, then a single minded man must be stable in all his ways. The man of God is or should be singularly minded on the things of God. His mind is on the Godhead, on his own predestinated end of Christ-likeness and that of the people of God. He is mindful of the needs of Gods people and his own needs. Everything else flows from that single mindedness. He is a prayful man, etc.  This is the “if then” principle.

The “Opposite” principle is exactly what it sounds like:
Psalm 10 tells us that the unrighteous and wicked do not want God in all of their thoughts. In other words, the enemy of God does not want God in any of their thoughts, decisions, or choices This truth is found in Romans 1, as well. These do not seek for God nor do they have any true understanding of God. When the “opposite” principle is applied we get this, God is in all of the thoughts of the righteous. The opposite of wicked or unrighteous is righteous. The unrighteous and wicked do this or that, what does the righteous? Reader, Is God in all of your thoughts? Does He have a place in your decisions and choices? Are your thoughts captive to righteousness? Do you ever think and ask, like the rubber bracelets say, What Would [Lord] Jesus Do? Is God anywhere in your thoughts?

 

Other authors that I have found helpful:
Bonar
Andrew Murray (not the T.V. Murray, the Murray on T.V. is a Trinity denier)
Oswald Chambers
Puritans, Watson, Flavel, Owen, Watts on Logic (life changer for me), John Newton, Sibbes, Manton,
C.H. Spurgeon: Start with “Mornings and Evenings” as an introduction, then branch out.
Jonathan Edwards…if you read nothing else from Edwards, read, “Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God.” Read it in the morning and not before bedtime…
Chuck Swindoll (I’m always slow in recommending the living, but Swindoll has great stuff.)
Madame Guyon for the ladies….. and the men.
J.C. Ryle….Ryle has many books. He has one called, “Thoughts for Young Men.”  Also, “Daily Devitions from the Gospels” are excellent. He also has a commentary set on the Gospels that is very devotional.
A.W. Tozer is in a class to himself.
A.B. Simpson has good stuff on the Old Testament.
Sir Robert Anderson was one of the investigators on the Jack the Ripper case and he has good theology.
Phillip Keller, “A Shepherds look at Psalm 23″…get it yesterday.
D. Martyn LLoyd Jones…Anything and everything by Lloyd Jones is helpful.
Meister Eckart- Mystic.
Biographies are helpful but beware of hero-worship.
Contact Chapel Library, which is a ministry of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Pensacola Florida. They have a great many titles and upto a certain amont all is free. Ask them for a catalogue or go to their website. It is a ministry well worth your financial support as well.

Radio Preachers or Online Preachers or Youtube:
John Mac Arthur
R.C. Sproul
Alistair Begg
Tony Evans
Family Radio if you can get it on radio, if not try online.
Chuck Swindoll
Janet Parshall “In the Market Place” not business but in the market as the disciples would preach in the market place.
The Gospel Bus, Through the Bible in Five Years
Steven Lawson
Billy Graham
Oneplace.com will have most of the above. Oneplace.com is a treasure.

Now, Grow, GroooooOOOOW GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!

Godspeed

 

“…[T]hey measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”

 

Let me ask you a question. If, peradventure, you were to run into a well known celebrity and you were able to spend a few minutes with this celebrity and you had this celebrity’s attention for a few moments, what would you tell others when you saw them? I’ll give you three (3) choices.
1. “Guess what. You aren’t going to believe this but I just met X.”
2. “Guess what. X just met me.”
3. You would not say anything at all as it was no big deal.

Do you think that this celebrity went home and told the family that they met you? It is possible they did but most likely not. Persons always remember me. Persons always remember me, they never forget their run in with me. Why is this? Because I am special? Because I leave them with a gift of some kind? Because God has magnified my person in their sight? The answers to the quetions above are all yes. Why am I special? I am a child of God…the Most High God. Do I leave them with a gift? I leave them with a Word from God, whether it be in the form of a tract, or a “Woe unto thee, unbeliever” or “God’s Blessing be upon thee”, as what I bind on earth or as what I loosen on earth is bound or loosened in heaven. Persons do not forget me because we confront them with God and their relationship or lack thereof to Him. Am I bragging or boasting? I am bragging and boasting about the boldness and concern that God has put in us. I am bragging and boasting about the power of the Cross and the Resurrection. I am boasting and bragging upon the reality God is in my life.

We note a number of things during celebrity awards season:
We note that the celebrity(ies) or the celebrated use this forum to spew venom at the President of the United States. The celebrated use this forum to call good, evil and they call evil, good. The Scriptures send a “Woe unto thee” to these persons that are pregnant with pride-filled-ness, that love themselves with all their strength, mind, and body. These celebrated person are not celebrated by God. If the nations of the earth are less than nothing to God, what are the celebrated persons of the earth to God?

I will be fair:
A few of the celebrated persons do, in fact, give thanks and glory to God for all that He has so kindly and so freely bestowed upon them. A few of the celebrated know and acknowledge that they are who they are because of God, they acknowledge that they are where they are because of God. This is good and it please God. However, just like the world was condemned by the righteousness of Noah, the celebrated persons are condemned by those that give God all glory, praise, and thanks. The celebrated persons do not see and hear their contemporaries giving praise to God for all things and consider it and then do likewise. No, it remains all about them. Reader, please understand that I am not speaking about every celebrity in the world. The are celebrities that use their celebrity to do good, regardless of the reason behind the good work, others are being helped and aided. There is a website called “Hollowverse” that shares celebrity’s religious and political views. It is surprising how many are atheist and how many are Buddists. The sinful persons flock to these beliefs because there is no judgement or accountability in these religions.

The celebrated person, who believes in themselves, are spoken of in Psalm 115 as well as our quoted verse above.
Their idols are silver and gold, the works of men’s hands. They have mouths , but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they throughtheir throat.
They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.

The Celebrated Person and Idolatry:
I can remember seeing girls crying and allowing themselves to be hysterical when they came face to face with Elvis Presley. That was idolatry, which is a grievous sin. Idolatry is coupled with witchcraft in Scripture. That means idolatry is (s)atanic. That means to idolize a person, one is taking sides with (s)atan against God.
We must understand the difference between admiring a celebrity and the talents God has given them and worshipping, idolizing, and adoring them. I enjoy pro wrestling and MMA. I enjoy watching the antics and the athleticism. I enjoy the storylines and the hoopla of it all. However, I do not, in any way, idolize any of the wrestlers or enertainers, as I learn from them, IE. submission holds, joint locks, striking artistry, etc. I enjoyed, years ago, training in Brazillian Jiu Jitsu. I was very good and still have it as a skill if needed. BJJ was a large part of my life but it was second to my faith and responsibilities to God. I never at any time idolized any one in the MMA world. Instead I praise and thank God, with David, as God has taught “my fingers to fight and my hands to war.”

The Right Frame of Mind:
If the Christ-ian is in the right frame of mind….of a sound mind, fearing (reverently respecting) only God, they will see all persons, celebrated or not on an equal ground. However if in the right frame of mind, the Christ-ian would see themselves as “better than,” Yep I said it…better than others as they are in Christ. Isn’t new usually seen as better? Well then, we are New Creatures in Christ. In our own person we are not better than others, in fact, others may be better than us. But in Christ,…..my readers, we are greater than and better than. Everything about the Christ-ian cries out better. The new birth says better, being born from above means better, being new creatures in Christ says better than the old in Adam. If Christ-ians are not better what then is the difference? The Bible is clear when He says, “us” and “them”

Who we are in Christ:
We are chosen in Christ
We are chosen out of the world
We are chosen before the founding of the earth.
We are chosen soldiers in God’s army
We are part of the chosen nation
We are the citizens that make up the population of Heaven
We are the Church for whom Christ came seeking and saving.
We are the Church for whom Christ died
We are the Church for whom Christ rose again establishing hope and an eternal home  with Him.
We are the body of Christ
We are those whom the Spirit has given gifts, severally as He wills.
We are the Garden wherin the Holy Ghost grows His fruit.
We are partakers of the divine nature of God
We are the recipients of all spiritual blessings
We are the inheritors of God’s precious promises.
We are the salt of the earth and that is to say, the only reason the lost enjoy their lives  upon this earth is because of us. All the good things we enjoy are for the Christ-ian and  the lost benefit thereby. If not for the church’s presence, the world would be void and  with out form again.
We are the lights of the earth, it is because of us that the sun still rises and it was for us  that the Son rose again.

Christ-ian readers,
We are the people that should be celebrated. For it is because of Christ’s great love for us that the world and the universe and all things are upheld. However, if the world were to celebrate the Christ-ians upon this earth, we would turn and say, “Not unto us, but unto Thee belongs all Glory and praise O’God.” Yes…to God be the glory and none to the celebrated persons who compare themselves with themselves.

Godspeed.