Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused…                                                                                                                                                        (Acts 19:32)

 

Let all bitterness, and wrath and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.                                             (Ephesians 4:31-32)

But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.                                                                                                                                                     (Mathew 6: 15)

 

One would not be incorrect if one were to say that today’s religious groups are confused on Biblical and theological matters. In other words; one says this and another says that so what is one to do? What is one to believe or to think? The answer is always the same. To gain an understanding of Scripture for one’s own self one must go to the source and to the Source. The source is the Bible and the Source is God. To gain a proper understanding of spiritual matters one must “search the [S]criptures” and prayerfully seek the answer from the Author.

We acknowledge that Scripture contains deep truths and to glean from these truths one must diligently and prayerfully study the Scriptures. Some doctrines can be difficult for some to understand or to even accept. However, their are teachings in Scripture that are not confusing but are taught incorrectly.

One of these teachings is forgiveness. Forgiveness has been confused with bitterness. Forgiveness is an action whereas bitterness is an emotion and choice as well as a revealer of one’s true inner nature.

Have you ever heard someone say, “I’m sorry” to which another replies, “Oh, it’s okay.”? This is not proper forgiveness. Have you ever had someone say to you, “I’m sorry; will you forgive me” to which you respond, ” I’ve already forgiven you.” ? If so forgiveness has not taken place. The only thing that has happened is a condoning of the infraction that caused the request for forgiveness to begin with.

One cannot forgive another lest the other seeks forgiveness hence the words of our Lord, “If he trespasses against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.” The act of forgiving can only take place when one turns and says, “I repent” or “I’m sorry; please forgive me.” Forgiveness is a formal act. and one cannot forgive if the other is not sorry. If you were to say, “Oh, I’ve already forgiven you” you are more orthodox than God. For God does not, has not, nor will He forgive lest one repents.

However, that does not allow one to be bitter until an offender seeks forgiveness. Bitterness must not be part of the Christ-ian’s wiring. Bitterness has no part in the new creature that is in Christ. In other words, one must not be bitter or have malice in one’s heart for another, nor can one forgive without the proper asking. And this is where the confusion enters.

If one seeks another’s forgiveness the Biblical response would be, “Thank you and yes,! I forgive you.” not “Oh, I have already forgiven you.” This goes to a Scriptural principle and that is what God has done for you you must do for others and you must do it in the order that God has demonstrated. God forgives sinners upon their repentance and His forgiveness is based solely upon the life, death and resurrection of Christ. Therefore, we must forgive others when they repent and we do so as God has demonstrated for us. God does not forgive sin, if it is not confessed and repented of. This is another point of confusion. If our sins were paid for at Calvary by our Elder Brother why then must we seek God’s forgiveness today? Are our sins forgiven or not?

When a person is first forgiven and saved by God it is a legal matter. This is the doctrine of justification. God, as Judge, has declared you justified. As a Christ-ian however, we do not seek forgiveness from God the Judge but from God, our loving Father. When a Christ-ian seeks forgiveness it is sought from God as Father and not as Judge.

 

If a Christ-ian is trespassed against by another who’s responsibility is it to start the process, if you will, of forgiveness? The world would say it is the offenders responsibility. However, the world’s way is not the Christ-ian way. The Lord teaches that the offended party is to approach the offending party and to address the offense. Why is this? We believe it is because so often the offender is not even aware of the offense. While one is feeling that a wrong was committed the other isn’t even aware of it. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the person who feels the trespass to approach the offender. When this takes place the offender will either repent or not. If the offender repents then the trespass must be forgiven as God has forgiven our many trespasses. If the offending party does not repent forgiveness cannot take place but bitterness must not be harboured within one’s heart. Bitterness must be released even though the matter is not remedied.

Forgiveness and bitterness are two different things. Bitterness harms the offended whereas the act of forgiveness releases the offender. Bitterness is a cancer and forgiveness is part and parcel of the abundant Christ-centered life. To understand these matters is to keep things descent and in order.

We would add this as well. The Christ-ian should not be easily offended. One might look upon an infraction as an opportunity to exercise the Spirit’s fruit of longsuffering. Before one becomes angry at another one should always remember to remove the beam that is in thine own eye first. Besides, ought we to be seeking the Kingdom of God rather than those that have wronged us?

Methinks there are three choices on this matter. First, be not bitter against those that offend you and continue seeking the Kingdom of God; Second, approach the offender and broach the subject of the trespass and third, sit and stew and seek not your Father’s forgiveness of thine own offenses for it will not be granted.

Apprehended,                                                                                                                                                     BKL

“Now the chief priests, and the elders, and all the council, sought false witnesses against Jesus, to put [H]im to death; But found none…at the last came two false witnesses, and said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.”                                                                                                                                         (Matthew 26:59-61)

“Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”                                                                                                                                 ( John 2:19)

 

We recently met a man who is visiting America from England. While we made polite conversation we said to him that we would like to visit England. We then shared with him our interests in Sherlock Holmes tour sites and C.S. Lewis sites to which he replied, “That’s quite a range.” As we pondered his statement we concluded that in his mind Holmes and Lewis are two (2) extremes. Holmes being atheist and Lewis being Christ-ian. We then wondered why he would think Holmes to be unbelieving.

Methinks his understanding of Holmes comes from the current incarnation on BBC as this Holmes is shown to be atheistic as well as a “high functioning sociopath.”

However, if one were to go to the actual source or Holmesian canon, that was authored by A.C. Doyle, one would find a Holmes that is a man of faith and one would certainly not find a sociopath.

In the early days of our preaching we were involved with a fundamentalist church. In this “camp” Billy Graham was not well thought of. If his name came up in conversation it would certainly be in the negative. Being a young preacher we assumed that the veteran Christ-ians knew what they were talking about. If they said Graham was bad, then Graham was bad. Case closed.

And it came to pass…on the day of my ordination a much loved evangelist said something good about Graham. We respected this man’s opinion on spiritual matters so we thought about sampling some of B. Graham’s sermons and books. And what did we find? Lo! and Behold! we found a faithful man of God. The books were sound in doctrine and the sermons were sound as well. Graham, in his preaching, called sinners to repentance and belief in the Risen Christ.

A picture of Billy Graham hangs on my wall today.

The point of this post is this – Go to the source before you base your position on someone else’s biased opinion.

One observes at least (2) two elements that have brought and continue to bring worldly success to those involved in writing, film, and television.

We theorize that the reason these (2) two elements are so winning and perennial in the entertainment industry is because they portray what is missing in our society and cultures.

The (2) two elements we are speaking of are camaraderie and an openness; forthrightness to say that which needs saying (right or wrong), and to do what needs to be done regardless of the certain backlash, opposition, and criticism that is sure to follow.

Camaraderie denotes or presupposes love, loyalty, respect, honour, forgiveness, the acceptance of others, and putting others before self.

We are drawn to productions that exhibit forthrightness, confidence, and boldness because these elements, these character traits, these attributes are sorely missing in our society and cultures today. Many productions do so well because camaraderie and forthrightness are traits for which we long. Why does a show like “House M.D.” do well?  Why are people drawn to this titular character? The reason many are drawn to this show and its character is because of his directness and his ability to get away with his outrageousness. Why would wrestling enthusiasts cheer for a character like Stone Cold Steve Austin or a stable of heels (bad guys)? Because of the outspokenness and camaraderie and loyalty which they exhibit.

Here are a few examples of productions that have been very profitable due to the (2) elements and have also fostered a cult-like following (not in the religious or negative sense).

“The Magnificent Seven”, “Firefly”, Pro Wrestling, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, “Supernatural”, “Friends”, “Seinfeld”, “Full House”, “Little House on the Prairie”, Stephen King’s “IT” and “Lean on Me”; Military films; Sherlock Holmes; “Dallas”; “Law and Order SVU and Criminal Intent”; “NCIS”; “Criminal Minds.”  (We are not necessarily recommending the above examples to everyone; nor do we condone all the actions portrayed in them. The Lord has given us the liberty to decide for ourselves.)

We should note that it matters not the genre. The above mentioned productions represent many of the genres in the entertainment industry. The genres represented are western, science fiction, sports entertainment,  fantasy, comedy, family drama, horror, medical, war; soap operas, and crime and mystery. The various genres differ in many ways, yet at their core they all portray camaraderie and forthrightness.

We would be remiss in our calling if we did not point out that these elements are part and parcel of the Christ-ian faith. One will not find a more forthright and bold Person than the Lord Jesus Christ; nor will you find a group of men that demonstrate camaraderie more than Christ’s apostles. Within Christ-ianity the elements, the traits, the attributes of love, loyalty, respect, honour, forgiveness, the acceptance of others, and putting others before self are core and basic teachings.

We note further that these (2) two elements are seen in the Gospel of The Lord Jesus Christ elsewhere referred to as “The Greatest Story Ever Told” (we have written on the dangerous use of the word story in a past post). We would point to this posting as a proof of a theory which we wrote upon, and that theory is that the Gospel of the Lord Jesus is the foundation, is the centerpiece, is the very fountain from which all written or produced works flow.

In Christ one shall find one’s all in all.

The title of this post is taken from the teachings of our Master, the Lord Jesus. The teaching, warning, and insight of the above extract goes on to say; “For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” (Matthew 12:37)

That teaching coincides with other of His teachings such as “You shall know them by their fruit” and “from the heart the mouth speaketh” as well as, “that which goes out of a man defiles him” as opposed to that which is ingested.

The inspired Scriptures meet the needs of God’s people. The Scripture shows how one is made “wise unto salvation”; we learn what pleases and displeases God; we learn what is sin and what is not; what is expedient to the Christ-ian and what is not; We come to know Christ; to love Him above all others, to trust Him, and what it is to obey Him. Further more we are taught how to behave in all aspects of life. We learn what is expected of us and all that we may hope for from our tender loving, and providing God. We learn what righteousness is, what grace is, what hope is, what love is, what faith is; we learn of all the spiritual gifts that have been given us by God as well as the spiritual fruits that are grown and being grown within us by the ever indwelling and ever attentive Holy Spirit of God. The Scriptures teach clearly upon two destinations. These eternal destinations await those who have been imputed with the righteousness of Christ and the unrighteous who would have no part of Him.

The Scriptures are also replete with practical wisdom on living successfully in the present and prudence for the future. Among these practical teachings, believe it or not, is profiling the individuals you come in contact with. We have suggested this in a recent posting where we unpacked a passage from Proverbs (6) six. By way of recalling that lesson we will (DV) return to Proverbs. In Proverbs six Scripture profiles a person that has a perverse or crude manner of speech. Scripture then reveals that hidden within this froward person are the characteristics of naughtiness and wickedness.

(DV) we will look at the Matthew 12:37 text from above, “For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” One might find many facets in this statement if one were to meditate therein. For example; God hears all that one says and He is either pleased or displeased by what He hears. When our works are judged at the judgement seat of Christ these overheard and recorded words will be brought forth as evidence. This evidence will stand as witness for or against the one who is being tried. Another practical use of this statement is a person who is justified before God or is a moral person (not the same) will speak good words; words of edification, words of truth, words of encouragement, words that exalt, and acknowledge God, words that give thanks and praise to God. Words that give all glory to Him Who Alone is Worthy. On the other hand a person who is condemned will speak negative words and words intended to discourage and cause pain. However, to be sure, this condemning type of person may very well come to Christ with and in the spirit of gifted repentance and gifted faith and be made a new creature in Christ. He will go forth and demonstrate the imputed righteousness of Christ, he will demonstrate his justification and sanctification by his words and works. This truth can be seen in the recorded lives of many in Scripture; such as, the patriarch Jacob, Nebuchadnezzar, King Manasseh, Saul/St. Paul, and even in our contemporaries. There is always hope, on our side of the veil, for any of the condemning and moralistic types.

We will, at this point, show some quotes made by a person. These quotes will not have any context nor will there be any sources given as these quotes were taken from the website, “Brainy Quotes.” We will not name the person; this decision is not based upon fear or tact nor is it based on political correctness. The person shall not be named because what is true of this person is true of others like him. And that truth is in the Scriptures referenced above. Besides the reasons for not naming the person given in the last sentence, some if not most will be able to identify the person being quoted. This will also go to prove my point, you can know and or read people by their words and works.

The Quotes:

• “In the end, you’re measured not by how much you undertake but by what you finally accomplish” (This is the antithesis/opposite of Christ’s teaching; the very teaching we just wrote upon above!)
• “All the women on ….. flirted with me- consciously or unconsciously, that’s to be expected”  ( this person has “no regard for women”)
• People are shocked when they find…I am protestant, I am Presbyterian, and I go to church, and I love God, and I love my church.” (people are shocked because this person’s fruit does not line up with marks of a Biblical Christ-ian and the fruits of the Spirit must not be apparent, either. Notice the order of his words; religion, religion, church, [then] God and church. This quote leads into the next…
• “I apologize when I am wrong.” (yet this person has admitted to having never asked God for His forgiveness. Therefore, it must follow… he has never wronged God. Christian teaching at it’s very basic, shows us that a relationship with God begins (on our side of the veil) with the human responding to the initiating and calling God in repentance and belief and in that order. Therefore, if this person has never “apologized” to God he may be religious in some human sense but he does not nor can he love God and if he does not love God he does not love Christians. And let me state, the Presbyterian church certainly teaches Biblical truth on all the fundamental matters. So if this person hasn’t grasped the doctrine of forgiveness by now his mind is elsewhere when he attends his much “loved” church.
• “Good people don’t go into politics.” (his words not mine)
• “I have great respect for the [p]ope. I like the [p]ope. I actually like him.” (in other words, I have great respect for the [false prophet]. I like the [false prophet]. I actually like him.)
• “The point is, you can never be too greedy” (The love of money is the root of all evil.)                                                                                                                                                                        This person is primed, prepped and ready for THe hostile take over and those that are like him are being primed, prepped, and readied to be taken over too.

“But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:28)

“Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body” (Hebrews 13:3)

 

Beloved, Our Christian brothers and sisters are being killed in the middle east because of their faith in Christ; They are suffering great persecution. While we are safe (for now) but we should feel a drawing; a pulling to do something, but what can one do? We understand the frustration. What can we do while we await the persecution that is to come to us? The author of Hebrews tells us, Think upon our brothers and sisters that are suffering and put ourselves in their place, as Christ did for His people, Imagine the fear and the pain; imagine the loss of friends and family; imagine the torture that the “Religion of Peace” people are inflicting upon our Christ-ian family by faith. Think about them, meditate upon the Lord’s teachings concerning persecution; and pray…pray night and day for them.

Prayer is answered; God does hear our words and thoughts; He hears our sighs. Let me draw your attention to the top verse. This verse teaches that God reads our hearts; our intents; and our motives;  He tells His listeners that what they imagine in their hearts is recognized by Him as  having been done already. This is a reason to seek His grace so that one can submit his or her imagination unto God. It is truth that our thought life is to be submitted and surrendered to Christ for His refinement thereof. Since God sees our intentions for what they are then it must also be true that He looks and sees one’s righteous intentions and desires. That brings us back to our second verse. When we take time to think about; to meditate upon; to pray for and put ourselves in the bodies and minds of those being persecuted then God sees our intentions and recognizes that we would do everything we could for our persecutes brothers and sisters and it is remembered by Him for as ye know that your works in the Lord are not in vain.

In closing we would encourage thee to be touched with the feelings of our suffering Christian family as Christ was touched with the feelings of our infirmities and temptations yet He was without sin as we are not currently touched by their persecution.

 

 

 

 

And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and  Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.

In the Scriptures the Holy Spirit chose the word record for the events that occurred and that were reported by credible persons. St. Luke used the word declaration when he wrote, “of those things which are most surely believed among us,” and he goes onto say, “Even as they delivered them (the records) unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the [W]ord…”. (Luke 1)

Today, however, those that stand before people and proclaim the truths of inspired Scripture use words like story and characters to describe the true-to-life happenings in the Word. We do not believe we are being too uptight or petty when we suggest that there is danger in the usage of words like story and characters to describe real recorded events and real individuals that lived and died through these recorded events.

We believe that the words which are spoken by persons in daily life speak to the hearers and sometimes remain in the sub-conscience. Words can be tactical. Words can be used to great effects. Words can be lethal to one’s reputation and business. Words can destroy families and friendships. The spoken or written word is powerful in many ways. Words can edify and encourage and they can destroy and discourage. Is it any wonder why the pre-incarnate Christ is said to be the Word of God? One can look at the very first words of Scripture to see the power of  “In the beginning God said…”. There it is… the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us was at the beginning of creation, for the spoken Word of God is the Creator. The words we use can cause all manner of effect upon others.

Therefore we state again; when those who represent Christ use the words story(ies) and   character(s), as in Biblical characters, there is the danger of these words incubating in the sub-conscience of the hearers. That is why our Lord warns us about what we hear.

Fairy tales are fictional stories, and these fictional stories are filled with fictional characters. The Scriptures, however, are filled with exciting and harrowing events, and the persons in the Scriptures truly lived these exciting and harrowing events. Let us not, therefore, confuse stories and characters with the recorded events and actual persons we meet in the Scriptures.

The Biblical David is not a character; nor is the Biblical Daniel. The recorded events that describe their lives are not stories. The Lord Jesus is not a character in a book, and His life is certainly not a story. The events in the Gospels record the actual experiences that were lived by Christ.

Let us use the words story and character for fiction.

Now onto our theory.

No one has ever created anything. This is a true and valid statement. People have invented things and authored writings and produced films, but they have not created anything. To create is to make something new as in “In the beginning God created…” God used nothing to create something. We humans, however, use things that already exist to invent, author, or produce things.

In other words, create a new color…. but you cannot use existing colors to produce your new color. See what we mean. There is nothing new under the sun and there has never been something that was created other than that which ” In the beginning God created…”

Our theory is this; every written work or film produced in someway has the greatest recorded event in human history as a foundation. To be clear, the greatest event that has occurred on this earth is the redemption of man, and this was accomplished solely by the life, death, resurrection, and second coming of Christ.

We will offer a few examples of the greatest event being the foundation of all human produced writings or films.

In Jane Austin’s works we see a person of wealth and means being the answer to another’s dilemma. Christ is the Only Hope for man in his dilemma of depravity.

In more contemporary works like “John Wick” one can find the second coming of Christ as the foundation of this work.

The rebooted “Godzilla” movie  has Christ’s death and resurrection as it’s foundation. Godzilla falls and all hope is lost, but then he rises with a second wind to destroy the monster.

Superman is the retelling of Christ. A child is sent by his father to earth and this child  grows into a saviour of mankind.

The recent Batman films is a retelling of Christ. Bruce Wayne has great riches which were inherited from his father. Later in life Wayne is supposedly defeated by Bane and banished to a prison that is under ground. Wayne, however, rises and returns with power to dispatch the evil Bane. This is a retelling of Christ’s death and resurrection and His victory over sin and death.

We could go on and on but we believe we have made a good argument that supports our theory. It is true; the greatest event that has ever occurred on this earth and the greatest Man that has ever condescended to walk upon this earth is, without doubt, the Foundation that all written works and films are based upon.

“Through me you pass into the city of woe: Through me you pass into eternal pain: Through me among the people lost for aye…Eternal and eternal I endure. All hope abandon ye who enter here.” (Extracts from ‘The Inferno’ written by Dante Alighieri)

The above extract is from a poem that depicts what the lost, that is to say, a person without Christ should expect when they are taken from their chosen path, which was broad and which led them to eternal torment.

The truth which is placed above the lofty arch of Dante’s hell, “Abandon all hope ye who enter here”, could be placed over the arch of all the Christ-less religions throughout the world. In other words, This truth is applied to the Buddhists, the Hindus, the Muslims as well as any cult that preaches “another Jesus”, such as Mormons and jehovah’s witnesses (the lower cased j is intended for their jehovah is not the Great Jehovah of Scripture). Some may think this is a harsh statement. It is a harsh statement however, it is truth nonetheless. None of these satan (lower cased s is intended) inspired religions offer any hope. These religions may offer a fine way to live one’s life in the here and now but they do not offer any credible hope of the eternal forever. Some may opine that the Muslim death cult offers a great and pleasure-filled tomorrow for their depraved and murderous men. We would then counter that opinion by simply stating that their pleasure-filled afterlife is to be ridiculed for it’s nonsensical perverseness. There is no sense to their beliefs. Their “faith” simply appeals to the carnal nature of depraved cowards.

What is said about religion is also true of the way many choose to pass their time in the hear and now. Many have given their lives over to the worship of business, wealth, self centeredness (idolatry), fame, covetousness (materialism/idolatry), etc. etc. etc. The point is any life that is Christ-less is hopeless However, the Christ-filled; Christ-centered life is full of Hope. And before we go any farther let hope be defined. Hope is a well founded and well grounded expectation. This hope provides the believer with as peace that passes all understanding.

Here is what the Scriptures say about those who are Christ-centered and have hope…

*For we are saved (persevere/endure) by hope…(Romans 8:24a)                                                      

*Now abideth…hope… (hope continues with the believer) … (1 Corinthians:13:13)                                                                                  

*…sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready to give an answer to every man that      asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear:..  (1 Peter 3:15)                 Notice in Peter’s charge/statement which is based upon his experience:                              1. the hope we enjoy can be seen.                                                                                                                  2. It is attractive to those that see it because they ask you about it.                                                3. Our hope is reasonable for Peter says,  ” give to every man that asketh you a reason”            for your hope.  Beloved, Peter says to give “a reason” for there are many. He also says           “every man” so there will be many who notice.                                                                                  4. This reasonable and attractive hope is “in you” as it dwells within the Spirit Who                    dwells with in you.

*And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself…  (1 John 3:3)

* [H]ope [is] an anchor of the soul (Hebrews 6:19)

* Christ and His Appearing is called “that blessed hope…” For it causes happiness in the believer.

Christ-ians are the only ones that have reason to hope; for the Bible tells me so.

If we were to write a poem about Heaven using Dante’s lofty arch ours would say,  “Because of Christ, all thine hope shall be fulfilled, ye who enter here.”

 

Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise [H]im in the heights. Praise ye [H]im, all [H]is angels: praise ye [H]im, all [H]is hosts. Praise ye [H]im, sun and moon: praise [H]im, all ye stars of light…..Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth: Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: Let them praise the [N]ame of the LORD: for [H]is [N]ame alone is excellent; [H]is glory is above the earth and heaven….Praise ye the LORD.                 (extracts from Psalm 148)

We understand that we have come through the 2016 awards season. We watched the red carpet ceremonies; we have heard all the congratulations from the actors and actresses; we have heard the melodies and have seen the stagecraft.

But…where does all the talent and abilities come from? do we think that the talents and abilities are all our own making?

Talents and abilities are given by God.

Yet when celebrities and athletes are awarded their emmies, grammmies  and the Oscars they do not thank God; they do not acknowledge Him nor do they thank Him four all of His allowances.

Disgusted am I with all the elegence and beauty that glares in tinsel town and reflects all the self centeredness and self worship and no one even thinks about God and all His Givings that make every thing as it is.

In Ephesians 1:5-6 Paul states that those the Father has predestined to be joint-heirs with Christ, and have been given spiritual authority for their life here on earth, is all done according to the good pleasure of God and His will, and to the praise of the glory of His grace. As this statement is true the negative aspect must be true; those that  the Father has not predestined are reprobated to eternal perdition and this too must be to the praise of His glory…only in this it is to the praise of His wrath. In another place Paul states that every knee shall bow to Christ and confess Him to be Lord and in this God will be acknowledged and given his due praise and glory.

So either way all shall acknowledge God and He will be glorified in the exaltation of His people or the destruction of those who refuse to acknowledge Him, to be thankful or to give Him His due and just Glory.

In addition we would point out a principle laid down in Scripture. All the awards, money, and sycophantic worship that are lavished upon the self centered will stand as a witness against them when they stand in the Presence of true Glory and Majesty and when they are bowed before God and are judged according to their works and words.

This is not written against all people that are wealthy or famous. We begrudge no one for their wealth or fame; God forbid; it is only against those who refuse to acknowledge Him from Whom they receive their wealth and or fame. We write against those who will not give glory and praise to God for their wealth, talents and abilities. We write against those who refuse to simply be thankful to God for His kindness and grace upon their lives.

To those who are wealthy and or famous and do acknowledge God, that do give Him glory and praise, that are thankful and aware that every good gift and every perfect gift is from the Father of lights…we heartily congratulate them and thank God with them for His blessings upon their lives.

Beloved, what exactly do they mean when they use the word hell in their cursings? How does that word even work in their pronouncements? It does not make any sense at all. Hell is a place in real time. When the lost use the word hell they have no idea of what they are speaking. The lost are completely ignorant of what awaits them.

Hell is not a byword or a subject to be joked about. Hell is a prison where many family members and friends will suffer for all eternity. Hell is a place where the mercy and goodness of God does not abide. This means no oxygen, no food, no drink, no rest, no peace, no hope of a better tomorrow, no sense of relief of pain, the body will be corrupt and uncontrollable. All that we have specified in the last sentence is ours only by the mercy of God. Yes!, the air we breathe is subject to His mercy. the foods and drinks we enjoy are granted us by His mercy. Our restful nights are at His mercy. All that is good is given by God’s great mercy. The lost may not want to accept this truth but it is the way it is.

My attention has been drawn to individuals using the word hell in their natural discourse. We do not know why our ears perk up at this ill usage of the word hell but they do.

Since the lost like to spue that word out at every opportunity we thought it would be advantageous to give a description of this real place called hell.

Hell is a place of…

weeping and gnashing of teeth;

a place of outer darkness

a place of torment

a place of sorrows

a place of everlasting destruction

a place where men and women are tormented with fire and brimstone

a place where fire is not quenched

a bottomless pit

a place of no rest

a place of unsatisfied desires

a place of hopelessness and suffering

Yep… there is a lot to joke about isn’t there.

 

“For I am not ashamed of the [G]ospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth…”     (Romans 1:16)

It is sad to say and even more so to see that our text can not be claimed by many of our fellows. Why is this? We believe it may be due to the way believers have been taught to share their faith in Christ. The churches, preachers, and schools have given us a plastic and planned way to present the Gospel. This plastic presentation or sale, if you will, has a number of points that must be explained to their “subject.” It may be due to this plastic presentation and its many points (and these points must not be deviated from) that has caused many of the beloved to shy away from sharing the greatest news ever with those who are in the greatest need ever. Beloved, The Lord Jesus is not a concept that is to be given a trial run nor is He to be presented as a fixer of problems.

What follows (DV) are some of the reasons we are not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.

1. We are not ashamed of Him because He is not ashamed of us. The Scriptures tell us that Christ is not ashamed to call us brethren! The Scriptures also states the negative side of this truth. If you are ashamed of Him and His Gospel (these cannot be separated) He will, in turn, be ashamed of you. These two sides of truth are of very great weight. In the former He is not ashamed of us and for this reason He shall speak of each of us in the Presence of God and the angels!!! In the latter however, He shall denounce those who are ashamed of Him and His Gospel in the Presence of God and the angels.
2. We are not… we cannot…  Beloved, we must not… be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it… is… THe… Very POW-er by which we have been, are being, and shall forever be saved!!! It is by this very Gospel that we have seen and been given entrance into the Kingdom of God. It is by this Gospel that we have been established in hope and been given the faith of Christ. It is by this glorious Gospel that we have been comforted time and time again. It is by this Gospel that we have been taught to walk in the newness of eternal life.
3. We are not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ because it is all true. One can look into history and see the difference the Gospel has made in the world. One can research and become familiar with many of the great intellects of history and how and why they have submitted their lives to Christ. They were not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.
4. We are  not ashamed of the Gospel because all spiritual gifts, blessings and all one’s spiritual fruit flows through and from this Gospel. It is because of the Gospel that grace, faith, and love has been realized by penitent sinners. If one would desire boldness to share Christ with others the above mentioned gifts, blessings and fruit must be appropriated through prayer, and the exercise of faith. These are the means by which one can overcome one’s fears, pride, weakness, and shyness. Faith, like the mind and body is strengthened by the exercising thereof.
5. We are not ashamed of the Gospel because to be ashamed of this Gospel is to confess that the world, the flesh, and the devil have overcome and overpowered us.
6. We are not ashamed of the Gospel because to be ashamed of this Gospel is to show a weakness and possible unbelief of a defeated (?)believer(?) and the victory of the world, the flesh, and the devil. This is to the delight of Christ’s enemies.
7. We are not ashamed of this Gospel because it is the singular means of man’s salvation and deliverance from sin and an unending perdition.

This post has been written to

A. Challenge and encourage those who want to share Christ with others but are fearful and do not feel they are knowledgeable enough. You need not follow a script or do as others do. To share Christ with others is as simple as paying for the person behind you at a convenience store or fast food restaurant and then handing them a tract or explaining your reason for purchasing their items as giving to others as Christ has given to you. Another way is to simply ask a person “what do you think of Christ?” This will plant a seed in their mind. We would also recommend “Wretched” radio and/or T.V. for ideas in sharing Christ. The main thing is to seek God’s help in sharing His Son with others as He, so loving the world, has shared His Son with us

B. Encourage those who already share Christ freely with others as the Spirit opens doors and leads them.

C. Rebuke those who do not or have not sought to; not desired to share the truth of Christ and His Gospel with those who are lost.

We are not calling upon believers to go door to door with the plastic and rehearsed presentation. We simply want to encourage you to be confident in all that Christ is to you. After all we willingly share our opinions with others as well as recommending movies, shows, books, exercises, skills, games, business, experiences, etc. yet we are slow to share Him Who would fully and exceedingly satisfy the needs and yearnings of those around us.

Godspeed,                                                                                                                                                                          BKL