Does God Ignore Some Prayers?

There seems to be a lot of confusion over the question of prayer, and if God answers all prayers. Many Christians sit in pews and listen to pastors who teach that God answers all prayers. The pastors say that sometimes God will say “yes”. They will admit that sometimes God says “no”, or even “maybe”, or “wait”. These are all valid answers. I have seen examples of such answers that I have given to my own children in seeking to be a good parent. Children sometimes ask for things that are not good for them. Or for things that are inappropriate for them. However, there were times to when they were asking things with the wrong attitude, or the while they were being punished, or things that they just knew that I would not allow, but they asked anyway.

On those occasions, I simply ignored the pleading. I had all the right to as a parent. Just because I was asked, it did not mean that I must answer or even that I had to listen. You may have been in a similar situation with your children. Lucky for us we serve a God who is the essence of what is good. He loves us from his goodness, and his goodness gives us love. Therefore, He always seeks our best interest, within his will. We are his children, and we are treated as such. But, what about those who are not his children? Does God have to pander to their requests? Does he have the right to disregard their prayers?

The Holy Bible starts out with a simple assumption, that God exists. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) If God exists, and he created the heaven and the earth then God is sovereign. We either must believe that or not. Now if we believe that God is sovereign then we must believe that he is not under our jurisdiction. He is free to determine what he must and must not do. God gets to choose his own actions. God’s actions are governed by his own character.

This character is what has been the demonstration of what is true in love, charity, longsuffering, righteousness, and all things that are good. Our since of justice comes from the character of God. God as creator does not have to answer for himself to his creation. We simply must accept that he can choose to answer any prayer that he so chooses to answer. In accepting that as truth we must also accept as truth; God can choose to not answer, and even ignore some prayers. We do not dictate the terms to God. It is God who dictates terms to his creation.

To ignore the sovereignty of God would put us in the same place as Satan. “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” (Ezekiel 14:12-14) You would think that we would see and understand that to stand in the presence of God and make demands of him is to put ourselves in the position of God. This is what happened in the Garden of God in Eden. There Satan tempted Eve to sin, by telling her that she would be like God. (Genesis 3:5) We must listen to what the Word says and not what we desire. So, are there times that God chooses to ignore prayers? What does the Word say about unanswered and ignored prayers?

Well James the half-brother of Jesus wrote, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” (James 4:3) The epistle of James is believed to have been written around 49-50 AD, that would make it the earliest written letter written, after the Ascension of Christ, in the New Testament. Here James is answering the same question that we are still asking today. Why doesn’t God answer all prayers? In this short sentence James tells us that if we ask to consume it in our lusts, that is to say, to satisfy fleshly desires, or in self-serving desire, then you are asking in vain because God will not honor that prayer. So, the motivation of our prayer has to be sincerely unselfish. So, is it wrong to ask for the things we need? No, Jesus himself told us that we should ask that our joy may be full. Jesus also says that we should seek the kingdom of God first, because the Father knows everything we need, and he will supply our need. So, James does not contradict Jesus. Both Jesus and James, tell us that we should ask with the proper motivation.

We also see that the Lord will not hear those who think immorality in their heart. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:” (Psalms 66:18) What an eye opener this verse is. To put it in context, the writer is actually praising God for hearing his prayers, and NOT those of the wicked. He draws a contrast and comparison between himself as a righteous man before God who seeks to do the will of God and those who do not seek the will of God. These who enjoy and keep sin in their hearts will have their prayers unanswered because they are separated from God and God will not hear them. Pay close attention to what Isaiah says, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2) Iniquities are knowledgeable sins. These are sins we know are wrong and choose to continue in them. These separate us from God, and then he will not hear us. This is what leads the Apostle John to write, “Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.” (John 9:31) There seems to be a theme developing here. The theme that wrongly motivated prayers and a desire to continue in sin are some things that motivates God to NOT answer prayers. Heck it even seems that he ignores those who do such things.

In fact, God tells the prophet Jeremiah, because Israel has violated these two principles and rejected God, he will not hear them when they pray, and he forbids prayer for them. Did you hear that? Don’t believe me? Listen to Jeremiah 14:10-12, “Thus saith the Lord unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the Lord doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins. Then said the Lord unto me, Pray not for this people for their good. When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.” Wow he will not hear their prayers, not anyone else’s prayers for them. He will not listen even if they fast, no matter how often nor how long they pray, because they have rejected him. I think that it is fair enough to say that the doors of heaven can be closed to those who leave God, should he so choose.

Ok so far we see that God can choose to ignore prayer from those who have improper motives rooted in selfishness. God will not hear those who choose to live in sin, or who have forsaken God for another god. Now we move on to those who have actually rejected God. Scripture tells us that Jesus is the Word of God and the Word of God was with God in the beginning and created all things. The Word also tells us, “The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew. My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.” (Proverbs 3:19-22) and then scripture also tells us that this wisdom of God that Created, this Word of God that Created, this Jesus that Created, if you reject him. Then you will cry out and the Father will not hear you.

• Proverbs 1:24-28 – Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
• Matthew 10:33 – But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
• John 14:6 – Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

There we clearly that the rejection of Jesus Christ means that the Father does not know you. That would mean that he is not your Father. You would not then be his child. He would be under no obligation to hear those who have rejected Jesus.
God does have a real heart for those who listen to him, those who abbey his will, and those who care for others. So much so that Zachariah tell us that God proclaims that those with hard hearts, who refuse to listen to the Lord and his commandments he will not hear. (Zechariah 7:11-13). Proverbs 28:9 tells us that those who turn there ears away the hearing of the Law of God, God considers their prayers an abomination. That means that God thinks that those who do not even bother to listen to his law and then want to pray to him, that their prayers are an outrage. There is another form of ignoring that God does not particularly care for and will cause prayers to be unheard. Those who ignore the plight of the poor, when they ask of God, their prayers will be, likewise, ignored. (Proverbs 21:13)
God will not hear the prayers of those who mistreat his people either. These are those who hate good, love evil, who seek to hurt and kill the Saints of God.

• Psalm 18:40-41 – Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me. They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the Lord, but he answered them not.
• Micah 3:2-4 – Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones; Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron. Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings.

These have cried in the past and the Lord choose to ignore their pleas. There are other examples of prayers that do not get answered. Prayers from those who worship idols (Jeremiah 11:11-14; Ezekiel 8:15-18. Those who do not believe will not receive anything from the Lord. (James 1:6-7).

So then if we are all unrighteous, who does God hear?
Those who seek and call upon him in belief that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who earnestly seek him to know who he is.

• James 1:5 – But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
• Jeremiah 29:12 – Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
• Job 33:26 – Then he will pray to God, and He will accept him, That he may see His face with joy, And He may restore His righteousness to man.
• Psalm 91:15 – “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.
• Psalm 145:18 – The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.
• Psalm 65:2 – O You who hear prayer, To You all men come.

• Jeremiah 36:7 – Perhaps their supplication will come before the Lord, and everyone will turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and the wrath that the Lord has pronounced against this people.”
• Matthew 7:11 – If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!
• John 14:13 – Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
• John 14:14 – If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.
• John 16:23 – In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.
• John 15:7 – If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
• James 5:16 – Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
• Matthew 21:22 – And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
• 1 John 5:14 – This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
• 1 John 5:15 – And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.
• Romans 10:12 – For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;

Scripture is clear. God is sovereign and he chooses to ignore those who do not recognize or who ignore his sovereignty. But to those who sincerely seek him, and desire to know him. He will reveal himself to them. Those who are repentant and who confess that Jesus is the Son of God who died, was buried, and rose again from the grave, and desire to perform his will, God will hear, and answer. He will fulfill the desires of that person’s heart. God hears those who hear him. If you first ask to hear God, he will let you hear him, that your joy may be full. You want to hear something really neat? God prays for us. (Romans 8:27; John 17:15; 1 Timothy 2:15; Hebrews 9:15) In addition, for those who accept Jesus as Christ, those have been made righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21) This means the unrighteous man that John said God would not hear… we are no longer that unrighteous man. Therefore, God hears us, because of Jesus Christ, in order that the Son of God may be glorified of the Father. What wonderful news!

One World Religion: Eastern Religious Philosophy in Christianity

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There has been a slow change to Christianity over the decades since the 50s. Much of this is due to the initiation of humanistic philosophies, introduced by the acceptance of Eastern Religious thought, into society, higher educational facilities, and the church compiled with a lack of proper discipleship in the church. One of the more recent implementations of this is seen in the humanistic views of enneagrams being taught and accepted into mainstream Christianity. Enneagrams are the study of personality traits as a model of the human psyche so that one can better understand themselves and their motivations and how they interact with others. These personality behaviors are based on a model of 9 persona (types) that all people fit into.

These Nine Personality Types:

The Reformer – The Rational, Idealistic Type: Principled, Purposeful, Self-Controlled, and Perfectionist
The Helper – The Caring, Interpersonal Type: Demonstrative, Generous, People-Pleasing, and Possessive
The Achiever – The Success-Oriented, Pragmatic Type: Adaptive, Excelling, Driven, and Image-Conscious
The Individualist -The Sensitive, Withdrawn Type: Expressive, Dramatic, Self-Absorbed, and Temperamental
The Investigator – The Intense, Cerebral Type: Perceptive, Innovative, Secretive, and Isolated
The Loyalist – The Committed, Security-Oriented Type: Engaging, Responsible, Anxious, and Suspicious
The Enthusiast – The Busy, Fun-Loving Type: Spontaneous, Versatile, Distractible, and Scattered
The Challenger – The Powerful, Dominating Type: Self-Confident, Decisive, Willful, and Confrontational
The Peacemaker – The Easygoing, Self-Effacing Type: Receptive, Reassuring, Agreeable, and Complacent

Seminaries have moved away from teaching Biblical Counselling that is based on scripture and have moved into humanistic psychologies which emphasize personal worth of the individual, the centrality of human values, and the dynamic nature of human beings. This means that Christian Counselling has by and large succumbed to self-help strategies that promote the idea that “at the heart we are all good people”. If you look at these 9 Personality types. None of these are bad or evil traits. All of these traits are good characteristics that when out of balance becomes bad. Therefore, if a Christian starts with this assumption, then they have already begun from an improper foundation. They have left the truth of scripture. Instead they have believed a lie.

This lie seeks to influence in a deception that basically we are all good and caring beings who just have different ways of living life. The false teachers are spreading a lie. This lie being told to Christians, is that they should seek to learn their personality type and isolate scripture that only addresses their personality. In focusing on the scriptures that apply to their personality types they can then overcome their shortcomings and be set free from bondage and become a good enough person to God.

Since all these personality types are actually positive types there is not need to address sin, or repentance. Instead you are a good person and only need to know what scriptures are needed to make you a better person. In being better you can become one with God and the universe. This is the ultimate goal of Buddhism. It is a state of complete bliss, liberation from the limitations and cares and desires of the physical world, and the end of the cycle of rebirth and suffering. This is referred to as Nirvana. Nirvana comes from “Moksha” from Jain literature and literally means liberation or salvation of soul. In order to achieve Karma.

The Eight Aspects of Karma are: of knowing, of seeing, of attachment, and concerning age, name, caste, feeling and obstacles.

There are four levels of Nirvana

Stream-Enterers – Those who have destroyed first three chains of life (false view of self, doubt, and clinging to rites and rituals)

Once-Returners – Those who have destroyed three chains of life and have lessened the chains of lust and hatred

Non-returners – Those who have destroyed five chains of life, which binds to the world of senses.

Arahants – Those who have reached Nirvana

Therefore, reaching of Nirvana (Karma) is breaking the Karmic cycles and liberating the soul from those temporal binds. This relieves us of such restrictions as age, sexual identity, marriage, family contructs, political influences, religious beliefs, patriotisms, ethnicities, right and wrong, ultimate truth, etc…

On the surface the lie seems to be ok, acceptable. After all what is wrong with someone learning how to identify who they are and how to become a better person? Surly we all want to live in harmony and not live in a world filled with hate and violence. See, that is a nice lie rolled up into a lie we can discuss later. But you can see how appealing the lie is. Furthermore, for you to not accept the lie then that makes you an enemy of humanity and selfish. You become the very evil of society because you do not accept the lie that they are telling you. You are hated because you are a hater, and if you are a hater as a bible-believing Christian, then Christians are haters and thereby hypocrites who do not even live by what they preach about loving one another. We already have Christians who are paralyzed by this false teaching and therefore refrain from church discipline or warning others about how the sins they live in is killing them. This is only the beginning of the trouble.

The problem is that we have a generation of young evangelical Christians who have been brought up into this humanistic theology at home, school, and in the church. Now we have a whole generation that does not know what the truth of scripture is. They see Christianity as a means of a moralistic mechanism that is practiced by a “good person”, or one seeking to be a “good person” instead of a means of restoring a lost relationship with God. With this view one has to be good enough for God to accept you. Others see the church as something therapeutic that is there to help them with psychological issues, marriage counselling, and the sort. Others see Christianity more of as a philosophy that has its own way of reaching enlightenment. By and large many Christians can no longer identify the core beliefs that make one a Christian. They are victims of improper discipleship. This leaves them susceptible to the lies of the whore Babylon and the One World Religion that has come into the world.

This humanistic approach to Christianity is contrary to scripture. What part? Glad you asked… the whole part is contrary to scripture. A Christian who teaches these things is a false teacher. If you are one who claims the title of being a Christian, then I would hope that this would be an obvious declaration to you. However, I am not ignorant. I know that there are many out there who claim to be Christians, but they have no idea what that means. For example, one might believe that a person is saved by “faith” and that would be a correct statement. So then that person says that they are a Christian because they believe in Jesus. But if we ask them, are all religions equal then they would say, “yes, as long as they have faith”. You see this is a humanistic view that is not supported by scriptural belief in Jesus Christ as the One True God. This then is a denial of, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3)

Jesus said that he is the Alpha and the Omega, he is the beginning and the end. Creation began with Jesus’ creating it. Creation will end with Jesus destroying it. He is the only one who has that authority. (Matthew 28:18-20) Because all power and authority has been given to him, we are to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and we are to make disciples in his name and teach then everything that he commanded. Surely as a good disciple you know everything that he commanded us to teach others, or at least you are in a good Sunday school and in regular church attendance so that you may learn everything he wants you to know. Second Timothy chapter three and verse sixteen tells us, “all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” (2 Timothy 3:16)

Listen very carefully to what Jesus says, “Sanctify them through thy truth: they word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through thy truth.” (John 17:17-23) This is part of a prayer that Jesus prayed for his disciple just before he was sacrificed to make atonement for sin. Sanctification comes through knowledge of the truth. The word of God, the scriptures contained in the cannon of the Holy Bible is the truth of Jesus Christ. We are sanctified through Jesus Christ. He is the only way that we receive sanctification. Why do we need sanctification?

We need sanctification because we are not good at heart. Maybe, in the original creation, we were good at heart. However, sin entered man through Adam. Since then we have not grown better over time and self-improvement techniques. Instead we have grown worse. “As it is written there is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10) Humanism says that you are basically good or righteous, or that you can be if you try hard enough and focus on your goodness. God says that will not work, because a lemon tree cannot produce grapes.

Within the first 1500 years of man’s existence the scriptures tell us, “it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.” (Genesis 6:6) Why was this? Because God say how wicked men had become. He saw that everything that man imagined, and desired in his heart, was evil. Man was depraved at his core. Man did not just make an error in the garden, he continued in error and like a rotten apple spoils the whole barrel, all of man was rotten. We have an old saying, “the blind leading the blind”. This means that both parties are doomed to fail because if the guide cannot see, there is no hope for those who are led by him. Why then would Christians who have the light allow themselves to be let astray by the false teachings of humanism? You see this is the blind leading the blind.

Man is now inherently evil in his heart; even a “good man”. Noah who built the ark and warning his neighbors of the impending judgement of God shamed himself, after being delivered from destruction by God, through getting drunk and passing out naked. Abraham a man who God called his friend and the father of Israel lied to protect himself from harm instead of trusting God. Lot committed incest. King David who is known for being “a man after God’s own heart” committed adultery and murder. The bible is full of “good men” who had were not good men. It is the mercies of God, who is good who saved them from themselves. Not their own will to overcome imperfection. The Apostle Paul said, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) Jesus himself said that there is none good but God. (Matthew 19:17) Mankind is gone astray and everyone is self-seeking, even the humanistic philosophers.

The 12 steps to AA and recovery are originally based in scripture. In Alcoholics Anonymous the first step to recovery begins with admitting to oneself that they are powerless over their addiction and their lives had become unmanageable. Romans 7:18 says, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” That means that although I would want to do good, I have no idea how to do good, because in my heart I am not good. Christian do you remember the day that you finally saw that you are not the good person you thought that you were? Do you remember when you realized that no matter how good you wanted to be, you could not look in the mirror for all the terrible things you did to yourself, to others, and to God?

That was the first step in actually becoming better. You realized that you could not do it. This is not humanistic. This is a revelation brought to you by being confronted with the truth in scripture. Sin is real. Sin leads to more sin. Sin leads to destruction of homes, family relationships, loss of friendships, jobs. It causes illnesses and eventually leads to death. “For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) This is truth. We know it is. We know by previous examples in our own lives the end result of sin. We can use that truth to cling onto the rest of this statement, “But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. This is the way to eternal life.

God had given us this gift of eternal life through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ paid for our sin debt. The debt of death. He did this with his own death. His death is a substitute for our death penalty. It would be like being convicted of a crime and then being sentenced to death. Then while you were on death row the guard suddenly opens the cell and say you are free to go. When you ask why, he takes you to the observation window of the lethal injection chamber. To our astonishment you see your big brother strapped to the table with needles in his veins, then he looks at you and says I am paying your debt because I love you. This is the same thing Jesus did for you. He literally died in place of you. That made you a free man. Free from the penalty of your sin.

Then Jesus rose from the grave. Well, he is God, you say. I would then agree, he is God. Thant in itself should move you, God himself died for you. But that is not all he did. He rose from the grave. He actually defeated death. Now, this gives you the ability to have eternal life through his resurrection. So what about today? Sin has been paid for, all sin. Death has been defeated, now there is no fear of death for the believer. Now Jesus had all authority in heaven, because he is God. He has all authority on earth, because he is the creator. He has all authority over the grave, because he vanquished death. There is something else that Jesus is still doing for you today. He is interceding for you before God the Father. Jesus is praying for you. “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” (Romans 8:34)

Romans 8:34 is such an awesome verse! Who is going to condemn those who believe in Jesus? Listen Jesus has set us free from the Law and Sin, and Death. He is the one who is judge of all creation. He has the authority to condemn, but why would he? He himself knows the penalty has been paid. By believing in him and him alone, you are a recipient of this free gift. So no, he will not condemn you. Paul says, instead of condemning you he is praying for you. He is on your side. He is earnestly paying attention to you for success. Now in scripture are there ways that we can become a better person, a better servant to God and to one another? Yes there is. But for the believer, you don’t need to identify your personality type to become a better person so that God will love you more. He already loves you enough that he died for you. He already loves you enough that he gives you the free give of this atonement. So we study the Word and grown in knowledge not of ourselves, but of the God who saves us. Why, because we want to know him better, not ourselves. We want to understand his love for us. We want to learn how to show that love to others, because we want them to know about his love. This is why we “sanctify” our selves. We set ourselves apart to be a useful servant in what he desires. What does he desire? “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, 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 3:8-10) God desires for everyone to repent, believing on Jesus and be saved from condemnation. He is patiently waiting for anyone who will believe.

What is your part in this? “How then shall they call on him whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14) This is what we should be doing. Instead of us being influenced by the humanistic One Word Religion, we should be influencing them with the truth of Jesus Christ by “preaching”. This is not talking about a preacher like we understand the preaching in the pulpit today. It is meaning that we should be declaring the truth of Jesus Christ in the scripture. Who cares about who we used to be? We are to tell who we are in Christ now. We are forgiven, we are free, we are in life, all because of the gift of grace demonstrated in Jesus Christ. Chris is our righteousness. We are justified before God because of Jesus Christ, not our own effort. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Go and teach them, not the other way around….

Election Day: What to pray for? Psalm 85

Well here we are, a little over 40 days until Election Day. Everyone in the United States knows that no matter who wins, the US will never be the same. Marxist and Communist are in positions of power and influence and openly run for high offices in a land where once the very mention of communist affiliation brought the possibility of imprisonment. Our youth has been successfully programmed away from the Lord God and the higher moral convictions of the Christian faith that founded this once great country. Now as atheism had taken over, we have lost our innocence from our youth, way too soon. History has been re-written and heroes of our republic have been removed and replaced with Marxist icons. We here stupid remarks form the “educated” college elites like, “History is written by the victors”. This is a quote once made by Winston Churchill which is essentially vade ad victor spolia, to the victor go the spoils. In using this quote, they mean to say that the ones who have lost in the great struggles of society have been cheated their voice and should have recompenses made of it. This is their war cry to tear apart society. Yet their very atheistic views concerning “survival of the fittest” demand that no such recompense be made. But that is another matter we can discuss another time.

Our moral compass has been misled by the strong magnetism of the atheist and their misleading and often untruthful sciences. We replaced the truth of God with the unproven theories, and speculations of mere men. We have stopped trusting in the truth of God for the known lies of men. In doing so we have lost our identity. We who are created in the very image of God and crowned above anything else in creation have succumbed to a lie that we are no more important then the animals that serve us for food, or entertainment. We have replaced the natural love of our children for the unnatural love of an animal. Many cherish their pets above their own children. In many public places in Europe and the US it is more tolerable to bring your pet to diner in a fine restaurant than it is to bring your children. You may think it funny when you see those commercials that depict this very thing on the television, but what you fail to see it the truth of what it shows. You also fail to see that you are being taught what this world system wants you to be.

With this new ideal of the lack of uniqueness of man, we have opened the door to the atheistic views of “survival of the fittest”. We no longer need to show compassion to anyone. Rather we can live to satisfy our own selfish desires. Since there is no God then there is no moral law giver. With no moral law there is no one who can judge me. If no one can judge me then no one can hold me accountable. If no one can hold me accountable, then no one can punish or reward me. I am the only one who can reward me. I am free to seek my reward at the expense of anyone around me because I answer to no one.

This is the society we have fallen to. No longer a society of care or concern for one another but one that is only concerned with what I can get out of others, and who can pay my way to fill my gluttony. It used to be that when we went down the highway and saw a vehicle disabled, that we would stop to render aid. Now we dare not even slow the car down for fear that we may get shot. Greed and violence has filled our culture to the point of brokenness. How far has sin taken our country, that we cannot even have an election without widespread mayhem. So, with all of this you may be asking what can we pray for concerning this election?

I think we may consider the words of the psalmist in Psalm 85 as a place to start. Bring us back, O God our savior, and stop being displeased with us! Will you be angry with us forever? Will your anger never cease? Make us strong again, and we, your people, will praise you. Show us your constant love, O Lord, and give us your saving help. (Psalm 85:4-7)

We can cry out to God with all our hearts and plead with him in our distress. We can cry out to the Lord to bring us back to the culture that sought after his face. Bring us back to being the ones who listened to the counsel of his Word. We can beg his anger to be withheld. We can pray for peace between us, the United States, and with Him, the one who first established our nation when it fled tyranny. We can seek his mercies to keep us from returning to a different tyranny.

We must start with a prayer of repentance. Today there is no one who takes responsibility for their own actions. There is no one who recognizes that God is the one who establishes the rulers of the land, and who gives them wisdom to rule. (Daniel 2:21) We must fall on our faces before God. I mean, lay to the prone and in great urgency, beg the Lord on behalf of ourselves, our neighbors, our churches, and our government in repentance. We must seek the forgiveness of the Lord for the idolatrous worship of the creation over the Creator. We have loved money, power, influence, sexual immorality, and ourselves more than we have loved Christ. I am speaking to the church. We would expect such behavior from the unsaved, but not from those who profess the name of Jesus Christ. We must be the first on our knees, and to lay prostrate.

We must plead as the psalmist, “Bring us back, O God our savior”. Jesus in the garden prayed in anguish to the Father, “Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” (Luke 22:42) We must pray and seek the will of the Lord. We can pray for this election and the events that may come from it. We can pray for the will of God to be accomplished in this election. We can also pray for our acceptance of his will. We must understand that he is in charge and his will, is what will be accomplished. We must be in acceptance of that will.

Looking again at Psalm 85 we can look forward in hope. It says, “ I am listening to what the Lord God is saying; he promises peace to us, his own people, if we do not go back to our foolish ways. Surely he is ready to save those who honor him, and his saving presence will remain in our land.” (Psalm 85:8-9) Isn’t it amazing! The Lord has an answer for us. We must listen to the Lord God! We, his own people, in Christ Jesus, are to be separate from the world. Not returning to the things that we were once delivered from.

The Apostle John writes a warning from God to us, “Nevertheless I have [somewhat] against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou are fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” (Revelation 2:4-5) We then should remember from where we have fallen, who we left behind, and turn away from those behaviors which led us astray. We are to return to the first works. The first works are those that have supreme importance.

The first commandment is to love the Lord your God above everything else. In Matthew 10:37 Jesus explains how deep our love for him should be. He said that if we love our closest family members more than we love him, then we are not worthy of him. That is the kind of love that the Lord desires from us. Then we are to love one another. We are to love one another in truth. We are to love one another sacrificially just like Jesus loved us. That means that we love genuinely. Genuine enough to counsel one another and yes… warn one another when we see that another is falling into sin. This is not a hypocritical judgement, but something that we are mandated to do in scripture. We are also commanded to love one another by praying for one another, encouraging one another, providing for one another. That is to freely give to one another the things that are needed with no expectancy of return. So, one of the first works is “love”. We need to return to an active love of God and of one another. Supporting one another with more than just words; making real sacrifices for the kingdom of God and one another.

Love of God is our supreme motivation and our first work. I know you are wondering, “why have you gotten so far off topic?” Well I needed to make sure that we are starting from the right place when we pray. Prayer is also one of the first works. I we look in the book of Acts when the Holy Spirit was given to the church, they were in earnest prayer. Looking through the gospels we see that Jesus was in constant prayer. When the early church made any decision on church business, or mission, or even in correspondences they prayed. This is a first work; pray. Many believers today in America do not pray on a daily basis, much less in continuously. Remember when you first got saved? Remember how you could not read enough scripture, or talk to God enough? Don’t you miss that time with God? We should return to consistent, unending prayer and fellowship.

What are we to pray for? Well, before we can pray for others, we need to first address our own standing with God. “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14) Wow! God seems clear that those who are called by his name are to repent, then he will heal their land. So, when we pray for these elections and our country we first, need to humble ourselves. Humble ourselves? Yes, we must not enter the throne room of God with an attitude that we are better then those we are praying for. What condemnation we would bring upon ourselves to walk in such arrogance before the Lord who judges the very hearts of men. He already knows the hearts of those you are praying for, he does not need you to tell him their shortcomings. He is aware of their stumbling blocks and yours. Love is your first work. We do not need to pray bad things to happen to those who are hijacking our country, we need to pray for a change of heart.

We then come humbly in the knowledge that it is Jesus Christ who has made it possible for us to enter his throne room. We seek his face because he is the one who establishes kings and countries. He is the on who has authority over the enemy. It is his kingdom that we seek and represent here on earth. Still we should stand for righteousness. Righteousness is what we pray for, for righteous men to be enthroned here in this office of the President, and at all levels of the government and in the bureaucracy of the United States before God. That wicked men and women will be removed from places of power and influence in our government, educational systems, and businesses. This includes all the way down to our municipal entities.

We pray for repentance of those who are leading this anti-God social agendas and that their salvation will bring a great testimony to all the nations, just as Saul’s salvation did in the early church. We can pray for men and women of righteousness who seek the goodness of the Lord will be raised up and put in places of power and influence in this country. We can pray for judges that uphold the scriptural foundations of our laws and constitution. We can pray for lawmakers of moral courage and of good conscience will be elected. We can pray for a populace that will suffer whatever is needed to bring forward the righteousness of God in this country. You see we are a very unique populace of citizens here in the United States, we can actually vote away our own freedoms, by electing the wrong people into places of power and influence because we desired a handout instead of honest work before God. So we must pray for those who vote and for those who chose to not vote, because we are all responsible to God on who is elected into our government at all levels. To say that a Christian is to not be involved in such matters is a great lie sold to us by the enemy. Where God has blessed us to have the opportunity to be an ambassador of His Kingdom we will surely be held accountable. We can pray for this cup to pass, and for us to accept his will. We can pray for righteous and blessed things to come from this election. We can look forward to peace. What?

Remember Psalm 85? In verse eight he promises us peace. Repentance of his people and of a nation defers wrath and brings peace with God. He is ready to save those who honor him. (v.9) Verse 10 says, “Love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will embrace.” God will actually look down hear; look down from heaven, show us mercy, and heal our land. More than that he will make the nations that fear him to prosper.

We don’t need to be in fear when we pray. We can have confidence in the Lord. He is God and therefore in control. He can hear us and wants to come to our aid. Let us pray that his will be done in love and in caring for one another. Let us pray for the repentance of our fellow citizens, and their return to God as a nation.

How Are Ye So Far Removed?

There is something that puzzles me greatly in the American churches. Lifeway Research and Ligonier Ministries partnered together to conduct a survey that they refer to as the State of Theology. Now this survey was conducted which included the results of 3000 Americans. This survey asked questions like:

• True or False: God is a perfect being and cannot make a mistake
• True or False: There is one true God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit
• True or False: God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam
• True or False: Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God
• True or False: Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God
• True or False: The Holy Spirit is a force but is not a personal being
• True or False: Even the smallest sin deserves eternal damnation

Now these are just a sampling of the questions that were asked in this survey. These questions can tell where an individual stands on these issues; and they are issues. These are the issues of life and death. What you believe on these affects your eternal fate.

We should expect that those who do not call themselves Christian should not believe in certain things that are in the bible. However, we should expect that “evangelicals” should believe what the bible says, and that the bible has authority over every other ancient and modern writings, philosophies, cultures, religions, or political and economic influences. While there is a wide difference in what people say that an evangelical is, the National Association of Evangelicals makes these distinctions to identify its members to the world.

• The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe.
• It is very important for me personally to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior.
• Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin.
• Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation.

An evangelical should not be defined on political, social, or cultural trends that are made up in American or world societies. They should be distinct and adhere to these basic beliefs at a minimum.

Historically evangelicals have shared a strong conviction that (1) it is their duty to convert others to be “born-again”, (2) it is their duty to actively express and demonstrate the gospel through missionary work and social reform programs, (3) they have typically taken the defense that the Bible is the ultimate authority on spiritual matters and obedience is a necessity, and (4) the historical crucifixion of Jesus Christ is what makes it possible for redemption of humanity.

It would seem then, that an evangelical is someone who confesses to believe in Jesus Christ for their savior and Lord. This survey shows that many evangelicals to not believe in basic biblical truths.
Many evangelicals do not believe:
• Jesus is God, Creator, and has always existed
• The bible and the information within it are accurate and true
• Even the smallest sin deserves eternal damnation
• Belief in Jesus is a requirement by God to receive eternal life
• The Holy Spirit is an equal part of the Trinity of God
• Hell is a real place where the unbelieving will be punished forever
• Jesus will return to judge all the people who have ever lived on earth
• Sex outside of marriage is a sin
• Abortion is a sin
• The Bible condemns homosexuality and all sexual immorality along with other sins

I cannot understand how those who say that they believe in the authority of scriptures can be so mislead that the very foundation of their belief is Jesus is in error. Paul the Apostle would have said, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; bur there be some that trouble you , and would pervert the gospel of Christ.” (Galatians 1:6-7) How is it that you who call yourselves followers of Jesus Christ, who have professed to believe the gospel are so far removed from the very truths you profess to believe. If you do not believe the gospel that was first delivered to you, and have taken on a new gospel, then you do not believe in the gospel of grace that was revealed to you.

This means that their faith would be in vain. John wrote, “but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31) Again he wrote, “This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.” (1 John 3:23) The question is, do you believe what was written for your benefit? We are given the scriptures so that we can know what it is that we should know about God and to know that what we believe is correct. If we are told in just these two samples of scripture that Jesus is the Son of God and, we are commanded to believe that he is the Son of God; then failure to believe means that we are lacking something very important in our faith. The truth that Jesus is God, and that he is the Son of God is a requirement of belief in Jesus that cannot be ignored. If we then do not believe in this, we are not believers in Jesus, and we are not saved. We have simply… NOT believed on the name of Jesus.

Scripture also tells us, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) It is just as simple and clear as that. You see God does have all authority. He has chosen that men can be saved in only one way, believe that Jesus is God and that he became flesh and died for men, that their sins may be forgiven. This is the only way, belief in Jesus. This is what believing in Jesus means, if you don’t believe everything the scriptures say concerning him, then you don’t believe in him, or in the authority of his name as the living Son of God.

The problem is that we have progressively listened to the serpent in the garden. When Satan tempted Eve in the garden, he made her to question the authority of the Word of God that she had received. Once this doubt was in her head, she was vulnerable to the rest of his attack. Here is the account of the temptation of Eve in the garden.

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. (Genesis 3:1-6)

In here we see somethings that we should take note of, as those who believe. The first is that the form that Satan had taken. He was in the form of a serpent. The serpent in creation was subject to Adam and should have been confronted and put in his place with the authority God had given to Adam. Instead of putting the serpent to silence Eve listened to him. Second, the serpent is described as more subtle. This means that he was very intelligent and quite crafty. Notice that his approach is to say “Yeah, hath God said”. Did God really say this? Surely God didn’t mean you could not eat of that tree… Right there he usurps the very words of God and pulls the authority associated with it into question. If what she thinks that God said is not what God actually said, then it may not be wrong to eat of every tree in the garden after all.
Thus, it is with society. The serpent had slowly taken away the belief that what God has given us in scripture is accurate. This has been done through philosophies, pseudo sciences, textual criticisms, false teachers, errant preachers, and teachers who do not teach the whole counsel of God, and cults. Worst of all is that there is a new English version of the Bible out every day it seems. With so many versions in just English alone then how can you know which is the word of God? These have eroded trust in the bible and those who wield it.

If the Bible is not accurate, it cannot be trusted. If it cannot be trusted, then it may that Jesus is not the only way to salvation. It could be that we could save ourselves. It could be that God cannot tell us what is right and wrong. It could be that there really is no heaven nor a real hell. It could be that we do not even need to be saved at all. Do you see the progression?

Still there is this verse that calls to us. “But these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” What things have been written that we may believe? Well that is the entirety of the Holy Bible. We are taught in the scriptures who God is. God is the creator, and as such he has supreme authority. In fact, his authority is beyond question. So, if God says something, it is fact and is trustworthy. If God caused 40 different authors located in three different continents over a span of almost 2000 years to reveal himself to us and to tell us something so urgent that we need to know, then shouldn’t we listen to it and take it for truth also?

These things are written so that you may believe… that seems like such an important statement. What then can we believe if we take the Bible as the authoritative Word of God. To start with we can believe that Jesus is God, and Creator. (John 1:1-3) Here the Apostle John tells us that Jesus is the living breathing Word of God. He says that Jesus was always with God from before the beginning because he is 100% God. John tells us that God did not make anything without Jesus, because Jesus is the one who created everything. So, in Genesis when it say, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth”, that was Jesus who did the creating. In the first few verses of Genesis we see all three parts of the Trinity of God at work. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all in existence, and in union together. (James 2:19; Deuteronomy 4:35; Deuteronomy 6:4) Here we see that there is only one God in existence. This sole God created everything we have ever known in our lives and in the history of mankind. The theory of evolution is just that a theory. In fact, there are three different theories of evolution in existence today and they have all changed over time, as new science if brought out. This new science is more and more proving the Genesis narrative of creation.

Jesus as God has always existed. Since he has always existed, he was not created. Instead, he was the one who created everything. This gives him full authority over all of creation. This means that everything else written in the Bible is true also. So later when John also writes to us, “and the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…” (John 1:14), that this same Jesus, who is the Word, who is God, became a man and then walked among us. You see, Jesus was not a man who became God. There is no place in the bible where a man has ever become God. Neither is there anything written in the bible that says any other spirit, angel, or creature became God. There is only one God. No other God has ever existed. Anyone who tells you that you can become a god, or that Jesus is one of many Gods is telling a lie, from Satan. By the way, Satan is not a God either.

This Jesus, who is God in the flesh, walked among us and did teach many things about God, and how we should live, and what heaven is all about. He also taught us what hell is like. He affirmed the scriptures that tell us that God is a God of justice and he pours out his wrath on the unrighteous (sinful and rebellious). But Jesus also let us know of the great love and mercy that God has. Jesus was not just a great teacher of spiritual truths, he was the embodiment of the truth of God. This same creator who originally breathed life in to the first and every man since creation, also came to ensure that we can have eternal life in the presence of God. He was perfect and did not sin. Then Peter tells us this Jesus “who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes you were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24) Why did he do this? Love. God loves you.

We cannot earn our way into heaven. We cannot buy our way into heaven. We cannot be a good person at heart and gain our way into heaven. Romans 6:23 tells us that “the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” So here we are. We have all sinned in some way. Even if we had not the original sin of rebellion that was passed down from Adam, we have all still sinned. That is evident in our life. If does not matter how insignificant we may think our sin is, or even if we do not think it as a sin. If we have murdered, or if we have just told a little white lie or taken a pen from the office stationery at work, it is still a sin. The cost for that sin is death. Death is the result of failing to meet the standard of God. Because God is so holy, things that are not holy cannot enter his presence. Jesus made the way for man to enter the presence of God. He took that price of sin, the debt you owe, and paid it. Jesus died in your place. Jesus died, no one else. There was no angel, no ancestor or yours, no saint, and certainly no devil that stepped in and took the shame of your sin and bore it on their shoulders and died because of. That is why Jesus is the only way to heaven.

Then something happened to attest to us that Jesus is indeed God. He overcame death. Only God can defeat death because only God has the power and authority to. You see, death did not come into existence until after the fall of man. The fall of man did not happen until after the creation. God was before the creation. Jesus is the creator. God is the only one who can bring man back to God. Since there is only one God, he sent a piece of himself, as Jesus, for the specific purpose of redeeming us and all of creation back to himself. Jesus came, died, was buried, and rose from the dead, then he ascended to heaven where he resides waiting to return to take possession of the earth. But, to take possession, he will have to judge all of creation. Love is what keeps him on his throne in heaven. It is the will of God that no one should perish in hell. He desires that all should be saved. So, he is giving you every opportunity to live. You see in we are deceived by the devil so easily because we like to sin.
Let us go back and visit John again. John 3:16 is one that everyone loves to quote, the believer and the unbeliever also. But we never seem to get past to the other verses that accompany it. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” (John 3:16-21)
God does love. God did sacrifice his only Son for this love. God does require that you believe on this sacrifice and honor the name of his son, Jesus. Salvation is a free gift given to those who believe. But, did you catch the latter verse? “…but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” The ones who do not believe are already condemned; not chosen to be condemned. No, these are already condemned because of their own lack of belief. They have chosen to “not“ believe and chosen to reject Jesus, because they love their sin to death. That is why we are so easily deceived. We love the darkness. Only those who love the light, receive the truth.
What should we do then? “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19) Well, we should repent. Repentance must come before salvation. Repenting is a confessing to God that His ways are perfect and that you are not. You agree with his authority to say what is acceptable and what is not. Then confessing those things to him that you agree are not acceptable, those things we call sin. Confessing to lay those down and to never return to them again. Luke 13:3 tells us that except we repent… we will die. Repentance is first. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) Confession is a part of repentance.
We do not need to confess to a man, in fact in some cases it may be better not to. Confession is made to God, it is him of whom you are believing in, not a man. So, then repentance and confession are made to Jesus Christ. Romans 10:9 tells us, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” The key here is to believe. Believing on Jesus is a choice. It is a choice and not a feeling. You are choosing to believe what the scriptures have said about God, and Jesus as the Son of God, and the sacrifice he made for you. This is what we call faith. We believe, not because we have seen, but because the trust that what God has said in the Bible is accurate and trust worthy. Without this giving of our trust in the truth of God and Jesus, then it is impossible to receive salvation. “But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) It does not matter if you call yourself a Christian already, what matter is does Jesus know who you are?

Jesus said, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:22-23) Paul, one of Jesus’ apostles, tell us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. We need to make sure of what we believe and why we believe it.

If you are not yet ready to believe, keep seeking him through his scripture, the Holy Bible. The Bible is what God has chosen to reveal himself to us by. Do not be a fool. There is no need to look anywhere else to seek God. Find a church, get into Sunday School, and attend a Pastor’s class or two and study earnestly in your bible. When your ready, ask God, and he will reveal himself to you.

Bibliography
Ligonier. (2020, 09 08). The State of Theology. Retrieved from thestateoftheology.com: https://thestateoftheology.com/?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTkdFeFl6RTRZemcwTmpGaiIsInQiOiJMVnBwTmQwNEs3blk0TW5oZ054ZGRuV2pTUnBibXcxdUxkSHlQU2hDQWxvU1RDamw4dmUrakRPa0ZcLzAyTlp3WDFFaDUxR0lHUmNUa0Q2cUZSRGZ1clJ5Q29WSWZNeXVmN1JGZHh4M2NMZldFMndEVHQ4Mzd0YzZ2RXZtMk1Jc0EifQ%
National Association of Evangelicals . (n.d.). What is an Evangelical. Retrieved from nae.net: https://www.nae.net/what-is-an-evangelical/

Overcome Because Greater is He – 1 John 4:2-4

Is the Spirit of the Antichrist in Turkey?

Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:2-4)

In the early church the spirit of the antichrist was very evident in Rome. Emperor Nero systematically rounded up Christians and put them to death in very grotesque and very public executions. The Christians were shunned and marginalized in Roman society because their beliefs did not fit in with mainstream Roman culture. This identity given to Christians as being less of a person and a person to be ridiculed made it easy for them to become the emperor’s scapegoat. The dehumanization of the Christians in Rome made it easier for the Roman citizens to accept and participate in these horrible acts committed against their own brothers and sisters of Rome.

You see in the summer of AD 64 approximately three quarters of the city of Rome had burned. The prevailing suspicion was that Nero himself had ordered the arson in for his own amusement, or for his plans of revitalizing Rome, buy getting rid of the slums of Rome. Either way, the citizenry was up in arms, and Nero needed to deflect the attention from himself. He therefor pointed the finger to the Christians. After all they were the ones who claimed that Rome was wrong in its Idolatry, sexual immorality, and in many other ways they just didn’t fit in with aspects the liberal Roman society. Public announcements were made. Christians were the enemy of the state. Historian Cornelius Tacitus (56-120 BC) wrote in The Annals concerning the Great Fire of Rome.

44.2. Yet no human effort, no princely largess nor offerings to the gods could make that infamous rumor disappear that Nero had somehow ordered the fire. Therefore, in order to abolish that rumor, Nero falsely accused and executed with the most exquisite punishments those people called Christians, who were infamous for their abominations.

44.3. The originator of the name, Christ, was executed as a criminal by the procurator Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius; and though repressed, this destructive superstition erupted again, not only through Judea, which was the origin of this evil, but also through the city of Rome, to which all that is horrible and shameful floods together and is celebrated.

44.4. Therefore, first those were seized who admitted their faith, and then, using the information they provided, a vast multitude were convicted, not so much for the crime of burning the city, but for hatred of the human race. And perishing they were additionally made into sports: they were killed by dogs by having the hides of beasts attached to them, or they were nailed to crosses or set aflame, and, when the daylight passed away, they were used as nighttime lamps.

44.5. Nero gave his own gardens for this spectacle and performed a Circus game, in the habit of a charioteer mixing with the plebs or driving about the race-course. Even though they were clearly guilty and merited being made the most recent example of the consequences of crime, people began to pity these sufferers, because they were consumed not for the public good but on account of the fierceness of one man. (Westmont.edu, n.d.) (Clayton, 1947)

Christians in the Roman Empire were ostracized from society by:

They were accused of atheism because they did not accept emperor worship, nor polytheism.

The were generally form the poorer sections of society

Christianity was put on the list of illicit sects a little after 50 AD

Christianity was declared illegal in 64 AD

They were accused of secret immoral worship ceremonies that included cannibalism, incest, and bestiality

They were considered social radicals because their beliefs were at odds with acceptable Roman practices and indulgences

This edict of Emperor Nero started 120 years of open, socially acceptable, state sponsored terrorism on Christians. This would include the martyr of many Christians. Some estimate the number of Christians martyred to be up to 2 million. This would also include the martyrdom of the apostles Peter and Paul.

Just as Rome made a step-by-step approach to the eventual attempted genocide of Christians for political purposes, in the past; we see modern day Turkey using the Christians as a means of attempting to reestablish the Caliphate. In a purposeful process Turkish Christians are being used as a scapegoat for failed governmental policies and actions. “Turkey’s Christians are becoming a welcome scapegoat for Ankara. Erdogan has miscalculated on various fronts in Syria and Libya and is now looking for someone to serve as a distraction.” (DW, 2020)

Turkey is in the process of becoming a Sunni Muslim state. As a part of this state sponsored movement and its anti-Christian theology Turkey has refused the readmittance of protestant ministers into the country. Posted anti-Christians slogans on billboards, and bus stops and recently mandated that all Christians leave Turkey in 10 days. This mandate includes American or other nationalities that are married to Turkish citizens, even if they have children. This divides families and even mother’s and nursing babies. The Hagia Sophia (God’s Holy Wisdom) is a Christian church that once served as the center for Orthodox Christianity, and is also designated by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site has been converted to a Mosque and the ancient mosaics inside are now in danger of being lost forever. This makes the 3^rd Byzantine era Christian church to be recently converted to a mosque. This is part of a larger step that Islamic leaders see in reestablishing the caliphate that includes the overtaking of Athens, Greece and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.

This is the spirit of the antichrist. It is spread all across the globe. Even in America we see that recently a nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska was persecuted by Sens. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and Kamala Harris, D-California whose questioning reasoned that a Christian could not hold a public office. Fox news reported that on campuses throughout the United States, Christians are openly ridiculed with hate speech and false accusations by academics, social groups, and organizations. (Ingle, 2019)

Christians are being accused of being insensitive, hypocrites during the COVID-19 pandemic because of issues with church closures, preaching of condemnation from sin, judgement from God and other twisting of Christian values and ethics. Christians who meet in in-person services are blamed in the media for the furtherance of the spread of the Corona Virus. Christians in America have been marginalized as church services and ministry positions have been deemed unnecessary and non-essential. Church member have been fined and pastors arrested for acting within their 1^st amendment rights. The 1^st Amendment of the Constitution of the United States reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridg-ing the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” (Constitution Cente) No law is supposed to be made to prohibit the free exercise of religion, curtailing the freedom of speech, or the right of peaceable assembly. Moreover, it is the right of the people to request the government to account for overreach of authority. But these things are to come. We know this because we were told of these things by Jesus Christ himself. Jesus said in this world we would have tribulation.

We can read in the 24^th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus warns us. We will be delivered up to be afflicted, and killed. We will be hated by all nations. Many will be offended by us, and by him (Jesus). We expect these things. Many of the old Baptist preachers used to preach on a regular basis of the suffering of the saints and the expected persecutions that we will endure. They used to tell us how we should look forward to pains of self-sacrifice for Christ. Peter and some of the other Apostle when imprisoned and beaten rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Christ. (Acts 15: 40-41) Paul himself recounts how he multiple times he was spat on, beaten, stoned, imprisoned, shipwrecked and endured many more sufferings for the cause of Christ over decades of service.

Today we have gotten to far away from that. We have dropped our spiritual guards as it were. Our eyes have stopped looking to God. Our lips do not open for our afflicted brethren. Instead we pray for a new car, or a new house. Maybe we pray for God to let our favorite team to win the game. How superficial are our prayers? Our knees fail to bend to the Lord God. We no longer seek the will of God in our lives, but our will in Gods. We have lost our salt. Instead of being a good and faithful servant who wisely invests the resources and time of his master, we have become selfish, and lazy. We seek our own comfort over the mission to which we have all been appointed to by Jesus Christ. We are to be his ambassadors and to speak of his name at every opportunity, boldly declaring his mercy. We know the signs. We know that the time of salvation is now. We know that as it draws closer to the end of the age, that persecutions will get worse. I wish to encourage you though.

The Lord God is over all of creation. He is infinite. That means that he is totally self-existing. He has no beginning. There is no point in which he did not exist. Because of this, he has no ending. There will never be a point in which he does not exist. He is before all things and holds all things together (Colossians 1:17) God is immutable. That means that he never changes. Since God never changes that means that who he is never changes. His love never changes. His righteousness never changes. His WORD never changes. He simply IS who he IS. He himself said, “I the LORD do not change.” (Malachi 3:6) Because God never changes, he is ever faithful. So when scripture says that the mercies of the Lord endures for ever; that is what He does. (Psalm 16:1; Psalm 136)

He remembers our lowly estate. He remembers that we are created by him. He remembers that we are broken because of sin. He remembers that we are not as faithful as he is. He remembers that we have limitations to our endurance. He remembers that way to often we are weak and self-centered. Yet his mercy endures. He commands his love towards us. That means despite it all, he chooses to love us each day, each moment. It is his grace that is sufficient for us; not our own working. His love does not depend of who we are, but who he is. He gives us of himself. He gives us victory over the world and over the antichrist. God told us through the writings of the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:18, “I will be a father to you, and you shall be the sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” John says, “See what king of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called the children of God; and so we are.” (1 John 3:1) This special honor is for those who believe and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as savior and as Lord. (John 1:12) By this truth we have already overcome the world and the antichrist.

We have already been delivered from death to life. Because of this we do not need to fear the antichrist nor the world. They can only kill the body, not the spirit. This body must be shed because it is corrupted. We know that if you put a rotten apple in a barrel with good apples, in short order the good apples will rot. So it is the same with the kingdom of Heaven. Corruption cannot enter in. So we must be removed of this rotten body and be given a new one. This happens in the resurrection. Since Jesus was raised from the dead, we know that we also will be risen from the dead, because scripture says that we will be like him. This is our hope in the future. But it is not our only source of joy.

We must remember that the Lord is ever present, and that he is always by our side. He is not estranged from our afflictions, nor unaware of the presence of our enemies; for our enemies are his enemies. In fact, they are our enemies because we are his. So, it is not that he assumes our enemies for us. Instead, his enemies assume us as enemies. That means that he is obligated to respond on our behalf. This brings us to an awesome point in scripture, “For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” (Deuteronomy 20:4) Even more we know that we are overcomers because all temptation is common to mankind. There is no new temptation of trial that a man has not ever endured before. God will not leave you to be tempted beyond what your capable of handling; instead, he provides a way to escape it. This gives us another advantage in enduring. (Philippians 1:29)

Here is a secret. You who are believers in the death, burial, and resurrection already have everything you need to have this victory. Read what John wrote, “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:1-4) Paul again tells us in Romans 8:1, “Thee is therefor now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Faith in Jesus is our secret to eternal life. Faith in Jesus is our secret to overcoming the world. Faith in Jesus is our secret to enduring trial, tribulations, and persecutions.

We can see that (1) Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ (Son of God) is come in the flesh is from God. (2) Those spirits who do not confess Jesus Christ (Son of God) are from the Antichrist, not God. This includes Muslims, Hindus, Atheist, Gnostics, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, and more. (3) We were for warned that this evil spirit would come and that it was actually already here. This would probably be better to understand is we said that the spirit of the antichrist is already here and will continue to be here, gaining influence and power. (4) We are the children of God – see point one. (5) Because we are the children of God we have already received victory through our faith in Jesus – see point one. (6) The Spirit who resides in us is bigger, stronger, and of more authority and might then the spirit that is in the world (spirit of the antichrist-see point two).

Now that we have nothing to fear in life or death we are free to truly live for Christ. We can love others because we have been loved of God. We can forgive others because we have been forgiven by God. We do not need to fear sickness, or death because God has already given us eternal life. We do not need to worry about earning it, or losing it, because it was a gift by a self-sufficient God who needs absolutely nothing from us. We can turn our attention to our suffering brothers and sister. We can get involved in the nitty gritty of standing up for them.

Our duty is to seek the Lord on their behalf. We are to send them relief. We are to provide them the resources that they need to endure. They need food, water, clothes, bibles, financial and legal support. These are things we can do. These are totally biblical things we can do. How can we say that we love them and not assist them? Paul went on a circuit from gentile church to gentile church bringing money and other resourced gather from the route back to the persecuted church at Jerusalem. This was not a church tax, it was a benevolence given to the saints in Jerusalem that would have starved without it. Many of the Mediterranean churches members gave sacrificially to this relief effort.

We can get involved with the political and legal processes available to us, especially here in the United States. Paul himself used his Roman citizenship, his Jewish standing, and his legal wit to advance the gospel and to curtail the efforts of the overreach of local authorities and even governors and kings. We have the right to exercise our votes in the House of Representative, and the Senate at state and federal levels. We need to get involved and ask candidates for the President of the United States, Governor, and even the Mayors office how they will represent us as Christians. We need to know where they stand on abortion, or on sexually immoral practices, the role of the judge and their view of the division of powers in the Constitutions of our States and the United States of America. We need to know how their policies on policing, foreign aid, and humanitarian relief for Christians throughout the world.

We also must not forget that this battle is a spiritual one. So we must be educated on the Word of God in order to know the will of God. The will on God is not a feeling, or a dream of vision that came to us in the middle of our routine eyelid maintenance. The will of God is that none should perish, but that all should have everlasting life. We must be active in evangelism, the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the education of the disciple. We must pray without ceasing. By that I mean real heartfelt prayer for believers, leaders of government, missionaries, pastors, deacons, and more.

Bend you knees, lay prostrate before the God who is above all. Plead with your heart for this and the other nations of the world. Pray for those who are now locked up in cells for the testimony of Jesus Christ. Pray for the conversion of those who oppress our brothers and sisters. Have joy knowing that you are an overcomer. Have joy that the God who created the universe hears your prayers and listens intently to the sorrows of your heart. He has an open ear for your prayers because you love his Son, Jesus Christ. He can hear you because of your faith. Your faith in Jesus had accounted you as a righteous believer. He hears you. You are victorious.

Bibliography

Clayton, F. W. (1947). Tacitus and Nero’s Persecution of the Christians. Classical Quarterly, 41, 81-85. Retrieved 7 16, 2020, from http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_s0009838800026082

Constitution Cente. (n.d.). The Constitution of the United States . Retrieved from constitutioncenter.org: https://constitutioncenter.org/media/files/constitution.pdf

DW. (2020, June 23). Opinion: Christians a Welcome Scapegoat in Turkey. Retrieved from DW.COM: https://www.dw.com/en/opinion-christians-a-welcome-scapegoat-in-turkey/a-53918937

Ingle, D. K. (2019, February 27). Opinin: Christian Persecution not just happening overseas — many in us targeted for their faith too. Retrieved from Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/christian-persecution-not-just-happening-overseas-many-in-us-targeted-for-their-faith-too

Westmont.edu. (n.d.). Tacitus and Piney On the Early Christians . Retrieved from Westmount.edu: https://www.westmont.edu/~fisk/articles/TacitusAndPlinyOnTheEarlyChristians.html

Jacob and Redemption in Christ (Genesis 35:10)

“And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.” (Genesis 35:10)

The name Jacob means “seizing by the heel”. Jacob was named this because when Jacob and Esau were born, they were born as twins. Even in the womb they struggled against one another. Esau came out first which meant that he was the eldest and that he would have the inheritance of his Father. Blessings would have been bestowed on him, as the first born, that far exceeded the blessings received by his younger brother Jacob. Jacob was born holding onto the heel of Esau, as if trying to stop him from being born first. Now this is probably just a little of my mind running into fantasy, to imagine that an infant would know of such things as inheritances and birthrights from the womb. However, the fact that these two fought with one another in the womb is documented in the scriptures.

There is another meaning to the name Jacob, supplanting. Supplanting is defined as to replace, displace, supersede, or to take the place of another, as through force or scheming. We would consider this deception. So much so that Jacob’s name has become to be called “deceiver”. Jacob had most definitely lived up to his name. In his younger life Jacob tricked his older brother, Esau, into selling his birthright to Jacob for a pot of chili. He took advantage of his brother in his weakened state and took away his future as the air to Isaac and the promises of God inherited from Abraham. Later Jacob would deceive Isaac into bestowing the greater blessings of God onto him instead of his older brother. He did this through an elaborate scheme that involved many levels of deception and lying.

Yet the inheritance had been passed on and so had the blessings been given to Jacob because of his scheming and deceptions. God is honorable and faithful, so he keeps his word to Abraham, and Isaac in honoring their designation of Jacob as the heir and patriarch of the family. These events were not a surprise to God. He even predicted that these events would transpire. When Rebecca, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother, was feeling the struggling in her womb, before their birth, she asked God why this was happening. God’s reply is recorded in Genesis 25:23, “And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger”. Thus God gave Rebecca a prophecy concerning not only her sons, but the nations that would descend from each of them. Still we look at Jacob and we say to ourselves, “what a despicable man he was”.

What kind of selfish, arrogant man would lie, steal, and cheat their own family brother out of what was rightfully his? Who would be so selfish to tear his family apart for his own desires? What kind a callous heart it must take to deceive the father that had protected and cared for you your whole life. What a shameful display of arrogance to take advantage of the blind, and elderly. Only a dishonorable, opportunistic man takes advantage of the hungry and feeds them with such devastating deception? We can point the finger all day long at Jacob; can we not? Still we must be honest enough to see a little of Jacob in us as well.

Have some of us not deceived others for our own gain? Have some of us not told a little lie to ease the harshness of the truth in our selfishness? Mother’s hide snacks from the children. Children seem to never know “who broke the lamp or got into the cookie jar”. Husbands and wives lying to one another about where they have been, what they were doing, who they were doing it with. Shaving a little time here and there at work, stealing from their employers. Maybe false reporting on earned income for taxes, or other things of like these. There are countless ways that we put our own selfish desires ahead of others and lie and deceive others to get ahead. We deceive others by omitting information, denying the truth, exaggerating information, and even fabricating information.

There is even a definition for using “true” statements to give a false or distorted view of the truth in order to influence the impressions of other and mislead their decision making. This is referred to as paltering. If you have ever watched syndicated news or a politician, you have probably been a victim of such a ploy. My dad used to always tell me that if someone asked you a question, always tell them the truth, but; don’t tell them any more than they asked for. That is sound advice from someone who is trying to tell themselves that they are an honest man, who does not want someone getting the wrong impression from knowing the whole of the truth.

Let me further illustrate. One night, when I was a teen, I borrowed my step-mom’s car. I ended up getting in an accident and I totaled the car. When my dad asked why I was driving, I told him I just wanted to go see a friend. That was the truthful answer to his question. What I didn’t include was that I was going to see a friend that my dad had told me to stay away from. You see I did not tell him that I was in disobedience of his wishes. This lie saved me from a severe punishment. I am sure you can find in you past some kind of half-truth you have told to get away with something or to avoid chastisement.

We are not so far from the shameful actions of Jacob, are we? You see we are a namesake to our father. We lie because that is what we know how to do. Jesus said, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is not truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a lair, and the father of it.” (John 8:44)

Jacob lied because he was carnal. He was of the kingdom of Satan. One of the Hebrew names for the devil is cheater. This also carries the following synonyms: deceitful, deceiver, fraudulent, swindler. See when we act in these manners, we are also acting like Jacob. Jacob was acting out his sinful nature, given to him at the beginning by the fall of man, by the deception of Satan. We also are a product of this sinful state. We do not know what it means to truly be “good”. We could care less about trying to be good. Like Jacob, we are also of our father the devil, there is no truth in us. The good news is that God already knew this about Jacob, and he already knows this about us. God already had a plan for Jacob that started before he was in the womb.

God told Jacob, “thy name shall not be called any more Jacob”. God removed Jacob’s identity. He removed the shame associated with the name of Jacob. Jacob, had left his home for 20 years, running from the things he had done in his past. Now God was giving him a second chance at life. A life that would be far greater than the one he had left behind. God not only took his old name away; he gave him a new name. This name would be a greater name then the one he previously had. He was given a clean slate and a new promise and a new way of life. A life that would bring the promises of God to bear in his life, the life of his descendants, and the lives of everyone in the world. God would fulfill his promises to Abraham. This is such a great picture of what Christ has done for those who believe on him.

Revelation 2:17 tells us a promise made by God. He says, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.” Isn’t that awesome, we have a new name in Christ. We have a new identity that is given to us by God himself. This name is holy to the Lord. Only you and the Lord will know your new name. Your slate has been wiped clean. You have a new identity. You are no longer the shameful creature held in bondage by sin and death. Instead you will be alive like never before. You will eat of the blessings of God and be called by a new name, a redeemed soul!

The Apostle Paul also tells us about this when he writes to the Corinthians. Paul tells us that anyone who believes and follows Jesus Christ is a new creature. He uses the verb “is”, it has already happened. The old person we used to be and all the things we did in the past are gone. Everything about us has become new in Christ. Paul tells us that this process if part of our reconciliation to God. This is only possible through the blood of Jesus Christ, who was made sin for us. Jesus was the righteousness of God. He was guilty of no sin. However, he accepted the blame and penalty for our sin. In this way, our sin was transferred to him, and his righteousness was accounted towards us. (2 Corinthians 5:17-21) Now, John says, not only are we forgiven, but we have a new heavenly Father. (1 John 3:1)

Now with this new identity, and this new Father, we can be like him instead of our previous father. We no longer must submit to the will of the flesh and Satan. We are set free from that previous live and now obey our spiritual Father in Heaven. Just as Jacob no longer had to live under the shame of his previous life, but instead could live a victoriously and blessed in his new life, we can also live a blessed and victorious life in Jesus Christ. We have been redeemed, not because of what we did or even our own will. We have been redeemed because of what God did of his own will, because he loved us even when we were his enemy. But now, we who live in faith in Jesus Christ are no longer his enemies.

We are his son’s and daughters. We are his ambassadors. We are the witness of his love and his grace. If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God who came and took the blame for your sin, and died in your place. Knowing in your heart that his death paid the price for your sin, and you believe that he was resurrected on the third day, then you have eternal life. Now that your eternal salvation is secure in Christ, you need to testify to that end. You need to take your first step in obedience and be baptized by emersion. Baptism is not necessary for salvation, but it is necessary in your testimony. Baptism is recognized throughout the world as a mark of believing in Jesus Christ.

Anne Askew and Transubstantiation

On this day, June 18^th, 1546, Anne Askew was convicted of heresy after being tortured for her outspoken beliefs on the false doctrine of transubstantiation. She is one of only two women who have been tortured in the Tower of London and then burned at the stake. On, July 16, 1546 Anne Askew was martyred for her Baptist faith in Smithfield, London. She had refused to recant her witness under extreme torture of the rack. This torture has so disfigured her body that she had to be transported to the stake via a wheel chair.

Transubstantiation is the belief that during the communion of the Lord’s Supper, the bread and wine actually become the spiritual blood and body of Christ. This teaching has no doctrinal proof found in scripture. In scripture at what we call “the Last Supper”, which took place on the Jewish Passover, Jesus instituted the “Lord’s Supper” as a memorial service that is to remind us that sin causes death, and he sacrificed himself to pay the debt of sin for us. His death is what brings us life. His body was broken and his blood spilled out on our behalf. Jesus calls this process exchanging his death for ours, the New Covenant. (Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20; John 13:1-7) It is his blood that the New Testament is written in. His blood was shed for the remission of sins. The wine is to remind us of this blood that he poured out for us. In Luke 22:19, Jesus himself says, “Do this in remembrance of me”. Clearly this is meant as a symbolic ceremony to ensure that we do not forget that the Son of God himself gave his life for ours. Much like we put flowers of a grave to remember a loved one who has passed. The flowers do not become the loved one, nor do they become the center of affection.

I know that this is hard for some believers to accept. So let’s take a look at what Paul writes when he spoke to the Corinthians. For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

You see the Corinthians had a misunderstanding of what the “Lords Supper” was also. This came from their pagan beliefs. They were mixing pagan rituals into the ordinances of the church. Paul addresses these by clarifying the purpose of the ceremony. First, the apostle says that he is passing on to then exactly what he was received directly from the Lord. In these few sentences Paul says that this ceremony is for a “remembrance”, just like Jesus did. The purpose “remembrance of me (Jesus)”… “to show the Lord’s death until he returns”.

We do not conjure up the Lord, as if any man could conjure the living God, and then force him to be re-sacrificed on our behalf. The epistle to the Romans say, “Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.” (Romans 6:9-10) Something very important is revealed in this passage. Sin is payed for. Since Jesus died for sin, and then rose from the dead, sin has no hold on him, or those who believe on him. He lives to God. We who believe in him, so likewise, live unto him (Jesus Christ) and so then to God. We are alive already, in Christ. Sin no longer has the ability to hold us under the bondage of death. This is why we do not need to fear death. This is why Anne Askew did not need to fear death. Taking of the communion does not wipe away our sins each time we partake of it. Instead it is a reminder that our sins have already been wiped away, once and for all times. “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness” (Romans 6:18).

Our problem is that we are still in this corruptible flesh. Because we are in this flesh, we do not see the spiritual realm around us. We cannot see the glorified Christ yet. We need to be reminded of our hope. When we forget God and his grace, we tend to walk away from him. This has been demonstrated in the history of Israel. It has likely been demonstrated in your own life history also. God knows this and in his love, he instituted this memorial service, not just to remind us that he died, but that he arose and is returning! “Ye do show the Lord’s death till he come”; what an excellent reminder to us to not give up the hope that we have inside. We then can endure the horrible tortures of the rack like Mrs. Askew, if we, like her, keep the knowledge that Jesus lives, and he is returning for us.

An Encouragement from Psalm 135:6-7

In Psalm 135:6-7 it reads, “Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places. He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries. “

What a great display of the power and majesty of God. He is over all creation, because he is the creator. He orchestrated all of these things from the very foundation of the universe. He has the power to control the rivers, seas, air, and the earth. He controls the comet, gives light to the stars, and does all kinds of marvelous things that we cannot see with our eyes. Yet in Matthew 10:29-30 it tells us that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without our heavenly Father knowing.
He knows us so well that he has numbered the very hairs on our heads.

Colossians 1:17 says, “And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” He created and sustains all things, living or dead. This same God who created everything, sustains everything, and numbered the hairs on you head, cares for you also. I echo what he told us in John 14:1-3, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me (Jesus).” He loves and cares for you. I speak to you who believe on Jesus Christ for encouragement. Some of us are literally going through a storm right now. God is there. Some are dealing with a loss pf income, job, finances, food, a loved one; God is there. Some are dealing with disease, fears and anxieties, even thoughts of suicide or of harming yourselves; God is there. Where ever your dark place is right now, or what ever you are struggling with, Jesus Christ is there with you.

“Let us arise, and go up to Bethel (the house of God); and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.” (Genesis 35:3) Isn’t this awesome to know that we can go to the house of the LORD and plea before his alter and know that he will listen, and answer us? In our day of distress we can bring ourselves to his altar and just lay it all out there, and trust in him to handle what we cannot. Something more important for us to understand. His deliverance may not be what you think. Here we see God is praised because he walked through the difficulties with Jacob. God led Jacob through his distresses. Even when Jacob was not obeying God, God still sought to guide Jacob, and to give him counsel.

The previous verse says, “Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments.” (Genesis 35:2) Jacob knew that in order for God to be able to fully bless us, he and everyone in his house and who traveled with him would have to stop chasing other Gods and lean only on the one true God. Let us take the same example, stop pursuing other Gods. Submit to the ONE GOD the Father, through Jesus Christ. Since I am talking to Christians, then you have already professed that he is the LORD. So let us observe him and respect him as our loving LORD who cares for us. Let us trust him. Let us bring our concerns to him and offer ourselves as a clean sacrifice, and accept his will for us. Let us, let him walk with us through the trials, this is our deliverance! Let us rejoice in this time where the God of creation is so near to us, taking our hand, and leading us. Let us be in observance of his love and guidance. We are not alone. We are being held by the creator and sustainer of the universe. Amen

Is the Rapture True?

Is the Rapture True?

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Podcast Version

I was asked about a YouTube video concerning the doctrine of the rapture. The video was made by a pastor, and tells that the doctrine of the Rapture is a Satanic doctrine. He states that the Rapture Theory started in the 1830s by a woman named Margaret McDonald. Mrs. McDonald had a dream that she thought was an evil dream. She shared this dream with two preachers and then they turned it into the Rapture Theory. His argument is that there are no reference works regarding the rapture prior this event. He states that the manuscripts, which we study from, never mention the word rapture. This is a brief explanation that he gives, but you can see the arguments that he uses to say that there is no rapture. (Murray, 2019)
These things confuse believers on what the scripture says. I submit to you what the scripture has to say concerning this troublesome doctrine. I will show you some things in the scripture and you can then decide if the argument I make is worth listening to. All the scriptures referenced will be taken from the King James Bible, who’s source manuscripts easily out-date the 1800 time period.
In looking into this doctrine of the church, with the study of “the manuscripts”, we can see that at least one rapture event is prophesied in scripture. Some theologians even argue that there will be several, separate rapture events in the end times. These include the rapture of the church, the rapture of the two prophets who are martyred by the beast in Revelation 11, and the rapture or Jews who believe. However, for this topical discussion we are concerned with the rapture of the church. However; even in this focus, the rapture of the church is believed by different Christians to occur either before the tribulation period, halfway through the tribulation period, or after the tribulation period. Since this question is whether a rapture occurs at all, we will focus on this topic; Is the Rapture True?
This word “rapture” is an eschatological (study of end things) term used by Christians to refer to the gathering of believers who are lifted from this earth and joined with their glorified bodies and Jesus Christ. I will have to admit that the word “rapture” is not used in scripture. That is to say; in our current English language, the word rapture in not in scripture as that exact word. This does not mean that the rapture event is not discussed. Jesus does tell us, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:1-3)
It is noticeably clear in this passage that Jesus wants to comfort his disciples, and those who believe in him. In fact, later in the same chapter he says that he is speaking to those who love him and obey his commandments. In the ending of the previous chapter and on into this verse Jesus is warning his disciples that he must return to his Father. He wants them to know that his death is not a mistake, and it is not the end. In fact, it is a new beginning. Just as in Genesis the Lord said, let there be light, Jesus sheds light on the events to come. He is going away and leaving them there. While he is away, he is preparing for when he returns to take them to where he has gone. Now this does not say rapture, but there is a clear message that Jesus is returning, and he will take those who love him back to the Father to be with him. This is one reference in scripture where this topic is mentioned by Jesus Christ himself and recorded by the Apostle John. The gospel of John is believed to have been written around 85-90 A.D. This is a little before the 1800s.
Now I know, you are thinking that is a nice passage, but it does not really say that we will be taken to the skies. It just says that Jesus is coming back, and he will take us with him. Now, before we move further. Even if there were no other verse that spoke of this subject in scripture, I would still be excited. You see this does say, that Jesus is returning! It does say, he is preparing a place for us! It does say that he will receive us to himself! In other passages concerning the return of the Lord Jesus Christ it says that he will come in clouds of glory. It also says that he will return in the same manner that he left. Well, when he left, he arose into the clouds. We even have an event from the Old Testament where God raptured a prophet. The passage is 2 Kings 2:1. In this passage the prophet Elijah was taken up into heaven by a whirlwind. See then that the rapture event is not a new thing for God.
We can go even further back to Genesis 5:24. Here there is another man, named Enoch, who loved God and was obedient. This verse tells us that “Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” Wow! God took Enoch! It does not say that Enoch died. It says that “he was not”. He disappeared; God took him. See God’s method of rapture is not limited to sweeping us up into the clouds. He does not even need to descend to the earth to do it! He is God and he is amazing!
Let us now move to another Apostle. This is what the Apostle Paul has to say concerning this topic in his first letter to the church at Corinth dated approximately A.D. 55.
“And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:49-57)
In this chapter Paul makes several contrasts and comparisons to what being a carnal man and a spiritual man in Christ means, and the changes that occur within us and to us. In this portion he tells us that corruptible things cannot enter into heaven; instead we need a heavenly body. We need one that is no longer corrupted by the things of this world. The things of this world are unclean, sinful, and full of death. God is life. He is a living God; of the living in Jesus Christ. Our current bodies of flesh and blood cannot join him. Paul tell us that God is somehow able to overcome this obstacle for us. Paul calls it a mystery. God is going to give us a new body. This new body will not die, it is not corrupted by sin. Paul says that this transformation will happen instantly, at the sound of the last trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise from the grave and be incorruptible. Then those of us who believe, that are still alive will be caught up also. We will all be changed, and death will have no hold on us. Jesus Christ has defeated death for us. This is amazing news!
So far we can see in just these few passages that:

• We don’t need to worry
• Jesus ascended into heaven and is returning
• Jesus has prepared a place for us
• Jesus is going to raise us up to be immortal and incorruptible

I still hear the nay Sayers out there; “I still don’t see where the word rapture can come from”. Well let us continue to seek out what the Apostle to the Gentiles says. Paul wrote to the Thessalonian believers concerning the rapture because some of them had been taught, by a false teacher, that the believers who had already died would miss the rapture. This false doctrine was causing many believers to lose heart, especially those who had a loved one who had already died. They wondered if they would see them again, or if they had believed in vain.
Paul wrote in his first epistle to the church at Thessalonica, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
First Paul writes that they do not need to be worried about the fate of the fellow loved ones who have believed in Christ and have already died. They did not miss the rapture. We have a hope that non-believers do not have. We that believe that Jesus died and rose again, including those in the grave right now, the Lord will bring them to his kingdom, when he comes for everyone else. He even, says that the Lord, himself, will come down and raise them from the dead. They will be raised up before he receives those who believe on him and are alive. Paul tells us that “we which are alive and remain shall be caught up”. This “caught up” is our primary concern in this text. This is where the rapture doctrine is pointed to directly. The word rapture comes from the Latin word rapere, meaning rapid. It is used as rapiemur, which means “we shall be caught up” (Ladd, 1978) This Latin word is used in translation of the Greek harpazo, meaning snatch away, or seize. I think that we can see that the word rapture and the doctrine are well rooted in scripture, and the source manuscripts. These manuscripts also easily out-date the dream of a woman from the 1800s and the supposed false doctrine of two unnamed preachers.
Here for further study:

• Luke 17:34-37 – I tell you, in that night there shall be two [men] in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two [women] shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two [men] shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body [is], thither will the eagles be gathered together.
• Revelation 3:10 – Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
• Matthew 24:29-31 – Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Here I echo the same concern that Paul said, “I would not have you to be ignorant”. I implore you to search the scriptures for yourself, and to not take the word of any man over what God himself has spoken. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15) Don’t let yourself be taken by wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Bibliography
Ladd, G. E. (1978). The Last Things, An Eschatology for Laymen. Grand Rapids : Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. .
Murray, P. D. (2019, July 13). Satan’s Message – Im Going To Fly You Away. Retrieved May 11, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8go4ClW2bk

The Message, Not the Messenger

The Message Not the Messenger: Acts 26:16-18

brown rock formations — Photo by Shvets Anna on Pexels.com

We often feel we are inadequate or lack enough training or knowledge to share the gospel. Some of us think we don’t have the ability to be a great orator. We get tongue tied, or speak to softly, or stutter. Some of us are held back from the shame of our past. We wonder how could we ever confront someone on what is right or wrong with the things we have done in our past? Maybe its that we are not the right color, or the right age, or that we are just a new Christian. Insecurities creep in from every direction. Our insecurities help is to make millions of excuses why “someone else” should tell people about Jesus and not us.

We compare ourselves to Billy Graham, or some other big named evangelist and tell ourselves that I could never be that useful to God. We may even compare ourselves to the Apostles and say man, I wish I could be like Luke and write amazing things about Jesus and the church. We may tell ourselves, I could never be like Paul and plant churches everywhere I go. To often we look at our own limitations and not what God can do; if we were to just be obedient.

Peter was just an average guy when he was called by Jesus. He was a fisherman who made a living by the sweat of his brow and the sores on his hands. Peter denied Christ when he needed him most. Peter was a man of shame. He had to overcome this in love of Jesus Christ. Paul murdered Christians and suffered beatings, sicknesses, and ridicule. Paul had to be encouraged in his ministry by other believers, and even had to have a personal physician. Paul had to overcome all of this in the love of Jesus Christ. Both men, and even Luke had their failings from the past to look beyond. They had to keep looking forward to the day of redemption, and to be faithful to the commandment from Jesus that they had received. The commandment to go and tell. We however continue to look at our failures and let them assure us that we are unworthy to carry such a message.

The truth is, we are unworthy to carry such a message. However; we are also uniquely qualified to carry the message of hope. We to must overcome our past by the love of Jesus Christ. You see we did not earn the privilege to speak on his name. We received a task that is a privilege to perform for him. We know our dreadful past with all of the horrific things we have done against God and others. But we are not the only ones who know. Those who God sends us to, they know it also. Our friends and family, wives, siblings, children, parents, they all know who we used to be. More importantly, we know who we used to be. But we have something to share with them.

What we share with them is hope. We share with them Jesus and a new life that is free from the past. We show them by our lives that they do not have to be the same way they are. There is a way to live without shame, addiction and rejection. None of us started out the way we ended up. We all wanted to be something better than what we became. We show them how Jesus can make us free to live life in a better way than we ever dreamed. We can have redemption, hope, joy, and love! We can be loved! We can love others too! The gospel of Jesus Christ is that and so much more. But, we hide this important message from them because of our insecurities. We forget that it is not us, but the Spirit of the Living God who resides in us that gives us the ability to bear witness of the things he has done for us, for them.

We don’t see that before Billy Graham was a world renowned evangelist and clergy to the Office of the President of the United States, he was just another guy. He gave his life to Christ at the age of 16. He was a farmer’s son. His first ministry was to lead prayer meetings in a trailer park. He applied to be an Army Chaplain and was denied do to a lack of formal experience. He then became a Pastor of a small Baptist church. He began to host a weekly radio program. Billy Graham looked for opportunities to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Eventually he became the first full time organizer of Youth for Christ. This is what God used to open doors all across the world for many generations. Billy Graham was of humble beginnings, without experience, and largely unlearned, and often felt inadequate to speak the gospel of Jesus Christ. But he was obedient. It is God who made Billy Graham, Paul, Peter, Luke, and all the other historic men and women of God who they are today.

In Acts 26 we get a look at Paul, or Saul at this time. It is strange, but; when we consider who would have been the first martyrs of the church we would assume that it would be one of the twelve apostles. You know the guys who were right there, and saw it all go down. I could see Peter volunteering himself to go first. After all, he did tell Jesus that he would go with him unto death! However; this is not the case. Instead, the first martyr recorded was a young man. This youth was named Stephen. Stephen was one of the deacons of the church. He tended to the widows, orphans, and other needs of the church and it’s members. Like other early followers, he was not restricted to just administrative tasks, but was active in spreading the gospel himself. This is something that we should all learn. Even though he was a deacon, he understood that his work for the gospel of Jesus did not end there. He didn’t say, “I’m a deacon, not a preacher”. In fact, if you study the book of acts you will see that all of the first deacons were also preachers, and evangelists.

Scripture doesn’t tell us what seminary or special training that Stephen went though, or how powerful of a speaker he was. It does not tell us that Stephen was anything exceptional. With the exception of this, “And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.” (Acts 6:8) Stephen was full of faith! That is it. Because Stephen was full of faith, God did great wonders and miracles through Stephen. So this humble young man who believed enough to share his faith soon got into trouble with the local religious groups.

Stephen was brought up on charges of blasphemy for proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ as the Messiah. Stephen was stoned to death for his testimony of Jesus. Now a man named Saul, was one of those present and took pleasure at the stoning of Stephen. This Saul, would become known as Paul, the same one who would latter change the world with the doctrine of salvation by grace, hated believers in Jesus Christ. Saul even went further and received authorization to persecute Christians throughout the Providences of Asia. This meant he had permission to go from town to town and arrest, beat, and stone to death anyone who he witnessed or was witnessed to him, as a Christian.

Paul himself testifies of his own evil deeds that he did. He tells King Agrippa that he threw many “followers of the way” (Christians) into prison and saw to it that they were executed. Paul himself would testify against them in courts. He said that he often punished them in the synagogues. He would back them into a corner with his knowledge of scripture and his intellect and force them to commit blasphemy in front of the Pharisees so that they would be stoned to death. When the persecuted fled Jerusalem, then Paul proceeded to hunt them down throughout Asia. Now, I ask you. What have you done that is shameful? What has disqualified you from sharing the gospel? How many innocent lives have you taken? How many followers of Jesus Christ have you condemned to death?

OK, so this Saul was on a hunting trip to catch more followers of the Way. Then while Paul is riding along and anticipating his trophies to be won, suddenly, he runs right smack dab into Jesus. Jesus blinds Saul with his glory and then confronts him on his sin. Saul, like you and I, repented. Saul saw the error of his ways, his foolish pride and arrogance, his sins against God himself. His errors in the past swept before his heart and his mind’s eye. Saul was immediately sorrowful and his shame was displayed before him. He suddenly understood how shameful he was. He was not the righteous soldier of God he had imagined in his vanity. Instead he was a murderer of the ones that truly loved God. Saul had worked his whole life and studied hard to be pleasing to God, and yet he had not seen the light. He was lost, more than any other man. He also knew that his actions, above of all other men’s, could not be forgiven. The pride that had blinded him, was now gone. Saul was broken.

Then something happened. Jesus forgave Paul. He forgave him of everything, with nothing left out to hold over his life. Just like Jesus forgave you and I. But that would not be the only thing that Jesus did for Saul. Jesus sent Saul on mission. Acts 26:16-18 tells of about this, “But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”

Paul was to rise to his feet, but to never think to highly of himself again. Paul’s humility would be the strength that God would use to spread his gospel of grace by faith. Jesus told Paul, “rise and stand upon thy feet.” Jesus told him to stand up, I have a job for you. Jesus confronted Paul of his sin. Once Paul confessed and repented, Jesus stood him up and gave him purpose. The Lord gave Paul a new life and a new purpose, in and for Jesus Christ. Now that Paul had been delivered, he was not to return to his old life. Paul would no long serve his own purposes. Paul, now that he was redeemed was now a servant of the Lord who had redeemed him.

Paul’s new purpose was to go where the Lord directed and “to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”

How did Paul start out this mission? He was humble. He was blind. He was dependent upon those around him. He was led about by the hand. He had to wait on the Lord. When Paul first started preaching, no one listened to him. His past immediately came up, and people did not trust him. They didn’t believe in his conversion. Then when they did start listening they tried to kill him. Does this sound familiar? When you first believed in Christ, were you not treated in such a way? Did friends and family disbelieve the sincerity of your conversion? Did they say things like, “Awe you just on a Jesus kick!” Afterward, they would then grow tired of you talking about Jesus and even begin to be confrontational, or avoiding you. See these same things you go through, even the great Apostle Paul went through. All of these feelings of inadequacy. Things that encourage you to just crawl in a hole and not mention the name of the one who redeemed you. They are real things the enemy uses to silence us.

See we are all the same. We are all just servants, none of us is better or more important than the other. We all need to be obedient and follow the calling of Christ. This mission that Jesus gave Saul, it the same one he gave the other disciples. It is the same one he gives us as new disciples. This is part of our inheritance. We have the great privilege to speak life to people in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Let us then do like Saul, who became known as Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles.

Let us get up and put our old lives behind us. Live the life and purpose that Jesus has now given to us. Go on mission to tell others about what God has done for you. How he has delivered YOU from death and shame into love and life in Jesus Christ. Have we forgotten that the Lord told the Pharisees, “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.” We are who the Lord chose to reveal himself to; those who are sick, and feeble, those who are in need. He did not come to call the religious, but those who are lost and need redemption. He did not call the perfect, but those who are broken and distraught. Those who need him are the ones he came to deliver.

We who have believed have now been made anew. Like a new garment that is clean and nicely pressed we have a new life. The Spirit of God has come to indwell this new wineskin, not the old. Jesus had laid his hands upon us and healed us from our infirmities. Jesus removed the shackles of death and the bondage of sin (addictions) that once crippled us. He has raised us up to be glorified in him, to him, and for him. We like Saul have been redeemed, bought, for his purposes. It is by faith that we have been made whole. Faith that God exists. Faith that Jesus if the Son of God. Faith that Jesus dies and was buried for our sin. Faith that we will be resurrected just as he resurrected. Faith that he will return to establish his kingdom here on earth and destroy his enemies. Faith that we are delivered to eternal life through Jesus Christ.

This is our hope in this life. We have this newness of life in Christ. Death died with the old man we used to be. Now we have a new life in Jesus Christ. This new life is free from sin, shame, and death. We have nothing to fear in this life and can then love as Christ has love us. There is nothing that anyone can hold against this new creature in Christ that we have become. Paul told Timothy, “let no man despise they youth”. Let no man despise you’re youth, in age or spiritual maturity, for many elders in the church have gone to sleep spiritually.

So again let us, open their eyes, and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among we which are sanctified by faith that is in us concerning Jesus Christ.