12/31/21 IT NEVER GETS OLD

12/31/21 IT NEVER GETS OLD

During my Bible college days, I kept pocket sized Scripture with me all the time. It was my sword for spiritual battle, my map for my spiritual journey, it was light for those lost in darkness, it was food to feed my hungry soul. I read it as I moved about, road the bus, waited in line, waited for friends, waited for service, waited while doing laundry, eating my meals.

I focused a great deal of energy on the writings of Paul to Timothy and Titus, since it was God's word to young pastors.

Here is one of those passages I thought about on a regular basis.
2 Timothy 4:1-4
1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

I still go back to this passage, though I am no longer a young pastor. I have aged, I have changed, but God's word is the same yesterday, today and forever. God's word, like God Himself, changes not. Not only is it still true, it is more evidently true today than when I first read it.

12/31/21 DON'T BELIEVE THE ENEMIES OF THE CROSS

12/31/21 DON'T BELIEVE THE ENEMIES OF THE CROSS

If FB has ever "FACT CHECKED" actual facts posted in the virtual world of 3W, but then declared them to be false, untrue, errant or partially false (and it has), then we should not be surprised when the unpopular truths we share from the Bible in the ACTUAL WORLD of 3D are attacked, declared untrue and scorned. When you meet someone who DENIES AND DISPUTES Biblical truth, just remember that those folks are spoken of in the Bible, which they ridicule.

Psalms 53:1
1 To the chief Musician upon Mahalath, Maschil, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4
1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

1 Timothy 4:1-2
1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

1 Timothy 6:3-5
3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

2 Timothy 3:1-5
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

2 Peter 3:3-13
3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 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.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

1 John 2:15-18
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

12/30/21 BEWARE YOUR REJECTION OF COUNSEL

12/30/21 BEWARE YOUR REJECTION OF COUNSEL

People do not want to be confronted with their own sins or their attachment to their own sins.

Those who are attached to and practice the vilest, most obvious sins, take offense when someone confronts them with the dangers of those practices.

Those who are attached to and practice borderline, gray area, questionable actions, take offense when someone confronts them with the dangers of those practices.

Let's face it, most people, especially most moral, most religious people don't dive into the deep end of the sin pool or head straight out to the breakers when they start swimming. They usually test the waters in the shallow end or along the shore, then they wade or play in the shallows, then they eventually venture into areas just beyond their supposed safe zone.

It doesn't matter what happens next. They either drown just beyond the safe zone or they move into the deep, from which there is no return.

Not only do they reject sound counsel (from people who have knowledge and understanding), they take offense, they become defensive of their faulty perceptions, they become angry with anyone who disagrees with their viewpoint and they shut off any and all correction, reproof and rebuke.

This is addressed by Jesus in the Gospel of John.
John 3:19-21
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

MEN LOVE DARKNESS
Darkness is the absence of light. Light is knowledge, understanding, truth, wisdom. People love their own viewpoint more than they love God's viewpoint. They want their own way, more than want to learn or follow God's. They love their sin. They love worldliness rather than godliness. To love the world is to hate God.
They love their own way so much that they will not even consider any objections to their way.
They love their way so much that they become angry with anyone who disagrees with their way.
Rather than hungering and thirsting for righteousness, they fill themselves with the husks of their own desires, not even weighing the value of any counsel or criticism.

According to God...
Men love darkness rather than light because, their deeds are evil.
Men hate the light and avoid the light, lest their evil deeds be reproved.
This is the result of sin.
This leads to more sin.
The fact that people do not even consider the validity of any counsel indicates their attachment to their sin.

12/29/21 CATCHING THE VISION

12/29/21 CATCHING THE VISION

One of the tragedies in NOT LISTENING is when you fail to get the information that could change your life for the better.

Obviously my major concern is communicating Biblical truths that enable folks to live victorious lives for Christ.

HOWEVER, it is sad and even tragic when someone fails to get information that could lead to better health, higher standard of living, a more productive life, successful marriage, successful child rearing, more fulfilling career choices, winsome persona, better communication skills, social influence, and the list goes on.

The problem is not that the information is unavailable or that the information is only available to those with "connections," or finances or specialized education or certain race or gender.

Part of the problem is that some folks are not very teachable.

Another part of the problem is that some folks want everything handed to them, they have no ambition or drive or patience.

Yet another part of the problem is that some folks have no imagination or have no confidence or have no sense of adventure.

Still, some folks want change, as long as they don't have to give up something that is familiar to them or do something that is different and challenging to them.

There are other reasons. I think you can see that most obstacles are in the mind, but they can be overcome by the person who is willing to listen, change and work.

Sometimes the ideas are rejected because people are not ready to accept the ideas or because people have no confidence in the person who is advancing the ideas, even if the ideas have been tested and proved by someone else.

AS A MATTER OF FACT, these principles are applicable to our spiritual lives. It is also worth noting that spiritual, moral, relational, family and ministry lives are impacted because people don't accept counsel concerning the mundane issues of life.

A "life counselor" does not have to know the intricacies of a subject in order to help a person make wise choices in the major issues of life. But receiving counsel is more than just a halfhearted nod to the counselor. Honest appraisal of spiritual counsel is listening for Divine guidance, encouragement and challenge, with the willingness to joyfully launch into a new direction, whatever the cost.

12/28/21 CHRISTIANS OUGHT NOT PRAISE SATAN

12/28/21 CHRISTIANS OUGHT NOT PRAISE SATAN

I have various reasons for not boasting in the supposed "unassailable power of sin."

First let me say, IT IS NOT UNASSAILABLE, which is fundamental to my other reasons.

You may be thinking, "Of course sin is not unassailable; who would say such a ridiculous thing?"
"Well, we know it won't be me," says I.

However, most of the people I encounter readily say that God is either unable or unwilling to save all of us, or even save any of us, from all sin (IN SPITE OF WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS).

They may say God saves all Christians from the PENALTY OF SIN, or at least they may say that God saves a special class of unilaterally, unconditionally elect from the penalty of sin (including sins that have not yet been committed and for which they will not be required to confess or repent),
BUT THEY WILL DENY that God saves anyone from sin's POWER AND POLLUTION in this present world, thus they are saying that sin is unassailable, at least in this life.

They say that God cannot or will not deliver from the SIN NATURE (AKA The Sinful Nature, The Old Man, The Carnal Mind, The Double Mind, The Evil Heart of Unbelief, The Root of Bitterness) in this present life and they will say that God cannot or will not deliver the believer from all temptation, or sinning. In other words, they are saying that sin is powerful enough to keep God from saving us from sin. If the problem is, as they say, that God can save us from all sin, but does not save us from all sin or is not willing to save us from all in this life, then they are saying that sin is unassailable.

But let me move on.
I refuse to boast in sin's penalty, power or pollution because it is not all powerful, BUT ALSO because sin gets plenty of boasting from preachers of sinning religion and the people who have fallen for the false doctrines of sinning religion.

It is hard to find a preacher that proclaims God's victory over all sin in the lives of His people today. They not only preach that all men have sinned (which is true) and that all men are born with a sinful nature (which is also true), BUT THEY FALSELY SAY that God does not cleanse us from all sin, they say that God does not save us from sinning, they say that God cannot or will not make us pure or make us holy or make us righteous or make us perfect in love. They falsely accuse true believers who are walking in the light, they falsely accuse those who are walking in the steps of Jesus, they falsely label obedient Christians as cultist, blasphemers, enemies of the cross. I WON'T SING THE "GLORIES" OF SIN and the sinning life (as so many others are doing), because it is a lie and it robs God of His glory.

Yes, I know there are false prophets who promote a false holiness of heart and life. But those same charlatans also claim to be saved, claim to believe in Christ, claim to believe the Bible. I am not going to deny the Bible, I am not going to deny Christ, I am not going to deny salvation OR HOLINESS OF LIFE, simply because there are false teachers giving false witness in the name of Christ and His truth. It would be like denying the Trinity or the Deity of Christ, just because the Roman Catholic Religion claims to believe in those truths. Truth is not a lie because a liar claims to believe that truth.

I also will not call God a liar or His word a lie.
I will not trod under foot the blood of Christ, or blaspheme the work of the Holy Spirit as He leads, empowers, enables and gives me victory over sin and Satan.
In fact, whether anyone ever experiences victory over sin or whether anyone gets saved, denial of truth does not change truth.
Also, keep in mind that plenty of people erroneously preach about the victory of sin in their lives and they deny the success of grace over sin. I refuse to stand with them in their false message. In fact, because so many preach a defeated salvation, there is a great need for people to know the truth and to proclaim the truth, no matter how unpopular it is. My hope is to be one of those who stands for truth
And, by the way,
I do explain the dangers, the deception, the power and pollution of sin.
I do warn people about the false hope of sin.
I do tell people about the inner corruption of the Adamic, Nature (the Sinful Nature).
I do tell people that no man is inherently righteous, independently capable of resisting temptation or able to save himself.
But at the same time, I do not preach that God leaves His children to be victims of darkness.
I preach full deliverance from sin through the shed blood and physical resurrection of Christ.
I do warn believers that they can go back into sin after being converted.
But I also preach that God is able to keep and enable His children to overcome all temptation and defeat all spiritual enemies.
I won't falsely glorify or honor Satan by saying his impact and influence over us is greater than that of Jesus Christ.
I won't claim to have victory over sin, if I do not experience it by His grace.
I won't tell anyone that they can earn or add to their salvation, but neither are they abandoned by God (because of Adam) to a life without hope or help.
For every verse that is falsely offered to deny and disprove that Christians can live without sinning or that God's grace is not greater than our sin, or that Christ is not more powerful than the grip of Satan on God's people, there are hundreds of verses that clearly proclaim God's victory over sin, in His children, in the here and now.

Let Satan, all the demons of hell and every tongue in this world deny the overcoming power of Christ in this life, but God's word stands sure.
Let every preacher deny the power of God unto salvation from sin, but God is still true.

12/27/21 BE SURE TO READ BOTH PARTS OF THIS POST

12/27/21 BE SURE TO READ BOTH PARTS OF THIS POST

Part One...
I have often said that Christians must control (by the power of the Holy Spirit) every thought that they entertain (referencing 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, which says,)
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Spiritual warfare for Christians involves, requires the tearing down of strongholds of sin and Satan and also requires us to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

Not only should we shut off the flow of sinful thoughts, anti-Biblical thoughts, we should shut off the flow of negative thoughts when we can. We should think on, focus on the things that are good and wholesome and give no opportunity for the devil to mislead, capture, pollute our minds.
Philippians 4:4-9
4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

Part Two...
What I have just said, in reference to individual Christians is also applicable to a corporate body of believers, whether it is a couple, a family, a church, a ministry group.

God gave us relationships to help us think the way He wants us to think, to speak the way He wants us to speak, to live the way He wants us to live. Husbands and wives need to bring good thoughts, positive thoughts, victory thoughts to each other.

When a spouse focuses on, or even serves as a reminder to that which is burdensome, draining, discouraging, then that spouse has sided with Satan to destroy the husband or the wife. It doesn't matter if you say you love your husband or wife, you are destroying your spouse and your marriage with your negative words, prejudicial words, doubting words, defeatist words, complaining words, angry words, suspicious words, critical words. Your negativity does not need to be aimed at your spouse, it only has to be shared with your spouse to destroy him/her. Feed your loved one the dark thoughts and you will reap the dark thoughts... UNLESS you are married to a very strong and deeply dedicated person who is able to withstand Satan's attacks and supported by your words and attitude. EVEN THEN you will be robbing, injuring your spouse, yourself, everyone else, and the work of God. A dark spirit of negativity keeps everyone from reaching their potential.

Now, take this thought and adapt it to parent and child relationships; sibling relationships or other family relationships. Don't be the messenger of doom and gloom. Your words are the torpedoes that Satan uses to sink your family.

Again, take these thoughts and apply them to the household of faith and fellowship of believers. One gaping hole in a local body of believers can sink an otherwise successful church.

Above all, your negativity is an offense to God ON MANY LEVELS. Regardless of everyone else's attitude you should be the one with the faith, love and joy.

On the other side of this issue is the fact that a person with a faith outlook, a love filled heart, a joyful spirit can buoy up a sinking person or group. Imagine what it would be like if an entire group had a unified commitment to constantly bring positive, faithful, joyful, loving, peaceful, encouraging words to one another.

How sad it will be to find out that your negativity, your whining, your complaining, your focus on the world, your love of the world was the added weight of despair that dragged you loved one down to a destruction.

God gives all that is needed for life and godliness, but those who addicted and in love with a negative worldview and impact on other people are the enemies of the purpose of God.

Hebrews 10:19-27
19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
21 And having an high priest over the house of God;
22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

12/27/21 SPIRITUAL MATURITY

12/27/21 SPIRITUAL MATURITY

Our campfire meeting gave rise to something I have been missing for a couple of years. I have missed the verbal inter action with the children and youth of our church for some time. Some of the most stimulating, most interesting and most insightful conversations I have are with children and young people in our church. They understand so much more about basic Christian truth, and living Biblically than most of the adults I meet.

It is great to converse with people who actually think deeper than the obvious and speak beyond chit chat level understanding. Their conversation is not simply parroting information or formulas. They speak from the depths of their being and their personal knowledge and relationship with Christ.

I have missed these conversations over the past couple of years. We had more of these exchanges in our house church setting than we had when we met in our store front building and more than we had on ZOOM meetings. I don't blame either the store front or the ZOOM setting. It is that we lost some of the closeness during that time that we had enjoyed previously. As I pointed out, this recent conversation was around the campfire, but it use to take place regularly in our church gatherings. I want the young people to feel more free and open during worship, study and fellowship times, in the building as well as around the campfire.

This kind of interaction also opens doors of personal inquiry and introspection, which in turn leads to a greater awareness of Biblical and Holy Spirit truth. It helps maintain a humility level that too many adults have lost on their way to "perfection." But, as I have tried to communicate in the past, our world is changing so quickly that all of us need to be hungering for truth and adjusting our communications skills to the social winds of change.
I try to allow for the fun things in life. In fact, I enjoy the fun things of life. I try to recognize the need for young people to just be young people together.

However, there is more than enough time for people to pursue the mundane and the frivolous. When we get together I want our young people and children to think and talk about the real issues of life.

This kind of activity needs spiritually established, mature believers to lead the young people. Without spiritually mature leadership the valuable opportunities will be reduced to exercises in futility.
But this is a whole other subject to be addressed at another time.

There is much more I can share concerning the importance of adult leadership of young people in spiritual issues, but not tonight.

12/27/21 PLAN YOUR DESTINY

12/27/21 PLAN YOUR DESTINY

If you want a wonderful ending to 2022, then you need to mean business with God at the beginning of 2022 (which should start by the ending of 2021) NOW IS THE ACCEPTED TIME...
2 Corinthians 6:1-3
1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
3 Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:

These were the words of Paul,
Spiritual victory does not just pop up in our lives. It is the outcome of a life spent in submission and faith in Jesus Christ. Maturity, purity, and security are all dependent on a faith relationship between an obedient believer and God. God does do the unexpected for us and to us and through us, but God does not violate His own standards of justice, grace, mercy, wisdom and truth.

We do not initiate God's grace, love, mercy, kindness, patience, reconciliation, intervention or intercession. However, we do determine whether we will cooperate or resist God's overtures of salvation. Since salvation includes more than just the initial steps of God, then our faith is what opens the door to God and faith is what keeps the door of our of our heart and life open to God's continued presence, purity, power and purpose.

God does not choose for some people to be saved and other people to be lost. God does not choose for some Christians to be victorious and other Christians to fail. GOD IS NOT A RESPECTER OF PERSONS. God mercifully offers His blessings to all men and then He justly blesses those who submit to Him in faith.

Continued faith brings continued understanding, strength, faith, leading, empowering, wisdom and victory. We determine whether we will receive (take) the salvation from sin that God offers us.

No matter how hard it may be, you can submit to God. No matter what the personal cost is to you, it is worth the cost to trust and obey God. Jesus did not unilaterally pick and choose who would be saved from eternal torment and who would suffer eternal torment. That would make Him a respecter of men. God chose to make salvation available to all men, on the same basis; faith in Jesus Christ. God chose to make spiritual victory available to all Christians, on the same basis; faith in Jesus.

Our failure is OUR FAILURE. God cannot be blamed. Neither can He be blamed for doing what He said He would do, concerning the unbelieving, the rebellious. He decided that anyone who believes can be saved. He decided that we would have the choice. This is the act of justice and mercy. For God to choose some for salvation and deliberately, unilaterally abandon others to hell, without a choice would be the act of unilateral condemnation of people based on the wicked deeds of another person. We have all sinned, but we all sinned willfully, deliberately. We all chose to live outside of the grace of God at some point. However, God in His mercy, grace, kindness seeks the unsaved, offers the unsaved salvation and saves those who choose to accept His offer.

Romans 5:18-21
18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

12/26/21 LIGHT AROUND THE CAMPFIRE

12/26/21 LIGHT AROUND THE CAMPFIRE

One of the most amazing and most important things said by some of our young people, as we sat around the campfire was that they could not remember the specifics of their conversion, but as they got older they realized and appreciated the presence of God as He delivered and kept them from sin.

Remember, all of our young people trusted and called on Christ for salvation while they were only two or three years old.

I was only three when I got saved, though I did not have Christian family or go to a Bible preaching church. My (unsaved) dad told me Bible stories and the Holy Spirit enlightened and quickened my heart to believe Christ for my salvation. God also called me to preach when I was three. I have always known Christ as my friend and Savior, and I have always known that He wanted me to be a preacher. Yes, I fell short from time to time, but I always knew to repent and trust Jesus for forgiveness. Being part of a faith community (family and/or church) would have enabled me to be more consistent in my faith relationship and victorious life.

After the young people said something about their vague remembrance of their conversion experience, I explained to them that it is good to know the circumstances of our conversion, but it is even more important to know the reality of our salvation, to know the abiding presence and enabling power of a right relationship with Jesus. At such an early age a child may not remember the particular events of their conversion, but knowing and being aware of Jesus in our lives is the essential reality. I pointed out that there are adults who can tell you the how, the where, the when of their conversion, but they do not have the evidence of salvation through a daily walk with Jesus. Living in the power of salvation and knowing Christ in our daily lives is more important than remembering the event itself (especially at such an early age).

We don't know what goes on in the deep recesses of a person's heart, but we can see the fruit (not only their works, their behavior, but the fruit of the Spirit) in a person's life. We can see the evidence of their spiritual condition, I have watched our children throughout their lives and it is evident that they have a living relationship with Christ, as well as a personal testimony to God's saving presence.

So, as I said, one of the most remarkable points that these young people shared was the fact that they know Christ and they have His presence in their lives. Early conversion should not be a surprise to believers, since Jesus said to let the very young children come to Him, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

I told the young people that I remember the life changing power that came into Joanna at a very young age (even though she does not remember the specifics of her early conversion). I also pointed out that we need to continue in a saving relationship with Christ, through faith and obedience. Salvation is not a one and done: it is a "take up your cross daily and follow Jesus."

The Bible clearly teaches us that being a Christian includes BEING BORN AGAIN (born of the Spirit), as an initial, crises, instantaneous conversion, AND IT INCLUDES BEING PRESENTLY AND CONTINUOUSLY BORN OF GOD. It is the ongoing reality of salvation that saves us from sin.

GOD SAID... (be sure to read these verses carefully)

CONVERSION (having been born again in the past)
John 3:3
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
1 Peter 1:22-23
22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

CONTINUOUSLY (being currently and continuously born of God)
1 John 2:28-29
28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.

1 John 3:7-10
7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

1 John 4:7-9
7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

1 John 5:1-5
1 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.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

1 John 5:18-21
18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.
19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

12/26/21 ANOTHER FULL DAY OF PRAISE AND FELLOWSHIP (CHRISTMAS SUNDAY)

12/26/21 ANOTHER FULL DAY OF PRAISE AND FELLOWSHIP
(CHRISTMAS SUNDAY)

Praise the Lord for a blessed service, a wonderful fellowship meal, a relaxed afternoon with believers, group singing and game time for our young people.

The 8 young people and a few adults gathered around the fire pit for a couple of hours. Eventually I asked each one present to tell about their first remembrance of God speaking to them. It was a great time of sharing.

This was just the beginning of wonderful times together. It was the end of an awesome weekend, the last hours of a wonderful day. I wish I had taken photos of the campfire.

As the embers cooled we closed down, we went back into The Net House. I closed up the windows and doors, cut off all the power, went inside my house, reflected on Gods presence throughout the day and prayed for God's continued work in The Net House Crew.

I love where I live and I love what I do.

12/25/21 THANKFUL FOR A PLACE TO MEET (Saturday, CHRISTMAS DAY)

12/25/21 THANKFUL FOR A PLACE TO MEET (Saturday, CHRISTMAS DAY)

A great day of fun, fellowship and family was topped off with great food.
All but 3 of our church gathered to share a meal together at The Net House.
Sister Kim took plates home for herself, brother Wade and sister Lucille.
Several folks went next door to visit with them.
We we very glad that Hillary's mom and dad could be with us.
After we ate, folks exchanged gifts and then played games and talked.
I am now looking for a wonderful worship and praise service tomorrow.
Here are a few photos of our church folks enjoying The Net House facilities.
We enjoy being together, but the real joy is watching our children and young people have such a great time together in a Christian gathering.

Thank you Jesus, for
Your wonderful kindness.
(I did not take many photos, sorry.)

12/24/21 IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH

12/24/21 IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH

Many (maybe most) people in the USA are so use to getting nice gifts that they don't always appreciate the value of a sacrificial gift or a relational gift (a gift that is related to a sacred relationship). This is part of the reason that God's gift of His Son, God's gift of salvation is treated so lightly and carelessly by so many people. If you don't realize the cost of the gift to the giver and you don't realize the dedication expected from the recipient, then the meaning and the value of the gift is treated crudely and cheaply.

We celebrate the birth of Christ into the world with pageantry, music, generosity to other people. If the true values of the gifts or the relationship is not understood, then the celebratory activities are trite and trivial.

This is why so many people receive the Lord's Supper (aka Communion) without examining their own hearts, without making total commitment to follow Jesus fully. To receive the Lord's Supper without absolute surrender to the Lordship of Christ, without yielding our will completely to the rule of God, is to mock the gift, to treat Divine provision for salvation as though there is no value in the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross.

The principle of recognizing the spiritual meaning in Christian celebration is evidenced in the Lord's Supper. Going through the outward steps, while being inwardly unaware of the spiritual meaning is not only a waste of time for us to take, to receive the Lord's Supper, while in an unworthy spiritual condition, but it is to drink and eat condemnation (God's judgment) to yourself.
1 Corinthians 11:27-29
27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

This passage indicates that a person who participates in Christian celebration, without having the right relationship with God is presuming and actually dishonoring God.

The principle applies to other aspects of Christian celebration.
For instance, to claim the name of Christ as your Savior, while living in known sin is taking the Name of Christ (God) in vain.
In the Old Testament, God warned and instructed His people that sacrifices were not what God wanted, but rather a broken and contrite spirit.
It is blasphemous to use holy realities for personal gain or pleasure.
We must not take the holy things of God and then repackage them for our own gain.

God is looking for folks "to worship Him in spirit and in truth."
Don't use the Incarnation of Christ, don't use the fact that God became a Man, for temporal, carnal pleasure or gain.
Enjoy the season, but don't repackage the Incarnation of God, or His ministry as a platform for personal aggrandizement.

12/24/21 CHOOSE THE BETTER

12/24/21 CHOOSE THE BETTER

Remember (especially as we approach the beginning of a new year), we should not try to be everything we can be or to do everything we can do. We should seek to know the will of God and then be everything God wants us to be and do everything God wants us to do. No more, no less.

As someone said,
The greatest enemy of that which is best is that which is good.

Narrow yourself down to God and His will. Don't waste your time, talents, treasures on the things that pass away. Invest yourself on that which has eternal value and that which is of value in God's view.

Matthew 6:33
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

12/24/21 BUT IT IS NOT A WORD FROM THE LORD

12/24/21 BUT IT IS NOT A WORD FROM THE LORD

Have you ever noticed how often the pseudo spiritual GET or RECEIVE "a word from the Lord," which God had already given to everyone, thousands of years ago? Sometimes they use a different "word" or vocabulary, but it is the same message. In fact, anytime a person claims to "give a new word from the Lord" (which is actually God's recorded word), then that person is claiming special revelation, while plagiarizing God. That person is actually a "word" thief and a robber of God's glory. That person is either too stupid to know that God has made that "word" known to millions of people for thousands of years, or they are willfully stealing from God. Either way, God is not happy. Those people are either deliberately dishonest or they have fallen for the false teachings of WoF movement.

Not only are these people false prophets, they are often giving false prophecies that do not align or agree with God's true word, God's true revelation. When a person does not read, study, meditate on God's actual word, but then they spout some information that is already Divinely given or they claim that some common sense truism is a WORD FROM THE LORD, then they are trying to lift their own status by diminishing the authority, magnificence and wisdom of God.

This is not to say that God does not lead people, or enlighten people or "speak to them." However, no one "gets," "receives," a revelation from God, no one hears from God in the same way that the apostles and prophets of Scripture did. God not only spoke, He spoke to special messengers, and those special messengers were especially gifted, chosen and guided in their ministry of writing Scripture. The were Divinely inspired, whereas Christians today are enlightened, rather than Divinely inspired.

I remember watching this mess rise up sixty years ago in "Pentecostal" groups (falsely labeled), which followed the erroneous teachings from the Azusa Street "Revival" of 1906. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be God's servant or wanting to share God's message, but twisting and misrepresenting God and His message is wrong.

For over a century (since the 1906 birth of the modern tongues movement) people have stood up during service, prefacing or peppering their testimonies with, "Thus saith the Lord," or "The word of the Lord came unto me saying." People have actually told other people, "God told me to tell you." I have known people who claimed to hear from God in their dreams, while sleeping and therefore they deliberately and eagerly welcomed sleep so that they might "hear from God." These people were deluded. This is the same thing we are seeing with people today. They believe God speaks to them and through them directly, in a special way.

Repeating what some inner voice tell you is a dangerous thing to do. Remember, Adam and Eve heard a voice. The New Testament tells us to try the spirits to see if they are from God. The devil comes as an angel of light and false prophets will abound in the end times.

12/24/21 THE LOSS OF A LOVED ONE SOMETIMES PRECEDES DEATH

12/24/21 THE LOSS OF A LOVED ONE SOMETIMES PRECEDES DEATH

Special times and certain songs remind us of special people. If the loved one is deceased we feel the loss greatly.
I think of mama and daddy, often.
Sometimes I think about watching Perry Como, especially around Christmas. When I watch those old Perry Como shows on the internet I think, "Daddy would like this."
Or when I am doing something we use to enjoy together, I think, "Daddy sure would enjoy this."
Or at certain times, when I am with my children or grandchildren, I think, "Man, would he get a kick out of this."
But those are no longer possibilities. Daddy is gone.

I miss you pop. (and no, I don't talk with the dead).

But there are other times we feel great sadness. It is when a gulf of separation (not simply geographical) comes between us and a loved one. It is sad when all indications are that the chasm will not be bridged. The beautiful memories, the fun times, the loving moments, during the good times and even the hard times, get pushed further back until it seems that you are the only one who remembers the the good and precious times of the past.

When a loved one has died, there is an emptiness that lingers, but when a relationship with a living loved one is being killed on a daily basis, the emptiness and hurt grows greater and greater, day by day, year by year, until all earthly contacts are impossible.

Of course, the pain of separation is maximized when someone is rebelling against God and His word. The pain of loss is not only because of momentary suffering, but because someone is choosing eternal separation from God.

The sadness is compounded by confusion when we see unsaved people who treat their loved ones with civility, courtesy and compassion, while those who come from Christian families are cold, distant, even callous.

What we see in the manger of Bethlehem is God, reaching, loving, caring and healing broken relationships. But some people don't care how broken their relationship is with other people, just as long as they get to be happy.

12/23/21 BE A SEEKER AND PROCLAIMER OF TRUTH

12/23/21 BE A SEEKER AND PROCLAIMER OF TRUTH

One of the problems that develops when Christians don't have serious conversations and do not ask questions about important issues is that they are more likely to believe the rantings and constant propagandizing of a lying society, rather than get insights and instruction from the word of God.

Adults who do not know how to talk about spiritual issues in a gathered church group are teaching their children to keep their ideas, beliefs and questions to themselves. The worldly, the anti-Christian, the anti-Bible, the pro-Materialists, the pro-Naturalists, the pro-Secularists, the pro-Humanists are spouting, shouting, teaching, flooding society with lies and our children are part of the society that is being inundated and convinced by the declarations of darkness.

Even if they are hearing truth proclaimed, they are not seeing truth go head to head with deception, and they are not going to be capable of communicating truth to the deceived or capable of confronting and confounding the champions of chaos with sound Biblical answers and bold, loving, unwavering assertions of the truth.

A church that cannot talk about moral, ethical, Biblical issues, or a church that cannot share lovingly and humbly with one another about current affairs and a church that will not humble itself and yield to Biblical teaching is a church that is not really a church. It is shallow group that seek to be stroked rather than an army of flaming evangels, stoked by truth, love and the Holy Spirit, in training and deploying to confront the warriors of darkness.

12/23/21 BUT GOD IS IMMUTABLE

12/23/21 BUT GOD IS IMMUTABLE

Family photo from three years ago at the Old Beaufort Train Depot.
One of the many venues, at which we have gathered to worship.
Things change, but God is immutable.

12/23/21 QUIT BLAMING OTHER

12/23/21 QUIT BLAMING OTHER

We sometimes see a show or read a story that tells about someone breaking a family heirloom, a precious treasure, and then hiding the pieces, as if it never happened. The guilty person pretends it did not happen or they disavow any knowledge or guilt when the event is discovered.

Often there are folks who suffer the loss of precious relationships, knowing full well why the brokenness has taken place. Still, the guilty party either ignores their own part in the brokenness, or they trounce over the feelings of the injured loved one(s), or they cavalierly proceed in their own self centeredness, giving no indication that they even care about the person(s) they are hurting.

Willingness to forgive does not remove the hurt and does not restore the relationship. No matter how loving, forgiving, gracious a person is, broken relationships and broken hearts are not mended only by the injured person. Those who have been hurt must have a forgiving and loving heart, but healing and mending requires the violator to recognize, admit and seek forgiveness.

The failure to face one's own personal meanness and guilt adds to the division, adds to the suffering, whether it lasts for a long time or a short time.
To the selfish person, the hurt is covered over by other acts of self satisfaction.
To the injured person, the pain is constant and may last a lifetime {which could be over at any time).

Self centeredness robs the violator, the targeted victim and many others who are innocent victims. Most of all, it robs God. Robbing God not only includes holding back financial, temporal support, it includes holding back love, compassion, kindness, personal sacrifice. A great present, gift, that we can give God (Who has given us the greatest Gift) is a broken and contrite spirit; a willingness to heal the hearts and lives we are breaking. Giving ourselves fully to God is accompanied with giving ourselves to others.

God (Who offended no one), gave His Son, and Christ (Who had no guilt) gave His life, not for a momentary appearance of unity, but for a lifetime and an eternity of love, peace, joy. How much more should we give everything, in pursuit of oneness with others in Christ? The Gift of Christ is God reaching out to lost men. In turn, we must receive His Gift of love, light and life. Then we too must reach out to others.

John 3:16
16 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.
1 John 3:16
16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

12/22/21 SO WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?

12/22/21 SO WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?

I get the impression that modern day, western Christians are surprised and offended that the end times don't seem to be as much fun as they thought they were going to be. In fact, it looks like things might even turn out to be difficult.

HOW DARE HE
How dare he, how dare the enemy of our soul actually upset our lives, with threats, inconveniences, hardships?
How dare he attack our standard of living, our Christian culture?
How dare he bring division into our society?
How dare he make our lives uncomfortable?
How dare he use our government against us?
How dare he use our schools to paganize our children?
How dare he take away our ability to kill our oppressors?
How dare he be unfair?

DON'T THEY CARE?
Don't our leaders know how they are promoting evil oppression?
Don't they know they are not acting in a Christian way?

IT IS AS IF
It is as if the people in the west (where we have not even begun to suffer), think they understand Christian Scripture, faith and salvation better than the New Testament saints, the Early Church, Christians throughout history who have been persecuted to death, and believers around the world who are willing to die for their faith rather than kill their enemies.
It is as if there is something wrong with believers who maintain faith, love, joy, peace and grace rather than rise up in anger, violence, self defense.
As if there is something wrong with having perfect love for our enemies.
As if there something wrong by not living in fear of Satan and his wiles.
It is as if they are sorry they ever prayed, "Even so, Come Lord Jesus."

THEN WHY?
You may ask if I like suffering or oppression. No, but if that is what we are having to face and deal with, we should at least do it by the grace of God, according to His word, trusting His wisdom, showing His love.

"Be alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong." (1 Corinthians 16:13, NASB 1971).

12/22/21 ABANDON SELF LOVE, IN THE NAME OF PERFECT LOVE

12/22/21 ABANDON SELF LOVE, IN THE NAME OF PERFECT LOVE

As I said, God gives us a restart, not a redo. We can be forgiven of our past, we are not always delivered from the damages of our past.

LIKEWISE, we can have a new beginning with the folks who have robbed us, deceived us, abused us, blasphemed us, but we cannot recover the relationships, the experiences, the love, the joy that they stole from us in the past.

 

They chose to hurt us, for some sick, devilish reason. They not only succeeded, but even if they ever repent and surrender their heart and life to Jesus, their evil self-centered actions damaged us and others, and robbed people of the most beautiful and precious moments of life. Repentance on their part does not restore those lost treasures. However, if they truly repent, then we, as true followers of Christ, cannot hold their destructive past against them, anymore than other Christians can hold our past against us.

Not all accounts are balanced in this present life. We suffer loses, brought about by our own actions or someone else's actions. If we focus on the loses, we will find that our loses stand between us and others or between us and God. But remember, Jesus said (in reference to offending children), offenses must come, but woe unto those by whom they come. The repentant thief on the cross found forgiveness and eternal life, but he wasted a lifetime serving his own selfish purposes.

A life wasted on self includes a life without God, a life of missed opportunities, a life of hurting others.

DON'T WASTE YOUR LIFE, EXPECTING SALVATION TO CORRECT ALL OF YOUR OFFENSES. A repentant sinner does go to heaven, but many of our lost opportunities are lost forever, along with those we have used and abused.

I realize that this truth is not comforting to the self oriented or those who may come to Christ after satisfying their own worldly desires. This is meant to be a warning to younger people and a call to those who have chosen self love over God love and brotherly love.

In the name of Perfect Love, stop the madness of self love.

 

01221/21 SIN'S TOLL CONTINUES AFTER CONVERSION

12/21/21 SIN'S TOLL CONTINUES AFTER CONVERSION

For those who continue in a questionable path by taking comfort in God's mercy, knowing that God is forgiving, MAYBE YOU SHOULD REALIZE, EVEN IF you do find forgiveness, deliverance, newness from God, you won't find that this present life or Satan, forgives or forgets our sinning past.
SALVATION IS A RESTART, NOT A REDO.

God delivers believers from the guilt, penalty, pollution, power of sin but the effects, the loses, the damages of sin continue after conversion, after regeneration, after forgiveness, after cleansing.

Remember, the impact of Adam's sin has been following since the garden? Final salvation will be deliverance from Satanic attacks, liability to sin, failures, weaknesses, dark remembrances, false accusations, sin's nasty after taste, but until then our former life of rebellion continues to be used against us and others. The after effects of drunkenness, crime, violence, infidelity, even our mistakes leave scars, losses, damages that can last a lifetime.

IN OTHER WORDS, YES, God may forgive you (if you truly repent and if you have not cut off God's call, and if you don't die suddenly, before you repent, and if you don't harden your own heart so that you find it impossible to repent), EVEN IF GOD FORGIVES YOU OF YOUR SINS, Your sins are not so forgiving.

The broken relationships and lives that you caused are still a shambles.
The marriage commitment you violated, left broken hearts, ruined lives in its wake.
The drug use and physical abuse you put your body through still takes a toll on your life and your service to God.
The disobedience and boastful worldliness still sticks in the minds of those you used, abused, misled, and some will never find their way to Christ because of your hypocrisy.
The trail of tears and ruin that you left behind will never be redeemed, the glory which you robbed from God will never be restored.

YES, BY ALL MEANS, IF YOU ARE NOT YET SAVED, GET SAVED. But if you are expecting God's mercy to forgive you later, for future sins, don't forget, you can have your soul saved, but lose your life and lose the lives of those you could have influenced for God and godliness, because sin doesn't replace good for evil.

12/21/21 MOTIVATION AND DIRECTION

12/21/21 MOTIVATION AND DIRECTION

Along with following in the steps of Biblical heroes and setting our course by Biblical instruction, Christians should be reading about the lives of victorious saints down through history and reading about champions of Christ, who are giving their all for Christ around the world, as well as listening to the admonition of Spirit filled pastors who are preaching and following a Biblical call to live in the Spirit by denying self, taking up the cross of Jesus and following Him fully, step by step, day by day.

Romans 12:1-2
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

 

12/21/21 BEWARE ABNORMAL SPIRITUAL GROWTH

12/21/21 BEWARE ABNORMAL SPIRITUAL GROWTH

I remember when thousands of babies were being born with birth defects caused by a medicinal drug. More than half of those children born died in infancy, leaving others with deformities and extreme handicaps. The parent thought she was taking a medication that would save her from cancer or other issues. This is a case of folks doing what they believed to be the right thing, only to find out it was the wrong thing.

I also remember, over a period of decades, that untold numbers of children were born with various kinds of physical maladies because their mothers had been taking recreational drugs in various ways (drinking, smoking, snorting, shooting, sniffing). The mother suffered the ill effects of the drug use, but the baby was born with an addiction and often had the physical problems of a drug addict. Often the new born or pre-born would die because of their drug addiction.

Due to poverty, or lack of common sense or responsible self health care, or for some congenital reason, babies are born with problems or are born into families with self inflicted health problems. These problems produce physical, mental, emotional problems that plague those children for a lifetime.

These introductory remarks are disturbing and certainly should result in better medicine, health care, diet, hygiene and other responsible actions in our society. These are terrible issues that people have had to deal with over the years. However, I mention them to point out another problem that must be addressed. The problem of spiritual inadequacies, errors, mistakes, negligence, which eventuate in defective, deformed, and afflicted newly converted people. Yet we see multitudes who are spiritually deformed, handicapped, crippled, but they continue hobbling along, without admitting their need for repentance, counsel, recommitment, reconciliation or restoration.

Normal, healthy converts have a desire for the milk of God's word, which develops into a hunger for the deeper truths (the meat of God's word), and they have a desire to be with God's people in Christian worship, fellowship, study, celebration, prayers, and ministry service.
Normal and healthy spiritual growth tends to conform the child of God to the likeness of God, our Father and Christ, the Son of God.
Because of the consuming desire for God, it is easier to turn from the world and the things of the world and it
s easier to seek the Lord with the whole heart. This strong and focused growth leads to total dedication, which means death to self.

AND HERE IS THE PROBLEM FOR THOSE CHRISTIANS WHO HAVE DRAGGED THEIR FEET and chosen the path of least resistance.
The worldly route, the carnal path, feeds and strokes the baser nature (the sinful nature) of an immature believer.
Their love for God is replaced with a love for the world, a love for self, a love for pleasure, a love for recognition, a love for luxury, a love for position.

Once a person gives way to his baser desires, then it becomes much easier to neglect and reject the higher values of life and the godliness that attends the life of a true God follower.

12/21/21 After a person is saved, there is a hunger and thirst for righteousness

12/21/21 After a person is saved, there is a hunger and thirst for righteousness

If the new convert seeks God's kingdom and His righteousness, then his hunger and thirst will increase.
If he gets sidetracked or stalled along the way, or deprived of Biblical teaching, his desire will wane.
If he doesn't wake up from his spiritual slumber or turn from his willing rebellion, he will become resistant to God's leading and become willfully opposed to God's righteousness.

But if the believer embraces righteousness his hunger and thirst will increase and draw him to total surrender and the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

It is important for the believer to hear and heed the word of God, since being filled with the Holy Spirit and righteousness is dependent on faith, and we know that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. God fills those who hunger and thirst.

If a person is filling himself on the husks from the world's pig trough, then he will lose his hunger and thirst for God.

12/21/21 The God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament

12/21/21 The God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament

Romans 11:33
(33) O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

Psalms 145:2-4
(2) Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.
(3) Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
(4) One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.

The Bible reveals God, His nature and His work.
Consider...
God is just and God is redemptive.
God is wrathful and God is merciful.
God is angry and God is loving.
God is vengeful and God is kind.
God is concealed and God is revealed.
God is inscrutable and ineffable and God is knowable and declared.
God is One God and God is Three Persons (God is Father, Son, Holy Spirit).
God is Spirit and God became Flesh.
God is transcendent and God is immanent.
God is unapproachable and God is a very present help in trouble.
God is Alpha and Omega, God is the First and the Last, God is the Beginning and the Ending.
God is The Way, The Truth and The Life.
God is King, Lawgiver, Judge, Witness, Advocate.
God is Prophet, Priest, King.
God is Example, Guide, Sacrifice, Altar, Consuming Fire.
God is the same, yesterday, today and forever, He changes not.

12/20/21 CLOSENESS TO GOD IS OUR CHOICE

12/20/21 CLOSENESS TO GOD IS OUR CHOICE

God will be as close as we want Him to be, as close as we allow Him to be. We have the choice to draw near to God, If we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. God initiates the relationship, He enables us to respond to His offers and He responds to our willingness to accept His grace.

James 4:7-10
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

God gave His Son to bring salvation to all men.
God is not a respecter of persons.
God loves sinners (all sinners), while they are sinners and Christ died for all sinners, regardless of how they would respond to Christ and His salvation.
God saves whosoever will call on Him in faith.

12/20/21 The angel said it was good news to all men.

12/20/21 The angel said it was good news to all men.

The Bible says:
It is not the will of God that any should perish;
God would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth;
Christ is the Savior of all men;
Jesus died as the propitiation (appeasement, sacrifice, satisfaction) for all men.
The angel was right, the coming of Jesus is good news to all men.

The New Testament makes it clear:
Whosoever will, and whosoever calls on the name of the Lord, and whosoever believes on Jesus shall be saved.
Yes, the angel was right, it is good news to all men.

Some people teach:
God is a respecter of men, that is, He chooses some men to be saved and chooses to leave others as the victim of Adam's sin, without offering them His grace that would save them from an eternity of torment.
That is not good news.

Men offer fancy arguments, which twist Scripture, warp the nature of God, and deny the One Who has purchased them with His Own blood, by saying that God chose not to offer salvation to helpless and hopeless sinners, rather He sits back and laughs at them in their pitiable but lost estate. God, supposedly chose some for salvation and chose others for condemnation, giving neither of them a choice and judging neither justly. And then they claim it is good news.

I think I will believe the angel and the witness of the New Testament. I will believe that God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life.

I choose to believe the Good News.