The Fall is not our Model for Marriage

The husband is the protector and leader of the family but he is not a master over them. The wife and husband are one half of one another; they work together, each one in their roles, as you said.

Neither one should be micromanaging one another's roles but they should complement, support, and correct one another as equally.

The man does not tell the woman how to do her homemaking job but supports her decisions in it with occasional suggestions for the man's perspective. And, the woman should do the same for the man.

Here is the problem: people are teaching the church that because of the fall the man will dominate her as she tries to dominate him because of this fallen state. However, that is a condition of the fall, not how husband and wife should act in a Christian relationship. Unsaved people want to dominate one another; born-again people should act differently from the fallen state.

A Christian marriage should not be operating as though still in the fall of man. Because of Christ, we look to Him for our model of marriage, not the fall and not the culture.

Genuine Help God's Way

It is true of adults who are given everything by the government that they tend to be less grateful.

Many people who are entitled on welfare are angry when they are not given something and ungrateful for what they were given.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 "For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either."

God's way is the best! When we must discipline ourselves to get up and do what we need to do, even if it is uncomfortable, we tend to appreciate the job we did and the reward of the accomplishment.

Those who are given everything without working for it tend to be bitter, lazy, and unproductive. Of course, not every single person who is supported by the government is this way, but most!

The government is like a bad parent often; they give out things without vetting the people wisely, creating a welfare state that produces multigenerational laziness and entitlement.

Normally, I don't like to speak about politics on my page, but this is not just politics; this is about God's principle of working hard to earn what we have, using it wisely, and sharing when we can.

Entitled people who are supported by the government do not tend to be generous people. Their focus is entirely on their own needs and sponging off of others to obtain them.

I know this sounds harsh to some, but my concern for others leads me to want my brothers and sisters in Christ to experience the blessing of hard work and accomplishment.

Ephesians 4:28 "28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need."

We glorify God when we do things His way.
1 Corinthians 10:31 "31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

What so many believers miss is that we benefit from doing things God's way. God gave us His commands and principles to benefit us while at the same time glorifying Him.

Giving indiscriminately without assessing what a true need is does not take into account what literal help looks like. Sometimes giving this way is for self-gratification and can be ruinous to others. Withholding help for another person teaches that God's way would benefit them much more.

There is a saying, "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day, teach him to fish and feed him for a lifetime."

There is great pleasure and a sense of fulfillment in doing a job well and receiving the reward. When we give with only ourselves in mind to feel good, we rob the receiver of the greater achievement and even growth in maturity.

May believers remain faithful to God's principles and be a genuine help to those who are genuinely in need.

Acts 20:35 "In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Sin Matters Even More Since Christ Had to Die to Pay its Penalty

It makes no sense at all to think that sin, which required the death of the Savior to pay the debt, makes it all right to do what Christ died for; it is lunacy.

Romans 6:1 "1What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2Certainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer?"

Seek Christ not Men

A missionary couple who were retired once told me many years ago, when I was a young new believer, that we should compromise the principles of God for the sake of unity in the church.

I was young and far less educated in the Word than I am now and yet I was still shocked. I knew that didn't make sense because God told me to obey from the beginning. How could I disobey God to please another person? It was unthinkable, even then as a baby believer.

I was once told by a believer that someone was not a liar just because they told one lie. I knew that couldn't be right because someone who was not a liar could never tell even one lie.

I've been told by Christians that we should just forgive the unrepentant, even though God does not do that and even instructs us to wait for repentance before forgiving. It is a model of how He operates with mankind. I was told I would not be forgiven by God if I did not forgive the unrepentant and that I would become bitter. But none of this made sense when I read the Bible and the following verses. God said to bless those who curse me; this is not forgiveness. Repentance and forgiveness is to reconcile a broken relationship, both are needed. When someone is not sorry, there can be no reconciliation.

Luke 17:3-4 "3 Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him."

We are to bless those who curse us so we do not become like them; this is not forgiveness. The purpose here is to ensure we protect ourselves from being influenced to act as the unrepentant person acts.

Peter 3:9-14 "9 not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you would inherit a blessing."
“The one who desires life, to love and see good days,
Must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.
11 He must turn away from evil and do good;
He must seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous,
And His ears attend to their prayer,
But the face of the Lord is against evildoers.”
13 And who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you [b]are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be in dread,"

Romans 12:17-21 "Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Carefully consider what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone. Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.”

Matthew 5:39-42 "But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also; if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well; and if someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles."

It has been suggested that in this passage, "give him the other cheek also" means turn and walk away. This would not be a command to let him hit you again; it is a command to turn and leave, without comment.

As the years went by, I was told many things that were unbiblical, and yet scripture was used out of context and without understanding to justify the opposite of God's meaning.

Bible study women's groups are encouraged to think about what they want to believe superficially about a passage, rather than delving into its true meaning.

There is a saying that sounds good but has been misleading: "If the plain sense makes sense, then do not seek any other sense." I disagree with this because when we read the Bible through the lens of the Western mindset, we will get many things wrong.

We must pray that the Holy Spirit show us the truth so that we do not operate from false presumptions based on our own culture. Sadly, psychology has permeated many ideas in the intellect of the modern Christian. Some of what psychology has observed is correct, but how they interpret it will be wrong, and often what to do about it will be erroneous.

If you asked a person in our day what "church" means, they are most likely going to point to a building with a paid pastor overseeing things. This is not at all what God commanded in His Word. We were never told to build temples or pay one man to be over all the other men in the group.

The mindset of the modern Christian is that the man in the elevated pulpit is the man with the knowledge, and that we could not measure up to that. The practice of elevating that man with all the pews facing forward in a worshipful stance sends the message that everyone else is to sit, listen, and believe whatever he says. He has become the mediator between those in the pews and the man on the pedastal.

I have been told by Christians that I couldn't know something from the Bible because I didn't have a degree from a seminary. This tells us it is not the Holy Spirit believers are seeking, but rather educated men from colleges with accreditations, as though these places have a special in with God that we could not have.

John 16:13-14 "13 However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you.…"

What has happened in the church gatherings is that man is elevated above Jesus Christ. The people trust the man to tell them the truth, but do not seek the Holy Spirit for truth.

When we seek men first, we are making the man our mediator instead of Christ.

1 Timothy 2:5 " 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,"

Who is your mediator, God or man?

The Highest and Most Fulfilling Role of the Woman

Women's lib has been deceived into thinking they must be just like men to be worthy of respect. Since they have lowered themselves by rejecting what and who they are, they have created a world less respectful of them than they were when they were following their God given role as keepers of the home.

There was a quote from William Ross Wallace that says, "The hand that rocks the cradle rules a nation."

Women had far more influence in the culture than they realized when they nurtured and protected children, as well as took charge of and managed the home front.

Women were the stabilizing force behind the family structure. The foundation of the emotional and spiritual power and energy in the family unit.

Those who relegated women to a position of silence in the home debilitated the family. They silenced an integral part of the functioning of the marriage and steadiness of the family.

Yes, men were given the roles of the wage earner and those who fought the wars. When they came home from those demanding and exhausting activities, they were met with the stable environment of safety provided by the woman.

In our day, women are the wage earners and the combat fighters, leaving their homes defenseless as they attempt to act like men, while abandoning the greatest calling of all, which is to shape the hearts of the young ones who will one day be the influencers of the next generation.

Satan was very clever, using the same ploy he did in the garden with Eve. He convinced her that her calling was not enough and that she was missing out on something greater for herself.

Satan has always used "self" as the motive for people to desert their most important calling to chase after something that enticed but in the long run was ruinous, not only to themselves but also for their families and for the nation as a whole.

If you wish to read God's way for the powerful and productive life of the woman, read Proverbs 31. It is the story of a woman who is greatly fulfilled, busy, and productive in her very important role.

Edify One Another Through the Holy Spirit

If you are in a church gathering in which the people are not edifying you and will not allow you to edify them, it is time to leave.

God said the purpose of meeting together is for us to edify one another, equipping one another in the Lord, to go from that place living more fully for the Lord than you did before.

God never placed one man in charge of edifying a group. He commanded that we all edify one another with the truth allowing the Holy Spirit to be the One Who directs everything.

Hebrews 3:13 "But exhort one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness."

Ephesians 4:29 "Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen."

Romans 14:19 "So then, let us pursue what leads to peace and to mutual edification."

Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."

Hebrews 10:24-25 "And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

May each one depend on the Lord Jesus Christ, not on others, and may that dependence help one another to more fully rely on our Savior.

Changing God's Word is to Corrupt it!!!!

"Corruptio opotimi pessima" The corruption of the best is the worst. Think about this in terms of God's Word and how we use it!

Living by the Word of God

1 Corinthians 3:6 "Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, :Do not go beyond what is written.' Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other."

America has moved so far beyond Biblical standards that it lives on cliches and snippets of good-sounding platitudes while disrespecting God and those who obey the Word.

Matthew 15:8-9 "8 ‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.
9 And in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

Isaiah 29:13 "Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men."

Isaiah 1:11-15 “What good to Me is your multitude of sacrifices?” says the LORD. “I am full from the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed cattle; I take no delight in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. / When you come to appear before Me, who has required this of you—this trampling of My courts? / Bring your worthless offerings no more; your incense is detestable to Me. New Moons, Sabbaths, and convocations—I cannot endure iniquity in a solemn assembly."

Perhaps our hearts would be humbled and transformed by the washing of our hearts through the water of the Word.

Boasting is a Sin as is Provoking Someone to Become Jealous is also a Sin

Boasting is a sin, and attempting to provoke someone else to jealousy is also a sin.

James 4:16
As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

Proverbs 27:2
Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.

Jeremiah 9:23
Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches,"

Proverbs 27:1
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

1 Corinthians 4:7
For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

Psalm 94:4
They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast.

James 3:5
So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!

Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

2 Corinthians 11:30
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

1 Corinthians 1:31
So that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Proverbs 25:14
Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.

Jeremiah 9:23-24
Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

Galatians 6:14
But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

James 4:13-16
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

Isaiah 10:15
Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it, or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it? As if a rod should wield him who lifts it, or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!

Jeremiah 9:24
But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.

2 Corinthians 10:17
Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.

Philippians 2:3
Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

Psalm 34:2
My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.

Romans 12:3
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

The Pain of Being a Real Thinker

Copied & pasted. So well said:

“The pain of being a real thinker in a blind world is realising that truth feels like betrayal to those who live in lies.

You see what others ignore, and that vision becomes both your gift and your curse.
The more clearly you think, the more isolated you become.
You learn that silence is safer than wisdom because the world doesn’t listen; it reacts.

People call you strange when you refuse to follow their blindness.
You become the outcast not because you’re wrong, but because you see too much.
Every truth you speak sounds like rebellion in the ears of the comfortable.

You begin to understand that being awake in a sleeping world means living in a state of loneliness.

The pain isn’t in seeing the truth, it’s in watching others choose illusions over light.
You carry questions others fear to ask, and answers they refuse to accept.
They mock what they don’t understand and hate what challenges their comfort zone.

Your voice trembles not from fear, but from the weight of knowing too deeply.
The blind world calls your clarity arrogance, your independence defiance, your empathy weakness.

You see beauty and tragedy in the same moment and realise that wisdom is both a blessing and a burden.

Sometimes you envy those who don’t think, for ignorance has its peace.
You learn that truth-tellers are not celebrated; they are crucified before they are remembered.

In the end, the thinker’s heart breaks not from rejection, but from caring too much for a world that doesn’t see.

Every thinker dies a little each time they realise knowledge cannot fix blindness.
Yet still, you think, you question, you feel because even in pain, your soul refuses to go dark.

And that is both your suffering and your strength, the unending ache of seeing clearly in a world that chooses not to.”

The Problem with the Modern Churches

The problem is that modern Christians see those buildings they call churches as the temples of God, they are not!

They sense that everyone in those places is born again, but they are not!

They see all the rituals and programs as being of God; they are not!

When someone has a false view of the gathering of believers, they will place their trust in those places, the way things are done and one man up front, which is nothing like what God commanded for the gatherings of believers.

Believers are to come together to edify one another, equipping each other for individual lives for a lifestyle of witnessing.

The reason there is no special day to meet, no one man preacher, and no rituals is that Christ in every believer is led by the Holy Spirit, and each one has gifts given to them by Christ Who lives in them. Nothing is based on personal talent, all is based on the calling given by Christ.

1 Corinthians 14:26-31 "26 What is the outcome then, brothers and sisters? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. All things are to be done for edification.
27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, it must be by two or at the most three, and each one in turn, and one is to interpret;
28 but if there is no interpreter, he is to keep silent in church; and have him speak to himself and to God.
29 Have two or three prophets speak, and have the others pass judgment.
30 But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, then the first one is to keep silent.
31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be [l]exhorted;
32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; 33 for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace."

Every believer in the gathering has gifts of the Spirit that they should be using.

1 Corinthians 12:12-23 "For just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body is not one part, but many.
15 If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any less a part of the body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But now God has arranged the parts, each one of them in the body, just as He desired.
19 If they were all one part, where would the body be?
20 But now there are many parts, but one body.
21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again, the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the parts of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary;
23 and those parts of the body which we consider less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor, and our less presentable parts become much more presentable,
24 whereas our more presentable parts have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that part which lacked,
25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same care for one another.
26 And if one part of the body suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if a part is honored, all the parts rejoice with it.
27 Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it."

With a one-man-paid-pastor system there is the misunderstanding that he is in authority rather than the Holy Spirit. He is to be believed without question because he is educated and paid. The pews face forward in worship fashion toward the one who has the authority. No one speaks unless given permission by the man in charge.

When we do things God's way, everyone participates as led by the Holy Spirit, and no man is the authority; only Christ is the Authority.

Our modern churches began the man-centered gatherings hundreds of years ago and have grown more ungodly every year since. This is why we have cultural Christians instead of Christ-following Christians.

People tend to be lazy; they want someone else to tell them what to do and how to act, so they don't have to think, and can pride themselves on how many things they do right according to the organizational church rather than according to God's Word.

I have met many Christians who defend their beliefs according to the pastor and negate what the Bible says to remain loyal to their paid preacher.

May many believers' eyes be opened to the cultic practices of the modern church and become bold enough to resist following any man. May they follow Christ and develop their gifts without apology.

Using Satan's ideas to combat him is a very bad idea.

Someone suggested that Christians should use the real colors of the rainbow, make a flag, and fly it in opposition to the rainbow flag of the homosexual agenda, which has different colors.

This sounds clever and even smart, but it is far from it. The world, and even most Christians, do not know God's colors of the rainbow. When they see a rainbow flag flying, no matter what the colors, most people are going to assume the person flying it is in solidarity with the homosexual agenda.

God never told us to fly a rainbow flag; it is the idea of a person who wants to use Satan's tactics against him while playing right into his hands.

Another bad idea that was suggested and used for a few years was the "What would Jesus do" bracelet. It sounds clever, but diverts attention from the leading of the Holy Spirit while placing one's trust in an inanimate object. It becomes an idol because it is trusted instead of the Holy Spirit.

While speaking with a young man several years ago, I asked him why he wore the bracelet. He told me the bracelet helped remind him of the right things to do and say. Then he told me it causes questions in the minds of unbelievers, so they will ask him about God, opening the door to evangelism.

While all this sounds clever, it places the young man's trust in the bracelet rather than in the Holy Spirit. God never told us to trust in any object for anything. He told us to know His word and trust the Holy Spirit for everything.

I reminded the young man with the bracelet that everything he told me the bracelet does for him was the job of the Holy Spirit, but instead of trusting in Christ, he was trusting in that bracelet. I told him that it would be better for him to seek Christ in prayer, read His Word, and follow it, so that when anything comes up in conversation, he will lean on the Holy Spirit to give him the words.

Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

When we are proud and depend on our own ideas, even in service to Christ, we will trust in the wrong things and become prideful about our own brilliance. And, worse yet, we will end up boasting about what we are doing without regard to the Holy Spirit.

When mankind loves how clever they think they are, they will end up glorifying themselves instead of God. When the Holy Spirit moves within someone, it is God Who gets the glory not man.

Ephesians 1:17-21 "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come."

It is easier to trust in objects we can see than in the Holy Spirit we cannot see. This is spiritual laziness. When we question all things as God commands us to do, we will not be caught up in superficial, prideful tactics that take our focus off the Holy Spirit.

Philippians 1:11 "Filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."

When we trust in Christ, we walk by faith, not by sight. We need no objects to guide us, the idols that distract us from the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Bible has everything we need to follow Christ, we need not add clever human tactics that bring us glory and place our trust in ourselves.

Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Our power as born-again believers comes from the Holy Spirit not from any object or clever idea man has devised.

Luke 24:47 "and in His name repentance and forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem."

We are commanded to speak the truth of the gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit. Any clever ideas man invents that replace trusting in the Holy Spirit are Satan's way of distracting and diverting attention from Christ.

I noticed that the ideas of man that seem so clever run hot quickly and burn out, but God's ways are everlasting; they do not change, and the Holy Spirit is the One Who is elevated.

We worship in Spirit and in Truth, Jesus Christ is Spirit and Truth. He is the very essence of His own word, the Bible. We need no objects other than the Bible itself to bring the gospel to the world.

My prayer is that believers will seek Christ and go more deeply into understanding, so they are not distracted from what Christ commanded in His Word. May those who have trusted in Christ stop devising their own plans apart from the word to elevate themselves.

Trust only in the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, and no idols will be used to demonstrate the gospel. Our lives are living testimonies, and our preaching is the means by which we bring the gospel.

Obeying our Calling without a Salary

I am noticing now that the passages used to promote paying pastors are not talking about wages at all, but about God blessing those who are obeying their calling.

We are not to muzzle the ox, in other words, preventing him from obeying his calling. The other passage speaks of "wages according to their roles", God will bless them as they carry out their roles. Some have to do with providing material support to workers, not only money but sharing housing and food when needed as they travel But I see no "salary" in this for local elders.

1 Corinthians 3:5-8 "5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor."

The wages in this passage are connected to God's blessing as each one plants and waters.

I am convinced the help of apostles as they traveled made sense because they did not have jobs and needed goods and money to move from place to place in their calling of evangelists. This is far different from a salary; they had to depend on the Spirit of God moving in the hearts of the people to whom they were ministering, rather than a salary that was demanded from a congregation to pay a full-time preacher.

The early church didn't have full-time paid elders. They had elders who held down jobs, and each one ministered as did the rest of the congregation. No one was paid; they were all laboring for God as they carried out their personal callings.

It is my understanding that no one is to hinder someone else's calling; it really doesn't have to do with wages or even food, it has to do with not doing anything to hinder the work of another brother or sister as they obey God in their ministry and calling.

Whenever we see passages being taken out of context to make a case, we can be sure the meaning has been distorted, and always for the purpose of a culture that wants the Bible to fit its own agenda.

Born-again believers are to be generous, as led by the Spirit, to those who are working full-time in the gospel. However, elders in the local church are to hold down jobs so as not to squander the donations that come in from the church for the sake of the gospel.

Much money in the church is wasted on salaries, buildings, trips and other frivolous things to enhance the pleasurable experiences of those attending, having little if anything to do with the gospel.

Most of the money in the churches today is used to keep people coming, filling the pews with followers of a man while entertaining them. We know this by how difficult it is to engage most of the attendees in Spiritual conversation outside that building.

They don't even engage in the building; the leader does all the talking for them. They never learn to speak spiritual things themselves and are uncomfortable hearing the truth of God outside that building.

The church attendees have been trained not to speak unless they have credentials, degrees, or permission from the pastors.

This is the sad state within the modern church and has been going on for centuries as people learned not to seek Christ for truth. They seek men with degrees, popular speakers who are tickling the ears of many to maintain the approval of those in the pews.

People, for the most part,t want to be led rather than have to think for themselves. Thinking rationally and reasonably while praying for wisdom takes work and often distances us from family who withdraw their love when we do not follow them.

Galatians 4:15-17 "…16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? 17 Those people are zealous for you, but not in a good way. Instead, they want to isolate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them."

Nothing has changed; truth is still despised, and those who love the Word of God are still isolated, demeaned, mocked, and disrespected for not being like everyone else.

John 15:18-19 "Disciples’ Relation to the World
18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you."

In these last days, especially, we can expect very little of the Bible to be obeyed and most gatherings to be dominated by cultural traditions that God never endorsed or commanded.

The joy and peace for us in all of this is that we know these are the signs of the end times and that soon we will be going home.

None of this rebellion and disobedience to God's word needs to frustrate us or remove our joy. No one can take away the joy of the Lord Jesus Christ Who lives in us.

Keep looking up, we are going home soon!!!!

Something to Think About

There was only one example of the adoption of a child in the Bible, and that was Moses. He went back to his family of origin!

Group Think will Ruin You

Groups foster stupidity! Following people has pitfalls. Trust in Christ alone, depend only on Him.

Truth or Desire?

It is good to ask "is this what I want to believe, or is this truth?"

The Manipulation of the Rejecters

Those who reject us will use every manner of manipulation to try to cause doubt in us, to relent and follow them.

They will deliberately treat others who follow them with respect and treat disrespectfully those who have the audacity to follow Christ instead of them.

Galatians 4:17-21 "17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. 18 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, 19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! 20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you."

People will reject you, hoping you will become jealous and desire to follow them. They will exclude you and court others so that you will sense the rejection and give up seeking Christ.

The more we resolve to obey Christ the worse the pretenders become. They are not satisfied with rejecting us they must also win others to reject us too.

It isn't hard to see in our day the manipulation of the devil who uses people to torment those who follow Christ. The beauty of seeking Christ is that there is no longer hurt associated with the rejection because Christ is all-important in our lives.

James 1:2-9 "2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:"

The Culture Destroyed by Greed of Personal Gain

When an entire culture resists instruction and correction unless they want it to gain something for themselves, there is no one to listen to the truth.

Isaiah 53:5-7 "…5 But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. 6 We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth."

2 Timothy 4:3 "…2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. 4 So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."

Titus 1:10-11 "For many are rebellious and full of empty talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced. For the sake of dishonorable gain, they undermine entire households and teach things they should not."

2 Peter 2:1-3 "Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow in their depravity, and because of them, the way of truth will be defamed. In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep."

Matthew 24:11-12 "and many false prophets will arise and deceive many. Because of the multiplication of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold."

Do not be discouraged when people reject you and have no interest in the Word of God, even if they say they are Christians. We live in difficult times when the heaviness of the rejection of God's wisdom and truth weighs on us as we watch those who are filled with guilt and shame while pretending confidence.

God can work as we pray for the souls of these truth rejecters. If they repent, they can know the truth, and it will set them free. Our business is not to change hearts; it is to tell the truth and leave all the results to God. Rejecters may or may not repent, but we must remain faithful and come out from among them as we grow in wisdom.

The more time we spend with people the more we will become like them. This is why God told us to come out from them and be separated. We still love those who are disobedient, however they cannot be our constant companions. We love them through prayer not through acceptance of their sinful choices or lifestyle.

The hope of the unsaved is only one person, and that is Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:21 "God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."

Gossip is Satan's Best Friend

The 6 STUPID People Schopenhauer Says You Must Avoid

The 6 STUPID People Schopenhauer Says You Must Avoid

Why America Can't Think Anymore — Arthur Schopenhauer