Ephesians 4:11-16 "Ephesians 4:11-16
"11 And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers,
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ;
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ,
16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love."
When all participate in the gathering, there is Spiritual unity and growth; without this, there is little, if any, growth.
God commanded all believers, men and women alike to grow and teach, share and respond to others in the gatherings.
Hebrews 5:11-13 "11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain, because you are dull of hearing. 12 Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food! 13 For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness."
1 Peter 2:2 "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,"
Ephesians 4:14 "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming."
2 Peter 3:18 "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."
Our present culture and sadly, those in the church have the mentality Jeremiah spoke of in his day.
Jeremiah 6:10 "To whom can I give this warning? Who will listen to me? Look, their ears are closed, so they cannot hear. See, the word of the LORD has become offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it."
2 Timothy 4:3 "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."
Proverbs 9:9 "Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man, and he will increase his learning."
Colossians 1:28 "We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ."
When teachers proclaim the truth of Christ, He is elevated and not any human being. May our goal be that every believer will expess their gift and edify one another so that our walk will no longer be worldly but rather Christlike.
1 Corinthians 12: 4-30 "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;
5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord;
6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. (IN EVERYONE)
7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills."
One Body with Many Members
"12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many.
15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?
18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.
19 If all were a single member, where would the body be?
20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,
23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty,
24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it,
25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.
26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.
29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?
30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts.
And I will show you a still more excellent way."
Everyone who is born again, man, woman, and children, has gifts to be expressed within the gathering and during the week when they go about their business in the world. No one is above another; no one has authority over another. All are important, and all receive their marching orders from Jesus Christ's Holy Spirit.
Philippians 1:9-10 "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to test and prove what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,"
Sunday, December 7, 2025
Saturday, December 6, 2025
Born Again Believers are Going Home Soon
Philippians 3:20-21 "But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, / who, by the power that enables Him to subject all things to Himself, will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body."
Many believers do not realize they are not citizens of earth anymore when they become born again, they are citizens of heaven on this earth with a heavenly mission.
This is the rapture of the church.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. / After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord."
Christ will not come down to earth at this time, He will call His church up to Him in the clouds.
Many believers do not realize they are not citizens of earth anymore when they become born again, they are citizens of heaven on this earth with a heavenly mission.
This is the rapture of the church.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. / After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord."
Christ will not come down to earth at this time, He will call His church up to Him in the clouds.
Father's Lead whether good or bad, they lead!
There have been many times down through history when God gave the people what they wanted to show them that what they wanted was not good for them and would ultimately lead to their downfall.
Many mothers have done this as a parent too, when their adult teen children loved something that was not godly or good for them, they spoke once and then left them alone to make their own choice.
Wise mothers know it does no good to "force" an adult, and teens are adults, to do what they want. The rebellion in the hearts of the adult teens is so strong and supported by all their family and peers in the community that one person has no influence.
Sadly, they despised their mother for speaking at all while they had the approval of everyone else around them, making her seem like a grinch.
This constant approval of society for things that would corrupt their minds solidified their anger and disrespect toward their mother. This is common now because of the continual influence of society as a whole, which accepts many ungodly actions and attitudes.
Disrespect is promoted as long as the adult children think they have a good reason. The only reason that is needed in their minds is merely instruction or correction in righteousness.
I once heard a mother lament to me that her husband instructed her to never "lecture" her children, and he did it in front of the children. The children learned to ignore the mother because of the lead of the father. The father led the children in disrespect for the mother, and the children willingly followed him.
You see, fathers do lead; whichever way their attitude, good or bad, is, will be the way the children go.
Now we see why the culture has become apostate, having a form of religion and awfully proud of themselves for their determination to resist those who would instruct them.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "Difficult Times Will Come
3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these."
It is no wonder we are in the last days of apostasy; false religion has replaced the principles of Christ because it has replaced Him with a false religion based on the two P's, prosperity and pleasure.
Thank the Lord that our time on earth is almost over, and we will be going home.
Many mothers have done this as a parent too, when their adult teen children loved something that was not godly or good for them, they spoke once and then left them alone to make their own choice.
Wise mothers know it does no good to "force" an adult, and teens are adults, to do what they want. The rebellion in the hearts of the adult teens is so strong and supported by all their family and peers in the community that one person has no influence.
Sadly, they despised their mother for speaking at all while they had the approval of everyone else around them, making her seem like a grinch.
This constant approval of society for things that would corrupt their minds solidified their anger and disrespect toward their mother. This is common now because of the continual influence of society as a whole, which accepts many ungodly actions and attitudes.
Disrespect is promoted as long as the adult children think they have a good reason. The only reason that is needed in their minds is merely instruction or correction in righteousness.
I once heard a mother lament to me that her husband instructed her to never "lecture" her children, and he did it in front of the children. The children learned to ignore the mother because of the lead of the father. The father led the children in disrespect for the mother, and the children willingly followed him.
You see, fathers do lead; whichever way their attitude, good or bad, is, will be the way the children go.
Now we see why the culture has become apostate, having a form of religion and awfully proud of themselves for their determination to resist those who would instruct them.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "Difficult Times Will Come
3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these."
It is no wonder we are in the last days of apostasy; false religion has replaced the principles of Christ because it has replaced Him with a false religion based on the two P's, prosperity and pleasure.
Thank the Lord that our time on earth is almost over, and we will be going home.
God never told us to observe Christ's birth.
The Catholic church brought in pagan ways to entice them to join that system. The reason the holidays have gone almost entirely back to paganism is that they began as paganism.
Santa is a false god, an idol, people pray to, expect miracles from, and speak of continually, while the name of Christ never comes from their lips.
If someone had never heard of the holiday at all and just read the Bible, they wouldn't see anything in the scriptures that resembles what our culture does today concerning holidays.
Also, ask the question, "why do unsaved people love this holiday so much?" The reason is that it appeals to the emotional senses and pleasure.
There are no physical things we do for God as born-again believers, except one: the Lord's Supper, which He gave to us. Everything else He never commanded, we are to worship in "Spirit and Truth", no artifacts or items to look at longingly that almost always take priority over Christ.
Christ gave everything there was to give to mankind; there is nothing mankind can give back to God in the form of rituals or physical gifts that would have any significance. We worship God with our lives in Spirit and in Truth.
Romans 12:1-2 "1Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
Santa is a false god, an idol, people pray to, expect miracles from, and speak of continually, while the name of Christ never comes from their lips.
If someone had never heard of the holiday at all and just read the Bible, they wouldn't see anything in the scriptures that resembles what our culture does today concerning holidays.
Also, ask the question, "why do unsaved people love this holiday so much?" The reason is that it appeals to the emotional senses and pleasure.
There are no physical things we do for God as born-again believers, except one: the Lord's Supper, which He gave to us. Everything else He never commanded, we are to worship in "Spirit and Truth", no artifacts or items to look at longingly that almost always take priority over Christ.
Christ gave everything there was to give to mankind; there is nothing mankind can give back to God in the form of rituals or physical gifts that would have any significance. We worship God with our lives in Spirit and in Truth.
Romans 12:1-2 "1Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God."
Protect Your Own Character
Notice that those who celebrate Christmas are focusing on Christ being born and being a baby, which any human being does when they come into this world.
Christ came through birth to die for mankind and rise from the dead, proving He is God.
Satan always knows how to take the focus off of God's Word by adding some of it to paganism, making it look sweet and lovable when in reality it spits in the face of God.
The only celebration God gave believers was the Lord's Supper, when we remember Him the way He commanded us.
Over my many years of attending various churches and learning doctrines, I have seen how many, if not most, "Christians" take much scripture out of context to fit their culture. They do not seek God's Word to obey Him; they seek it to find what fits with their favorite doctrine and appeals to their emotions.
And most of all, they want to be accepted by the rest of the culture. They are willing to fight against the truth to maintain what is comfortable and pleasurable.
The narrow way God speaks of in His Word is one that will be flowing in the opposite direction of the rest of cultural Christianity. Those who walk this narrow path will not fit into mainstream society.
Matthew 10:21-22 "…21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. "
All born-again believers who have been transformed by Christ will endure to the end. Those who are pretenders doing their Christianity their own way will not endure to the end; they will drift little by little into the flow of the rest of the culture while despising those who do not go their way.
Do not be dismayed by this rejection; praise God for it because it is human nature to follow those who praise one another. Be excited that you do not fit in and that you are free to be what God intended you to be, without the culture pressuring you to be like them.
Luke 21:17-19 "And you will be hated by everyone because of My name. / Yet not even a hair of your head will perish. / By your patient endurance, you will gain your souls."
Christ gives us the endurance, the perseverance and the joy needed to remain free from cultural mandates.
James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials... because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything".
Romans 5:3-4 "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope".
Galatians 6:9 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up".
We may not see the rewards of our perseverance in this life, but we will protect our own character and receive our reward when we leave this life.
Christ came through birth to die for mankind and rise from the dead, proving He is God.
Satan always knows how to take the focus off of God's Word by adding some of it to paganism, making it look sweet and lovable when in reality it spits in the face of God.
The only celebration God gave believers was the Lord's Supper, when we remember Him the way He commanded us.
Over my many years of attending various churches and learning doctrines, I have seen how many, if not most, "Christians" take much scripture out of context to fit their culture. They do not seek God's Word to obey Him; they seek it to find what fits with their favorite doctrine and appeals to their emotions.
And most of all, they want to be accepted by the rest of the culture. They are willing to fight against the truth to maintain what is comfortable and pleasurable.
The narrow way God speaks of in His Word is one that will be flowing in the opposite direction of the rest of cultural Christianity. Those who walk this narrow path will not fit into mainstream society.
Matthew 10:21-22 "…21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. "
All born-again believers who have been transformed by Christ will endure to the end. Those who are pretenders doing their Christianity their own way will not endure to the end; they will drift little by little into the flow of the rest of the culture while despising those who do not go their way.
Do not be dismayed by this rejection; praise God for it because it is human nature to follow those who praise one another. Be excited that you do not fit in and that you are free to be what God intended you to be, without the culture pressuring you to be like them.
Luke 21:17-19 "And you will be hated by everyone because of My name. / Yet not even a hair of your head will perish. / By your patient endurance, you will gain your souls."
Christ gives us the endurance, the perseverance and the joy needed to remain free from cultural mandates.
James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials... because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything".
Romans 5:3-4 "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope".
Galatians 6:9 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up".
We may not see the rewards of our perseverance in this life, but we will protect our own character and receive our reward when we leave this life.
Born Again by the Holy Spirit of God
No one is born again by their own effort; if Christ did not transform them, they remain unsaved.
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