Just Like in the Days of Noah

Remember, too, that many, many people in the waters below the ark were relatives of Noah. I find it interesting that God did not tell Noah to close the door of the ark; God closed it. I have to believe it was because God did not want Noah to go the rest of his life feeling he was the one who would not let them in to save them. He trusted in God and God did it.

 
Most of our relatives will reject Christ. Some will claim they have Him but do not obey Him. 

Matthew 7:21-23 "21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

 
Matthew 7:13-15 "13 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it. 15 Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves."

The Lazy Cleaning Lady is Easier to Spot than the Phony Christian

I knew a woman who hired cleaning ladies, and each time the job was finished, she was pleased. The cleaners were pleasant, did a good job (or so she thought), and worked quickly (Maybe too quickly.

Then one day the woman's husband dropped some water on the kitchen floor; he bent down to wipe it up with a paper towel, and on the towel was a lot of dirt. The cleaners had been there just two days earlier.

The cleaning ladies had neglected to clean the floors well because they didn't look dirty. It was the kind of flooring that hid the dirt. There were other things she noticed, tables that were undusted and other things, but she passed them off as small matters.

This reminded me of the Christian life. Some people act pious and full of pride about how good they think they are while displaying false humility to others around them.

These people look clean on the outside, but on the inside they are basically lazy and counterfeit, pretending on the outside while full of anger and disrespect on the inside.

Notice that the floor didn't LOOK as dirty as it was in the case of the false cleaning ladies. The woman who hired the cleaners thought the floors had been mopped. When she discovered just the opposite was true, the floors had not been mopped; they had been spritzed a little to make it look like they had been cleaned.

Many false Christians have learned how to appear righteous; they don't do the big bad things people can point to, but they use covert and subtle tactics to harm others. One of those tactics is deliberate misinterpretation of things they observe about others.

These covert, mean-spirited, and disrespectful people would look wonderful to those who had not been the target of their covert operations.

The world is full of these types of people who play a long game of religiosity, special and pious in front of those they wish to impress while harming those they do not respect in private.

Their respect is not based on character; it is based on personal worldly accomplishments everyone can see. Those of character are despised by the covert actors; they hate the honesty and integrity of those who refuse to be manipulated into reactions that do not please God.

God spoke of these types of people in His Word, and sadly those who were the worst of all were the religious leaders of that day. We have these kinds of people in our day too, religious to the core with all their rules and man-made standards that God never commanded while acting superior to those they think are beneath them.

Matthew 23:1-28 "1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,
2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.
4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.
5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long,
6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues
7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.
8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.
9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.
11 The greatest among you shall be your servant.
12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.
15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves."

16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’
17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred?
18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’
19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it.
22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it."

23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!"

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean."

27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness.
28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."

We have modern-day Pharisees in our time, many seminary graduates who take positions in the churches demanding allegiance to them while perverting the Scriptures for their own gain. The love and admiration of the people they lead is of greater importance to them than pleasing God through obedience to Him.
These people follow the culture, not Christ.

It is vitally important that we trust Christ, not men. When we trust Christ, we will feel compelled to correct those who think they are superior to God through their negating of the Scriptures to further their own agenda.

Mark 7:13
"13 thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

This is the end times world we are living in; sadly, it is so familiar to us that we overlook what should be corrected. It seems as though correction is needed so constantly that we give up, realizing very few will listen. This is when we trust in the Holy Spirit on when to speak, when to remain silent, and when to just walk away so that we obey God in not throwing our pearls before swine.

We don't remain silent because we are cowardly; we do so because we know the one who defies Christ will deliberately cause a fight to be able to lie against us. We must not fight with those who want us to fight.

1 Corinthians 5:11 "But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one."

I think it is wise to also stay away from Christians who support those who claim to be Christian but violate more of God's Word than they obey. Those who support the violators are the same as those who disobey God. They are one in the spirit of rebellion.

Praise God, the time is short, and soon God will come and make things right.

Facebook Friends can be as Loyal as any Other Friend

I have been mocked by Christians for being on Facebook. They say these are not real friends.

I laugh at this because I have had more real relationships with friends on Facebook than I ever had in person. I have even met some of my Facebook friends, and it was a lovely time in the Lord. Paul wrote letters to people he never met and counted them as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Most people who have lots of friends really have no friends at all because the relationships are based on elevating themselves personally using superficial and meaningless chatter to flatter.

There is an old proverb that goes like this; "a man with lots of friends has none at all."

Friends are people who share your principles and embrace what you love. They do not agree on every little thing but are gracious when they disagree. They love you too much to do anything that would hurt you.

Friends do not bludgeon you when you correct them, they think about what you have said and value your insight.

Proverbs 27:6: "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful."

Proverbs 18:24 "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."

In these last days when true friends are few God has given us the internet to connect with godly people who love Who we love, that is Jesus Christ.

If You Meet On Facebook for Edification You Have Obeyed God

If you have met on Facebook or any other social media with other believers around the Truth of the Word as led by the Holy Spirit, you have not neglected the gathering together.

We live in a world now in which the institutional churches have disobeyed Christ more than they have obeyed and have been perverting His Word more than obeying it.

The church buildings are full of man's rituals, making people feel comfortable rather than building them up in the Word. These places have expectations God never gave and discourage what God commanded.

The people sense they are safe because of the rituals and the hierarchical system that elevates men above Christ. The system is protected, and people who expose it are demonized.

Familiar rituals that God never commanded are many; here are a few:
Paid pastor system;
Holiday celebrations through pagan influence;
Buildings called temples;
Pictures of a man depicting Christ;
Pressure to formally join as though tied to one gathering with the expectation of working within that system alone;
Needing permission from leadership to preach and teach the gospel outside the building;
There are many false teachings inculcated with much psychology that trumps Bible teachings;
Teachings about the nature of marriage that defy what God told us in the Bible;
Telling the attendees that only the dedicated preachers should be sharing the gospel in the community;
Disallowing anyone to preach who does not have a seminary degree;
The altar call; and
Then the most ridiculous pressure of all is when the leadership forbids people from having Bible studies in their own homes unless sanctioned by the hierarchy.

There are more unbiblical things going on in these institutional churches, but the few I mentioned should be enough for us to avoid them. God's way was for us to be the Temple and to meet in the homes of others who are the Temple of Christ.

2 Timothy 4:2-4 "…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."

Obey God's Word, seek Christ, and avoid all unbiblical things you were taught that has ruined the churches today!

One Temple

There is only one physical temple for God in this world and that is our bodies, the bodies of those who have trusted Christ. We can meet anywhere at anytime with anyone we choose to edify one another as we worship God in Spirit and in Truth as we walk through this life.

These church buildings that people attend have made the believers lazy. They do not read their Bibles at home, pray at home or witness in their communities.

Their once-a-week gatherings give them a sense of having done their duty, and they go home with no change in their hearts or enthusiasm for Christ. They have placed their trust in that "institutionally educated" man paid to do his job, instead of in Christ.

The gatherings have become a structured system with men's expectations that include no one speaking except the one man up front.

This is not at all the Biblical model given to us in the Bible for the gathering of believers. God told us that as we gather together we are to edify one another.

We are not called to make sacrifices to God as in the Old Testament times. We are called to receive His sacrifice for us as the final word. Our sacrifice is our service to Him in the world.

The gathering of the believers is for edifying one another, speaking to one another, all participating as led by the Holy Spirit. This is what bonds us together, elevating Christ not ourselves.

We are the living sacrifice with Christ living in us.

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. 2Do 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."

When we edify one another in the Lord, He is glorified, the focus is Him.

1 Peter 1:3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,"

Our time with the believers in gathering should enhance our daily walk, giving us boldness and the ability to share Christ in the community.

In the modern church gatherings, people are discouraged from speaking while they face forward in worshipful fashion toward the one man speaker. Anyone who disrupts him will be silenced or ushered out if they will not stop talking.

Hebrews 10:24-25 "…24And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. 25 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."

Acts 2:42 "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."

Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three gather together in My name, there am I with them.”

There is no formula in the gathering in which someone else makes the decisions of what to sing, speak and what to pray without the input of the others. The Holy Spirit leads each one to bring a prayer, a speaking or a song; the Holy Spirit is preeminent, not a person up front.

1 Peter 4:11 "If anyone speaks, he should speak as one conveying the words of God. If anyone serves, he should serve with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen."

Philippians 2:9 "Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names."

The modern churches do not glorify man and are full of dead, lifeless ritual with emotion thrown in to make it seem legitimate.

God's way of gathering glorifies Christ and not people. I grieve every time I hear someone say something like: "I like that preacher because of the way he preaches", or worse: "I go to that church because of the music."

We should never gather to enjoy ourselves! We should gather to edify one another to the glory of Christ.

We are living in the end times full of false doctrine, false worship, false humility, and everything else false too. It's all ritual to satisfy the emotions of people who have little depth, living entirely on superficial sentimentality.

Glorifying Christ is not on the minds of most Christians; their personal feelings and happiness drive everything they do.

2 Timothy 4:2-4 "…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."

Gossip and Slander the Devil's Favorite Tactic Even Today

Gossip and slander has been the favored tactic of the devil. He managed to convince Eve that God was the bad one. God who gave her everything she enjoyed and a perfect body and health, as well as paradise to live in, was painted as the problem. It should not surprise us that the devil uses the same tactics today.

Where Does the Spirit of a Man Go After Death

For those who have wondered what happens to the spirit of a person who has died, God makes it clear.

Those who trust in themselves without Christ have no hope of life in heaven after they die. The wonderful thing is that it is so easy to gain heaven that most people think it is too easy.

God said if we believe in Him, place our trust in Him, and what He did for us on that cruel cross, He will save us, completely transform us and keep us saved until He comes for us. He does all the work in us, all the cleansing and all the keeping of us. All we have to do is trust in HIm.

Trusting in Him does not mean going to church, reading your Bible enough, speaking about Him or anything else we do. It means believing Him when He said He died to pay for our sins and we must trust Him to change us into a new creation.

The spirits of those who have died either go to heaven or hell, depending on whether or not they have trusted in Christ. Those who have trusted in Christ go to heaven, and those who do not go to hell.

2 Corinthians 5:8 "
Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord."

Luke 16:19-31 "19 "There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man 's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham 's side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’"

Pride is the ruination of any person; it prevents people from doing the easy thing to avoid having to admit their own sinful hearts. Pride does nothing good; it merely keeps people in bondage to themselves and their weak and beggarly self-regard.

Those who have trusted Christ understand the incredible freedom they have from sin and from the influences of those who would buffet them because they love Christ.

Bondage to sin is far greater than unsaved people realize; it robs them of everything joyous and creative.

Christ has all the answers; He knows our hearts perfectly and what we need better than we know ourselves. People lie to themselves; they think they are good when they are not. They think they deserve heaven when they have only boasted of themselves without Christ or anyone else as their priority.

Sin is slavery, and freedom in Christ is release from that bondage. Unsaved people do not know they are in bondage; the devil has convinced them that sin is freedom, but it is the worst kind of enslavement.

Galatians 5:1 "5 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery."

John 8:36 "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."