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.
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Wednesday, February 11, 2026
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 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.
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.
Tuesday, February 10, 2026
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.
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.
Monday, February 9, 2026
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!!!!
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!!!!
Saturday, February 7, 2026
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!
Friday, February 6, 2026
Group Think will Ruin You
Groups foster stupidity! Following people has pitfalls. Trust in Christ alone, depend only on Him.
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