Monday, November 17, 2025
Saturday, November 15, 2025
Adding or Taking Away are Both Sins Against God
Adding to Scripture or taking away from Scripture to make it say what we like is the same as denying Christ, He is the Word!!!!
Ignore a Fool, Show them the kindness They Never Gave Us
Narcissists do rude things because they want you to tell others about it, so they can deny it and make us look like those with a problem.
I cannot count the number of times I have seen this happen. The best thing to do is avoid them, ignore their noise, and remain focused on Christ.
Proverbs 29:9-10 "9 If a wise man goes to court with a fool, there will be raving and laughing with no resolution. 10 Men of bloodshed hate a blameless man, but the upright care for his life."
The important thing in dealing with this modern rude culture is to not become like what we see from day to day. If we return insult for insult, we have become just like those who love the drama and pain they bring others.
Proverbs 26:4-5 "4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be like him. 5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he become wise in his own eyes."
Fools will play many tricks of manipulation to goad their target into ungodly responses; do not comply or be controlled by their nonsense.
Remember, you cannot teach a fool anything, so answering them only makes us look just as foolish as they are.
The devil loves to make Christians fall into the trap of the need to be heard. We do not need to be heard and we do not need to explain ourselves. Silence is often the best answer.
2 Timothy 2:23 "But reject foolish and ignorant speculation, for you know that it breeds quarreling."
Matthew 15:14 "Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
Our walk will be blameless and peaceful if we obey God in not answering foolish and contentious people.
I cannot count the number of times I have seen this happen. The best thing to do is avoid them, ignore their noise, and remain focused on Christ.
Proverbs 29:9-10 "9 If a wise man goes to court with a fool, there will be raving and laughing with no resolution. 10 Men of bloodshed hate a blameless man, but the upright care for his life."
The important thing in dealing with this modern rude culture is to not become like what we see from day to day. If we return insult for insult, we have become just like those who love the drama and pain they bring others.
Proverbs 26:4-5 "4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be like him. 5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he become wise in his own eyes."
Fools will play many tricks of manipulation to goad their target into ungodly responses; do not comply or be controlled by their nonsense.
Remember, you cannot teach a fool anything, so answering them only makes us look just as foolish as they are.
The devil loves to make Christians fall into the trap of the need to be heard. We do not need to be heard and we do not need to explain ourselves. Silence is often the best answer.
2 Timothy 2:23 "But reject foolish and ignorant speculation, for you know that it breeds quarreling."
Matthew 15:14 "Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
Our walk will be blameless and peaceful if we obey God in not answering foolish and contentious people.
God's System is Different From Mans
The whole church system has been broken for hundreds of years, when the Catholic church instituted a hierarchy system God never intended. When the Catholic leaders, Luther and Calvin, left the church, they brought their hierarchy with them, beginning the "paid-pastor" system as though the pastor was the mediator between God and the parishioners. This was not God's system but man's.
God never intended leaders in the church to have authority over the gathering of believers. He designed that leaders would guide the proceedings but all would participate in sharing. No formal program was instituted and all was done to edify the people to grow and become sharers of the word when they left the gathering. Every person was to participate.
1 Corinthians 14:26 "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."
Edifying one another is the goal to build up Spiritual strength. We worship as led by the Holy Spirit; our edification is our worship and observance of the Lord's supper. We are to do the Lord's supper whenever we meet.
Romans 14:4-6 "…4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person regards a certain day above the others, while someone else considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes a special day does so to the Lord; he who eats does so to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God."
There are no rules about when to meet or the order of special ritual, each one shares as led by the Holy Spirit. I have seen this done, and it is a beautiful thing; the Leader is the Holy Spirit. The leaders appointed by God are me,n and they do not have authority over the people; they are guides. The Holy Spirit is the leader with Authority.
May each believer prayerfully seek Christ to understand these principles as given by God in His Word.
God never intended leaders in the church to have authority over the gathering of believers. He designed that leaders would guide the proceedings but all would participate in sharing. No formal program was instituted and all was done to edify the people to grow and become sharers of the word when they left the gathering. Every person was to participate.
1 Corinthians 14:26 "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."
Edifying one another is the goal to build up Spiritual strength. We worship as led by the Holy Spirit; our edification is our worship and observance of the Lord's supper. We are to do the Lord's supper whenever we meet.
Romans 14:4-6 "…4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person regards a certain day above the others, while someone else considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes a special day does so to the Lord; he who eats does so to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God."
There are no rules about when to meet or the order of special ritual, each one shares as led by the Holy Spirit. I have seen this done, and it is a beautiful thing; the Leader is the Holy Spirit. The leaders appointed by God are me,n and they do not have authority over the people; they are guides. The Holy Spirit is the leader with Authority.
May each believer prayerfully seek Christ to understand these principles as given by God in His Word.
Friday, November 14, 2025
Women in the Church Gathering
The head covering for women believers was instituted by God to demonstrate the relationship between Christ and His Church. God commanded men to be uncovered as a symbol of Christ and the woman to be covered as a symbol of the church. It had to do with Christ protecting the church, and the church submits to Him.
Christ commanded men to submit to their wives as they protect them, the men are servants, and the wives were to submit to their husbands as they submit to the Lord as a helpmate.
Husbands are to lead as led by the Holy Spirit and women are to follow as led by the Holy Spirit. Everything as done unto the Lord.
Ephesians 5:21-6:4 "21 and subject yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ. 22 Wives, subject yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.
Christ commanded men to submit to their wives as they protect them, the men are servants, and the wives were to submit to their husbands as they submit to the Lord as a helpmate.
Ephesians 5:21-6:4 "21 and subject yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ. 22 Wives, subject yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.
Ephesians 5:25-30 "25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church [c]in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. 28 So husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30 because we are parts of His body."
There are two commands in this passage in 1 Corinthians: the woman was to be covered when she prayed and prophesied in the gathering of believers, and the men were to be uncovered. This is about both submitting to Christ.
This was not about which culture you live in, it is entirely applicable to any culture that obeys Christ.
1 Corinthians 11:3-5 "…3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 5 And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for it is just as if her head were shaved."
The command for the woman was to be covered when she prays and prophesies in the gathering of believers; in other words, she is participating in speech but not as the leader.
If the woman were to be completely silent, as other verses might suggest, then this passage about the woman praying and prophesying in the gathering would be a contradiction.
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 "Women should remain silent in the churches. For they are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church."
In this passage, the women were disruptive and asked questions because they were new believers and did not yet know anything. This was not a command never to speak, but to never speak in a disruptive way, usurping authority, arguing with those who were speaking.
Notice the women were learning here; they had no knowledge of the Bible and were not yet led by the Holy Spirit.
1 Timothy 2:11 "A woman must learn in quietness and full submissiveness. 12I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; she is to remain quiet."
We know this was not a command to never speak because of 1 Corinthians 14, in which God tells a woman to be covered when she prays and prophesies. Many churches have taken this speaking to one extreme or another, either to never speak at all, or allowing a woman to speak in authority over men.
The truth is that neither is correct. Women are not allowed to disrupt and argue because they need to learn at home first before they have anything to share in the gathering. The men are to lead, and according to 1 Corinthians 14, the women share in praying and prophesying as led by the Holy Spirit not as leaders but as participants.
The example of Priscilla and Aquilla shows us that women participate in teaching as a couple.
Acts 18:24-26 "24 Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was proficient in the Scriptures. 25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and being fervent in spirit, he was accurately speaking and teaching things about Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; 26 and he began speaking boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God more accurately to him."
This couple were friends of Paul and were very active in presenting the gospel and teaching new believers.
Let's be clear that women were not to lead, but they were active in sharing through prayer and prophesying as long as they were covered. Let's also remember that the prophesying was not fortelling the future, but forthtelling the Word of God, and all was led by the Holy Spirit.
Pheobe was a deacon active in the church. She was entrusted to carry a letter for Paul a long, dangerous distance.
Romans 16:1-2 "Greetings and Love Expressed
16 I recommend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea, 2 that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well."
The only job of the church women were not given was that of a leader over men; they were instrumental in every other calling, even teaching one-on-one those who were new believers. They prayed and prophesied within the gathering as led by the Holy Spirit. And, were messengers and helpers to others in ministry.
May we examine all of our modern cultural teachings according to the Bible and within context. When context is ignored to create teachings that are not biblical, many believers are harmed and discouraged from doing what God has called them to do. Let us rightly divide the word in all matters.
There are two commands in this passage in 1 Corinthians: the woman was to be covered when she prayed and prophesied in the gathering of believers, and the men were to be uncovered. This is about both submitting to Christ.
This was not about which culture you live in, it is entirely applicable to any culture that obeys Christ.
1 Corinthians 11:3-5 "…3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 5 And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for it is just as if her head were shaved."
The command for the woman was to be covered when she prays and prophesies in the gathering of believers; in other words, she is participating in speech but not as the leader.
If the woman were to be completely silent, as other verses might suggest, then this passage about the woman praying and prophesying in the gathering would be a contradiction.
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 "Women should remain silent in the churches. For they are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church."
In this passage, the women were disruptive and asked questions because they were new believers and did not yet know anything. This was not a command never to speak, but to never speak in a disruptive way, usurping authority, arguing with those who were speaking.
Notice the women were learning here; they had no knowledge of the Bible and were not yet led by the Holy Spirit.
1 Timothy 2:11 "A woman must learn in quietness and full submissiveness. 12I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; she is to remain quiet."
We know this was not a command to never speak because of 1 Corinthians 14, in which God tells a woman to be covered when she prays and prophesies. Many churches have taken this speaking to one extreme or another, either to never speak at all, or allowing a woman to speak in authority over men.
The truth is that neither is correct. Women are not allowed to disrupt and argue because they need to learn at home first before they have anything to share in the gathering. The men are to lead, and according to 1 Corinthians 14, the women share in praying and prophesying as led by the Holy Spirit not as leaders but as participants.
The example of Priscilla and Aquilla shows us that women participate in teaching as a couple.
Acts 18:24-26 "24 Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was proficient in the Scriptures. 25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and being fervent in spirit, he was accurately speaking and teaching things about Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; 26 and he began speaking boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God more accurately to him."
This couple were friends of Paul and were very active in presenting the gospel and teaching new believers.
Let's be clear that women were not to lead, but they were active in sharing through prayer and prophesying as long as they were covered. Let's also remember that the prophesying was not fortelling the future, but forthtelling the Word of God, and all was led by the Holy Spirit.
Pheobe was a deacon active in the church. She was entrusted to carry a letter for Paul a long, dangerous distance.
Romans 16:1-2 "Greetings and Love Expressed
16 I recommend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea, 2 that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well."
The only job of the church women were not given was that of a leader over men; they were instrumental in every other calling, even teaching one-on-one those who were new believers. They prayed and prophesied within the gathering as led by the Holy Spirit. And, were messengers and helpers to others in ministry.
May we examine all of our modern cultural teachings according to the Bible and within context. When context is ignored to create teachings that are not biblical, many believers are harmed and discouraged from doing what God has called them to do. Let us rightly divide the word in all matters.
Thursday, November 13, 2025
Stop Calling America a Christian Nation
The dangers and pitfalls of calling "America" a Christian nation. Stop talking about politics in America and speak only of Christ.
My husband and I had to give up our cultural Christianity and Catholicism to follow Christ. Please stop talking about your pastor or special speakers, your denominations, and begin speaking only about Christ.
When we call America a Christian nation, we send the message to the rest of the world that all the evils that are a part of this nation are the very definition of Christianity.
My husband and I had to give up our cultural Christianity and Catholicism to follow Christ. Please stop talking about your pastor or special speakers, your denominations, and begin speaking only about Christ.
When we call America a Christian nation, we send the message to the rest of the world that all the evils that are a part of this nation are the very definition of Christianity.
In the Mind of America More than Reality
I have been hearing a lot from "conservatives," whether Christians or not, they all say, "Make America great again." There is the presumption that because of all the things Americans used to enjoy in the 40's and beyond was what made America great.
Those in this generation recall unlocked doors without fear, plenty of money for all the holidays, and other things they wanted to indulge in, as well as what appeared to be more stable family lives. I am convinced most of this is more in the mind than the reality.
Children were more respectful of their parents, or so it seemed. We saw the television stories as more wholesome than anything now. But let's take a more honest look, bypassing the good feelings we remember from all the things we thought we had.
Let's take a good look back and see if things were as good as we wish to believe.
I am in my 70s now and my memory was one of a dysfunctional family in which there was little interaction with parents that resulted in wisdom and a lot of television shows that brought unbiblical ideas that we thought were good, but were in fact working against the Bible.
We were raised on stories like "Bewitched", "I Dream of Jeannie", and Halloween stories of witches and ghosts. We all "trick or treated" on Halloween. We enjoyed the fantasies of Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, Hansel and Gretel and the witch, the Wizard of Oz, and Gunsmoke, in which the main character was a woman in a tavern who was a madam to prostitutes.
We celebrated Easter, the bunny, and eggs. We went to church, where bags of candy and nuts were handed out at Christmas time, and a tree was in the back of the church, which was decorated for the holiday season.
Soap operas were common and viewed by many housewives during the day. These shows were full of foolish drama about affairs and other decisions that ruined people's lives.
In the cop shows, the main characters were not married and frequently made subtle advances toward women. Even the so-called wholesome shows had frequent flirting and winking about dating.
Many of the shows we thought were so harmless and fun did not pass the smell test when compared to the Bible. The fact was that most people who attended those buildings they call churches didn't know very much about their Bibles.
God was never mentioned in these shows we grew up with, and the Biblical principles were violated or ignored completely. Many Christians were fooled that these shows were harmless because they didn't read the Bible or had a desire to do so.
Because the country was basically deceived about what "morality" looked like according to God's Word, they accepted many things that God condemned.
America was extolled as the most powerful country in the world where anyone of any religion could come and practice openly whatever brand of faith the wished to enjoy. The gospel was here spread by a few but for the most part most people viewed religion as a private matter. Christians who attended churches every week rarely mentioned God to anyone except someone else who went to those churches.
I was raised in one of these homes. I never heard the name of Jesus Christ roll off the tongues of a family member. There was never any teaching in the home about Christ; there was no Bible reading and no discussion about anything of consequence.
I learned about Christ from attending Sunday school but had no support at home for it except harsh rules without conversation. When I would ask questions about something, I was put off with "because I said so", or "that's just what we believe", without any explanation or discussion.
After I was born again, I realized there could be no discussion because most "Christians" didn't know why they followed certain rules, because they didn't know their Bibles. They merely did what was culturally acceptable at the time. These same people relaxed their views and rules as the culture changed, accepting things they would have condemned in the past.
When I was raising children the people around me attempted to shut me down when I wanted to openly discuss things. You see, it was a cultural thing that got worse as the culture began to grow in rebellion against God's Word.
To this day, it is nearly impossible to discuss a matter at length with anyone because it is considered rude to question anyone or disagree, so everyone remains silent about God's principles and rejects, dismisses, and isolates those who wish to have an honest, open discussion about the principles of God.
Satan has managed to fool several generations into believing good people are those who remain silent in the face of sin, fantasy thinking and unbiblical principles. Pleasing God is not even on the table, nor is talk of repentance and cleansing.
America has not been great; it has been a place of prosperity and freedom to act in any way that pleases each person, but not free to express God's Word to correct rebellion against God.
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.…"
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "But understand this: In the last days, terrible times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good,"
1 Timothy 4:1-2 "Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron."
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."
We have been living in the last days for a very long time. The evidence that the church will be going home soon is the intensity with which rebellion is increasing. This generation, mine in the 50s and 60s, was just as immoral as any other generation; the difference was the deception that, as long as it was hidden, one could attend the churches and pretend every week and everything would be alright.
The immorality was in the fantasy life and hearts of the people indulging through television and movies, while pretending they were good because they were not "doing" their sin outwardly, but it was clearly in the hearts of nearly everyone.
Acts 20:29-30 "I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. / Even from your own number, men will rise up and distort the truth to draw away disciples after them."
Romans 16:17-18 "Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them. / For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the hearts of the naive."
Because of the lack of knowledge about God's Word, there are many things that defy God that the culture thinks are just innocent fun.
Wisdom is becoming scarce in the culture as a whole because the Bible has been rejected by most people, even those who attend "church gatherings." The authentically born-again believers remain a remnant as they always have been, even from the beginning of the first-century church.
We truly are living in the end times. This explosion of "Christians" who fight against the truth is one of the indicators of the apostasy God told us would be present when Christ comes.
Those in this generation recall unlocked doors without fear, plenty of money for all the holidays, and other things they wanted to indulge in, as well as what appeared to be more stable family lives. I am convinced most of this is more in the mind than the reality.
Children were more respectful of their parents, or so it seemed. We saw the television stories as more wholesome than anything now. But let's take a more honest look, bypassing the good feelings we remember from all the things we thought we had.
Let's take a good look back and see if things were as good as we wish to believe.
I am in my 70s now and my memory was one of a dysfunctional family in which there was little interaction with parents that resulted in wisdom and a lot of television shows that brought unbiblical ideas that we thought were good, but were in fact working against the Bible.
We were raised on stories like "Bewitched", "I Dream of Jeannie", and Halloween stories of witches and ghosts. We all "trick or treated" on Halloween. We enjoyed the fantasies of Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, Hansel and Gretel and the witch, the Wizard of Oz, and Gunsmoke, in which the main character was a woman in a tavern who was a madam to prostitutes.
We celebrated Easter, the bunny, and eggs. We went to church, where bags of candy and nuts were handed out at Christmas time, and a tree was in the back of the church, which was decorated for the holiday season.
Soap operas were common and viewed by many housewives during the day. These shows were full of foolish drama about affairs and other decisions that ruined people's lives.
In the cop shows, the main characters were not married and frequently made subtle advances toward women. Even the so-called wholesome shows had frequent flirting and winking about dating.
Many of the shows we thought were so harmless and fun did not pass the smell test when compared to the Bible. The fact was that most people who attended those buildings they call churches didn't know very much about their Bibles.
God was never mentioned in these shows we grew up with, and the Biblical principles were violated or ignored completely. Many Christians were fooled that these shows were harmless because they didn't read the Bible or had a desire to do so.
Because the country was basically deceived about what "morality" looked like according to God's Word, they accepted many things that God condemned.
America was extolled as the most powerful country in the world where anyone of any religion could come and practice openly whatever brand of faith the wished to enjoy. The gospel was here spread by a few but for the most part most people viewed religion as a private matter. Christians who attended churches every week rarely mentioned God to anyone except someone else who went to those churches.
I was raised in one of these homes. I never heard the name of Jesus Christ roll off the tongues of a family member. There was never any teaching in the home about Christ; there was no Bible reading and no discussion about anything of consequence.
I learned about Christ from attending Sunday school but had no support at home for it except harsh rules without conversation. When I would ask questions about something, I was put off with "because I said so", or "that's just what we believe", without any explanation or discussion.
After I was born again, I realized there could be no discussion because most "Christians" didn't know why they followed certain rules, because they didn't know their Bibles. They merely did what was culturally acceptable at the time. These same people relaxed their views and rules as the culture changed, accepting things they would have condemned in the past.
When I was raising children the people around me attempted to shut me down when I wanted to openly discuss things. You see, it was a cultural thing that got worse as the culture began to grow in rebellion against God's Word.
To this day, it is nearly impossible to discuss a matter at length with anyone because it is considered rude to question anyone or disagree, so everyone remains silent about God's principles and rejects, dismisses, and isolates those who wish to have an honest, open discussion about the principles of God.
Satan has managed to fool several generations into believing good people are those who remain silent in the face of sin, fantasy thinking and unbiblical principles. Pleasing God is not even on the table, nor is talk of repentance and cleansing.
America has not been great; it has been a place of prosperity and freedom to act in any way that pleases each person, but not free to express God's Word to correct rebellion against God.
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.…"
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "But understand this: In the last days, terrible times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good,"
1 Timothy 4:1-2 "Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron."
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."
We have been living in the last days for a very long time. The evidence that the church will be going home soon is the intensity with which rebellion is increasing. This generation, mine in the 50s and 60s, was just as immoral as any other generation; the difference was the deception that, as long as it was hidden, one could attend the churches and pretend every week and everything would be alright.
The immorality was in the fantasy life and hearts of the people indulging through television and movies, while pretending they were good because they were not "doing" their sin outwardly, but it was clearly in the hearts of nearly everyone.
Acts 20:29-30 "I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. / Even from your own number, men will rise up and distort the truth to draw away disciples after them."
Romans 16:17-18 "Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them. / For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the hearts of the naive."
Because of the lack of knowledge about God's Word, there are many things that defy God that the culture thinks are just innocent fun.
Wisdom is becoming scarce in the culture as a whole because the Bible has been rejected by most people, even those who attend "church gatherings." The authentically born-again believers remain a remnant as they always have been, even from the beginning of the first-century church.
We truly are living in the end times. This explosion of "Christians" who fight against the truth is one of the indicators of the apostasy God told us would be present when Christ comes.
The Thief on the Cross and His Salvation
The thief on the cross was not baptized. He wasn't even baptized with the Holy Spirit because Christ had not yet died and sent back the Holy Spirit.
Everyone who is born again now has the Holy Spirit and is commanded to be baptized in water as a profession of their faith, but not for salvation.
John 16:7-8 " 7 But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:…"
There is no ritual required for salvation, but there are a couple of commands by God after salvation, such as the Lord's supper to remember Him and baptism in water to proclaim our new life in Christ. None of these things saves anyone, but they are expressions of faith after salvation.
Christ did all the work on the cross; nothing we would do could be added to what He did. The Perfect Lamb of God had to die. How silly to think that anything we would do could save us.
Titus 3:5-7 "5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He richly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs [a]according to the hope of eternal life."
Everyone who is born again now has the Holy Spirit and is commanded to be baptized in water as a profession of their faith, but not for salvation.
John 16:7-8 " 7 But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:…"
There is no ritual required for salvation, but there are a couple of commands by God after salvation, such as the Lord's supper to remember Him and baptism in water to proclaim our new life in Christ. None of these things saves anyone, but they are expressions of faith after salvation.
Christ did all the work on the cross; nothing we would do could be added to what He did. The Perfect Lamb of God had to die. How silly to think that anything we would do could save us.
Titus 3:5-7 "5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He richly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs [a]according to the hope of eternal life."
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
Judging Things that Don't Matter
Next time someone wants to judge the choices of others through gossip to you, simply say, "God did not assign me to make a judgment about that."
There are many things that need no one else's judgment that are not sin.
Many people judge others as bad parents because of how their children turned out without being there to watch their upbringing. They assume parents must have done something wrong, but they have no details that prove it. Adult children make their own choices, often against the training of their parents.
David's son Absolum wanted to kill his own father. David was called the apple of God's eye, a man after God's own heart. The Bible does not tell us how David raised his son, so presuming would be gossip.
There is pride involved in judging the parenting of others based on a perception without facts. The only reason to make these kinds of judgments is to attempt to elevate oneself above others. There is no profit spiritually in judging the parenting of others only to appear superior.
Some would judge others for not attending the modern churches, as though attending those places is the way we are to gather, when the Bible teaches differently. It is not our place to judge how brothers and sisters choose to meet.
Judging how others choose to eat is another way to destroy relationships unnecessarily. I have seen a lot of this in my life. Food has been a "great divide" among believers these days because they are so fixated on this life and everything being as perfect as possible, they have lost sight that God provides the food and He is the judge.
Colossians 2:16-17 " 16 Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath. 17These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ.…"
Romans 14:5-6 "One person regards a certain day above the others, while someone else considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes a special day does so to the Lord; he who eats does so to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God."
Galatians 4:9-10 "But now that you know God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you are turning back to those weak and worthless principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!"
I have seen people judge women as leading when they are merely sharing through the love of the Holy Spirit. They have judged that the women are usurping authority when they are a helper and asset to their husbands.
It has been my experience that often people judge something about us; they want us to be wrong about something because of their dislike or even hatred of us. Even gossiping about us to others so the others will dislike us too. Somehow, they think if they discredit us, that alone will elevate them to special status.
,
Romans 14:1-4 "Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on his opinions. For one person has faith to eat all things, while another, who is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not belittle the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted him."
1 Corinthians 8:8 "But food does not bring us closer to God: We are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do."
Galatians 5:1 "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery."
It is not surprising that unbelievers, even the pretenders who attend churches, would want to ruin our walk and remove our influence by turning others against us. They did it with Christ, the apostles, and the prophets, and they will do it with us, too. Praise God when we can stand alone, ignore the idle chatter, and remain full of joy anyway.
Many actions in this life may be different from the way we do things, but it does not mean the different person is sinning in some way, or even wrong about their choices.
Sadly, I see this on steroids in social media with celebrities or high-ranking political figures. It is one thing to judge a person based on truth, what we can see, and what the celebrities have said publicly themselves; it is quite another to make guesses based on perceived outcomes.
There are many things that need no one else's judgment that are not sin.
Many people judge others as bad parents because of how their children turned out without being there to watch their upbringing. They assume parents must have done something wrong, but they have no details that prove it. Adult children make their own choices, often against the training of their parents.
David's son Absolum wanted to kill his own father. David was called the apple of God's eye, a man after God's own heart. The Bible does not tell us how David raised his son, so presuming would be gossip.
There is pride involved in judging the parenting of others based on a perception without facts. The only reason to make these kinds of judgments is to attempt to elevate oneself above others. There is no profit spiritually in judging the parenting of others only to appear superior.
Some would judge others for not attending the modern churches, as though attending those places is the way we are to gather, when the Bible teaches differently. It is not our place to judge how brothers and sisters choose to meet.
Judging how others choose to eat is another way to destroy relationships unnecessarily. I have seen a lot of this in my life. Food has been a "great divide" among believers these days because they are so fixated on this life and everything being as perfect as possible, they have lost sight that God provides the food and He is the judge.
Colossians 2:16-17 " 16 Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath. 17These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ.…"
Romans 14:5-6 "One person regards a certain day above the others, while someone else considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes a special day does so to the Lord; he who eats does so to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God."
Galatians 4:9-10 "But now that you know God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you are turning back to those weak and worthless principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!"
I have seen people judge women as leading when they are merely sharing through the love of the Holy Spirit. They have judged that the women are usurping authority when they are a helper and asset to their husbands.
It has been my experience that often people judge something about us; they want us to be wrong about something because of their dislike or even hatred of us. Even gossiping about us to others so the others will dislike us too. Somehow, they think if they discredit us, that alone will elevate them to special status.
,
Romans 14:1-4 "Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on his opinions. For one person has faith to eat all things, while another, who is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not belittle the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted him."
1 Corinthians 8:8 "But food does not bring us closer to God: We are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do."
Galatians 5:1 "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery."
It is not surprising that unbelievers, even the pretenders who attend churches, would want to ruin our walk and remove our influence by turning others against us. They did it with Christ, the apostles, and the prophets, and they will do it with us, too. Praise God when we can stand alone, ignore the idle chatter, and remain full of joy anyway.
Many actions in this life may be different from the way we do things, but it does not mean the different person is sinning in some way, or even wrong about their choices.
Sadly, I see this on steroids in social media with celebrities or high-ranking political figures. It is one thing to judge a person based on truth, what we can see, and what the celebrities have said publicly themselves; it is quite another to make guesses based on perceived outcomes.
Let's be sure when we judge it is according to God's Word and not our own prejudices.
Do not allow the pressures of others to dictate your path.
We are only responsible for giving the truth once; if they reject it, then we must walk away and leave all the results to God. We are not responsible for chasing after those who do not want to hear. And, we are not responsible for remaining friends with those who are not walking the same path we are walking. If someone comes back and wants to hear, then we will be ready for them.
When we have trusted in Christ, we do what He tells us to do and no more. Only His will is important. Those who do not respect Him or us will not change their stance through continual nagging. Those who want to know more will ask when they are ready.
Mark 6:11 "Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.” They went out and preached that men should repent."
Matthew 10:14 "And whoever does not receive you nor listen to your words, as you leave that house or city, shake the dust off your feet."
Zechariah 7:12-13 "…12 They made their hearts like flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD of Hosts had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets. Therefore, great anger came from the LORD of Hosts. 13 And just as I had called and they would not listen, so when they called I would not listen, says the LORD of Hosts. "
We live in a time when the "churches" want body counts more than they want the hearts of people to be changed by Christ. It is harder to reach someone who has already accepted a false gospel than to reach an unbeliever who has never heard any gospel.
Jeremiah 23:16 (KJV 1900) "16 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord."
Philippians 3:12-14 "12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus."
When we speak the words of God, there will be many "professing Christians" who will be offended by them. They are either walking disobediently or they were never saved in the first place. Our job is not to convince someone intellectually, but to speak truth and leave their response to God.
When we begin to think it is up to us and our delivery for people to become born again, it is when we have lost our way, thinking we are the ones who bring the increase. We are not; we are only the messengers. It is the Holy Spirit Who works on people after they hear, and their choice to obey or not to obey.
1 Corinthians 3:5-7 "…5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, as the Lord has assigned to each his role. 6 I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.…"
It is important that we pray and read the word every time we hear a modern cliche in these days of apostasy. Many "Christians" say things that sound good but are not Biblical and are merely humanistic pressure for us to do things their way. Listen long enough to research God's Word, and if what is said does not align with it, correct it and disregard it.
When we have trusted in Christ, we do what He tells us to do and no more. Only His will is important. Those who do not respect Him or us will not change their stance through continual nagging. Those who want to know more will ask when they are ready.
Mark 6:11 "Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.” They went out and preached that men should repent."
Matthew 10:14 "And whoever does not receive you nor listen to your words, as you leave that house or city, shake the dust off your feet."
Zechariah 7:12-13 "…12 They made their hearts like flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD of Hosts had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets. Therefore, great anger came from the LORD of Hosts. 13 And just as I had called and they would not listen, so when they called I would not listen, says the LORD of Hosts. "
We live in a time when the "churches" want body counts more than they want the hearts of people to be changed by Christ. It is harder to reach someone who has already accepted a false gospel than to reach an unbeliever who has never heard any gospel.
Jeremiah 23:16 (KJV 1900) "16 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord."
Philippians 3:12-14 "12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus."
When we speak the words of God, there will be many "professing Christians" who will be offended by them. They are either walking disobediently or they were never saved in the first place. Our job is not to convince someone intellectually, but to speak truth and leave their response to God.
When we begin to think it is up to us and our delivery for people to become born again, it is when we have lost our way, thinking we are the ones who bring the increase. We are not; we are only the messengers. It is the Holy Spirit Who works on people after they hear, and their choice to obey or not to obey.
1 Corinthians 3:5-7 "…5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, as the Lord has assigned to each his role. 6 I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.…"
It is important that we pray and read the word every time we hear a modern cliche in these days of apostasy. Many "Christians" say things that sound good but are not Biblical and are merely humanistic pressure for us to do things their way. Listen long enough to research God's Word, and if what is said does not align with it, correct it and disregard it.
Tuesday, November 11, 2025
Who to Follow Christ or the Culture
The word "culture" comes from "colere" meaning to cultivate the mind. Culture shapes the mind as do cults, think about it.
Ignoring Useless Information
Those of you who spend many hours perusing the internet to find articles that promote what you like to believe, please stop. Almost all of what you read, you cannot prove and have not personally seen.
If you have not seen it for yourself, ignore it; it is better to be uninformed than to assume everything you read must be true because it is what you want to believe. I get how enticing gossip and news articles can be; I have indulged myself at times and have been bitten when I realized what I repeated turned out to be wrong.
Lies are rampant, and many things on the internet cannot be proven. Believing what we did not see for ourselves will make us foolish, repeating what we think we know but is very likely not true at all.
Just because its politics or someone is a public figure does not mean it is not gossip to repeat what we see in the news.
There have been times when I was caught up in the hype of something and shared it. I regret having done that and learned from the conviction of the Holy Spirit to be more careful about what I share.
The devil is very clever; if he can't get us to act badly, he will try to cause us to fall by our thought life and influence others to believe lies.
If we haven't seen it for ourselves and cannot prove it, then we must ignore it. Things we have not seen and cannot prove will ultimately corrupt us and deter us from the commands and principles of God.
And, lastly, AI is so clever and looks so real now that we cannot tell the difference between the real and the fake. If we cannot change what we read and it has no business in our lives other than "knowing" it, then it is useless information. Perhaps worse than useless, perhaps it is damaging gossip.
Proverbs 26:21-23 "…21 Like charcoal for embers and wood for fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. 22 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels that go down into the inmost being. 23 Like glaze covering an earthen vessel are burning lips and a wicked heart.…"
Many people fire others up over things that do not affect their lives, and there is no useful reason for knowing them.
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."
1 Timothy 5:13 "At the same time they will also learn to be idle, going from house to house and being not only idle, but also gossips and busybodies, discussing things they should not mention."
May we all take this matter of "gossip" seriously, mind our own business, and teach what God teaches. We care about one another and must speak the truth to help; this is different from useless articles and gossip.
1 Peter 2:1 "Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander."
If you have not seen it for yourself, ignore it; it is better to be uninformed than to assume everything you read must be true because it is what you want to believe. I get how enticing gossip and news articles can be; I have indulged myself at times and have been bitten when I realized what I repeated turned out to be wrong.
Lies are rampant, and many things on the internet cannot be proven. Believing what we did not see for ourselves will make us foolish, repeating what we think we know but is very likely not true at all.
Proverbs 17:4 "a wicked person "listens to evil lips," and a liar "gives ear to a malicious tongue".
Just because its politics or someone is a public figure does not mean it is not gossip to repeat what we see in the news.
There have been times when I was caught up in the hype of something and shared it. I regret having done that and learned from the conviction of the Holy Spirit to be more careful about what I share.
The devil is very clever; if he can't get us to act badly, he will try to cause us to fall by our thought life and influence others to believe lies.
If we haven't seen it for ourselves and cannot prove it, then we must ignore it. Things we have not seen and cannot prove will ultimately corrupt us and deter us from the commands and principles of God.
And, lastly, AI is so clever and looks so real now that we cannot tell the difference between the real and the fake. If we cannot change what we read and it has no business in our lives other than "knowing" it, then it is useless information. Perhaps worse than useless, perhaps it is damaging gossip.
Proverbs 26:21-23 "…21 Like charcoal for embers and wood for fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. 22 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels that go down into the inmost being. 23 Like glaze covering an earthen vessel are burning lips and a wicked heart.…"
Many people fire others up over things that do not affect their lives, and there is no useful reason for knowing them.
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."
1 Timothy 5:13 "At the same time they will also learn to be idle, going from house to house and being not only idle, but also gossips and busybodies, discussing things they should not mention."
May we all take this matter of "gossip" seriously, mind our own business, and teach what God teaches. We care about one another and must speak the truth to help; this is different from useless articles and gossip.
1 Peter 2:1 "Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander."
Monday, November 10, 2025
Priests of God in These End Times
Over the past two generations, I have noticed many elderly people who have been abandoned by adult children. Sadly, the elderly who have been abandoned are blessed to be so because the chaos and trouble the adult children bring is not worth ruining their walk with Christ. The children who abandon mean it for evil but God meant it for good, that we not be hindered with all the trials and disrespect that comes from those who chose the flood over righteousness.
This phenomena is happening because of the fulfillment of 2 Timothy 3:1-5 "3 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people."
We are nearing the end of the church age, now in which it will be the same as the times of Noah, when God had to destroy the world and all that was in it.
Remember, Noah had a lot of relatives in the flooding waters below as God shut the door of the ark. There were only 8 people on the ark. This does not mean that there will be only 8 people in our day who have trusted Christ, but it does mean that, for the most part, the people of the earth "do what is right in their own eyes and negate God's Word, making up their own righteousness.
Matthew 24:36-38 "36 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark."
Luke 17:26,27 "And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man."
We are living in the last days right before Christ comes in the clouds and call those who have trusted in Him to heaven while they still live. Their bodies will be changed into transformed bodies that will never again see corruption.
All those who meet Christ in the air will go to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb to celebrate their wedding feast. Everyone there will be those who love Him and love one another.
What an amazing time that will be for all of us who have suffered rejection and physical anguish. No more sickness, no more sadness, and only pure joy and peace for the rest of eternity. Knowing this keeps me going when things look bleak and there are few like-minded companions who love us as they love Christ.
May we, brothers and sisters in Christ, never lose sight of what is coming and are able to maintain our joy through everything!!!!
When we are born again, we become priests; everyone who has been changed by Christ into a new creation is a priest. The following passage is a prophecy about Israel. When we have been grafted into Israel we will see all these things happen.
1 Peter 2:9: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
Isaiah 61:6-8 "…6 But you will be called the priests of the LORD; they will speak of you as ministers of our God; you will feed on the wealth of nations, and you will boast in their riches. 7 Instead of shame, My people will have a double portion, and instead of humiliation, they will rejoice in their share; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs. 8For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity; in My faithfulness I will give them their recompense and make an everlasting covenant with them.…"
When we see what is in store for us as born-again believers, we have so much more to look forward to than what we are going through now. Let's never lose sight of this amazing promise.
This phenomena is happening because of the fulfillment of 2 Timothy 3:1-5 "3 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people."
We are nearing the end of the church age, now in which it will be the same as the times of Noah, when God had to destroy the world and all that was in it.
Remember, Noah had a lot of relatives in the flooding waters below as God shut the door of the ark. There were only 8 people on the ark. This does not mean that there will be only 8 people in our day who have trusted Christ, but it does mean that, for the most part, the people of the earth "do what is right in their own eyes and negate God's Word, making up their own righteousness.
Matthew 24:36-38 "36 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark."
Luke 17:26,27 "And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man."
We are living in the last days right before Christ comes in the clouds and call those who have trusted in Him to heaven while they still live. Their bodies will be changed into transformed bodies that will never again see corruption.
All those who meet Christ in the air will go to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb to celebrate their wedding feast. Everyone there will be those who love Him and love one another.
What an amazing time that will be for all of us who have suffered rejection and physical anguish. No more sickness, no more sadness, and only pure joy and peace for the rest of eternity. Knowing this keeps me going when things look bleak and there are few like-minded companions who love us as they love Christ.
May we, brothers and sisters in Christ, never lose sight of what is coming and are able to maintain our joy through everything!!!!
When we are born again, we become priests; everyone who has been changed by Christ into a new creation is a priest. The following passage is a prophecy about Israel. When we have been grafted into Israel we will see all these things happen.
1 Peter 2:9: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
Isaiah 61:6-8 "…6 But you will be called the priests of the LORD; they will speak of you as ministers of our God; you will feed on the wealth of nations, and you will boast in their riches. 7 Instead of shame, My people will have a double portion, and instead of humiliation, they will rejoice in their share; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs. 8For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity; in My faithfulness I will give them their recompense and make an everlasting covenant with them.…"
When we see what is in store for us as born-again believers, we have so much more to look forward to than what we are going through now. Let's never lose sight of this amazing promise.
Sunday, November 9, 2025
The Modern Church Left Its First Love
God doesn't have a house! Born-again believers are the temple of the Holy Spirit; God no longer dwells in buildings.
Someone who has removed themselves from the modern buildings and all the trappings is more likely to be those who are seeking Christ. They have retreated to homes to be able to obey the Scriptures that describe the gathering of believers in the first century.
Those who turn their backs on God after claiming to be Christians were never changed by Christ into a new creation; they were never born again, they were pretenders. Those who have been changed by Christ never turn back. This has nothing to do with whether or not someone attends a particular style of gathering or a particular building as practiced in these end times.
1 John 2:19-20 "19 They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us. 20 You, however, have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth."
The modern apostate church has left the structure of the first-century church gathering, making it a place of pleasure and false doctrine. Making up their own idea of "worship," they have neglected the more important things of the gospel to chase after worldly "feelings" of righteousness without true righteousness.
Someone who has removed themselves from the modern buildings and all the trappings is more likely to be those who are seeking Christ. They have retreated to homes to be able to obey the Scriptures that describe the gathering of believers in the first century.
Those who turn their backs on God after claiming to be Christians were never changed by Christ into a new creation; they were never born again, they were pretenders. Those who have been changed by Christ never turn back. This has nothing to do with whether or not someone attends a particular style of gathering or a particular building as practiced in these end times.
1 John 2:19-20 "19 They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us. 20 You, however, have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth."
The modern apostate church has left the structure of the first-century church gathering, making it a place of pleasure and false doctrine. Making up their own idea of "worship," they have neglected the more important things of the gospel to chase after worldly "feelings" of righteousness without true righteousness.
Saturday, November 8, 2025
They Hate us because they Hate Christ
John 1:10-12 "…10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God."
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."
In the same way the Lord Jesus Christ was rejected, those who love Him will also be rejected.
John 15:18-21 "If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well."
These passages should be a comfort to those who are born again, since Christ had to go through these things too. The response of Christ might surprise you.
Isaiah 53:7 "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."
1 Peter 2:23 "When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly."
With His help, we can do the same thing He did, that is remain silent and innocent when people bully us. Our not retaliating is more important than having the last word; it keeps us from becoming like them.
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."
In the same way the Lord Jesus Christ was rejected, those who love Him will also be rejected.
John 15:18-21 "If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well."
These passages should be a comfort to those who are born again, since Christ had to go through these things too. The response of Christ might surprise you.
Isaiah 53:7 "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."
1 Peter 2:23 "When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly."
With His help, we can do the same thing He did, that is remain silent and innocent when people bully us. Our not retaliating is more important than having the last word; it keeps us from becoming like them.
Friday, November 7, 2025
Ask God, Stop Believing Lies
May every believer in Christ who has become a new creation stop listening to the "politically conservative" groups and begin to pray.
There is so much very intense deception going on and a lack of discernment on the part of conservatives that most conservatives will believe almost anything if the politician says they are a Christian."
Political conservatives refuse to see clues right in front of them that not only violate the principles and commands of the Bible they negate them entirely. Political conservatives refuse to look at the fruit and judge the mentality of those who say they are conservatives.
People are no longer evaluated based on their walk with Christ; they are evaluated on their political party. When the name of Jesus Christ is mentioned there is embarrassment, but wholesale acceptance when politics and cultural standards are mentioned and agreed upon.
Those who would rather speak of Christ and His word are ignored and gossiped against as "too heavenly-minded to be any earthly good."
God says the more heavenly-minded we are, the more we can be used for the kingdom. God commanded us to "think with the mind of Christ."
I have seen more cliches thrown about that are not Biblical than scripture quoted by those who say they are "Christians."
This apostasy has been going on since the time of Christ and only those who are asking God for wisdom will be able to see it clearly.
It is as though "cultural Christians" have lost their ability to speak truth, they believe many lies to embrace their political bents, ignoring what should be obvious.
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.…"
We are truly living in the last days of deep deception and are surrounded by "religious" people who love their politics more than they love Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good, ..."
1 Timothy 4:1-2 "Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron."
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."
The churches are full of false preachers who have bought into the political hype, false church structure, and spending more time on that than they are the principles of God that equip the saints to go out from those places to share the gospel.
It truly is the end of the end; all that God said would happen is happening right now.
There is so much very intense deception going on and a lack of discernment on the part of conservatives that most conservatives will believe almost anything if the politician says they are a Christian."
Political conservatives refuse to see clues right in front of them that not only violate the principles and commands of the Bible they negate them entirely. Political conservatives refuse to look at the fruit and judge the mentality of those who say they are conservatives.
People are no longer evaluated based on their walk with Christ; they are evaluated on their political party. When the name of Jesus Christ is mentioned there is embarrassment, but wholesale acceptance when politics and cultural standards are mentioned and agreed upon.
Those who would rather speak of Christ and His word are ignored and gossiped against as "too heavenly-minded to be any earthly good."
God says the more heavenly-minded we are, the more we can be used for the kingdom. God commanded us to "think with the mind of Christ."
I have seen more cliches thrown about that are not Biblical than scripture quoted by those who say they are "Christians."
This apostasy has been going on since the time of Christ and only those who are asking God for wisdom will be able to see it clearly.
It is as though "cultural Christians" have lost their ability to speak truth, they believe many lies to embrace their political bents, ignoring what should be obvious.
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.…"
We are truly living in the last days of deep deception and are surrounded by "religious" people who love their politics more than they love Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good, ..."
1 Timothy 4:1-2 "Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron."
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."
The churches are full of false preachers who have bought into the political hype, false church structure, and spending more time on that than they are the principles of God that equip the saints to go out from those places to share the gospel.
It truly is the end of the end; all that God said would happen is happening right now.
When Christ Does a Work in Us it Cannot be Undone
For those who think Christians can lose their salvation, here is the proof that God never throws away those He has changed into a new creation.
No, all the names of everyone were written in the book of life; it is only when they do not trust in Christ that they are blotted out. Nowhere in the bible does God tell us that He writes in their name; they are already there. God said, when He changes us into a new creation, when we trust in Him, He changes us into a new creation; what He does cannot be undone. He seals us with the Holy Spirit of Promise as a guarantee of our inheritance. No one can go back and become the old creation again.
1 Timothy 2:3-5 "…3 This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,…"
2 Corinthians 5:17 "17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."
Ephesians 1:13-14
"13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, 14 who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory."
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 "Now it is God who establishes both us and you in Christ. He anointed us, placed His seal on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge of what is to come."
God said that He wishes for everyone to be saved, but that they must trust in Him for salvation. If they trust in themselves, then they are not saved.
No one can earn their salvation themselves, nor can they keep it themselves.
Ephesians 2:9 "not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
We are His workmanship, not our own.
Ephesians 2:10 "10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life."
If we sin after becoming born again, He deals with us as sons; He never throws us away or removes the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"
Those who walk away after claiming to be Christians were never born again in the first place; they didn't lose something they never had.
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 will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many [a]miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"
Many people say they are saved who never were; they never trusted Christ, they only claimed to, but because they never repented and never cared about Christ, only that they appeared to care about Him, they were never saved.
No, all the names of everyone were written in the book of life; it is only when they do not trust in Christ that they are blotted out. Nowhere in the bible does God tell us that He writes in their name; they are already there. God said, when He changes us into a new creation, when we trust in Him, He changes us into a new creation; what He does cannot be undone. He seals us with the Holy Spirit of Promise as a guarantee of our inheritance. No one can go back and become the old creation again.
1 Timothy 2:3-5 "…3 This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,…"
2 Corinthians 5:17 "17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."
Ephesians 1:13-14
"13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, 14 who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory."
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 "Now it is God who establishes both us and you in Christ. He anointed us, placed His seal on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge of what is to come."
God said that He wishes for everyone to be saved, but that they must trust in Him for salvation. If they trust in themselves, then they are not saved.
No one can earn their salvation themselves, nor can they keep it themselves.
Ephesians 2:9 "not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
We are His workmanship, not our own.
Ephesians 2:10 "10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life."
If we sin after becoming born again, He deals with us as sons; He never throws us away or removes the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"
Those who walk away after claiming to be Christians were never born again in the first place; they didn't lose something they never had.
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 will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many [a]miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"
Many people say they are saved who never were; they never trusted Christ, they only claimed to, but because they never repented and never cared about Christ, only that they appeared to care about Him, they were never saved.
Wednesday, November 5, 2025
Ignorantly Fighting Over Words is the Devil's Trick
The name of Jesus Christ is different in every language. That's why we translate things because languages are different. In Spanish, George is spelled Jorge and pronounced differently. In French, Peter is Pierre, in Norwegian, Peter is Petter, and so on. In Hebrew, Jesus Christ looks like this:
In Hebrew, "Christ" translates to Mashiach (מָשִׁ×™×—ַ), which means "anointed one". It is the same root word for the term Messiah. The full Hebrew title for "Jesus Christ" is often expressed as Yeshua HaMashiach (×™ֵשׁוּ×¢ַ ×”ַמָּשִׁ×™×—ַ), meaning "Jesus the Messiah" or "Jesus the Anointed One".
How many English-speaking people can pronounce this word or even write it? In other words, let's stop foolishly fighting over words.
In Hebrew, "Christ" translates to Mashiach (מָשִׁ×™×—ַ), which means "anointed one". It is the same root word for the term Messiah. The full Hebrew title for "Jesus Christ" is often expressed as Yeshua HaMashiach (×™ֵשׁוּ×¢ַ ×”ַמָּשִׁ×™×—ַ), meaning "Jesus the Messiah" or "Jesus the Anointed One".
How many English-speaking people can pronounce this word or even write it? In other words, let's stop foolishly fighting over words.
Monday, November 3, 2025
Friday, October 31, 2025
The Foolishness of Women's Lib
Having pondered the whole "women's lib" foolishness, I realized that those who want to pretend they are just like men are disrespecting themselves.
If they think women are not good enough and must become just like men to be appreciated, they are fostering contempt for those who choose to enjoy what God made them.
Isaiah 5:20 "20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"
There is an old saying, "they cut their nose off to spite their face", which shows that one devalues themselves just to prove they can be something they were never meant to be, which ruins them in the long run.
The liberal women are saying they value men above women by asserting that women must be just like men to have significance.
How sad that some women have managed to convince many in the culture that they are worthless the way they were born, and must become something that flies in the face of their own unique talents and personalities.
My challenge to women is to embrace what God made you, speak boldly against the devil who is working to destroy women while demeaning them by pretending they are less than men because they are not like men.
It is not only alright to be different from men, but it is a privilege to be the way God made us. Enjoy your womanhood and ignore, even chastise those women who mock and demean your choice to be who you are as a woman.
If they think women are not good enough and must become just like men to be appreciated, they are fostering contempt for those who choose to enjoy what God made them.
Isaiah 5:20 "20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"
There is an old saying, "they cut their nose off to spite their face", which shows that one devalues themselves just to prove they can be something they were never meant to be, which ruins them in the long run.
The liberal women are saying they value men above women by asserting that women must be just like men to have significance.
How sad that some women have managed to convince many in the culture that they are worthless the way they were born, and must become something that flies in the face of their own unique talents and personalities.
My challenge to women is to embrace what God made you, speak boldly against the devil who is working to destroy women while demeaning them by pretending they are less than men because they are not like men.
It is not only alright to be different from men, but it is a privilege to be the way God made us. Enjoy your womanhood and ignore, even chastise those women who mock and demean your choice to be who you are as a woman.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
People Only Change When They Have To
People only change when they have to change. It is very rare for someone to change because they want to be a better person when their life is going the way they want it to go.
It is hardship and loss that cause most people to rethink their lives and desire something better, and only if they can self-reflect. Narcissists (2 Timothy 3:1-5) never self-reflect; instead, they blame others for the failures in their own lives.
It is common for people to only evaluate themselves if they have had conviction of the Holy Spirit and desire to grow in holiness.
Many people in our day seek to find fault in others to justify their own lack of character. Those who are the most critical of others are projecting, meaning they are looking for flaws in others to avoid facing their own.
It is a weak spirit that cannot tolerate seeing flaws in itself, even if the realization of flaws would cause maturing and transformation for the better.
Pride is a monstrous thing; it caused the devil to think he could be more powerful than God. He knew that God made him and could easily destroy him, but he followed his obsession for power, it blinded him, choosing to deny what he knew, and that was that God would never be overthrown.
Narcissists not only lie to others they also lie to themselves first. The only way one can maintain a superior attitude without conscience is if they convince themselves that their flaws and insecurities are not really theirs but belong to others.
If we are to grow in holiness or become born again, we must admit what we are and deny that we are special or good. It is normal and natural for mankind, who is basically wicked, to pretend we are good. We must deny that we are good and admit we need a Savior to be changed by Christ into a new creation. We must give up our false sense of superiority to follow Christ.
Luke 9:23 "And he said to all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."
Luke 10:27 "And he answered, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
Matthew 6:24a "24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other."
We cannot love ourselves and God too! If we love ourselves, we will place ourselves above God.
John 13:34 "I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another."
We are all born loving ourselves; to teach one to love themselves is to tell them to indulge in selfishness. The Bible teaches us we are to love others as much as we love ourselves. In doing that, we will be loving God the way He deserves to be loved, that is, "with all our hearts."
The false church teaches us that the Bible says to love ourselves; this is not true. The Bible teaches that we are already too selfish, that our love should be diverted from ourselves to God first and then to others, and the right kind of love, God's kind of love.
What is love: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
We become less important to ourselves when we make God and others more important.
It is hardship and loss that cause most people to rethink their lives and desire something better, and only if they can self-reflect. Narcissists (2 Timothy 3:1-5) never self-reflect; instead, they blame others for the failures in their own lives.
It is common for people to only evaluate themselves if they have had conviction of the Holy Spirit and desire to grow in holiness.
Many people in our day seek to find fault in others to justify their own lack of character. Those who are the most critical of others are projecting, meaning they are looking for flaws in others to avoid facing their own.
It is a weak spirit that cannot tolerate seeing flaws in itself, even if the realization of flaws would cause maturing and transformation for the better.
Pride is a monstrous thing; it caused the devil to think he could be more powerful than God. He knew that God made him and could easily destroy him, but he followed his obsession for power, it blinded him, choosing to deny what he knew, and that was that God would never be overthrown.
Narcissists not only lie to others they also lie to themselves first. The only way one can maintain a superior attitude without conscience is if they convince themselves that their flaws and insecurities are not really theirs but belong to others.
If we are to grow in holiness or become born again, we must admit what we are and deny that we are special or good. It is normal and natural for mankind, who is basically wicked, to pretend we are good. We must deny that we are good and admit we need a Savior to be changed by Christ into a new creation. We must give up our false sense of superiority to follow Christ.
Luke 9:23 "And he said to all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."
Luke 10:27 "And he answered, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
Matthew 6:24a "24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other."
We cannot love ourselves and God too! If we love ourselves, we will place ourselves above God.
John 13:34 "I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another."
We are all born loving ourselves; to teach one to love themselves is to tell them to indulge in selfishness. The Bible teaches us we are to love others as much as we love ourselves. In doing that, we will be loving God the way He deserves to be loved, that is, "with all our hearts."
The false church teaches us that the Bible says to love ourselves; this is not true. The Bible teaches that we are already too selfish, that our love should be diverted from ourselves to God first and then to others, and the right kind of love, God's kind of love.
What is love: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
We become less important to ourselves when we make God and others more important.
Eyes that were Opened and can never be Shut Again
Over the years, God has shown me many things. I have outgrown the beliefs and systems of the world as I depend entirely on the Holy Spirit to guide me.
God began to challenge me while I was in the Catholic Church, and when I left that system, He continued to challenge me in the Evangelical system.
Eventually, I left that system too and can never return to any system that promotes a form of hierarchy that usurps the Holy Spirit.
When we begin to obey the Holy Spirit walking in deeper understandings according to the Word of God, we no longer fit into any man-made system that is based on rituals and practices devised by men that those systems think are helping God.
When we rely on men for our understanding, we will see many traditions that God never commanded that tend to distract from intimacy with Christ while elevating men.
The one-man-paid-pastor system was devised by men, not God.
The pews all face forward, giving one man all the attention and power over the people. The people believed him without challenge.
One person chooses the songs while those in the pews do what they are told.
A sermon by one person while the others are expected to remain silent.
The one man in the pulpit is seen as the authority over the people rather than a servant to all while negating the leading of the Holy Spirit.
The Evangelical system is so broken the only way to fix it is to leave those groups of large people and begin again in homes as the first-century gathering practiced.
When the people in the pews below the pulpit see the man in the pulpit as above them, smarter and more educated than themselves, and worse more led by the Holy Spirit than they, we have idol worship of a man instead of the leading of the Holy Spirit.
God gave commands for the gatherings to be led by the Holy Spirit in all the believers in the gathering. No one was elevated, no one had more authority than the others. The leaders were servants, not authorities over the people.
1 Corinthians 14:26 " 26 What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a psalm or a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All of these must be done to build up the church."
We come together to edify one another in the word, and all participate as led by the Holy Spirit. I have seen this in practic,e and it was a beautiful thing. Someone would ask for a song, others would pray, while some would read from the word, and all was done to glorify God in Christ's name. No one was elevated above anyone else, and no one was elevated above the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 5:19 "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord,"
When this was done God's way, He was glorified, no human being was.
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."
Romans 12:6-8 "We have different gifts according to the grace given us. If one’s gift is prophecy, let him use it in proportion to his faith; if it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is giving, let him give generously; if it is leading, let him lead with diligence; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."
1 Peter 4:10-11 "As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another. 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."
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."
Acts 2:42-47 "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. A sense of awe came over everyone, and the apostles performed many wonders and signs. All the believers were together and had everything in common."
In our modern system of apostasy, people are elevated, show off, and demand money from others to pay for their salaries, the buildings, uniforms for the choir, and send children on mission trips that are more like vacations than anything else. They must pay for the fun things, the useless things, and the things that elevate pleasure above the gospel. In short, they are a social club with religious leanings.
No one is edified to go into their world speaking the gospel to the lost. No one learns very much because the sermon speaks so generically and without conviction that the people are open-eyed sleeping people. They can't even remember what the sermon was about when they reach the parking lot to drive back home to their neighborhood 30 minutes away.
No one weeps in the pews from conviction; in fact, there is often laughing and clapping at the "funny" sermon or the happy story that was told to keep the people entertained. Then there is the music and the "worship leaders" who entertain too. The Holy Spirit is not the leader in these places; the people are, and they are very worldly.
Those in the building never see the others during the week, don't know their lives nor do they care. It's all about the enjoyment of the "service" and the superficial friendliness of the people as they come in or exit the building.
The one who mentions the name of Jesus Christ outside the building is ignored because of the embarrassment it brings to those who love their happy social club.
2 Timothy 4:2-4 "…2Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. 3For 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. 4So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.…"
If you don't believe me, correct someone on doctrine or criticize their observance of Halloween and see what comes out. You will be treated as though you were rude and the one who causes division by remaining faithful to the word of God.
God began to challenge me while I was in the Catholic Church, and when I left that system, He continued to challenge me in the Evangelical system.
Eventually, I left that system too and can never return to any system that promotes a form of hierarchy that usurps the Holy Spirit.
When we begin to obey the Holy Spirit walking in deeper understandings according to the Word of God, we no longer fit into any man-made system that is based on rituals and practices devised by men that those systems think are helping God.
When we rely on men for our understanding, we will see many traditions that God never commanded that tend to distract from intimacy with Christ while elevating men.
The one-man-paid-pastor system was devised by men, not God.
The pews all face forward, giving one man all the attention and power over the people. The people believed him without challenge.
One person chooses the songs while those in the pews do what they are told.
A sermon by one person while the others are expected to remain silent.
The one man in the pulpit is seen as the authority over the people rather than a servant to all while negating the leading of the Holy Spirit.
The Evangelical system is so broken the only way to fix it is to leave those groups of large people and begin again in homes as the first-century gathering practiced.
When the people in the pews below the pulpit see the man in the pulpit as above them, smarter and more educated than themselves, and worse more led by the Holy Spirit than they, we have idol worship of a man instead of the leading of the Holy Spirit.
God gave commands for the gatherings to be led by the Holy Spirit in all the believers in the gathering. No one was elevated, no one had more authority than the others. The leaders were servants, not authorities over the people.
1 Corinthians 14:26 " 26 What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a psalm or a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All of these must be done to build up the church."
We come together to edify one another in the word, and all participate as led by the Holy Spirit. I have seen this in practic,e and it was a beautiful thing. Someone would ask for a song, others would pray, while some would read from the word, and all was done to glorify God in Christ's name. No one was elevated above anyone else, and no one was elevated above the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 5:19 "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord,"
When this was done God's way, He was glorified, no human being was.
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."
Romans 12:6-8 "We have different gifts according to the grace given us. If one’s gift is prophecy, let him use it in proportion to his faith; if it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is giving, let him give generously; if it is leading, let him lead with diligence; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."
1 Peter 4:10-11 "As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another. 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."
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."
Acts 2:42-47 "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. A sense of awe came over everyone, and the apostles performed many wonders and signs. All the believers were together and had everything in common."
In our modern system of apostasy, people are elevated, show off, and demand money from others to pay for their salaries, the buildings, uniforms for the choir, and send children on mission trips that are more like vacations than anything else. They must pay for the fun things, the useless things, and the things that elevate pleasure above the gospel. In short, they are a social club with religious leanings.
No one is edified to go into their world speaking the gospel to the lost. No one learns very much because the sermon speaks so generically and without conviction that the people are open-eyed sleeping people. They can't even remember what the sermon was about when they reach the parking lot to drive back home to their neighborhood 30 minutes away.
No one weeps in the pews from conviction; in fact, there is often laughing and clapping at the "funny" sermon or the happy story that was told to keep the people entertained. Then there is the music and the "worship leaders" who entertain too. The Holy Spirit is not the leader in these places; the people are, and they are very worldly.
Those in the building never see the others during the week, don't know their lives nor do they care. It's all about the enjoyment of the "service" and the superficial friendliness of the people as they come in or exit the building.
The one who mentions the name of Jesus Christ outside the building is ignored because of the embarrassment it brings to those who love their happy social club.
2 Timothy 4:2-4 "…2Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. 3For 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. 4So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.…"
If you don't believe me, correct someone on doctrine or criticize their observance of Halloween and see what comes out. You will be treated as though you were rude and the one who causes division by remaining faithful to the word of God.
Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Christ Above All Else
So many people are staunch conservatives, attend large churches every week, but never speak the name of Jesus Christ.
They equate Christianity with conservatism and rule following, but have nothing to say about the principles and commands of Christ unless it is to justify their own desires.
In fact, most of the people who are like this have very committed views about politics as though they have placed their trust in the system and their votes more than in Christ.
Some of them have forbidden women to speak of Christ because of their gender, but have no problem with their wives speaking about politics.
Don't we speak about what is important to us? Why would politics be more important than Christ? Or, why would anything about this world be more important than Christ?
Could it be said that the interest in politics outweighs interest in Christ because safety and personal control over life are what are more important?
God said: "render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's", meaning we are to pay our taxes as required by the government and obey the laws of the land that do not disobey God.
Our country has been trained for several generations now that we are good citizens if we vote because of this passage in the Bible about taxes. Those who do not vote are chastised for not being responsible citizens of this country.
However, there is one problem with equating the paying of taxes with voting. The problem is that it is the law of the land that we pay our taxes and is Biblically based, but voting is not a law of the land and is not mentioned in the Bible; it is a choice. Those who choose not to vote are not breaking any law.
This is the reason I say with conviction that if someone is a Christian and chooses not to vote, they are in right standing with God. Just as those who choose to vote may also be in right standing with God.
God has allowed this country to have a vote to show us where our heart is as a country. The country as a whole places its trust in the system of government and its own desires, but they do not place its trust in God. We know this because there is more complaining about the government and politics than there are praises to God for His provision and purpose.
Notice the mantra on our money? "In God we trust." Think about it, why has this been placed on the money and not on the facade of every government building?
I do not trust in our government or our money; I trust in Christ alone. God may take away our form of government and even our money, but neither will affect my walk with Christ. Removal of everything that is comfortable might cause the authentic born-again beleivers to become stronger in their faith, while those who are not authentic believers will abandon their faith when the going gets rough.
When people place their trust in the government, or their power over the government, they will be continually frustrated because the world as a whole does not think with the mind of Christ, nor do most Christians in our day.
We talk the most about those things that are the most important to us. Many people around the world are not allowed to vote, and many are persecuted in their countries for their faith in Christ.
These people tend to be far more dedicated to Christ than American Christians. They have everything to lose by following Christ. Americans have almost nothing to lose, except family members. The worst Americans can expect is to be excluded from events or mean looks when they mention Christ. Believers in other countries can expect to lose their lives, even tortured for their faith.
Sadly, superficial believers who are dedicated to their politics often engage in arguments that demean those who do not do what they do, pertaining to voting or activism.
I am not against activism under the direction of the Holy Spirit or voting also under the direction of the Holy Spirit. What I am dismayed in is the arrogance that others are pressured to engage in the same things or be rejected if they do not, when the things expected have not been commanded in Scripture.
Chastising someone should be reserved for sin and deviation from the Word of God. Everything judged must be according to the Word of God.
Colossians 2:16 "Therefore, no one is to act as your judge in regard to food and drink, or in respect to a festival or a new moon, or a Sabbath day—"
This seems applicable to anyone judging us on things that God never commanded, things based on human desires and cultural rules.
John 16:22 "22 Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one is going to take your joy away from you."
Do not tell anyone I am against voting or not voting; this was not the message here. I am saying we need to stop judging others on things God never addressed. Yes, there are principles that are not specific but apply to how we live our lives; this is not the same as adding to God's Word things He never said.
Bottom line; seek Christ in all things, depend on the Holy Spirit for your guidance, and you will not become fleshly in your judging of others.
They equate Christianity with conservatism and rule following, but have nothing to say about the principles and commands of Christ unless it is to justify their own desires.
In fact, most of the people who are like this have very committed views about politics as though they have placed their trust in the system and their votes more than in Christ.
Some of them have forbidden women to speak of Christ because of their gender, but have no problem with their wives speaking about politics.
Don't we speak about what is important to us? Why would politics be more important than Christ? Or, why would anything about this world be more important than Christ?
Could it be said that the interest in politics outweighs interest in Christ because safety and personal control over life are what are more important?
God said: "render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's", meaning we are to pay our taxes as required by the government and obey the laws of the land that do not disobey God.
Our country has been trained for several generations now that we are good citizens if we vote because of this passage in the Bible about taxes. Those who do not vote are chastised for not being responsible citizens of this country.
However, there is one problem with equating the paying of taxes with voting. The problem is that it is the law of the land that we pay our taxes and is Biblically based, but voting is not a law of the land and is not mentioned in the Bible; it is a choice. Those who choose not to vote are not breaking any law.
This is the reason I say with conviction that if someone is a Christian and chooses not to vote, they are in right standing with God. Just as those who choose to vote may also be in right standing with God.
God has allowed this country to have a vote to show us where our heart is as a country. The country as a whole places its trust in the system of government and its own desires, but they do not place its trust in God. We know this because there is more complaining about the government and politics than there are praises to God for His provision and purpose.
Notice the mantra on our money? "In God we trust." Think about it, why has this been placed on the money and not on the facade of every government building?
I do not trust in our government or our money; I trust in Christ alone. God may take away our form of government and even our money, but neither will affect my walk with Christ. Removal of everything that is comfortable might cause the authentic born-again beleivers to become stronger in their faith, while those who are not authentic believers will abandon their faith when the going gets rough.
When people place their trust in the government, or their power over the government, they will be continually frustrated because the world as a whole does not think with the mind of Christ, nor do most Christians in our day.
We talk the most about those things that are the most important to us. Many people around the world are not allowed to vote, and many are persecuted in their countries for their faith in Christ.
These people tend to be far more dedicated to Christ than American Christians. They have everything to lose by following Christ. Americans have almost nothing to lose, except family members. The worst Americans can expect is to be excluded from events or mean looks when they mention Christ. Believers in other countries can expect to lose their lives, even tortured for their faith.
Sadly, superficial believers who are dedicated to their politics often engage in arguments that demean those who do not do what they do, pertaining to voting or activism.
I am not against activism under the direction of the Holy Spirit or voting also under the direction of the Holy Spirit. What I am dismayed in is the arrogance that others are pressured to engage in the same things or be rejected if they do not, when the things expected have not been commanded in Scripture.
Chastising someone should be reserved for sin and deviation from the Word of God. Everything judged must be according to the Word of God.
Colossians 2:16 "Therefore, no one is to act as your judge in regard to food and drink, or in respect to a festival or a new moon, or a Sabbath day—"
This seems applicable to anyone judging us on things that God never commanded, things based on human desires and cultural rules.
John 16:22 "22 Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one is going to take your joy away from you."
Do not tell anyone I am against voting or not voting; this was not the message here. I am saying we need to stop judging others on things God never addressed. Yes, there are principles that are not specific but apply to how we live our lives; this is not the same as adding to God's Word things He never said.
Bottom line; seek Christ in all things, depend on the Holy Spirit for your guidance, and you will not become fleshly in your judging of others.
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