I know how disheartening it can be to realize that most family members and even friends in the community who claim to be Christian have little interest in discussing Jesus Christ and His principles.
Ephesians 4:14
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming.
2 Peter 3:18
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
Most "Christians" walk in fear of offending others, more afraid of that than they are of losing fellowship with Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:18-19 "…18 Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not extinguish the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt,"
Hebrews 5:11-13 "11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain, because you are dull of hearing. 12 Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food! 13 For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness.…"
All born-again believers are to be teaching, sharing, correcting and encouraging one another to think Biblically. This equips one another to be confident, bold, and full of wisdom as they move about in the world as examples of Christ's love.
This does not have to be in a special building; it can be anywhere at any time without cultural mandates that have no basis in Scripture.
1 Corinthians 3:1-2 "Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly—as infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for solid food. In fact, you are still not ready,"
1 Peter 2:2 "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,"
We grow the most when we have to study and share with others. When we live by clichés and mantras, we remain infants in our understanding and even believe things that are contrary to God's Word.
1 Corinthians 14:20 "Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature."
Ephesians 4:14 "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming."
2 Peter 3:18 "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."
Lastly, question all things and pray about everything you hear as you search the Bible to prove or disprove what is said. Never repeat a doctrine or idea that you have not personally prayed about and heard from the Lord about.
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Monday, March 23, 2026
Why Church Seems Flat
How many of you have been wondering why "church" feels so rote, flat and lacking in Spiritual depth and maturity?
Perhaps those, like me and my husband, see how off track the formal institutional gatherings are from scripture and sense an emptiness and lack of love in those places people call church.
The freedom we felt when we left that system of rituals and strident patterns and cultural customs is the moment we felt a great weight lifted off of us.
God never intended the one-man pastor system nor did he intend for all the believers to sit remaining silent. That whole system is modeled after the Catholic church, not the description God gave in the Bible.
There are leaders in God's model of the gathering, but they are not authorities over; only the Holy Spirit is the Authority over every born-again believer. There were no long sermons in the gathering and the purpose of the gathering was for every believer to edify one another through participation in the Word.
When all the people are facing forward in the pews, denoting their total devotion to the one elevated at the front of the room, it sends the message that the exalted man is the one with authority. The people in the pews become lazy in their own prayer life and study of the word because that paid man up front does everything for them.
The people in the pews begin to lack confidence in the Holy Spirit in them because that man in the pulpit exudes a kind of dominance and power over those he deems "less than." He tells them what to believe and where and when to pray, which is in that building with him as the facilitator.
None of these principles of the organized church needs to be said or taught; they are inferred by the practices alone.
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."
When every believer prays and studies at home on their own during the week they have something to say and share when they all come together. The purpose of edification in the word is to build up the faith and confidence of every believer as they impart to others what the Holy Spirit brought to them throughout the week.
Those in the gathering are to be led by the Holy Spirit as they pass their wisdom from the Holy Spirit to others in the group. Everyone is to communicate, and everyone becomes edified as they experience the oneness of the Holy Spirit in everyone else.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 ". 11Therefore encourage and build one another up, just as you are already doing."
Hebrews 3:13 "But exhort one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness."
Romans 14:19 "So then, let us pursue what leads to peace and to mutual edification."
Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."
Hebrews 10:24-25 "And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
All born-again believers are to be teaching, sharing, correcting and encouraging one another to think Biblically. This equips one another to be confident, bold, and full of wisdom as they move about in the world as examples of Christ's love.
This does not have to be in a special building; it can be anywhere at any time without cultural mandates that have no basis in Scripture.
Romans 14:1-12 "14 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.
2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.
3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.
4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.
8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess[b] to God.”
12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God."
I am not saying someone who attends a church building with a pastor is sinning; I am only saying it is a deviation from the way God commanded and has many pitfalls. Whenever we add to God's word, making man's way the standard, we miss out on many blessings and even promote a lack of growth and understanding.
Whenever we depend on another human being to be our mentor, we are placing them above Christ and His Holy Spirit. Yes, listen to others, that is what edification is all about, but never place one man as superior to another. Listen to others but evaluate whatever is said according to the Bible, correct what is wrong, and hold onto what is true.
Perhaps those, like me and my husband, see how off track the formal institutional gatherings are from scripture and sense an emptiness and lack of love in those places people call church.
The freedom we felt when we left that system of rituals and strident patterns and cultural customs is the moment we felt a great weight lifted off of us.
God never intended the one-man pastor system nor did he intend for all the believers to sit remaining silent. That whole system is modeled after the Catholic church, not the description God gave in the Bible.
There are leaders in God's model of the gathering, but they are not authorities over; only the Holy Spirit is the Authority over every born-again believer. There were no long sermons in the gathering and the purpose of the gathering was for every believer to edify one another through participation in the Word.
When all the people are facing forward in the pews, denoting their total devotion to the one elevated at the front of the room, it sends the message that the exalted man is the one with authority. The people in the pews become lazy in their own prayer life and study of the word because that paid man up front does everything for them.
The people in the pews begin to lack confidence in the Holy Spirit in them because that man in the pulpit exudes a kind of dominance and power over those he deems "less than." He tells them what to believe and where and when to pray, which is in that building with him as the facilitator.
None of these principles of the organized church needs to be said or taught; they are inferred by the practices alone.
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."
When every believer prays and studies at home on their own during the week they have something to say and share when they all come together. The purpose of edification in the word is to build up the faith and confidence of every believer as they impart to others what the Holy Spirit brought to them throughout the week.
Those in the gathering are to be led by the Holy Spirit as they pass their wisdom from the Holy Spirit to others in the group. Everyone is to communicate, and everyone becomes edified as they experience the oneness of the Holy Spirit in everyone else.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 ". 11Therefore encourage and build one another up, just as you are already doing."
Hebrews 3:13 "But exhort one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness."
Romans 14:19 "So then, let us pursue what leads to peace and to mutual edification."
Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."
Hebrews 10:24-25 "And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
All born-again believers are to be teaching, sharing, correcting and encouraging one another to think Biblically. This equips one another to be confident, bold, and full of wisdom as they move about in the world as examples of Christ's love.
This does not have to be in a special building; it can be anywhere at any time without cultural mandates that have no basis in Scripture.
Romans 14:1-12 "14 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.
2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.
3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.
4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.
8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess[b] to God.”
12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God."
I am not saying someone who attends a church building with a pastor is sinning; I am only saying it is a deviation from the way God commanded and has many pitfalls. Whenever we add to God's word, making man's way the standard, we miss out on many blessings and even promote a lack of growth and understanding.
Whenever we depend on another human being to be our mentor, we are placing them above Christ and His Holy Spirit. Yes, listen to others, that is what edification is all about, but never place one man as superior to another. Listen to others but evaluate whatever is said according to the Bible, correct what is wrong, and hold onto what is true.
Exhortation and Discipline
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 are resistant to correction and angry at admonishment are very likely unsaved.
Revelation 3:19 "Those I love I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent."
Job 5:17 "Blessed indeed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty."
1 John 3::8-19 "…8 The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother."
We live in confusing days when the wheat resembles tares, making it difficult to discern who is saved and who is unsaved. What do we do with this when interacting with both?
God said not to pull out the tares because we might be pulling up wheat. We must address sin in the body; we do not need to know if they are authentic or not, only that they claim to be Christians but live as if they have never been transformed by God.
God made it clear to me that I cannot always clearly discern who has been born again and who is not, but I can challenge someone who is living against God's principles to ask God if they have ever been transformed by God. If they become angry and refuse to ask God, that may be the answer, that they never trusted Christ.
Matthew 18:15-20 "15 "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."
Those who live sinful lifestyles and say they are Christians may be unsaved, and we treat them as outsiders because of their rebellion. Whether or not they are true Christians is up to God. As long as they claim Christianity, they are under discipline.
Those who are resistant to correction and angry at admonishment are very likely unsaved.
Revelation 3:19 "Those I love I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent."
Job 5:17 "Blessed indeed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty."
1 John 3::8-19 "…8 The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother."
We live in confusing days when the wheat resembles tares, making it difficult to discern who is saved and who is unsaved. What do we do with this when interacting with both?
God said not to pull out the tares because we might be pulling up wheat. We must address sin in the body; we do not need to know if they are authentic or not, only that they claim to be Christians but live as if they have never been transformed by God.
God made it clear to me that I cannot always clearly discern who has been born again and who is not, but I can challenge someone who is living against God's principles to ask God if they have ever been transformed by God. If they become angry and refuse to ask God, that may be the answer, that they never trusted Christ.
Matthew 18:15-20 "15 "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."
Those who live sinful lifestyles and say they are Christians may be unsaved, and we treat them as outsiders because of their rebellion. Whether or not they are true Christians is up to God. As long as they claim Christianity, they are under discipline.
Friday, March 20, 2026
Idolizing People
I am astounded at how many people cannot be objective and Biblical about their assessment of people. Many people are idolizing famous people without knowing them personally. They hear what they think are good things but have not seen those things for themselves.
The best thing to do is stop idolizing people who are famous merely because of what others write about them.
Psalm 146:2-4 …2I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. 3Put not your trust in princes, in mortal man, who cannot save. 4When his spirit departs, he returns to the ground; on that very day his plans perish."
I see people defending people because of articles about them alone. They have no personal experience with those famous people.
I am convinced 90% of what is written on the internet about famous people is totally fabricated by those who want to have someone to worship.
Jeremiah 17:5 "This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes mere flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD."
Look to the Lord Jesus Christ and you will not be fooled by fame. It has been my experience that the more popular a person is the less likely they are to be godly. The world loves fame and will pretend things that are not true.
The best thing to do is stop idolizing people who are famous merely because of what others write about them.
Psalm 146:2-4 …2I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. 3Put not your trust in princes, in mortal man, who cannot save. 4When his spirit departs, he returns to the ground; on that very day his plans perish."
I see people defending people because of articles about them alone. They have no personal experience with those famous people.
I am convinced 90% of what is written on the internet about famous people is totally fabricated by those who want to have someone to worship.
Jeremiah 17:5 "This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes mere flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD."
Look to the Lord Jesus Christ and you will not be fooled by fame. It has been my experience that the more popular a person is the less likely they are to be godly. The world loves fame and will pretend things that are not true.
Praying in God's Will not Our Own
When you become weary at praying for the same things all the time for years on end, remember all your past prayers have been heard.
If we never uttered another prayer for the same person or the same things, the past prayers still count.
We are told to pray without ceasing, this does not mean we must pray the same things over and over again, it means that we are in constant communication with God all day long about everything.
Pray without ceasing means we are continually focused on God in an attitude of gratitude and wisdom from Him. We rejoice as we see Him work and we rejoice with others who have been blessed by God in some way. We weep with those who weep, upholding them as we walk through life with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
Romans 12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer."
Psalm 32:11 "Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous ones; shout for joy, all you upright in heart."
Prayer is communication with God continually; it is not begging God for the same things until we wear Him down to do our will.
Sometimes God says no to us, as He did with Paul when he asked God three times to remove the thorn from his flesh. Paul stopped praying for his problem when He knew God had already answered, and the answer was that Paul would have to live with his infirmity for the rest of his life to keep him humble.
2 Corinthians 12:7-9 "7or because of these surpassingly great revelations. So to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.…"
When someone tells you to never stop praying for the same things until you get what you want, they are not speaking biblically. Christ in us will tell us when to stop and when to continue.
God told Jeremiah to stop praying for the nation, He even told him He would not hear his prayers because God's will for the nation was discipline.
We must remember to pray in God's will, and often His will is not what we want.
Matthew 6:9-10 "Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven".
If we never uttered another prayer for the same person or the same things, the past prayers still count.
We are told to pray without ceasing, this does not mean we must pray the same things over and over again, it means that we are in constant communication with God all day long about everything.
Pray without ceasing means we are continually focused on God in an attitude of gratitude and wisdom from Him. We rejoice as we see Him work and we rejoice with others who have been blessed by God in some way. We weep with those who weep, upholding them as we walk through life with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
Romans 12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer."
Psalm 32:11 "Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous ones; shout for joy, all you upright in heart."
Prayer is communication with God continually; it is not begging God for the same things until we wear Him down to do our will.
Sometimes God says no to us, as He did with Paul when he asked God three times to remove the thorn from his flesh. Paul stopped praying for his problem when He knew God had already answered, and the answer was that Paul would have to live with his infirmity for the rest of his life to keep him humble.
2 Corinthians 12:7-9 "7or because of these surpassingly great revelations. So to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.…"
When someone tells you to never stop praying for the same things until you get what you want, they are not speaking biblically. Christ in us will tell us when to stop and when to continue.
God told Jeremiah to stop praying for the nation, He even told him He would not hear his prayers because God's will for the nation was discipline.
We must remember to pray in God's will, and often His will is not what we want.
Matthew 6:9-10 "Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven".
Biblical Gatherings Differ Greatly from the Man Made System
I am convinced, after watching some of these building projects emerge, intended to grow congregations, that they come from pride.
Rather than holding small gatherings in homes, which would spread across communities and influence the neighborhoods, they have people in the church building invite their friends to that place.
Rather than edifying the believers, they pander to the unsaved to keep them coming. It makes the believers lazy about sharing the gospel themselves; it then becomes the job of the paid pastor. It is backward from what God commanded in His word.
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."
Ephesians 5:19 "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord,"
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."
God never intended for one person to preach for an hour while all the others sit in the pews completely silent.
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."
All born-again believers have gifts God gave them and jobs to do that enhance the working of the congregation within the gathering and also in the community.
,
Believers are to attend the gathering to edify one another, equipping each one to live out their calling in the community. And, yes, every believer has a calling.
1 Corinthians 12:12-27 One Body with Many Members
"12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many.
15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?
18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.
19 If all were a single member, where would the body be?
20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,
23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty,
24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it,
25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.
26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it."
No one should be thought of as higher than anyone else and no one is paid to carry out their calling. Their calling is not given to them by a hierarchy system, but only by the Lord Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit.
May each born-again believer never be discouraged by systems that make their own rules. May each one lean completely on the Holy Spirit for their function in the body of Christ.
Rather than holding small gatherings in homes, which would spread across communities and influence the neighborhoods, they have people in the church building invite their friends to that place.
Rather than edifying the believers, they pander to the unsaved to keep them coming. It makes the believers lazy about sharing the gospel themselves; it then becomes the job of the paid pastor. It is backward from what God commanded in His word.
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."
Ephesians 5:19 "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord,"
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."
God never intended for one person to preach for an hour while all the others sit in the pews completely silent.
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."
All born-again believers have gifts God gave them and jobs to do that enhance the working of the congregation within the gathering and also in the community.
,
Believers are to attend the gathering to edify one another, equipping each one to live out their calling in the community. And, yes, every believer has a calling.
1 Corinthians 12:12-27 One Body with Many Members
"12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many.
15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?
18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.
19 If all were a single member, where would the body be?
20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,
23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty,
24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it,
25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.
26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it."
No one should be thought of as higher than anyone else and no one is paid to carry out their calling. Their calling is not given to them by a hierarchy system, but only by the Lord Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit.
May each born-again believer never be discouraged by systems that make their own rules. May each one lean completely on the Holy Spirit for their function in the body of Christ.
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
Good Works by Christ or by Flesh
Good works done by unregenerate hearts cannot be acceptable because they are done to glorify the self. Any work done in the flesh does not satisfy God.
When we do good works as motivated by the Holy Spirit are acceptable because they glorify God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Matthew 5:16 "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
Psalm 115:1 "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!"
When we do good works as motivated by the Holy Spirit are acceptable because they glorify God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Matthew 5:16 "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
Psalm 115:1 "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!"
Monday, March 16, 2026
Conservative is not Equal to Salvation
We cannot expect unbelievers, no matter how conservative, to understand and follow the ways of God.
1 Corinthians 2:14 "But a natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned."
Conservatism is not equal to salvation or Christ. Sadly, many people who say they are Christians are basing their opinions of leaders on the things those leaders give them that make them feel safe, not on the spiritual direction of a nation.
Our government as a whole does not follow Christ; it follows "the will of the people", mostly unsaved people who are willful and self-absorbed.
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."
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."
This is the state of the last days apostate churches in full bloom:
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."
Knowing all this does not have to grieve us deeply because we know it is prophsied and that we can live at this time remaining faithful to Christ, even surrounded by most who do not. Their choices do not have to affect our walk with Him.
Those who persist in tormenting us with rejection do not have to be in our lives; we are allowed to choose friends who love Christ as much as we do and avoid those who do not love Him.
Matthew 7:15-20 "You Will Know Them by Their Fruits
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them."
What is the fruit of the Spirit of Christ!?
Galatians 5:22-23 "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
Keep looking up and walk in the peace and joy of the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 2:14 "But a natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned."
Conservatism is not equal to salvation or Christ. Sadly, many people who say they are Christians are basing their opinions of leaders on the things those leaders give them that make them feel safe, not on the spiritual direction of a nation.
Our government as a whole does not follow Christ; it follows "the will of the people", mostly unsaved people who are willful and self-absorbed.
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."
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."
This is the state of the last days apostate churches in full bloom:
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."
Knowing all this does not have to grieve us deeply because we know it is prophsied and that we can live at this time remaining faithful to Christ, even surrounded by most who do not. Their choices do not have to affect our walk with Him.
Those who persist in tormenting us with rejection do not have to be in our lives; we are allowed to choose friends who love Christ as much as we do and avoid those who do not love Him.
Matthew 7:15-20 "You Will Know Them by Their Fruits
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them."
What is the fruit of the Spirit of Christ!?
Galatians 5:22-23 "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
Keep looking up and walk in the peace and joy of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Trusting Christ is More Promises to Him
1 Corinthians 2:13-15 " And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14 The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment."
Do not be shocked when those who say they are Christians do not understand the principles of God, or when they change the meanings to fit their desired lifestyle.
Misunderstanding and worse, being dedicated to misunderstanding, is a choice. Everyone has the ability to ask God to reveal truth to them. Those who hold onto false doctrine are doing it by choice when they do not ask God.
The refusal to ask God to show them the truth is a denial of Him. It is the same as saying, "I have decided what I want to believe and you (God) do not matter."
Those who walk with Christ, guided by and possessed by the Holy Spirit, are not subject to man's judgment, but have the ability to judge all things because Christ lives in them.
Often, we do not know something because we are trusting in our own senses instead of being directed by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will only speak to us if we want Him to, if we want our own way He will let us, so we learn how destructive our own thoughts and ways can be.
Romans 8:7-9 "because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ."
1 John 4:6 "We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. That is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception."
It is not hard, really; all we have to do is trust in Christ, believe Him when He speaks through His Word, and do what He says. It might not always make sense to our human mind, but eventually we will see why God commanded what He did, and it is for our own good and perhaps the good of others.
Hallelujah!!!
Do not be shocked when those who say they are Christians do not understand the principles of God, or when they change the meanings to fit their desired lifestyle.
Misunderstanding and worse, being dedicated to misunderstanding, is a choice. Everyone has the ability to ask God to reveal truth to them. Those who hold onto false doctrine are doing it by choice when they do not ask God.
The refusal to ask God to show them the truth is a denial of Him. It is the same as saying, "I have decided what I want to believe and you (God) do not matter."
Those who walk with Christ, guided by and possessed by the Holy Spirit, are not subject to man's judgment, but have the ability to judge all things because Christ lives in them.
Often, we do not know something because we are trusting in our own senses instead of being directed by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will only speak to us if we want Him to, if we want our own way He will let us, so we learn how destructive our own thoughts and ways can be.
Romans 8:7-9 "because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ."
1 John 4:6 "We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. That is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception."
It is not hard, really; all we have to do is trust in Christ, believe Him when He speaks through His Word, and do what He says. It might not always make sense to our human mind, but eventually we will see why God commanded what He did, and it is for our own good and perhaps the good of others.
Hallelujah!!!
Friday, March 13, 2026
As in the Days of Noah Right Now
God said "as in the days of Noah" describing how it will be in the end times. Our days are just like Noah's day. Which is why we are so close to the end.
Matthew 24:37-39 "37 For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.
38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,
39 and they did not [b]understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be."
The rapture is coming, and the world will not notice anything different from what they have always experienced. They will think everything is normal and even good when it is ruinous, riotous living, and disrespectful ways. But most will not realize it is riotous or disrespectful; they will think this is normal.
Many people are experiencing devastating family breakups, children out of control without honor and respect toward parents, but they think this is normal, and are unconcerned about the devastation. In other words, most people are in denial, justifying away sin, endorsing, and rationalizing what is evil.
Most people are embarrassed and even angered at those who bring the gospel of repentance because they want to believe they are personally good people. In their hearts, they cannot face what they know about their own hearts. They are lying to themselves and will lash out at anyone who tells them they are not good and in need of the Savior.
Notice that God only saved one family when He sent the flood. And, He will save only one family again during the rapture, that is the family of Christ.
The only way to be in this family of Christ is to trust in Jesus Christ and desire for Him to change you into a new creation. Anyone who is trusting in their own goodness to be saved will go to hell. Mankind has no goodness that would be acceptable to God, only His Son's Sacrifice applied to us saves us.
Matthew 24:37-39 "37 For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.
38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,
39 and they did not [b]understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be."
The rapture is coming, and the world will not notice anything different from what they have always experienced. They will think everything is normal and even good when it is ruinous, riotous living, and disrespectful ways. But most will not realize it is riotous or disrespectful; they will think this is normal.
Many people are experiencing devastating family breakups, children out of control without honor and respect toward parents, but they think this is normal, and are unconcerned about the devastation. In other words, most people are in denial, justifying away sin, endorsing, and rationalizing what is evil.
Most people are embarrassed and even angered at those who bring the gospel of repentance because they want to believe they are personally good people. In their hearts, they cannot face what they know about their own hearts. They are lying to themselves and will lash out at anyone who tells them they are not good and in need of the Savior.
Notice that God only saved one family when He sent the flood. And, He will save only one family again during the rapture, that is the family of Christ.
The only way to be in this family of Christ is to trust in Jesus Christ and desire for Him to change you into a new creation. Anyone who is trusting in their own goodness to be saved will go to hell. Mankind has no goodness that would be acceptable to God, only His Son's Sacrifice applied to us saves us.
Christ Saved Us, Changes Us, Keeps Us and Takes Us Home at the Right Time
All born-again believers endure to the end; those who don't were never saved in the first place, and they came in trusting in themselves.
Jesus Christ paid for our sins with every last drop of His blood; there is no way any human could do enough good to keep their salvation. God is interested in a transformed heart that He transforms, not the feeble attempts of people to earn their salvation.
Hebrews 12:4-11
A Father’s Discipline
4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;
5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,
“My son, do not regard the discipline of the Lord lightly,
Nor faint when you are punished by Him;
6 For whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
And He punishes every son whom He accepts.”
7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?
10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.
11 For the moment, all discipline seems not to be pleasant, but painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness."
If God threw us away over sin then He would have told us how many sins lose us our salvation, how big the sin must be and the particular sins. He did not do that because when Christ changed us into a new creation when we trusted in Him, He transformed our spiritual character not our flesh.
When we die our Spirit goes to Him but our body is left behind because it is corrupted and no corruption can go in the presence of God. We are trapped in this body and must battle against the flesh.
Galatians 5:16-18 "16So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law."
Stop attempting to judge every person as saved or unsaved, if they say they are Christians than discipline them when they fail but do not judge them as unsaved, because you cannot know for sure.
Matthew 13:24-30 "The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares
24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;
25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.
26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.
27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’
28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’
29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”
The roots of the tares are entangled with the wheat in the church, we could damage the wheat if we pull up the tares before the right time.
Anyone who is trusting in themselves, hoping they do enough good works, is not trusting in Christ and may not be born again.
Christ changes us when we trust in Him, we do not change ourselves. He transforms us into something opposite of what we were. We do not think the same way or like the same things, Our spirit is replaced with His Spirit.
Too many modern "Christians" are attempting to save themselves by following man's rules that God never gave, causing arrogance, proud of what they think they have done, without giving any of the glory to Christ.
When Christ does something in us He gets the glory.
Jesus Christ paid for our sins with every last drop of His blood; there is no way any human could do enough good to keep their salvation. God is interested in a transformed heart that He transforms, not the feeble attempts of people to earn their salvation.
Hebrews 12:4-11
A Father’s Discipline
4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;
5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,
“My son, do not regard the discipline of the Lord lightly,
Nor faint when you are punished by Him;
6 For whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
And He punishes every son whom He accepts.”
7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?
10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.
11 For the moment, all discipline seems not to be pleasant, but painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness."
If God threw us away over sin then He would have told us how many sins lose us our salvation, how big the sin must be and the particular sins. He did not do that because when Christ changed us into a new creation when we trusted in Him, He transformed our spiritual character not our flesh.
When we die our Spirit goes to Him but our body is left behind because it is corrupted and no corruption can go in the presence of God. We are trapped in this body and must battle against the flesh.
Galatians 5:16-18 "16So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law."
Stop attempting to judge every person as saved or unsaved, if they say they are Christians than discipline them when they fail but do not judge them as unsaved, because you cannot know for sure.
Matthew 13:24-30 "The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares
24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;
25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.
26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.
27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’
28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’
29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”
The roots of the tares are entangled with the wheat in the church, we could damage the wheat if we pull up the tares before the right time.
Anyone who is trusting in themselves, hoping they do enough good works, is not trusting in Christ and may not be born again.
Christ changes us when we trust in Him, we do not change ourselves. He transforms us into something opposite of what we were. We do not think the same way or like the same things, Our spirit is replaced with His Spirit.
Too many modern "Christians" are attempting to save themselves by following man's rules that God never gave, causing arrogance, proud of what they think they have done, without giving any of the glory to Christ.
When Christ does something in us He gets the glory.
Edifying One Another in the Word
1 Thessalonians 5:11 "11Therefore encourage (edify) and build one another up, just as you are already doing." Edification is not praise or flattery; edification is using God's Word to bring truth to every discussion so that we can all honor Him in our lives.
Hebrews 3:13 "But exhort one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness."
Ephesians 4:29 "Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen."
Romans 14:19 "So then, let us pursue what leads to peace and to mutual edification."
Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."
Hebrews 10:24-25 "And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. / Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
1 Corinthians 14:26 "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 are called to help one another grow in holiness and love. Love is the first fruit of the Fruit of the Spirit. Everything is to be done in love with compassion toward one another.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 "4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant.
5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered,
6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
The opposite of love is:
Proverbs 16:28: "A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends".
2 Corinthians 12:20 "20 For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you to be not what I wish, and may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps there will be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, selfishness, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances."
In order to walk as Christ walked and bless our siblings in Christ we must have love first and then all the other traits of Christ will follow.
Hebrews 3:13 "But exhort one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness."
Ephesians 4:29 "Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen."
Romans 14:19 "So then, let us pursue what leads to peace and to mutual edification."
Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."
Hebrews 10:24-25 "And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. / Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
1 Corinthians 14:26 "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 are called to help one another grow in holiness and love. Love is the first fruit of the Fruit of the Spirit. Everything is to be done in love with compassion toward one another.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 "4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant.
5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered,
6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
The opposite of love is:
Proverbs 16:28: "A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends".
2 Corinthians 12:20 "20 For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you to be not what I wish, and may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps there will be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, selfishness, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances."
In order to walk as Christ walked and bless our siblings in Christ we must have love first and then all the other traits of Christ will follow.
Thursday, March 12, 2026
I Will Have a New Name
Revelation 3:12 "...I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God... and my own new name".
Just recently, I saw a Facebook post about names given to children. Someone was dismayed that so many people were now giving their babies "old people" names.
I thought this was amusing because all names are given to babies first, and they only become old names when the baby grows into an old person.
It pleases me to know that God has a name for me that no one else knows, not even me. He will have a perfect name that describes me personally, and it is between Him and me.
Jesus Christ died to pay the debt of my sins, offered it to me merely by faith in Him, came to live in me, cleansing me every day until He takes me home. He answers my questions, brings understanding to things I could not have understood on my own and carries me through all the difficulties of life. Those difficulties have stretched and grown me in ways unexplainable to anyone else. He makes my path straight in ways I could never do myself.
Jesus Christ knows me and loves me better than anyone else could; it's why I trust Him.
Proverbs 3:5-6
"5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight."
Anyone can have this if they want it, just by believing Christ and desiring to be cleansed by Him.
Just recently, I saw a Facebook post about names given to children. Someone was dismayed that so many people were now giving their babies "old people" names.
I thought this was amusing because all names are given to babies first, and they only become old names when the baby grows into an old person.
It pleases me to know that God has a name for me that no one else knows, not even me. He will have a perfect name that describes me personally, and it is between Him and me.
Jesus Christ died to pay the debt of my sins, offered it to me merely by faith in Him, came to live in me, cleansing me every day until He takes me home. He answers my questions, brings understanding to things I could not have understood on my own and carries me through all the difficulties of life. Those difficulties have stretched and grown me in ways unexplainable to anyone else. He makes my path straight in ways I could never do myself.
Jesus Christ knows me and loves me better than anyone else could; it's why I trust Him.
Proverbs 3:5-6
"5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight."
Anyone can have this if they want it, just by believing Christ and desiring to be cleansed by Him.
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
The Tares are Poisonous
There are many tares in the church today, spreading division, upsetting the holiness of the group.
Let us remember that God told us not to uproot the tares in the church because we might be pulling up the wheat. The wheat and tares look so much alike that they are difficult to discern. Some tares say and do all the right things, but have trusted in themselves and not Christ.
Tares and wheat are almost identical. Something to note about the tares is that they are deadly because their appearance is so much like the wheat, and yet they are ruinous to a gathering. The wheat are good for food but the tares are poisonous and cannot be eaten.
One way to tell the difference is to challenge individuals with Scripture and watch what comes out. The tares will be very uncomfortable and even combative. They don't always fight, but they live by cliches and unbiblical mantras they think are Biblical unwilling to change what they want to believe.
Tares see the benefits for themselves of being in the church gathering. They are not there because of Christ but only for themselves. They see the lifestyle as better for them, but have no interest in Christ guiding them through life or cleansing them.
The roots of the tares are entangled with the wheat roots. Uprooting the tares may disturb the roots of the wheat. Sometimes, wheat is not able to discern the tares and will become offended, causing a distraction in the gathering.
Matthew 13:24-30
The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares
24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;
25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.
26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.
27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’
28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’
29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”
Let us remember that God told us not to uproot the tares in the church because we might be pulling up the wheat. The wheat and tares look so much alike that they are difficult to discern. Some tares say and do all the right things, but have trusted in themselves and not Christ.
Tares and wheat are almost identical. Something to note about the tares is that they are deadly because their appearance is so much like the wheat, and yet they are ruinous to a gathering. The wheat are good for food but the tares are poisonous and cannot be eaten.
One way to tell the difference is to challenge individuals with Scripture and watch what comes out. The tares will be very uncomfortable and even combative. They don't always fight, but they live by cliches and unbiblical mantras they think are Biblical unwilling to change what they want to believe.
Tares see the benefits for themselves of being in the church gathering. They are not there because of Christ but only for themselves. They see the lifestyle as better for them, but have no interest in Christ guiding them through life or cleansing them.
The roots of the tares are entangled with the wheat roots. Uprooting the tares may disturb the roots of the wheat. Sometimes, wheat is not able to discern the tares and will become offended, causing a distraction in the gathering.
Matthew 13:24-30
The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares
24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;
25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.
26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.
27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’
28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’
29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”
Satan Hates Marriage
Satan hates marriage because the sealed union of two people into one person by God is representative of the relationship between believers and Christ.
The woman covered represents the church, and the man uncovered represents Christ. The devil hates anything that protects the gospel and is a symbol of the permanency of salvation through faith in Christ.
Ephesians 5:22-33 " Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
28 In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,
30 because we are members of his body.
31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."
The wife is one with and alongside of her husband, just as the husband is one with and alongside of his wife. The husband's role is to protect and uplift the wife in the word as well as support her in her calling as the keeper of the home.
The wife's role is to support the husband in his calling and counsel him when he strays from the word. Standing by someone does not mean doing their bidding; it means seeking Christ for the truth while coming alongside to support doing what is right.
God said it was not good for man to be alone. He needed a support system that helped him in his weaknesses as well as his support in his strengths.
Proverbs 31 says that the woman elevates her husband in the eyes of others by her good standing in the community, so that he will be honored in the city gates because of her.
When a woman takes care of all the household needs, interacts in the community as she makes goods to sell and buys a field to plant a vineyard, she is seen as diligent while providing everything the family needs.
When the husband treats his wife with the highest respect, protecting her from those who would demean her, she will be seen as special and cherished to her husband.
It is important to notice from Scripture that God never commanded each spouse to make sure the other one does what they should. Each spouse must choose to do what is right, even if the other spouse does not do what they should, while never supporting sin or evil.
No one will stand before God on judgment day and be able to use their spouse as an excuse for bad behavior or willful and angry character. We stand before our Lord alone, completely responsible for our own choices.
The purpose of marriage is to reflect the relationship between Christ and His church. No marriage should be operating under the curse when each party is attempting to dominate the other. This was a condition of the fall and not what God intended for marriage.
The husband is to lovingly lead and protect his wife, and the wife is to follow when the husband obeys God. Each one must obey God first. Submission to God is for everyone by their own choice, not compulsion or domination by anyone else.
Those who think they must dictate to their wives or the wives to their husbands are not acting in love, but in selfishness and tyranny. This is not godly and sends a monstrous witness to the world of false Christianity.
My hope is that those who are using the fall, "a woman's desire will be to rule her husband, but her husband will rule her," as an excuse for the husband to act in disrespectful ways to their wife, will stop using this passage to justify rudeness. This condition of spouses ruling over one another is a condition of the fall and not the example of a godly marriage.
No one should be ruling over the other; each should be willingly submitting as each one obey's God in a deep, abiding love for one another.
And lastly, no one should ever judge another person's marriage!!!! My mantra in the past few years has become, "mind your own business.",No one can know exactly what goes on in someone else's marriage.
Unless someone comes to us for advice and is willing to listen to Biblical counsel, we should make a practice of never judging someone else's marriage. Those who insert themselves into the marriages of others without being asked are busybodies and need to mind their own business.
1 Thessalonians 4:10-12 "…10 And you are indeed showing this love to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to excel more and more 11and to aspire to live quietly, to ATTEND TO YOUR OWN MATTERS, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you. 12 Then you will behave properly toward outsiders, without being dependent on anyone.…"
2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 "For even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “If anyone is unwilling to work, he shall not eat.” For we hear that some of you are leading undisciplined lives, accomplishing nothing, but being BUSIBODIES. We command and urge such people by our Lord Jesus Christ to begin working quietly to earn their own living.
Just Saying!!!!
The woman covered represents the church, and the man uncovered represents Christ. The devil hates anything that protects the gospel and is a symbol of the permanency of salvation through faith in Christ.
Ephesians 5:22-33 " Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
28 In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,
30 because we are members of his body.
31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."
The wife is one with and alongside of her husband, just as the husband is one with and alongside of his wife. The husband's role is to protect and uplift the wife in the word as well as support her in her calling as the keeper of the home.
The wife's role is to support the husband in his calling and counsel him when he strays from the word. Standing by someone does not mean doing their bidding; it means seeking Christ for the truth while coming alongside to support doing what is right.
God said it was not good for man to be alone. He needed a support system that helped him in his weaknesses as well as his support in his strengths.
Proverbs 31 says that the woman elevates her husband in the eyes of others by her good standing in the community, so that he will be honored in the city gates because of her.
When a woman takes care of all the household needs, interacts in the community as she makes goods to sell and buys a field to plant a vineyard, she is seen as diligent while providing everything the family needs.
When the husband treats his wife with the highest respect, protecting her from those who would demean her, she will be seen as special and cherished to her husband.
It is important to notice from Scripture that God never commanded each spouse to make sure the other one does what they should. Each spouse must choose to do what is right, even if the other spouse does not do what they should, while never supporting sin or evil.
No one will stand before God on judgment day and be able to use their spouse as an excuse for bad behavior or willful and angry character. We stand before our Lord alone, completely responsible for our own choices.
The purpose of marriage is to reflect the relationship between Christ and His church. No marriage should be operating under the curse when each party is attempting to dominate the other. This was a condition of the fall and not what God intended for marriage.
The husband is to lovingly lead and protect his wife, and the wife is to follow when the husband obeys God. Each one must obey God first. Submission to God is for everyone by their own choice, not compulsion or domination by anyone else.
Those who think they must dictate to their wives or the wives to their husbands are not acting in love, but in selfishness and tyranny. This is not godly and sends a monstrous witness to the world of false Christianity.
My hope is that those who are using the fall, "a woman's desire will be to rule her husband, but her husband will rule her," as an excuse for the husband to act in disrespectful ways to their wife, will stop using this passage to justify rudeness. This condition of spouses ruling over one another is a condition of the fall and not the example of a godly marriage.
No one should be ruling over the other; each should be willingly submitting as each one obey's God in a deep, abiding love for one another.
And lastly, no one should ever judge another person's marriage!!!! My mantra in the past few years has become, "mind your own business.",No one can know exactly what goes on in someone else's marriage.
Unless someone comes to us for advice and is willing to listen to Biblical counsel, we should make a practice of never judging someone else's marriage. Those who insert themselves into the marriages of others without being asked are busybodies and need to mind their own business.
1 Thessalonians 4:10-12 "…10 And you are indeed showing this love to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to excel more and more 11and to aspire to live quietly, to ATTEND TO YOUR OWN MATTERS, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you. 12 Then you will behave properly toward outsiders, without being dependent on anyone.…"
2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 "For even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “If anyone is unwilling to work, he shall not eat.” For we hear that some of you are leading undisciplined lives, accomplishing nothing, but being BUSIBODIES. We command and urge such people by our Lord Jesus Christ to begin working quietly to earn their own living.
Just Saying!!!!
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Encountering Rebellious Unregenerate Hearts
When someone is unkind to you but kind to everyone else we know this person is in their character a mean person.
A kind person is kind all the time to everyone. If a kind person is having a rough time and rarely shows rudeness they will feel bad, admit it and convey that to the person they were unkind to.
Unkind people make excuses for their rudeness and blame the one they treated disrespectfully as though they had a good reason.
Proverbs 9:7-8 "…6Leave your folly behind, and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.” 7He who corrects a mocker brings shame on himself; he who rebukes a wicked man taints himself. 8 Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
Matthew 7:6 "Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces."
It is possible to discern a rude person from a kind person by which trait dominates their life.
It is better to avoid a consistently rude person who mocks the ways of God by their attitude. It is not possible to reason with those who have no conscience about harming others to elevate themselves.
Arrogant, rude people cannot tolerate a correction, even in the mildest terms. They will accuse the one who corrects them of saying it the wrong way or having unkind motives.
A wise person who is corrected considers what is said and discusses it to reach an understanding. This person will grow in character, but the arrogant one cannot grow, remaining ignorant and snarky into old age.
Matthew 15:14 "Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
Luke 10:10-11 "But if you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go into the streets and declare, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off as a testimony against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’"
2 Peter 2:12 "These men are like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be captured and destroyed. They blaspheme in matters they do not understand, and like such creatures, they too will be destroyed."
We have to remember that those who live in a state of selfishness and rudeness toward those they do not respect do not understand the ways of God because Christ does not live in them.
1 Corinthians 2:14 "The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned."
May we become equipped to deal with these people in a godly manner when we have to encounter them. Let us not become like them by becoming like them. "Answer not a fool according to his folly", resist responding or explaining yourself to anyone who is fighting to win.
A kind person is kind all the time to everyone. If a kind person is having a rough time and rarely shows rudeness they will feel bad, admit it and convey that to the person they were unkind to.
Unkind people make excuses for their rudeness and blame the one they treated disrespectfully as though they had a good reason.
Proverbs 9:7-8 "…6Leave your folly behind, and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.” 7He who corrects a mocker brings shame on himself; he who rebukes a wicked man taints himself. 8 Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
Matthew 7:6 "Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces."
It is possible to discern a rude person from a kind person by which trait dominates their life.
It is better to avoid a consistently rude person who mocks the ways of God by their attitude. It is not possible to reason with those who have no conscience about harming others to elevate themselves.
Arrogant, rude people cannot tolerate a correction, even in the mildest terms. They will accuse the one who corrects them of saying it the wrong way or having unkind motives.
A wise person who is corrected considers what is said and discusses it to reach an understanding. This person will grow in character, but the arrogant one cannot grow, remaining ignorant and snarky into old age.
Matthew 15:14 "Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
Luke 10:10-11 "But if you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go into the streets and declare, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off as a testimony against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’"
2 Peter 2:12 "These men are like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be captured and destroyed. They blaspheme in matters they do not understand, and like such creatures, they too will be destroyed."
We have to remember that those who live in a state of selfishness and rudeness toward those they do not respect do not understand the ways of God because Christ does not live in them.
1 Corinthians 2:14 "The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned."
May we become equipped to deal with these people in a godly manner when we have to encounter them. Let us not become like them by becoming like them. "Answer not a fool according to his folly", resist responding or explaining yourself to anyone who is fighting to win.
Saturday, March 7, 2026
Praying for Individuals not Nations
It also seems like the time to pray for individuals, not entire nations, since prophecy clearly says all nations will be against Christ, Christians, and against Israel.
We are to pray for souls, not the preservation of nations. It is the demise of nations that will cause many to see their need for God when things become deeply frightening.
It is rare that anyone comes to Christ because everything is going their own way. The more prosperity in a nation the more it drifts away from the need for God and the more it becomes hostile to Christ.
My prayer is for the souls of individuals, not for this nation. Perhaps great trials and impossible situations would be the vehicle through which many come to the end of themselves and seek Christ.
Much prosperity breeds pride and self-reliance! It is a fearful thing to think we might endure tragedy in our country, we would rather believe people will come to Christ "just because" things are so good. We have seen this is not the case in our own country. The more prosperous we have become the more sin and arrogance grows.
Malachi 4:5-6 "5 "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction."
Galatians 6:7 "7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap."
May we turn away our hearts from this world and toward Jesus Christ, the only answer to the problem of sin and the broken hearts of the rebellious who have no remedy except Him.
Proverbs 29:1 "He, that being often reproved hardens his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."
We are to pray for souls, not the preservation of nations. It is the demise of nations that will cause many to see their need for God when things become deeply frightening.
It is rare that anyone comes to Christ because everything is going their own way. The more prosperity in a nation the more it drifts away from the need for God and the more it becomes hostile to Christ.
My prayer is for the souls of individuals, not for this nation. Perhaps great trials and impossible situations would be the vehicle through which many come to the end of themselves and seek Christ.
Much prosperity breeds pride and self-reliance! It is a fearful thing to think we might endure tragedy in our country, we would rather believe people will come to Christ "just because" things are so good. We have seen this is not the case in our own country. The more prosperous we have become the more sin and arrogance grows.
Malachi 4:5-6 "5 "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction."
Galatians 6:7 "7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap."
May we turn away our hearts from this world and toward Jesus Christ, the only answer to the problem of sin and the broken hearts of the rebellious who have no remedy except Him.
Proverbs 29:1 "He, that being often reproved hardens his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."
Biblical Repentance
Biblically, repentance (confession of wrong) and forgiveness are two sides of the same coin for the purpose of reconciling a relationship.
If neither or only one of these things happens, then there is no reconciling of the relationship. We do not hate those who have wronged us, and when having to be in their presence, we show the respect that was not shown to us, but this is not reconciliation; it is just Christian graciousness. However, we cannot be friends with those who cannot be trusted because they thought it was alright ot offend.
Modern Christianity is burdening those who were innocent to forgive when the offender is not sorry. But I don't see them chastising the offender to repent. This is the opposite of what God teaches in His Word.
Luke 17:3-4 "3Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
Notice the words "if he comes and says I repent." Why is this always left out of the admonishment to forgive offenders?
God has a reason for His commands on how and when to forgive. When we follow humanistic psychology, we enable people, and even encourage them to sin for lack of chastisement. The innocent one gets pressured to forgive while the perp is let off the hook for his sin. This is backward from God's order and purpose.
Let's be diligent to do things God's way so that people learn to be repentant.
If neither or only one of these things happens, then there is no reconciling of the relationship. We do not hate those who have wronged us, and when having to be in their presence, we show the respect that was not shown to us, but this is not reconciliation; it is just Christian graciousness. However, we cannot be friends with those who cannot be trusted because they thought it was alright ot offend.
Modern Christianity is burdening those who were innocent to forgive when the offender is not sorry. But I don't see them chastising the offender to repent. This is the opposite of what God teaches in His Word.
Luke 17:3-4 "3Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
Notice the words "if he comes and says I repent." Why is this always left out of the admonishment to forgive offenders?
God has a reason for His commands on how and when to forgive. When we follow humanistic psychology, we enable people, and even encourage them to sin for lack of chastisement. The innocent one gets pressured to forgive while the perp is let off the hook for his sin. This is backward from God's order and purpose.
Let's be diligent to do things God's way so that people learn to be repentant.
Divorce and Remarriage Childish Response to Adult Problems
As I was pondering the mess of divorce and remarriage, God brought to mind relationships between little girls in elementary school. Grade school children are emotional and basically have no filter when it comes to actions and responses to one another.
Little girls will declare they won't be our friend anymore because we didn't give them what they wanted. They will take their toys and go home if they can't win.
Little girls will ignore you in the halls to show you that you are not worthy of kindness and respect because you didn't validate what they wanted to do.
Little girls will friend a new person and flaunt them past you at recess and in the halls to show you they have found someone better than you. And, worse they will gossip about you to the new friend and turn that person against you.
Little girls will treat the new friend better than they did you so you can see their love is only for the new friend and you are irrelevant and unimportant to them.
Little girls will take innocent comments and actions, spinning them to the new source as bad things even if there was nothing at all unacceptable in your activities or verbal exchanges.
In short, little girls can be very petty and mean merely because they were not praised or their perception was that they were not validated in some way. And, often their perceptions are entirely wrong based on their own selfish mindset.
Why do I equate little elementary school girls to divorce and remarriage, you might ask? Divorce and remarriage is elementary school immaturity at best and devastating to families at worst.
I don't think it is that complicated, really. The excuses I have heard for divorce have been on the level of spoiled little girls who refuse to work through anything, because they have no sense of a deep love for the one they harm.
I knew of one woman who divorced her husband back in the day because he didn't want her to buy a car; he felt a one-car family was enough. While this would be very irritating to some, it is not a reason to throw away a husband.
I laughed at this because we were a one-car family for the first 18 years of our marriage. We worked things out as needed, and we didn't fight over it. We have been married for almost 54 years now and over the years, many things have changed as the finances have improved.
I have heard of situations in which husbands and wives were into some very bad lifestyles. Their spouses divorced them and married someone else and years later their original spouse repented, cleaned up their lives and they were able to reconcile. Keep in mind it takes faith in God to obey Him when things are very hard.
Divorce and remarriage are acts of defiance against God and hatred for the spouse. Not to mention they are as childish as the little girls in elementary school who want harm to come to their former friend.
Christ died for us while we were still sinners. He experienced a brutal and hateful persecution so that we could become saved from our sin and hell.
When Christ makes two people one in marriage, our treatment of our spouse cannot be based on feelings; it must be based on God's truth and faith in His ways. We do not love for what we get out of it, we love because Christ loved us, and we should practice love as a choice with the person who is our other half.
Matthew 19:6 "6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no person is to separate.”
Many times I have heard people proclaim they love the one they are dating because they make them feel good or make them laugh. Notice the focus here: "they make me", "they give me", nothing about that love interest being a good companion because they make them a better person or they love God. It's all about how they feel when they are around the one they are thinking of marrying.
Philippians 2:3 "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves."
No one can separate what God has joined. It is a picture of salvation for the born-again believer; no one can be separated from Christ when He lives in us, has transformed us, and keeps us.
When He died to reconcile us to Him, we trusted in what He did, and that He can keep us, we know that our oneness with Him cannot be undone because it was not something we did; it was His work. Nor can the oneness He did in a married couple be undone by any piece of paper or decree of a human judge.
Because the modern Christian who accepts and defends divorce and remarriage views human relationships as expendable rather than a melding of souls. They continue to treat one another as separate individuals rather than half of a whole. And, worse they use one another until they lose their usefulness.
Malachi 2:16 16 “For I hate divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with violence,” says the Lord of armies. “So be careful about your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”
God says that if we so much as hate our brethren, we are committing murder. Divorce is an act of hatred, the deisre that the spouse were dead.
1 John 3:14-16 "…14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that eternal life does not reside in a murderer. 16 By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."
Matthew 5:21-22 "You have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not murder’ and ‘Anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.
Matthew 15:19 "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander."
Divorce is hatred and a desire that the spouse never existed. And remarriage is an act of sexual immorality since the first spouse remains alive and God's command was that the oneness union is not severed until death.
John 8:44 "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies."
Mark 10:11-12 "So He told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”
Luke 16:18 "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery."
The mentality of the modern Christian is that if they can find a good reason to defy God's commands, they are free to do what displeases Him. They cherry-pick the things they like to follow and pride themselves in it, but ignore the things they don't like while disrespectfully treating anyone who speaks the truth that exposes their rebellion against God.
These are the end times, truth telling Chrsitians are despised, excluded, and rejected.
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.…"
We are living in apostate times in which very few people attending the institutional church gatherings will endure sound doctrine. Don't let it discourage you, keep obeying Christ, speaking truth as led by the Holy Spirit, and ignore those who are hell-bent on rejecting God's word.
Keep Looking Up!!!!!
Little girls will declare they won't be our friend anymore because we didn't give them what they wanted. They will take their toys and go home if they can't win.
Little girls will ignore you in the halls to show you that you are not worthy of kindness and respect because you didn't validate what they wanted to do.
Little girls will friend a new person and flaunt them past you at recess and in the halls to show you they have found someone better than you. And, worse they will gossip about you to the new friend and turn that person against you.
Little girls will treat the new friend better than they did you so you can see their love is only for the new friend and you are irrelevant and unimportant to them.
Little girls will take innocent comments and actions, spinning them to the new source as bad things even if there was nothing at all unacceptable in your activities or verbal exchanges.
In short, little girls can be very petty and mean merely because they were not praised or their perception was that they were not validated in some way. And, often their perceptions are entirely wrong based on their own selfish mindset.
Why do I equate little elementary school girls to divorce and remarriage, you might ask? Divorce and remarriage is elementary school immaturity at best and devastating to families at worst.
I don't think it is that complicated, really. The excuses I have heard for divorce have been on the level of spoiled little girls who refuse to work through anything, because they have no sense of a deep love for the one they harm.
I knew of one woman who divorced her husband back in the day because he didn't want her to buy a car; he felt a one-car family was enough. While this would be very irritating to some, it is not a reason to throw away a husband.
I laughed at this because we were a one-car family for the first 18 years of our marriage. We worked things out as needed, and we didn't fight over it. We have been married for almost 54 years now and over the years, many things have changed as the finances have improved.
I have heard of situations in which husbands and wives were into some very bad lifestyles. Their spouses divorced them and married someone else and years later their original spouse repented, cleaned up their lives and they were able to reconcile. Keep in mind it takes faith in God to obey Him when things are very hard.
Divorce and remarriage are acts of defiance against God and hatred for the spouse. Not to mention they are as childish as the little girls in elementary school who want harm to come to their former friend.
Christ died for us while we were still sinners. He experienced a brutal and hateful persecution so that we could become saved from our sin and hell.
When Christ makes two people one in marriage, our treatment of our spouse cannot be based on feelings; it must be based on God's truth and faith in His ways. We do not love for what we get out of it, we love because Christ loved us, and we should practice love as a choice with the person who is our other half.
Matthew 19:6 "6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no person is to separate.”
Many times I have heard people proclaim they love the one they are dating because they make them feel good or make them laugh. Notice the focus here: "they make me", "they give me", nothing about that love interest being a good companion because they make them a better person or they love God. It's all about how they feel when they are around the one they are thinking of marrying.
Philippians 2:3 "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves."
No one can separate what God has joined. It is a picture of salvation for the born-again believer; no one can be separated from Christ when He lives in us, has transformed us, and keeps us.
When He died to reconcile us to Him, we trusted in what He did, and that He can keep us, we know that our oneness with Him cannot be undone because it was not something we did; it was His work. Nor can the oneness He did in a married couple be undone by any piece of paper or decree of a human judge.
Because the modern Christian who accepts and defends divorce and remarriage views human relationships as expendable rather than a melding of souls. They continue to treat one another as separate individuals rather than half of a whole. And, worse they use one another until they lose their usefulness.
Malachi 2:16 16 “For I hate divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with violence,” says the Lord of armies. “So be careful about your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”
God says that if we so much as hate our brethren, we are committing murder. Divorce is an act of hatred, the deisre that the spouse were dead.
1 John 3:14-16 "…14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that eternal life does not reside in a murderer. 16 By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."
Matthew 5:21-22 "You have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not murder’ and ‘Anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.
Matthew 15:19 "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander."
Divorce is hatred and a desire that the spouse never existed. And remarriage is an act of sexual immorality since the first spouse remains alive and God's command was that the oneness union is not severed until death.
John 8:44 "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies."
Mark 10:11-12 "So He told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”
Luke 16:18 "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery."
The mentality of the modern Christian is that if they can find a good reason to defy God's commands, they are free to do what displeases Him. They cherry-pick the things they like to follow and pride themselves in it, but ignore the things they don't like while disrespectfully treating anyone who speaks the truth that exposes their rebellion against God.
These are the end times, truth telling Chrsitians are despised, excluded, and rejected.
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.…"
We are living in apostate times in which very few people attending the institutional church gatherings will endure sound doctrine. Don't let it discourage you, keep obeying Christ, speaking truth as led by the Holy Spirit, and ignore those who are hell-bent on rejecting God's word.
Keep Looking Up!!!!!
Living in Prophetic Times
Amen, we are living in prophetic times right now! Watching events and the attitudes of people match with what the Scriptures say will happen is a blessing to us, it builds our faith as we navigate through all of it.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)