Fools Fight Against Correction and Instruction but the Wise Becomes Wiser

Proverbs 9:7-18

"7 One who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself,

And one who rebukes a wicked person gets insults for himself.

8 Do not rebuke a scoffer, or he will hate you;

Rebuke a wise person and he will love you.

9 Give instruction to a wise person and he will become still wiser;

Teach a righteous person and he will increase his insight.

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

11 For by me your days will be multiplied,

And years of life will be added to you.

12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,

And if you scoff, you alone will suffer from it."

Mockers never grow to maturity, the righteous do. Mockers regress when corrected but the righteous become wiser at an instruction.

Authentic Christianity is Far Different from what Pretenders Display

Hell is real and many people who think they are going to heaven will not make it because they were pridefully thinking their own goodness or enough good works would get them there. These people never trusted in Christ, they trusted in themselves to follow all the rules, many of which God never gave, just their own idea of what is best. They negate Scripture by cherry-picking the verses they like and ignoring the ones that don't support their cultural narrative.

Luke 13:22-28

"22 And He was passing through one city and village after another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem.

23 And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them,

24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

25 Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin standing outside and knocking on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ and He then will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’

26 Then you will begin saying, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets!’

27 And yet He will say, ‘I do not know where you are from; leave Me, all you evildoers.’

28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out."

Matthew 7:21-23

I Never Knew You

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’

23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"

These pretenders look so much like born-again believers that only those who are discerning will be able to tell them from the real authentic believers who were changed by Christ. Those who lack discernment will not see the lack of fruit in those who claim to be Christians but were never changed by Christ. because they wanted to be considered Christian through their own strength and will. They never submitted to Christ and they do not consult with Him, nor do they obey His commandments.

John 14:15-16 "15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—…"

The Holy Spirit does not live in those who are doing their Christianity in their own flesh. Only those who are led by the Holy Spirit Who lives in them are born-again, these are those who search the Bible for God's meaning and desire to obey what He says. These people will be swimming upstream against the culture, they will not fit in, they are considered misfits even by many who attend churches.

John 15:18-20

Disciples’ Relation to the World

18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.

19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.

20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they followed My word, they will follow yours also."

Be encouraged that the world hates you, if you are born-again it means that you have the Holy Spirit living in you and it is He they hate, you are merely a vessel, His temple.

1 Corinthians 6:19 "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?"

Hallelujah!

The Actions Prove What is in the Heart

I have heard this too, "He knows my heart"! What it really means is they think their heart can be separate from their actions. This is another lie of Pentecostalism, the end does not justify the means and whatever we do on the outside is proof of what is on the inside.

The Days of Noah!!!

Yep, and sadly many of these mockers are in the church buildings thinking that the building is the church and they are attending a party to bless themselves.

The Holy Spirit is the Leader not our own Ideas and Manipulations

Amen! So many people now, particularly Pentecostals think it doesn't matter what you do as long as it works. The end does not justify the means, God wants us to do things the way the Holy Spirit leads us not their own clever devices.

Repent From Gossiping

Those who worry the most about others gossiping do so because they gossip, judge and deny it all more than anyone else. Repent

Gossip is a Sin

Gossip is when someone interprets things they think they see without knowing the facts. Guessing at what might be true and sharing it with others is a sin!

When we share something that has happened to us personally with a trusted friend it is not gossip. Gossip always includes backbiting and spreading faulty information to influence others to dislike and distrust the one that is gossiped against.

 
Gossip is making judgments about something we were not involved in and do not have evidence to support what we say.

 
Ephesians 4:29
"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."

Proverbs 6:16-19
"There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers."

Proverbs 16:28
"A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends."

Proverbs 21:23
"Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble."

James 1:26
"If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless."

Proverbs 20:19
"Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler."

Gossip always includes ignoring the one being gossiped about, never going to them to find out the truth or at least their side of things. Secrecy is paramount in the mind of the gossiper and the hearer who believes the gossip.
Stay away from those who gossip and those who listen to them, they both entertain lies enjoying it as though it is pleasurable to them.