Longint to be with Them!

I get this strong desire to be with godly Christians who love to talk about Christ.

The problem is that we are living in the last days as if in the days of Noah, and few will be of this sort.

 
There were only 8 people on the ark when the flood came and swept the people of the world away. Noah had many relatives in the waters below who heard his preaching for 120 years and yet refused to listen.

 
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 understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be."

We are living in this now; most people, even those who say they are Christians, have no interest and are even embarrassed at a discussion about Christ and His principles and commands.

 
We must be content to wait patiently on God to find those friends for us who love Him as much as we do.

And, once we find them, it is likely that they will come and go in our lives as they carry out what God has for them. Never forget, though, they are our Spiritual siblings for eternity, and there will be all eternity with them later when our work on earth is done.

 
In the meantime, I praise God for His provision of social media to connect with our Spiritual family all over the world in a matter of seconds. We yearn to see them face to face one day when our work on earth is finished.

 
John 17:3-5 "…3 Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. 4 I have glorified You on earth by accomplishing the work You gave Me to do. 5And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world existed."

Luke 21:28 "Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Psalm 121:1-2 "A Song of Ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth."

Life Grows Sweeter in Jesus Christ

Amen! There are those who do not want us to move on from a sketchy past and live for Christ. Those people must be removed from our lives. Christ changed those who trusted in Him and there is no going back and no residual guilt over past failures, just pure joy and growing wisdom.

Self Righteous People Feed on Faults and Flaws of Others

I know many people like this; they tend to think more highly of themselves than is warranted and remember everyone else's past forgiven sins to make themselves feel superior. It is impossible to be friends with people like this; they carry a lot of jealousy because they are not happy and hate that others have been freed and are full of joy.

Everybody's Fancy

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1932795964227979/?s=single_unit&__cft__[0]=AZXFtHz9p5SUNv06T4wZEwZoavf327VsiWN9goe9UAZWawvV7SF0sGR_pJccfBZvz9TJP6fcP4GnWMldcdpqtQLoIo2UnktL2sswWSpit1C6LwMGH_k4-lAglmZx3AWJpnlWubt7QMwgxQ7b7ag05jax4cPhQzffy_Lheuf3LhaDDlk6lGpWT8v8FrYWL0mRzLdVGDPD7AaUUesN7xaceTENmxJ0iWq-1A1s7WCuZK0Zug&__tn__=H-R

Speaking or Living?

Matthew 15:8-9
"8 ‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.
9 And in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

Many people speak well of God but never utter the name of Jesus Christ because they are not familiar with Him. They are familiar with a system they call "religion" but not with the Person of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"

Many people are in love with their idea of love but not with God. They enjoy a false sense of safety when they pretend to love God but negate most of His Word.

Mark 7:13 "13 Thus, you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters.”

This modern church system has many traditions they practice that God never gave. They make up a system they like and intimidate others to follow it instead of Christ.

Modern people are more vested in pretending than they are in reality and living what they say. This is why the next generation views things that are said more than the way people live. They have little concept of developing Christlike character, its all about the appearance of good, not genuineness from the heart.

This is why we see so many broken families, destroyed relationships and disrespect for the word of God. Personal happiness has become the goal of everyone.

Matthew 22:37 "And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’"

When we love Him with all our hearts, He speaks to us through His Word as we seek to obey Him.

Preaching for the Unsaved and Edification for the Believer

Preaching is for the unsaved, edification is for believers who gather together to encourage one another to obey and live out their Christian life when they leave that gathering.

 
The whole one-man-paid-pastor system is not Biblical. Women are not to lead the gathering, but they are permitted to share as long as they are covered.

1 Corinthians 11 tells women to be covered when they participate in the gathering. The men are to be uncovered. This is a picture of Christ as represented by the man and the church represented by the woman. The church is covered by Christ and carries out its mandate as directed by the Holy Spirit.

This has nothing to do with modesty or submission to a human being; it has to do with the roles of the woman and the role of the men as representations of Christ and the church as one. Both man and woman are under Christ, and each submits to the other. Each of their roles was given by God, and each complements the other to fulfill God's purpose.

 
Since there is no such person as the head of the church, such as a Pastor or Bishop, the Holy Spirit is the leader, and He directs men to lead and women to share along with the men. Everyone participates as led by the Holy Spirit.

 
The husband is the protector of the woman, as Christ is the protector of the church. The man does not force or demean the woman, just as Christ never forced anyone; everyone has a choice and must do what was given to them to do by Christ.

Men lead by example, teaching, and support; they do not intimidate, make their own rules, or dominate over anyone.

 
Everyone shares freely as led by the Holy Spirit so that all may be edified.

 
Matthew 10:25-26 "25 But Jesus called them aside and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles (pagans) lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant."

May each believer spend more time self-reflecting and reading the Word for their calling, more than they evaluate what others are doing.

The Christian Walk is One of Self-Denial