Rejecting the cultural Christianity I grew up with to embrace and enjoy a relationship with Jesus Christ.
A place to come and share thoughts about almost anything. Especially things of the Lord.
Please no Anonymous posts, I enjoy knowing who is writing to me.
Born again believers will have a new name when we reach heaven. God has a name for us, I believe it will be in the language of the Hebrews since they will be the focal point of the Millennium.
Zechariah 8:23 "“Thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘In those days it shall come to pass that ten men out of all the languages of the nations shall take hold, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, “We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’”
When we remain with people who do not love God we thwart our own spiritual and emotional growth. If we want to grow in holiness we must surround ourselves with people who love God.
1 Corinthians 15:33-34 " 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34 Sober up as you ought, and stop sinning; for some of you are ignorant of God. I say this to your shame.…"
It is a sin to love people more than God! Or, to love our life more than God.
Luke 14:26
"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be My disciple."
God said, "difficult times will come", the "difficult" means "ragingly insane" times. 2 Timothy 3 tells us how irrational and foolish the culture will become in these end times. I have never heard you say anything outrageously against the Word of God, if there has been a disagreement it was minor and not worth mentioning. Children overreact to everything when they are below the age of six. This is what we are dealing with the narcissistic childish behavior of full-grown people who think like children.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 tells us the selfishness of this end times generation. Difficult Times Will Come "3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, [a]haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of [b]godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these." It is not possible to reason with a fool.
Proverbs 29:8-10 "……8 Mockers inflame a city, but the wise turn away anger. 9 If a wise man goes to court with a fool, there will be raving and laughing with no resolution.10 Men of bloodshed hate a blameless man, but the upright care for his life.…"
The most loving thing we can do for our enemies is, to tell the truth. Even if it makes them unhappy, after all, what is more important their feelings for now or their eternity?
Love in the western mindset simply means to make someone feel good about themselves. This is not God's love, here are some examples:
Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5And 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. 6For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.” 7Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"
Our love for God must be far greater than our desire to be liked by man.
1 John 2:15-16 "15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.…"
Matthew 10:36-38 "36A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ 37Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; 38and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.…"
1 Samuel 2:29
Why, then, do you kick at My sacrifice and offering that I have prescribed for My dwelling place? You have honored your sons more than Me by fattening yourselves with the best of all the offerings of My people Israel.'
Luke 14:26
"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be My disciple.
Why would God say these things? It is simple, our culture has the propensity to be selfish, thinking more of how people view them using the excuse they don't want to hurt others. The fact is the one who disciplines, corrects and rebukes for wrongdoing is the one who loves people more. They love God more and they love people more.
The Western mindset cannot wrap their mind around the meaning and purpose of forgiveness. The entire culture has been brainwashed to believe something contrary to the Word of God and will not pray and consider God's actual words.
We are to forgive as God does, that is when there is repentance.
1 John 1:9 "9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
"If we confess" is the phrase we need to focus on.
Luke 17:3-4 "…3 Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent, you must forgive him. "
"If he repents" is the phrase we need to focus on here.
Then there is the story in the Bible of the wealthy man who forgave the man who could not pay his debt. The rich man forgave the man who came and begged for more time to pay. Notice the servant came and begged for more time. The rich man didn't go looking for him and say your debts are forgiven, he waited for the man to come to him. When he forgave the servant his debt, the servant did not do the same for those under him, so the rich man threw him into jail for not extending the same graciousness to his underlings as the rich man did to him.
In this story, the servant came to the rich man to ask to be forgiven. This is a key point because God will not forgive those who do not ask for forgiveness. Believers will be held accountable according to their rewards, there may be a loss because they never confessed their sin. However, the unbeliever will be thrown into hell for not confessing their sinfulness to receive forgiveness from God.
For believers who are born again:
1 Corinthians 3:14-16 "…14 If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the flames. 16 Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?…"
For the Unsaved:
Revelation 20: "14-15 "…14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."
Matthew 6:14
"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you."
Notice God said He would forgive us as we forgive others. OH, that means He will not forgive us if we do not correctly forgive others. So we have to assume by this that God does not forgive at times. Just as we do not forgive at times.
A gracious person overlooks small matters that have little effect. However, when the sins of someone are blatant, common, and consistent then these things must be dealt with.
Titus 3:10 "10 Reject a divisive man after a first and second admonition, 11 knowing that such a man is corrupt and sinful; he is self-condemned.…"
So then, we are not to forgive a divisive man, this is a command. We are to call this man to account and when he will not listen we are to reject him. Pretty clear to me.
When we read the Bible we must ask the Holy Spirit to remove the ideas and concepts of the western mindset to be able to understand what God is telling us. Psychology plays a big role in the WAY Americans think. And, sadly America has taken these wrong mindsets to the rest of the world when evangelizing.
Just as God does not forgive everyone, neither do we. God's ways are higher than our ways. The western mindset is mostly selfish, it wants to be liked all the time while appearances to others take priority over truth.
The desire to be liked and appreciated above all else is first and foremost in the western mind, so it is willing to enable and endorse sin to these ends.
This is against God's will, discipline and correction are important tools in God's economy, we must not discard them merely to feel good about ourselves or be praised by others.
Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5And 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. 6For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.” 7Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"
The most loving thing we can do for anyone is to speak the truth, correct when necessary and follow the principles of Christ that can lead a sinner to the Lord. Coddling people does not help the change in character, it only enhances the sinfulness, even solidifying sin in the hearts of those who are proud.
Isaiah 26:9-11 "…9 My soul longs for You in the night; indeed, my spirit seeks You at dawn. For when Your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness. 10 Though grace is shown to the wicked man, he does not learn righteousness. In the land of righteousness he acts unjustly and fails to see the majesty of the LORD.11 O LORD, Your hand is upraised, but they do not see it. They will see Your zeal for Your people and be put to shame. The fire set for Your enemies will consume them!…"
Do you care enough to tell the truth that might cause repentance in someone? Or, do you coddle to make yourself feel better and to remain friends with those who walk sinfully?
Some questions for all of us to ask God about ourselves.
