Jesus Paid It All

He Gives Us More Grace

I'll Live On

Living By Faith

Where Do You Want to Go, Heaven or Hell

I am convinced the one who claims there is no hell knows they will not have a party in hell as some claim. They just don't believe in it, so they contrarily claim it will be fun.

The reason I believe this is because my husband asked an old man where he thought he was going when he died.

The man laughed a little and said; "heaven or hell it doesn't matter I have friends in both places."

Then the man asked my husband where he thought this man was going when he died. My husband said, "hell of course" because the man had been boasting about all his immoral exploits over his many years.

The man became very angry and walked away. My question was "why would he be angry when he just told my husband he didn't care where he went because he had friends in both places?"

The fact is that the old man knew hell was real and didn't really want to go there.

I know of a little girl who was continually pushing back at any form of training. She deliberately said the opposite of whatever anyone told her. She was contrary because she had a contrary spirit. I believe the old man was the same, he was saying the opposite of what God would say just to be contrary to Him while knowing there is a hell.

Many people in our world today say the opposite of what God says merely to be contrary to Him. You can discern contrariness by listening carefully to people when they talk. They frequently say the opposite of what God says just to be contentious. Contrariness is sin, it is rebellion and stubbornness.

Proverbs 26:21 "21 Like charcoal for embers and wood for fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. "

Proverbs 15:18

"A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger calms a dispute."

Proverbs 10:12

"Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins."

Contrariness and contention are designed by the devil to cause frustration when it is used in a discussion. It is deliberate, perhaps not on the part of the person being used but the devil who is using their heart for his means.

Titus 3:9-11 "9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, arguments, and quarrels about the law, because these things are pointless and worthless. 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.…"

When our discernment through Christ is showing us the heart of contention in someone, then is the time to walk away without engaging further.

There might be those who are wondering why I write so much about these things. I do it because we are living in a world so full of strife, contention and hatred that we are bound to encounter it regularly, perhaps for some on a daily basis. I want to encourage those who must live with this negative environment every day.

We can live above it no matter what anyone else is doing toward us when we know Christ has our back. He is always with us, He sees what others are doing to us, we need not defend ourselves, Christ will defend us.

What in the World is Happening? – Chad Thomas and Todd Hampson

Whom Do You Elevate: Christ or "Pastor"

As one brother (Larry Jones) described "pastors" as "pulpit people" these days, who elevate themselves causing "pew people" to elevate them too. God says this of these people:

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.’"

There are many "Christians" who are "pastors" today who have never been born again, they are very proud of themselves but have no relationship with Christ. God described them in Bible times too:

Matthew 23:4-6 "…4 They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. 6 They love the places of honor at banquets, the chief seats in the synagogues,…"

Figuratively speaking many "pastors" today have very large phylacteries.

Phylacteries Definition: "a small leather box containing Hebrew texts on vellum, worn by Jewish men at morning prayer as a reminder to keep the law."

The modern-day "phylacteries" look more like seminary degrees. They value these degrees above the Bible and above anything else.

Many pulpit people are more interested in intimidating the pew people to keep rules they make than growing their brothers and sisters in holiness. They spend more time entertaining the sheep to keep them locked into praising the pulpit person while neglecting the important matters.

Matthew 22:23 "“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others."

Our modern-day pulpit people are more interested in being seen as "scholarly" than they care about feeding the sheep and evangelism.

Matthew 23:6-7 "6 They love the places of honor at banquets, the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 the greetings in the marketplaces, and the title of ‘Rabbi’ by which they are addressed.…"

Often I am grieved at the mentality of the pew people who have every manner of praise and accolades for their "one man paid pastor" than they ever speak of Christ. In fact, I hear often pew people saying things like "Pastor so and so" as though this is an elevated position worthy of more respect than other born-again believers. We do not see anywhere in scripture the use of "Pastor" as a title or a position.

The term "pastor" is referring to a gift given to several men in any gathering, not ordained of man but given by the Holy Spirit as a place of service, not one of elevated status.

Luke 14:11

"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

Sadly many men who come out of seminaries are not even born again. They lack the fruit of the Spirit and a servant's heart. I have seen the pride in so many that prevent them from humility and correction from other brothers and sisters. As I have watched them over the years I see them growing more self-absorbed, pleasure seeking, and self-exalted. This is why so many use joking and life stories much more than they use the Bible, to keep the pew people entertained. Flattery and motivational speaking has become the norm in the pulpits today.

Sadly many men who come out of seminaries are not even born again. They lack the fruit of the Spirit and a servant's heart. I have seen the pride in so many that prevent them from humility and correction from other brothers and sisters. As I have watched them over the years I see them growing more self-absorbed, pleasure-seeking, and self-exalted. This is why so many use joking and life stories much more than they use the Bible, to keep the pew people entertained.

These pew people are hirelings concerned about their salaries while lacking concern for the holiness of God's people. They do not have a heart for the lost to evangelize them, they draw in the unsaved through "church growing practices" to ensure their salaries.

We are living in an apostate age in which the people hate doctrine from God's Word, they resent correction and will not listen to good teaching, so the pulpit people dumb everything down to keep the bodies flowing into the pews.

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.…"

Young teens will be ruined by the large gatherings, their focus is fun, play and pride. There have been those I have met who raised their children in the large gatherings with all its perks who lamented that their teens were taken away from Christ and led into superficiality, arrogance, and "pastor worship", having little desire for Christ or His Word.

My humble advice to those seeking a church gathering is to worship at home with your families until God presents a small gathering. The large gatherings have gotten that way by diminishing the gospel in favor of social programs.

The first-century church met in homes, they were few in number but mighty in faith. If God grows your gathering in the home wonderful, if He brings you to another small gathering of faithful believers somewhere else then praise Him. Whatever the case He must be the One Who leads you to be wherever He wants.