Church Gatherings Places of Edification

Church gatherings ought to be places where believers meet to edify in the Word and equip the saints to speak the truth of Christ outside that gathering.

 
Building one another up is not about praising and flattering; it is about reminding one another of what Christ taught and learning to implement those teachings in our daily lives.

 
1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing."

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."
Hebrews 10:24-25 "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

Romans 14:19 "So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding."

The building up of the saints involves strengthening godly character and developing mature responses in accordance with the Word of God. In other words, "equipping the saints."

Ragingly Insane Times

God said in the last days there would be perilous times, in 2 Timothy 3. That word "perilous" means "ragingly insane" in the original language.

 
This is what we are dealing with right now, all the time. Even those who say they are Christians have warped views of what they think "Bible believing" really is; they think it is just saying without obeying.

 
I often hear scripture being taken out of context to make it say what God never said. I hear ideas added to scripture that were not given by God. I see rules added that God never made, and I see traditions that God never commanded or endorsed ruining the walk of many believers.

 
Most people in the church gatherings have placed their trust in traditions and the acceptance of those they elevate above Christ.

 
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "3 But know this, that in the last days perilous (ragingly insane) times will come:
2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!"

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.”

Romans 10:3 "Because they were ignorant of God’s righteousness and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness."

2 Timothy 3:8 "Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth. They are depraved in mind and disqualified from the faith."
So the conclusion of the matter is quite simple but disturbing.
Isaiah 29:13 "Therefore, the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men."

We are living in the last days of apostasy, few will listen to the truth while claiming they have it, and they will negate, dismiss, and torment the truth tellers.

 
James 1:2-8 "2 Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For that person ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."

The Leading of the Holy Spirit

The modern church does not know what it is to be led by the Holy Spirit. They disobey more of God's Word than they obey, while claiming to be Bible believing Christians. They are fakers and angry at anyone who will challenge them to actually obey the Word.

Listen to what "Christians" talk about, do you ever hear the name of Jesus Christ come from their lips? How often do you hear it?

I hear lots of conservative talk about politics. I hear some principles and commands of God, while others are ignored, but never the name of Jesus Christ.

 
Don't we speak of what is most important to us? Don't we mention the names of our friends regularly and what they are doing?

 
Do we speak frequently of God's commands and principles?

2 Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,"

Acts 4:12 "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

1 Corinthians 2:14 "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned."

Only those who belong to Christ love to speak of Him!

Reminders in Galatians

MORE IS CAUGHT THAN TAUGHT

Many elderly people are experiencing the hatred of their children for no good reason except what they concocted in their own heads because of their rebellion against authority when they were children. No parent was perfect, and neither will the adult children who are parents, they only think they are, in reality, they will train their children by their own example to despise them in their elder years. "MORE IS CAUGHT THAN TAUGHT."

Those Who Pull the Trigger of a Wicked Man's Heart

The evil one, the devil, and all those who follow him are increasing their attacks against believers in Christ as we near the end of the age.

 
Those who hate Christ and all His commands and principles are on hyperdrive against anyone who loves Him.

 
What the wicked ones do not realize is that anyone they murder who belongs to Christ goes immediately to be with Him upon their death. And, the one who murdered one of God's children will pay the price on judgment day.

 
The wicked ones mean it for evil, but God means it for His glory and His purposes. It is likely that the harder the wicked political factions fight against righteousness, the more they discredit themselves, perhaps even chasing those on the fence to run from them toward the ones they persecute.

 
Mark 7:21-23
"21 For from within, out of the hearts of people, come the evil thoughts, acts of sexual immorality, thefts, murders, acts of adultery, 22 deeds of greed, wickedness, deceit, indecent behavior, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile the person.”

One does not have to murder someone to have murder in their heart. Hatred toward others is considered murder to God.

 
Those who hate enough to wish someone harm or encourage others to harm their enemy are themselves guilty of murder, even if they never pull the trigger of a gun.
Those people who pull the trigger of a murderer's heart so that he does the deed, and stand back and claim innocence, are as guilty as the one who pulled the trigger of the gun.

 
Just saying!!!!!

Time Out Punishment is Child Abuse

Time out is child abuse; it basically says we don't want you when you are bad. A spanking says, We want you to behave properly because we love you, and because we love you, we want you to be with us.

 
Using isolation to manipulate feelings and compliance is mean; it is better to bring compliance through spanking and allow the child to continue with the family than to send the message "we don't want you around us."

 
I have also noticed that time-out promotes the "silent treatment" mentality in those who have been trained by it. It causes people to isolate others rather than discuss and punish to modify behavior problems.

 
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?…"

Discipline restores relationships, banishment excludes and isolates leaving emotional scars rather than restoring relationships.

 
Proverbs 23:13-14
"13 Do not withhold discipline from a child;
Though you strike him with the rod, he will not die.
14 You shall strike him with the rod
And rescue his soul from hell."

The idea of "time out" is not Biblical and comes from psychology.

 
Proverbs 3:11-12
"My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, and do not loathe His rebuke; for the LORD disciplines the one He loves, as does a father the son in whom he delights."

Those who resent discipline, fighting to justify their sin and reject correction, will remain spiritual and emotional babies. Pride drives those who refuse to admit their flaws; a person cannot change and grow if they will not admit their deficiencies.
1 John 1:9-10 "…9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us."

This passage was written to believers; those who think they never sin after salvation are walking in pride.

 
Proverbs 20:9 "Who can say, 'I have kept my heart pure; I am cleansed from my sin”?

Ecclesiastes 7:20 "Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

 
If we are believers, we ought to be growing in holiness all the time. When someone believes they do not sin after salvation, they will become lazy about their character, missing things that need correction, because the focus is on how perfectly they are doing things in their own flesh.

It needs to be the Holy Spirit changing us as we ask Him to reveal to us our flaws that we might confess to be cleansed. Nothing can be fixed if there is denial that anything is wrong.

 
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."

Those who will not confess their sins and flaws will not be cleansed. The longer someone avoids confessing, the harder the heart is hardened to self-improvement. This hardening also diminishes relationships, not only with God but with people, too.

 
Psalm 66:18
"18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:"