General
Folly is set in great dignity
As long as we are on this earth, righteous leadership matters.
Proverbs 29:2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.
We see this today.
Ecclesiastes 10:5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler:
6 Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.
The United States and also nations in Europe historically had a strong Christian ethos. Their history and laws were influenced by Jesus’s teaching and the gospel. As that has diluted, the results of turning from God have become more and more apparent. When a nation or city creates laws contrary to the laws of God, it invites the forces of darkness into the land. Those forces were originally cast out of heaven and are now in the earth. The Bible teaches history. A created being, Lucifer, was cast out of heaven and was renamed serpent/satan/devil/dragon. As the serpent, he tempted Eve, which ultimately resulted in the Fall.
Revelation 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Luke 10:18 And he [Jesus] said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
I Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
II Timothy 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
Leaders who bow to satan, globalism, and atheism translate their subservience to the kingdom of darkness into laws that bind and afflict the people and that destroy cities. Consider the difference between entrenched political parties and how cities are run and the fruit you see in those cities. The destruction is not just political or natural, it is the result of negative supernatural satanic forces that have been invited in by bad laws, witchcraft, and things contrary to the laws of God. If you read through the Old Testament you can see a parallel between what happened to the children of Israel when they turned from God and what has happened to the United States.
Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
17 That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?
In terms of the preaching of the gospel, righteous political leadership matters. Ask those in any nation that does not permit freedom of speech and freedom of religion. It is important to keep the freedoms enshrined in the Constitution and Bill of Rights for the sake of the gospel being sent out throughout the earth.
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The Westminster Declaration
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A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
Awakening
This article is a political article that discusses the awakening of progressives and liberals. To quote the article: “‘We didn’t like the messenger, so we killed the message.'”
While it discusses political awakening in the natural realm, there is another phase of awakening which involves recognizing the historical spiritual roots of problems.
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I [Jesus] am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Revelation 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
II Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Jesus was rejected and killed. Jesus made reference to those sent before him who also were rejected and killed. Ever since the Fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden, the Lord God sent messengers to show the way out of the pit of destruction.
Luke 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
Luke 19:47 And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him,
Luke 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!
While many of these messengers have been Old Testament prophets, they are not limited to that realm of operation. There have been people who have served God in various roles … political, educational, economic or as historians, scientists and more.
Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
The servants of God are not limited to existing within the church only.
Moses is one example. Another is Cyrus, who was a king, but one that God used for his purposes.
Isaiah 45:1 Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;
The article alludes to those who “‘will seek to destroy, in any way they can, those who disagree.”
This understanding and awakening is a first step. This natural awakening needs to move to the next phase which is a spiritual awakening. The ultimate solution is not in the natural, “flesh and blood” realm, but in the kingdom of God. When the spiritual realm is cleaned up, the natural realm will show the results.
I Corinthians 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam [Jesus] was made a quickening spirit.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Ultimately, the whole world has to awaken to the fact that political and other problems on this earth trace back to partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, as described in Genesis, and the consequences of that event. Jesus made a way of escape from that. The only solution individually and for the earth overall is through Jesus Christ.
John 10:6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
Tithe vs Giving
Photo by Maddi Bazzocco on Unsplash
In the Old Testament we see the word “tithe” used. In the New Testament it is more usual to see the word “give”, “giving”, “sowing”, or “seed”.
There is a principle called cultural intelligence. In other words, you speak and act to mirror the people you are around in order to relate to them better.
After Jesus was resurrected, he told his followers to share the gospel. Then Jesus ascended back to heaven.
Up until this time, Jews and non Jews (also called Gentiles) stayed apart. While Jesus was on the earth, he was sent first to the Jews with the message of salvation. The time of the Gentiles had not yet come. However, Jesus in mercy still responded the faith of a Gentile woman prior to the cross.
Mark 7:24 And from thence he [Jesus] arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid.
25 For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:
26 The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation [a Gentile]; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.
27 But Jesus said unto her, Let the children [the children of Israel, through whom came the Messiah (Matthew 1:1-17)] first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.
28 And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs.
29 And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.
30 And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.
31 And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.
After the cross, the message of salvation was preached to both Jews and Gentiles. As things evolved, Peter primarily went to the Jews with the message of salvation, and Paul went to the Gentiles. Paul was highly educated, as well as being perceptive, and knew how to say the correct word in due season. Here are a couple of examples where the Romans were going after Paul, and he got out of it by knowing what was happening and how to deal with it.
Acts 22:24 The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him.
25 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?
26 When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.
27 Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea.
28 And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.
29 Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.
Acts 23:6 But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.
7 And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided.
8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.
9 And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees’ part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.
Paul knew how to use the correct words in due season. He knew his audience. He understood the background of the gentles. The gentiles, if they had religion, it was of a pagan nature. The word tithe might not have been in their vocabulary.
On the other hand, the Jewish audience that Peter primarily preached to grew up around the Jewish temple and Jewish synagogue and were familiar with the concept of tithing.
It is conceivable that in the interests of cultural intelligence, that Paul used the word “giving” or “seed” or “sowing” instead of “tithe” and “first fruits”. “Tithe” and “first fruits” would have been terms familiar to Jews, not Gentiles.
When we don’t know what something means or represents, it is good to go back to the beginning, which in terms of Bible knowledge, would be the Old Testament. How did giving or tithing work in the Old Testament? There were various tithes and offerings and alms for the poor. A tithe is 10%.
Malachi 3:6 For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?
8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.
12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.
In today’s world, in today’s preaching, there is a lot of preaching that “we are not under the law”. But we are to be led of the Spirit. So what does that mean? What will that look like? It will look a lot like the Ten Commandments and the directives of God in the Old Testament, only under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit rather than some kind of a daily check list. It will be an inner guidance from the Holy Spirit within rather than an outer checklist, but it will still mirror the righteousness laid down in the Old Testament. It will not look vastly different.
In other words, if you love your neighbor you will keep the Ten Commandments on their behalf.
It seems good to pause and point out that the power of God operated in the Old Testament as well through various signs and miracles. There were the miracles of Egypt. And then there were other times the power of God manifested such as this.
I Kings 8:10 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord,
11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.
The Old and New Testament are not two different books. The New is a continuation of of the Old and if you read through them, you will see parallels.
The Old Testament gives a foundational understanding of the New Testament.
If the terms are not defined according to the Old Testament, and are instead defined according to the prevailing modernistic, secular, atheistic culture, a word such as “love” could have a totally different meaning than a Biblical one.
A good check chart for “further definitions” is the Old Testament and a Strong’s Concordance (which is keyed to and defines every Hebrew and Greek word of the KJV Bible) and an older dictionary.
Otherwise, a person can get really off course.
Marriage. That used to be defined as between a man and a woman. But now the culture would try to redefine the word in multiple ways. This is why that even though Jesus brought the New Covenant, the concepts have to be tethered in Old Covenant, Old Testament understanding lest words and concepts become meaningless or go off course.
This same principle has to do with the word giving. What is giving? How does it work? How did it work in the Old Testament? How much did they give in the Old Testament? The tithe is a good starting point when you don’t know what to do.
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
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A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
Repost: The Heresy of Cessationism 2 (A Cascade of Lies) | Daniel Kolenda: Off The Record
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
Where is God?
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There are those who question the existence of God because they look at death and destruction around them and say, “Where is God?”
There is an expectation that if there is a God (and there is), that he would act in a certain way. Man wants to create God in man’s image, and do things the way man thinks they should be done, when man thinks they should be done. However, God has already revealed the knowledge of himself in the Bible.
Psalm 107:7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.
Jeremiah 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
God’s ways are higher than ours. He sees what we might call “the big picture.” God has his own priorities, which is the salvation of souls.
II Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
One road block to understanding the things of God is the lack of comprehension that Jesus already did what needed to be done to restore mankind, but it up to mankind (each one individually) to appropriate what Jesus did through a relationship with Jesus Christ. There is a certain amount of expectation that God will do the job that was given to mankind.
Psalm 115:16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.
Through his life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, Jesus legally purchased back what was lost at the Fall in the Garden of Eden.
Revelation 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Luke 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Mankind has access through Jesus Christ to the authority of the name of Jesus, the power of the blood of Jesus, and the promises of God. We have to do something with what God has entrusted to us.
If a person has house keys and car keys, but never uses them, the result is the same as not having the keys at all.
The only solution is the preaching of the gospel and further education in the things of God. Education overcomes ignorance in natural things. Education overcomes ignorance in the things of God.
Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:….
It is possible for a certain amount of light to filter through. “[W]e see through a glass darkly (I Corinthians 13:12)” as the Apostle Paul said. A certain amount of the light and the glory of God has filtered through to the earth and the minds of men overall.
But the ultimate solutions for mankind are found in Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 55:6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Related:
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
Housekeeping available upon request
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
It has become fashionable in some hotels and motels to only provide housekeeping upon request. And that is a useful parallel to today’s topic.
Some people, misunderstanding God’s role in the events of mankind, say, “Why did God allow this?” or “Why doesn’t God do something?”
There is a lack of understanding of God’s role and man’s role. God created mankind. God gave mankind dominion. The earth is our responsibility. We can ask for God’s help. We can receive God’s help. But we see through a glass darkly, as Paul said, and we probably don’t understand as much as we should about our responsibility.
Psalm 115:15 Ye are blessed of the Lord which made heaven and earth.
16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.
Jesus provided his authority and spiritual weapons to believers to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil through Jesus’s finished work at the cross. What Jesus provided through his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, is available to mankind, but not forced on mankind.
As the housekeeping sign states, “it is available upon request.”
“Ask and it shall be given you (Matthew 7:7).” “Ye must be born again (John 3:7).”
John 3:1 (KJV) There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
We must ask to be born again. And then we must grow up in God’s family.
It would be foolish to request housekeeping, have a room cleaned, and then immediately turn around and dump a bag of garbage in the middle of the room. The idea of being born into God’s family is not to be born again, and then go back to the old life. The idea is to be born again and grow up in God.
Proverbs 26:11 As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.
II Peter 2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
If God grabbed people off the street and forced them into his family, that would not be a free will relationship. God wants a free will loving relationship with his children.
We understand this in human terms. Because mankind was created by God, there is a certain amount of mirroring of principle that goes on that we can relate to. Otherwise, Jesus would not have been able to speak parables and his listeners draw spiritual lessons from those parables. It is only because of a certain congruence between the natural world created by God, and the spiritual kingdom also created by God, that we can make the connection. Of course, we are talking about congruence without the perversions of wokeness. This is congruence of understanding lessons from the Creator, “Nature’s God” as is spoken of in the Declaration of Independence.
In human terms, if a man grabbed a woman off the street, told her she was going to be his wife, and forced the deal, depending on the jurisdiction that would be called rape, statutory rape, or sex slavery. God is not looking for forced relationships with mankind.
God is looking for a loving family relationship and when there is relationship, there is a learning process on how to receive from Our Father which art in heaven.
When a human baby is born and begins to grow and develop, it takes a process of time before a human baby learns how to properly express itself for a drink of water or for a blanket when it is cold. It takes time to learn and grow in the things of God, which is why it is necessary to be connected to a good full gospel preaching church.
It takes time to learn how to request and receive help that is “available upon request”. Even though God knows the need, there are certain principles to follow. God can’t break his own law and he has given the earth to children of men and the children of men now have to follow a certain protocol to receive help from the Lord. God can’t “butt in” just because he sees the need. God waits until he is invited through request. If something is not happening, it is better to check up on our side, rather than God’s side. Where are we missing it? God knows, and “if any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God (James 1:5).”
Psalm 115:16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.
Matthew 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
God has set up a kingdom. He follows covenant. He does not break what he has given and the earth he has given to the children of men.
Does that leave us helpless? No. If an individual is born again, and becomes God’s child, and learns how to relate to God and receive from God, the Lord is plenteous in help and mercy. But we have to do it his way. We have to learn to walk in the principles and ways of the kingdom of heaven. God created all people but not all people have individually requested to receive what Jesus provided at the cross. We individually must each come to God and individually be born again. It is available, but must be requested. Talk to God about it.
Jesus said, “Follow me (Matthew 4:19).”
Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
Related:
If you don’t know where to start in looking for a good church, here is a good online church.
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
Tumbleweed
Noah Wulf, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tumbleweed has no home. Broken at the root, it is blown about.
It is like a Christian blown about by every wind of doctrine.
Ephesians 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Why is tumbleweed blown about? Why are people blown about?
There is no root. There is no stability. There is no participation in the body of Christ. There is no home church. Online church is not enough. One reason online church is not enough is because every member in the body has a responsibility to give, as well as to receive. You can’t serve a church that you watch through a computer screen or phone screen. The church is made up of flesh-and-blood members and each one has a work to do and gifts to share, which work and gifts are given by the Lord.
I Corinthians 12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.
12:18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?
20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.
21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
It is necessary to find a full gospel church where you believe the Lord wants you and go there.
John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
If a branch is broken off it can become like tumbleweed, just blown about and finally burned in the fire.
The Christian life might be likened to a workout.
You don’t go to the gym once every six months, at Easter and Christmas, and expect to leave with a six pack.
Chanel Wheeler, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
It is the steady, daily application of regular routines and exercise that brings results.
The same is true in the Christian life.
The Christian life is not like a vacation you take for a couple weeks each year as you visit a special seminar but then ignore the local church for the rest of the year.
A one time seminar will bring benefit, but it won’t be the same as being part of a regular church, having regular church attendance, regular Bible study, regular private devotions, regular prayer, regular Bible reading, consistent giving of your tithes and offerings for the spreading of the gospel and consistent serving in the local church.
On-and-off Christianity is similar in practice to going to Vegas for a weekend trip, hitting the slot machines, and hoping for a win. No financial planner has ever advocated that as a way to wealth.
Yet somehow there is a thought that the things of God can be treated in a similar manner: here a little meeting, there a little meeting, and maybe a couple times at Easter and Christmas. “A little dab will do you” is the attitude.
And then people wonder why they have trouble.
Any goal takes ongoing application, dedication, and consecration to the goal. That is true in the natural whether it is a health goal, a professional goal, or a relationship goal.
That same consistent dedication is required in a relationship with God. It takes no less dedication for a relationship with God than any other kind of goal or relationship. The good thing is, God never lies, God is true, and God keeps his promises.
Romans 3:3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
This has to be the starting point. If a person does not believe that God is, and that God will reward a person that seeks Him, then that person won’t even start the race.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
The Apostle Paul, who wrote many of the epistles in the New Testament, wrote this.
Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Addendum:
Here is an online church if you can’t find anything locally.
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
Repost: The Heresy of Cessationism – Part 1 | Daniel Kolenda: Off The Record
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
Blabbermouth
Photo by Michael Hart on Unsplash
“The Three Gossips is one of the first of many recognized and named formations in Arches National Park”
Blabbermouth. That is what people used to be called who couldn’t keep their mouths shut. Do you know anyone who comes to you and said, “Shhh, this is a secret, don’t tell anyone?”
Why didn’t Jesus just “tell all”? Nowadays there would be suspicion … what is he hiding? The fake news might really egg on that point.
Jesus was very strategic as to what he did and when. Sometimes when he healed someone, he would tell that person not to tell anyone. Not everyone obeyed.
Mark 1:40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.
42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.
43 And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;
44 And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
45 But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.
Matthew 9:30 And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.
31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.
Matthew 12:15 But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;
16 And charged them that they should not make him known:
17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
19 He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.
21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.
Matthew 16:20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
Why didn’t Jesus just “tell all” to everyone?
Jesus had to make it to the finish line of the cross, where he defeated satan. Sometimes Jesus would say, “mine hour has not yet come.” (John 2:4, John 7:6, John 7:8, John 8:20) (Related: Matthew 8:29, Luke 4:41)
Jesus understood his purpose. He came to defeat satan.
I John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Jesus came to undo the results of the Fall which occurred in the Garden of Eden. And it had to be done a certain way. There were prophecies that had to be fulfilled. Jesus couldn’t just “spill the beans” ahead of time and spoil that by cluing in the opposition as to what was to occur. If satan had understood the cross and what Jesus would accomplish, satan would have prevented the crucifixion of Christ, for the cross was satan’s undoing.
I Corinthians 2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Colossians 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
I Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.