In The Garden Found Wanting and Guilty. We must always remember that nothing happens to those that believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ, unless it is first approved by God. Just as in the case of Job. We stand on faith and believe that as each and every day, comes and goes, we are closer to the coming of our Lord. We must all face the natural laws of mankind for this is acceptable of God. Though we may be found wanting and guilty before men, we are forgiven of all threw the Lord Jesus. The steps that we take without God are steps that we chose, we all at one time or another have chosen a path that leads us down a road of uncertainty. But the Bible states that the steps of a righteous man are ordered by God. Do we fear man for nothing? Yes, in other words we must give fear to whom fear is due, honor to whom honor is due and obedience to whom obedience is due. But we fear not man as others fear, but within a limited space, fear of respect and not of spirit. For we fear not the man that can only kill the body and afterward can do nothing, but we fear Him that can destroy body and soul. Rom 13:7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. Man made laws are not for the lier's, thieves and killers of man, but for the honest man. As with a lock, it neither is made for an thief, but for an honest man. Eph 6:5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; In singleness of heart we must obey the laws of man, so long as the law does not prevent us from the worship of our Lord. This is acceptable to God, as according to the flesh. Each and every day we we throw ourself upon the mercies of God, knowing that He judges us fairly and without respect of person. We trust that His will for us, will lead us down the path, that will lead us eventually home and away from tears and heartache. We make mistakes, break man made laws and yet we still have a Master that is forgiving and willing to lift us up from the traditions of this life. Mans delusional dreams; For whom among us have no sin? For if a man says that he has never sinned, he then becomes a lier, and if a man says that he cannot sin, he then has made God a lier, so which is it, man as supreme or God? For it is impossible for God to lie. Knowing full well that we are still weak in the flesh but that our spirit is willing. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 2Th 2:11-12; And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Who believe not that Jesus of Nazareth was and is the Son of God, that threw His name can any man be saved, if he believes. Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, as the Apostle Paul stated; “Let us Go On to Perfection.” We cannot lay any other foundation that could save man, for as this earth ages and comes unto the end of times, mankind fights among himself for position and power over his fellow man, thinking himself to be higher than all others, thinking of himself to be something, when he is nothing but the very dust of the earth. For from dust we came and unto dust we shall return. Then how shall the dust of the earth, which God had created, tell God, I am doing you service by killing in your name, by judging others by standards that we have created. Stand aside and let us build your kingdom upon our rules, upon our will and upon our own righteousness. 1Sa 12:24 Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you. Consider not the things, that we all have been partaker of, our mistakes nor our sins against man and God, but rather consider the willingness of God, to accept those that mankind have rejected. For we cannot change the past but look into the changing of today. No matter how poor, how wicked, no matter how misunderstood. No matter weather in prison (Prison of the flesh and also of the spirit.), or perils and sickness, weather it be of the mind or spirit, for there is a difference. For even Paul stated; “For within me there is no good thing.” Consider how great things He hath done for you. We must not consider the things that we see, but rather the things that we cannot see, the things not of mortal but of immortal, not those things made by hand but those things not made by hands but merely by thought. Amos 4:13 For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name. We enter not into self condemnation but leave all judgments to God. For by condemning ourselves we take away from our usefulness as a believer. This self condemnation brings us into depression and weakness, for what God has forgiven, He no longer remembers. 1st Kings 19:11-12; And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. Is not all this the vanity of man also, is it not the ravings of mad men, who have sold their soul to sin and Satan, deceiving and being deceived, encroaching upon the freedoms of others, killing, bringing into bondage men, women and children, and all of this in the name of God? God is not in the inhumanity of man. God is not in the ranting and ravings of hypocrites and self called, self ordained priest nor clerics. We have all been found wanting and guilty before the Lord God. But to those that hear and obey the Gospel, we are saved by grace threw faith. To those that hear and refuse to believe, the preaching of the Gospel is foolishness, and these will pay dearly for their transgressions. The Lord was not in the fire, in the wind, and was not in the earthquake. John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. We are condemned of men, but only in the short term, considering that our lives are just a vapor this is a small price to pay, but we must most assuredly consider the condemnation of God for our lack of belief, in the long term over an eternity. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. Again; “Consider how great things he hath done for you.” Rejoice in the Lord, be peaceable to all men, as much as is within you, Praise God. Be still and Hear the Voice of God concerning you. Ars. References Websters, TSK and Easton. Private Interpretation. There are times when I have become very disappointed in others that conclude that their interpretation of Scripture is the only one. They sometimes state this blindly and contrary to scripture. Their idea of Biblical prophecy and teachings are self centered and allow for no reasoning between others. For even God said to Israel, “Let us come together and reason one with another.” Ignorance of the Gospel comes forth when one man, church or organization stops all others from reading and discussing the Bible openly, this was the reason for the reformation and the break away from the Catholic Church, which suffocated all attempts from others to read, interpret, and understand the Bible on their own. This is not only in some churches but there are many that are, even today, following suite, leaving all other interpretations from their daily teaching of the Bible. Many interpretations can and are proved daily by comparing scripture with scripture. When we fail to do this we become heard hearted in our own minds, there by we become weak in the truth of not only one verse of scripture but all. When an interpretation becomes un provable then we must leave it and go on without harboring any ill will toward others. For we are all learning daily, in this there are no exceptions. 2Pe 1:20-21; Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. Private interpretations are not the will of God nor Christ for the Scriptures. These words are not mans and are not to be considered to be owned by anyone. When we try to stifle others from bringing forth their interpretations, we become owners of something that we did not create. There is no man, no matter how instructed in scripture, that has all wisdom, knowledge nor understanding of all that they read. 1Co 8:2 And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. 1Co 4:4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. If it wasn't for the Leadership and Guidance of the Holy Spirit, none of us would know anything. Many have been teaching for hundred of years that there are none to interpret scripture except those of the clergy, this is also a misleading teaching and can be reproved by Scripture its self, lets read, 1Co 14:26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. 1Co 14:36-40; What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. Let all things be done decently and in order. Did the word of God come from man or from the Holy Spirit? Did this word we read come from the imagination of man or did it come from the inspiration of God? In other words , this word we read is not privately owned, it was given freely to all men for the salvation of the soul, threw Jesus Christ. We must be careful what we say, do and even think, because a little child of learning the Gospel may, at a glance, see that others more learned in the Bible, have become involved in closing off anyone that wishes to introduce a different opinion or interpretation. Doing this would cause harm and make fearful those of smaller knowledge from trying to interpret or even add to discussions on the Bible. Many interpretations are incorrect, but bring these thoughts out is the best way of teaching the unlearned, how to correctly interpret the Bible. On the other hand, if these interpretations are stifled, then those of that interpretation will go threw life with an interpretation unproved and there-by be harmful to that individual. If their interpretation is correct, then we have lost, for a time, a hidden truth. When we teach or interpret Scripture and prophecy, we must always be able, willing and apt to give proof, from the Bible, that what we teach is true, and also be willing to listen to all others give their opinion. For by listening to others discuss their views, both may learn something different. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. We were all sinners saved by grace threw faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. We all, at one time or another, knew nothing of the intentions, wisdom or understanding of each and every verse in the Bible. We all have limitations in the ability to minister and understand the scriptures, not because of God holding back any knowledge, but from our own willingness to believe in a greater measure of faith. “if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth.” “as of the ability which God giveth.” This is to each and every person. When our level of ability is reached we must then be silent and learn from others with a greater ability. 1Pe 4:11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 1Co 12:24-25; For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. Just remember my Brothers and Sisters, the church is not made up of only the strong in knowledge and faith but is made up of the weak also, for without them we are not whole in Body and there-by we are all lacking. Ars. References Websters, TSK and Easton. Promises,Vows and Everything in Between. In our lives we are confronted by many disappointments and upsets. We see that circumstances beyond our control, changes vows, assurances, and promises. In these cases we may see that the promises that we make, may not, or cannot be, fulfilled. 1.Promise; To afford hopes or expectations; to give ground to expect good. To assure one by a promise or binding declaration. 2. Vow; To make vows or solemn promises. He that vows, must be careful to perform. 3.Assurance; Firm persuasion; full confidence or trust; freedom from doubt; certain expectation; the utmost certainty.(Websters.) Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin. In other words, keep control and have self assured promises and not allow your mouth to over ride sound judgment. If you do make a promise, and then find out that you are unable to fulfill it by some unseen circumstance, go to the one promised and inform them of the changes. If the other party understand and forgives the promise, then you have retained a friend and a brother. Have I made promises in the past that I couldn't fulfill? The answer is yes, for even I am human. Sickness, Illness, job loss and even death can alter a promise, many of these things that affect all of us at one time or another, are unforeseen. The promise I remember the most, was to take care of our Church and its building. I couldn't keep this promise and even lost the Building. Why? Three heart attacks. Promises are made out of the best intentions and many times they are fulfilled, but again there are unseen forces at work against us that cause many other promises to be unfulfilled. Do we then sin because a promise is unfulfilled? This is dependent upon the, circumstances, intentions and heart of the person. If the intentions of the heart are right, we then have not sined but rather have been victims of our world and its faults and weaknesses. If the intentions are contrary to sound judgment, or are malicious, then that persons sins, being made with a lie. We are a forgiving people being made after the seed of God. We, being in the flesh, have no more control of our surroundings, specifically the people and their hearts and intentions. Who has made us better than Christ, who has made us perfect in all matters as touching the affairs of this world? We must remember that we judge no man but all men judge each other, be then not a judge but a follower of that which is right. 1st John 2:1; My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: When making a vow to God we must be very careful in knowing that we are able to deliver upon it. For there is a difference between a promise and a Vow. There is no excuse in Breaking a solemn promise to God. This is seen in, Ecc 5:4-6; When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he (God) hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands? Vows to God are consecrated; Consecrate; To make or declare to be sacred, by certain ceremonies or rites; to appropriate to sacred uses; to set apart, dedicate, or devote, to the service and worship of God; as, to consecrate a church. Many times men make a vow to God that will bring upon themselves sudden destruction, not only to them but at times their children and many generations to come. This is a pact, made before many witnesses and before the presence of God; Mat 27:24-25; When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. A band, Bond and Pact; Act 23:12-15; And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy. And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul. As we can see very clearly in scripture our vows, assurances, and promises can be turned against us by the intentions of the heart. Many defraud others by their intentions, making themselves deceivers instead of relievers. Many say that; “God will provide for my promises, God will give me what I want, when I want it.” They say; “go ahead and promise your money, time and body to this effort and God will provide.” This is a deception, and false teaching. This type of teaching goes against what Jesus stated. James 4:15-17; For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. 1Ti 6:5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. “If the Lord will” or we can also state; If its the Lords will.” Praying out side the will of God shall not be answered by obtaining that which you desire. Going outside and beyond the will of God for any situation will be met by disappointment and trouble. We cannot promise what we do not have we cannot give beyond or means to give we cannot supply without having the necessary things to use. So then what is the end of the matter? Intentions must be met by reality and by the goodness of the heart and not the desire of the mind or flesh. If our intentions are within the will of God, and they fail, then God will understand and forgive you the debt but if your intentions are contrary to the will of God, God will remember your work and will judge you by it. Just a thought. Ars. References Websters, TSK and Easton. Till we all come in the unity of the faith. From the beginning of man upon this earth, we have seen at no time, unity in government, social values nor faith in one God. There are many gods and lords many upon this earth. This started many years ago because of the dissatisfaction of man with God and His statutes and laws. The dissatisfaction of man with truth, righteousness and Holiness. With This dissatisfaction came; The Twelve Immortals of the Grecians, Dinah of the Ephesians, and of the image(Meteor) which fell down from Jupiter, Baal of the Phoenicians, Juno and Zeus of the Romans, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva of the Hindus, cows, monkeys, snakes, lizards and even rocks(Meteorites), and all the major and minor gods of mans imagination. Within these religions, and many others not mentioned, there is no unity of the spirit of man with the true God, Jehovah.(The Great “I Am”, Lord, God, Jesus Christ.) Act 17:22-23; Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: “Till we all come in the unity of the faith.” Unity; Unity of faith, is an equal belief of the same truths of God, and possession of the grace of faith in like form and degree. Unity of spirit, is the oneness which subsists between Christ and his saints, by which the same spirit dwells in both, and both have the same disposition and aims; and it is the oneness of Christians among themselves, united under the same head, having the same spirit dwelling in them, and possessing the same graces, faith, love, hope. Knowledge; A clear and certain perception of that which exists, or of truth and fact; the perception of the connection and agreement, or disagreement and repugnancy of our ideas. We can have no knowledge of that which does not exist. God has a perfect knowledge of all his works. Human knowledge is very limited, and is mostly gained by observation and experience.(Websters.) Unity of faith and of Knowledge in one true, living and eternal God. This unity comes only from the faith and belief in Jesus the Christ, whom many associate and compare with God Himself, for God and Christ are one. This undeniable truth comes from of faith in God and His word. Not just of the New Testament written after the assention of Christ back to the Father, but from the original Old Testament Scriptures. These scriptures herald the coming of the Messiah and or Jesus to this earth. A savior in the flesh , preordained and prophesied in Scripture. The fulfillment of these prophecy's were fulfilled in Jesus. Many other religions comment on unifying mankind under one god, many use force, some subversion and some by deception, and others just don't care about unity but self enlightenment of themselves.(These are the ones that hide themselves on high mountains and caves seeking the everlasting(so called) truth of the universe. Till we all come in the unity of the knowledge of the Son of God, the Messiah. Eph 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; The Messiah; Isa 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Can we denie the prophecy's of the Old Testament, can we say that, the man Jesus of Nazareth did not fulfill all these things within himself? Can we say that there is another that we wait for that will fulfill, judgment and unity upon mankind? Or will you seek pleasure and salvation in another? Do these dumb idols,that you worship, teach unity or devision, love or hate, life or death, righteousness and justice or bondage? Unity of the faith cannot come by deception, illusion, the working of wonders, miracles or by force. For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.(Heb 2:4) Was not Jesus confirmed, by God, to be His light to a dark world, as the Savior of man, as the Messiah? If this is true, then we must conform ourselves to His image, which is the image of God. We must conform to one Faith, one Lord and one baptism, which we all are to be baptized in His name. God is never contained, never represented by any image made of stone, gold, silver nor wood. Gen 1:26 And God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” So if you believe God then you must conform to His commandments, you must destroy your images of gold, silver and stone, you must not worship any man born of sin nor animal, creature or fish that God created. What of Gods laws? “Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God. God is not a God of man made image, so why then do you continue to insist on worshiping them? God is not a rock from the sky, nor of the earth, so why then do you bow down to them? Is not God greater than these things? If your children ask for a fish, do you give them a stone?(Speaking of Spiritual and physical food.) Then why then would God send us, His Children, a rock, or cow or graven images, to feed us? Would He not send us the true living Bread from Heaven, in the form of Himself, Jesus? (“For this day have I begotten thee.”)Psa 2:7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: To be a child of God, we must adhere to the commandments of God. We must become one with Him as He is one with Christ. We accomplish this by grace threw faith in His Son Jesus. Speaking the truth in love, to our friends, family, acquaints and especially the enemy's of the Cross. We must love our enemies, our neighbors and all mankind, as ourselves. This is not to say that, there is not a time which we must withdraw ourselves from the true enemies of the cross, for there is that time, according to scripture. Christians do not preach hate but rather the truth, in which many are offended. This offence comes from long term indoctrination in lies and traditions of your elders. We must break away from traditions and man made doctrine, that do nothing to unite all in, One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Eph 4:5-6.) Think about it. Ars. Talking to Others about Christ. When we talk to others about Christ we must first look within ourselves. We see if we are ready to give a reason for the hope that we have as to why we believe. These next few passages from scripture start us out in the right direction. Jas 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. A Christian believes and was converted to Christianity by Grace and by Faith. Faith in things not seen by the human eyes, but of things, hope and love, of those things that are unseen. For it is written, By grace threw Faith are ye Saved, not of works that any man should boast but of a pure conversation. This conversation that, we were partakers of, led us to salvation threw Jesus Christ. If we had not been partakers of a conversation about Christ, how then could we have known that there was a Christ, a Savior or a better way of life? We could state with this verse; Heb 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. Believing on Faith alone, believing and not seeing. Have you asked these questions of those seeking answers? Are you willing and able to hear the truth of salvation? Are you a worshiper of multi-gods and if so, why does it take more than one? Is it because each god that you worship is weak and unable to take care of all your needs? Do you seek out answers from an idol made of stone, gold or silver? Have you ever heard these idols speak in a small still voice, saying I love you? Is the god that you worship able to answer prayer, supply needs, such as food and clothing? All based on your ability to believe? Is he able to heal and restore you to a better human? Is he able to transform you from physical to spiritual? Does he ask from you and not give to you? Does he teach contentment, brotherly love and compassion on those that are without? Do these gods teach and offer salvation or are there gray areas that are not written nor is there any proof of? Does the god you worship teach that those that don't believe are to be murdered? If so then why? Why are we to judge those that refuse to believe, why isn't the one you worship able to judge by himself the deeds of man? What are these gods afraid of, why kill when you can forgive, destroy instead of construct? Do you cringe at the news of another war, or do you cower at the noise of a loud sound? Does the god you worship teach a kingdom on earth, by domination, division, extermination, coercion, and fear? Do you feel that there is something missing in your life? Is there a nagging thought that you should seek out the truth for yourself? Do you sometimes seek out someone that may have the answers to peace? Are you afraid to sleep, live or die? Do you pray so that all can see your devotion to the god of your choice? Are you seeking a reward here on this earth? Jesus teaches; Luke 11:2-4; And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Php 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 1Ti 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 3Jn 1:10 Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church. Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; Mat 6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. Mat 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Talking to Others about Christ is a duty of all who believe. It is not the sole duty of the Minister nor Pastor but of the congregation of the Church. Someone talked to you, so it is all members of the Church to spread this truth to all. 1Co 12:28-29; And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? These things are not delegated to just one but to all that the Spirit gives freely to those that are willing to work the works. Many will listen to the member,a believer, a convert, before they will hear a Minister? Why? They are seeking someone that was as themselves, seeking the truth. Some one that they feel safe with and comfortable talking to. Eph 4:11-13; And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: Evangelism is the work of all, testifying of Christ is the duty of all, compelling the lost to come to Christ is a Commandment of your Father. Luke 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. If you are filled by the love of God, you will not hide those things that the Spirit has reveled unto you, you will not hide in the shadows but will shine as a beacon and a city that is set upon a Hill that cannot be hid. Mat 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. This is just a first step of talking to Others about Christ. Ars. Who Do You Rely upon? I was raised up as a Baptist, Ordained as a Pentecostal Minister and Preach as an independent. As this world is destroying itself, I believe we can no longer be separate units under different name and ideology, but must be as Christ Commanded, “Be Ye as one.” The dependence upon western Ministers is the thing that I am wanting to eliminate. That is why I am trying to get all Ministers of the Gospel, no matter what country or financial state, to join together and share one another's burdens, doing this by joining together in prayer to God, for He is our source and supply. For we being partakers of the spiritual must also be partakers of the physical. Rom 15:27 It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things. The ministry that God has me involved in is to provide a means for all Ministers to come to know one another and not to make any name for myself, that is not my mission nor desire, for I am a servant to our Lord and to all that associate themselves with us. This Ministry is a Ministry of Spiritual Guidance. I have seen over the years, that many Churches are in the business of growing bigger and better, not in their spirit nor obligation to seeking out the Lost for Christ, but rather growing in building on instead of building up. Are we to take the offerings to build bigger and grander buildings, or are they to spread the gospel, giving out Bibles, food and clothing to those in need? A minister once told me; “Take a look at our building, look at our new carpet, isn't it grand, and by the way don't let your granddaughter run around the alter, that we just put in, we will not tolerate baby's walking up and down in this beautiful place.” My response was quick and deliberate, “ I am just an old country boy. Everything here is pretty but I prefer an old country church with, a pot bellied stove and the Spirit of God opening the hearts that come to hear the Gospel.” We must be careful not to allow the pride and vanity of the physical to override the common sense of the Spiritual. God, threw the Holy Spirit, tells me what to write and when to distribute the messages of hope, faith and information. These messages that are given to me, are designed to encourage all to put their total faith in God and Jesus Christ for their needs, not only for the ministry, but also for the body, food, clothing, etc. A naked person, nor a person that is hungry, is very unlikely to listen to the preaching of the Gospel, but when supplied with these things, they are more inclined to set and hear about the one that supplies all things to those that believe. When a man is in bondage of others, we as believers, don't run to the bank and try to buy his freedom, we run to our knees and pray, faith believing that God knows our desire and we pray that Gods will is done. For we as believers are no longer in bondage to any man but under the protection of Jesus Christ. We fear not anyone that can kill the body but we fear only God , who can kill both body and soul. ars Hardheartedness. Quote; hardheartedness is as powerful a degenerative force in our 21st century. Unquote. Impudent and hardhearted: Heb. stiff of forehead and hard of heart. Isa 3:8-10; For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory. The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves. Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. The Impudent, stiff necked and hardhearted people, are consuming this world, as a flood, as a cancer, as a disease, and will not be stopped. These are the oppressors of children, women, poor and strangers. God asked in Isa 3:15; What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts. Mankind with their lust of the flesh, stands in the path of God the Almighty and dares Him to step near to them, believing that they can over come the God of all creation. Clerics and Priest, Fornicators and whoremongers all, seeking Power and stature. Saying that they are sent by God and were not, saying that this is a message, a prophecy, a word, that God has given them, but in reality, was written to invoke their power over the unlearned and ones of a faint heart. Who has given them the authority to persecute, humiliate and grind the poor into the dust of the earth, who gave them the right for ethnic cleansing, for there are also the brothers of them they wish to destroy. Shameless; wanting modesty; bold with contempt of others; saucy. This is the impudent heart, the heart that cares not for the correction of man nor God, a heart that is set in its ways of domination and cruelty, a heart that would rather kill than to build. Why are these messages necessary, why must they be so open and direct? Because it is the Acceptable Year of the Lord, a Day of Coming and a day unlimited knowledge of things to come. A warning to those that are lost and to those that are unruly, a sermon, a lesson and a prophecy. The Lord is Coming and there is nothing anyone can do to change it. We see not only Israel in Isa 3:8-10, but also the state of man in the end of days. For because their tongues and their doings are against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of his glory. Bringing God to anger and kindling His wrath against the worshipers of False Gods and False prophets. These prophets call the Name of God openly, murder and envy are their ways, destruction is their paths and they know not God, for they denie even Him that they say sent them. Who is a god among men, who is an eternal priest before god that ignores the will of the Father? There are none, there is no good among men, for there is nothing good within the body of flesh, we are all mortal and must die, and if so, where are these so called gods among men that will change death, times and laws of the Almighty. Shame upon all that refuse to hear, destruction to all that fight against the Lord. Php 3:18-19; (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) “What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor?” Who has given them the right to harm the Children of Light, who has given them the right to say that God is a lier, who among them can manifest signs and wonders? For among men this would be a sign of the Anti-Christ and destruction and woe among multitudes. As this world continues down a path of instability, man looks to stop all this claimer with, delegates, votes, treaties, pacts, politics, policies and endless talks, never once actually looking at the hidden cause for it all, never once seeking out the real truth behind all this. Is this the future of mankind? Yes, and it will not change, for only man can change man, only the individual can change a hard heart, only the one, can accept Jesus. This generation is becoming self destructive and degenerate. A degenerative generation, ever learning and never able to come into the knowledge of the truth. A degenerative generation full of religious freedom, right to live as we want, the right to kill, steal and destroy without retribution, we are a new world order. Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things. Look at the path that you have chosen, look at the lying wonders and murder on your hands, look at the shame that you put upon Jesus Christ. You say ,” I haven't done any of these things.” But of a certainty you have. For when you denie the Father you have denied the Son, and by denieing the Son you have denied the Teaching, Commandments and Doctrine that which was manifested to man by God. Rev 3:8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. But unto those that refuse God, who persecute His Children and those that reject His Son Jesus, destruction and anguish upon all. 2Pe 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2Pe 2:3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. To those that say, “we are a new world order.” Gods says; “ Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD; Surely, because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity.” Eze 5:11 ars. The Righteousness of Man. Where is mans righteousness, Where does it come from and do all have it? These are questions that I look at each and every day. I read article after article from the paper and magazines that make me wonder about this question. There are churches today that are partly righteous and partly unrighteous. Compromising the word to fulfill personell goals of increased congregations at any cost. But is this truly righteousness? I think not. Vatican News;The agency said the new document would indicate that men with homosexual tendencies shouldn’t be ordained even if they are celibate “because their condition suggests a serious personality disorder which detracts from their ability to serve as ministers.” [a serious personality disorder, Sin, none acceptance of the word of God.] Vatican News; In an apparently new element, the agency said the document would also say that already ordained priests, if they have homosexual tendencies[Sin], would be “strongly urged to renew their dedication to chastity and a manner of life appropriate to the priesthood.”[Repent and do their first works over.] Vatican News; The American prelate overseeing the evaluations, Archbishop Edwin O’Brien, said earlier this month that most gay candidates for the priesthood struggle to remain celibate and the church must “stay on the safe side” by restricting their enrollment. He stressed that the church was not “hounding” gays out of the priesthood, but wants to enroll seminarians who can maintain their vows of celibacy. Is this Righteousness, is this the will of God, is this true to Gods Commandments and Laws? No. This is the righteousness of Hypocrites. You can't serve two masters, you can't serve the devil on one hand and God on the other. A House divided will not stand. Mat 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. These are the religious leaders of today. Many are speaking about their own righteousness and the righteousness of the established church but are allowing and propagating a system of corruption within the church. Stopping new sin from joining the church ministry but allowing what already exist to continue in place. Act 13:10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? [Pervert;To cause to turn away from what is right, proper, or good; corrupt. To bring to a bad or worse condition; debase. To put to a wrong or improper use; misuse.] Rom 8:10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. This body is dead in Christ, for He took our life and nailed it to the Cross with Him. He died in your stead and so by commanded all your sin and unrighteousness to fall upon Him. You are no longer a free agent but a possession of Christ. In by being the possession of Christ, as a believer, He lives within you and becomes you and becomes your righteousness. The word, ”Righteousness ”, is listed in The New Testament 91 times.[Righteousness; Morally upright; without guilt or sin, In accordance with virtue or morality. Having or marked by uprightness in principle and action.] Rom 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. Where is mans righteousness? Mankind has no righteousness. Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. Our righteousness comes from God. That is the only reason that we will be allowed into the kingdom of Heaven, being clothed in Gods righteousness. That is how we are saved, thats how we are led, thats how we are instructed as how to act and perform in all righteousness. Being instructed in all righteousness by the Holy Spirit. Act 10:35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. So who is accepted by God? You just read it. By having Gods righteousness instilled within you, you are accepted by Him. For God cannot denigh Himself entrants into His own Kingdom. With Gods acceptance of our repentance and acceptance of Jesus as His Son, we then become His seed, His Child, His legacy. Do all have righteousness? Not within themselves, it only comes from God. Now what about in the end? Rev 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. As we fall, so shall we be raised. There is coming a time when no man will seek after God, no man will worship in Jerusalem, no man will praise God but only Curse. What drives a Christian to do the things he does, say the things the things they say and believe what they believe? The Spirit of Christ that dwells within them. Thats the reason many are not afraid to stand up and say that they are not their own but belong to Jesus. When things go wrong, when many suffer, when many die, what keeps a Christian faithful to God? That same spirit that raised Jesus from the Dead. He is the one that quickens our mortal body's and gives us the strength to believe and Glorify God, even in the worst of circumstances. When these huricanes hit, why do we praise God? For His excelent, Greatness, lovingkindness, counsels, knowledge, understanding, for his mighty acts: and His mercy. How can we stand in these periouless times? 1Co 12:4-11 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. 1Co 2:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Many want you to denigh the Power of God. The gifts that He has given to us to use and to prosper with. Always being ready to give a reason for the hope that dwells within us. Its not our power but the power of God working thru us. These are not our gifts, but the gifts of God. I cannot denigh the gifts of God, neither can I denigh the word of God as I cannot denigh myself being alive in the spirit.1Co 9:24-27; Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.   The Armour of God part 1 of 4 Ephesians 6:11-6:17 The Armour of God.p1. A series of discovery, on putting on the armor of God and using spiritual gifts. We will be using Ephesians 6:11-17 to start. Now the armor of God is only a part of our defense against the wiles of the devil. But we will look at one piece at a time, to fully understand it significance and use. The Apostle Paul said that, He came to the church ,not with great swelling words, but with demonstration and power. So what did he mean,lets look. The Armour of God. 1.Loin Girt, Some call this the Belt of truth. Now the belt in roman times, as it is today, was used to hold everything together. There was a hook on one side to hold the shield, when not in use, freeing up the hands for other offensive and defensive weapons. On the other side was a shieth, that held the sword, again to free up the hands, when not in use. Paul used this annology to explane the spiritual side of warfare. He knew what a soldier wore and by the direction of the Holy Spirit, use the different parts to show how we as Christians can defend our selfs with the Armour of God. Now without the belt, the sword and shield would be a burden to the wearying to carry more than he could, this would make him vulnerable to attack. The belt that Paul was talking about was the belt of Truth. What is it? The word of God. The Bible tells us that, Let God be true and every man a lier.Without having truth about us ,leaves us, only partially protected, we could not begin to convince anyone of our convictions about Jesus and the spoken word of God. The truth about our lost condition, brought us to repentance and with out it we would have difficulty in bringing others to Christ. 2.The Breastplate. The breastplate was made of beautifully decorated, metal, thin but yet strong. The weight had to be kept down, as to not wear down the soldier, but allow maximum protection of all vital organs.Now what were they? The lungs, and the Heart. Were going to take the heart as our vital organ, the heart is the area that Jesus mostly wants. Its what brings us to love and compassion with others.The Bible tells us, that its not what goes into the mouth that defiles the man but what comes out, or proceeds out of the mouth. For what comes out of the mouth, comes from the heart. At times the mouth produces great swelling words which are not edifying to the church. But the body being controlled by a Christ like heart brings forth words of, encouragement, love, understanding and piece. protecting the heart was and still is an important task that we all have to do for ourselves breastplate was also polished on a daily basis, to make it shiny and bright, this helped blind the enemy from seeing the vital organ area. And gave them no clear target to aim at. We also have to polish our heart to keep it in ready order for the battles that we face everyday. The breastplate in scripture is, Righteousness, and it simply, is doing things, that we do in this life, the right way. We do this by reading and studying Gods word to see how we should live our lives. Every question that you have about life is in God word. All you have to do is find it.The most asked question about the armor of God is, why do we need it? The answer to that is in Eph. 6: 11-13. To be able to stand and not just to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil but as we enter a new chapter of Christianity to be able to endure thru these end times. The closer that we are to the end of days the more that we need the protection of the Armour as in war the closer you are to the front the more you need to be vigilant. As we go thru the armor, we also in this series must go into the gifts of the spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:7-10, there are 9 spiritual gifts.With the Breastplate and Belt I want to add the Gift of Word of Wisdom. The word of wisdom is, 1. A moral Insight, 2.Understanding, 3. Intelligence 4.Discretion The reason we add The word of wisdom in the beginning of our discussion is because, we have to have the word of wisdom to understand the armor and how to put it on and apply it to our daily lives.Dont confuse mans wisdom to the word of wisdom, mans wisdom , according to scripture ,is foolishness to God. An unbeliever cannot, and I repete, cannot, understand the word of God.The word of God is spiritually discerned, and an unbeliever does not have that spirit. The second ,spiritual gift I wish to add here is the Gift of Knowledge, which is tied closely to wisdom.Knowledge is 1.Full discernment, ect. Now full discernment is not only knowing good from evil, but also being able to understand the scriptures and the hidden mysteries behind them. That is the reason we have teachers and preachers to help others understand the Bible. Not everyone will have each of these gifts but the ones that we have we must share the gained knowledge with others. Freely you've received, freely give. Knowledge, here is concerned with, spiritual knowledge, which is more important than any thing that we can receive from this life. end part 1. ars A good tool to use in this series,is a portrate or statue of a fully equipped Roman soldier, to point out each piece of armor An overhead is also effective. The Armour of God part 2 of 4 Ephesians 6:11-6:17 The Armour of God, part two. Ephesians 6:11-17 In the first sermon we discussed the Belt and the Breastplate along with the two first spiritual gifts, wisdom and knowledge. In part two I wish to discuss the next pair 1. Shoes, The shoes that Paul speaks of here are special because of the design of not just the shoes themselves but notably the bottom. In the days of Christ and beyond, the shoes of the Roman soldier were used not only to walk with but to walk on. What do we mean by this? The bottoms of the sandles were fitted with 6 and 12 inch spikes, some report, 3 to 6 inch, that were used in combat to maim and to kill the enemy. After the enemy was knocked down to the ground, the Roman soldier, stepped on the chest or head of the enemy to kill them. As you can see so far, the armour has two different purposes, offensive and defensive war-fair. The Bible states for our spiritual war-fair the shoes are considered, The preparation of the gospel of piece. The word preparation here means, To set up and to establish or to have in ready-ness. The scripture mentions many times about Jesus putting his enemies under His feet. We are to do the same thing. Being in ready-ness or to establish our selves in the gospel of piece, being at piece with all men as much as lies within us, according to scripture. So when we are told to put Satan and sin under our feet, you know now what Paul was talking about. 2. Shield, A shield was a movable barrier that the soldier carried in front of him to protect him from not only the others sword but all arrows and darts that were thrown at him. An arrow we all understand, but the darts were a smaller version that were set on fire with oil or other combustibles, they normally carried a small pouch that also carried a combustible that when it hit exploded into flames, not nessasarily to kill but to confuse and maim the person. The darts Paul speaks of are, lies, deceptions, stories, hatred ect. These things will fall off a christian when they are equipped with this shield as protection. The shield also served another purpose, the soldiers were required to polish their shield to use as a mirror to reflect sun shine into the eyes of the enemy, to blind them. We also must keep our shield clean and shiny to help blind the advasary. It gives Satan a reason to think before he decides to attack us. With these two parts of the armour, lets add the spiritual gifts of faith and healing. 1. Faith, Now the scripture tells us that everyone has been given a measure of faith. This is not the same gift here, Paul is speaking about a special gift of Faith. Faith is being able to believe without seeing. The gift here goes beyond that and allows the person to accept and claim all things that God wants us to have, a total belief in all things that are Godly. To be able to believe without doubt or second thought. You've all heard the scripture, Lord I believe, Help my unbeliefe, this is an example of this special gift of Faith. Our Faith here is to believe that each piece of armour will work as God designed it to work. 2. Healing, Cure, deliverance, to alleviate, to relieve disease. The gift of healing requires a total faith in the stripes of Jesus and Gods word. Compliance to instruction is also required for the healings to take place. The scriptures say, If there be one sick among you, LET HIM PRAY. 1st Peter 5:13-16, The correct manner for healing the sick is outlined in 1st Peter. 1. Step 1., It is required for the person that is sick to pray for himself FIRST. 2. Step 2., Call for the elders of the church to pray for them. 3. Step 3., Have the elders anoint them in the name of the Lord. 4. Step 4., Praying in Faith, not only does the elders have to believe but also the one being prayed for must believe. 5. Step 5., Confess your faults and pray for one another. This is how God wants us to pray to be healed, we cannot add or take away from this pattern, and always pray in the WILL of GOD. Now there are those who say that this was concerning the lost and not the christian, but this cannot be so, if you look a little closer the 15th verse it states, and IF he have committed sins, ...this is a very special word here the word, IF., this is not talking about an un-believer but a Christian. Wouldn't you agree? If we take the scripture for what it says and do those things that God requires, we will be able to endure until the end, in piece, safety and health. This is the end of part two, in Part three we will deal with myricals, prophecy,helmet and sword. ars. The Armour of God part 3 of 4 Ephesians 6:11-6:17 The Armour of God. Part three. The Helmet and the Sword. 1. The Helmet, The helmet was the covering for the cranium or head. It protected the brain from blows and from falls. The helmet is to us a protection for our mind, it only allows thoughts that are righteous to enter and repels any thoughts that are unrighteous. It gives us a barrier that will stop Satan from entering and taking control the mine. Our Mind controls the rest of the body, thoughts ,emotions, motor skills, illness ect. Yes Illness, the bible states that a lot of the things that happen to us are common to man,... but those things that are not common are from the devil. So if he can control the mind then he has a foot hold into our physical well being. Have you ever heard of a hypocondiract? Thats a person that thinks himself into illnesses that he doesn't have. The Bible tells us to control the mind and not to give a foot hold to the devil. As the mind thinks, so we are, if we accept illness, then we will be sick, we can talk our way into illness or dispaire and even depression. So if we keep the helmet on we can maintain control of our bodies. This is the helmet of salvation, the knowing that we are no longer our own but have been bought by a price. 2. The Sword, The Word of God, The sword was polished to a high shine and was sharp on both sides to be able to cut in either direction that it was wielded. The sword was and still is an offensive weapon. 3. Lance of Inter-session, The lance was also an offensive weapon, used to keep distance from the enemy and to keep them at bay, it could be held, tossed or thrown a multipurpose weapon. We use it to keep Satan at a distance, thru, prayer, fasting and faith. The spiritual Gifts. Prophecy , Miricales and decerning of Spirits. 1. Prophecy., Scripture that revels future events, not nessassarily in order of occurance. Thats where we have to compare, scripture to scripture. Prophecy in scripture is one of the most important items for christians and the least taught. All Christians can prophecy if the Holy Ghost is allowed to work in them. Paul preferred that we all do it. 2.Miricales, things that cant be done but are done, Jesus did many and we are equipted to do the same, if we believe. 3. Discerning of Spirits, knowing weather a spirit is from God or Satan. We all have a level of this gift but it must be worked and nurtured. The last two gifts are the most contriversual in church doctrine. These are the gift of tongues and the interpretation of tongues. 11. Tongues.,Language, foreign language. Most people associate tongues with the penticaustal church. This is probably correct because other churches do not teach the gift. They believe that it was for the early church and not for us. But for God to list it as one of the gifts to attain, it also has a significance to us today. The last two are the least of the gifts and there are specific rules on their usage. Weather it be a Heavenly language between you and God alone in the privacy of your prayer closet or in a congregation where an interpretation MUST follow it is for all who want it. Most christians associate tongues with French, German, Italian, ect., and this is fine this is one usage of the gift. Read up on this in scripture and make up your own mind weather you wish to have these two gifts. There are a lot of scripture on this subject. Remember if Jesus did it, he said we could also. Weather you believe in tongues or not don't condemn others for their belief because it IS Gods word. Just say you don't practice it and let it go. Sometimes its best if you don't understand something, not to say anything at all. Now there is an offshoot of christian churches that teach that all spiritual gifts stopped in the 60 to 70 A.D. era. That Ephesians 4 and most of the new testament and especially The Book of Revelations are not for us any more. It important to be careful who you talk to and who you listen to. Do not be deceived with those who try to take away and add too the Bible. These same people say its disrespectiful toward God to eat meat. Be-careful, these people will get you into a lot of trouble with God. Spiritual gifts are given by the same spirit to whomever he wills. And they are administered by the pastor of the church, by the laying on of hands, to the believer. If additional information is needed on these gifts, please let me know and I will go further into detale. Next; The Cloke, Garment and Zeal. ars. js The Armour of God, conclusion. Isaiah 59:17-59:17 We've learned about the Whole armour of God from Ephesians 6:11-17. The parts of armour listed here are the 1. Belt, as the truth of God 2. Breastplate of Righteousness 3. Shoes for the preparation of the Gospel of Piece 4. Shield of Faith 5. Helmet of Salvation 6. Sword of the spirit 7. Lance of Inter-session Most teachers stop there but there are two more pieces of Armour to be added. Lets go to Isaiah 59:17 1. The Garment of Vengeance 2. Zeal as a cloke 1. The garment of vengeance is the fabric that lays between the armour and the body of the soldier. No armour would be complete without a buffer between the skin and all that steel. Now you've heard the old expression that a person is thin skinned, well, we all are. God uses this piece of garment as Himself making a way of escape when trouble overwhelms us to the point that we could lose all the things that we've gained thru Christ. Vengeance is Mine, sayeth the Lord, I will repay. We are to allow God to deal out punishment against all those who trouble us. And He will. 2. Zeal, as a cloke. The last but not least of importance to the soldier. The cloke covered all the armour when it was raining or in bad weather. This helped to prevent rusting or tarnishing of the polished metal. Zeal is the warmth or feeling for God that is above the feelings that we have for anyone or anything else. Making God first in our lives. Thou shall have no other Gods before me. This zeal comes only from the heart, mind and soul of the person that wears it. You can tell those that are in the church that have that type of feeling. You cant hide it, its like a glow that comes over them when they come into the church, a smile that just wont go away. Its the type of Christian that you want to be around, knowing that if you can get close to them some of the spirit will flow over onto you. Now we are well prepared to go out and be a soldier for God. Once again here are the Gifts of the Spirit. 1. Word of Wisdom, A rema word from God. 2. Word of Knowledge, ability to understand what we read. 3. Faith, a gift of special Faith. 4. Healing, ability to heal others of sickness, by prayer or touch. 5. Miracles,,ability to do what no man can do. 6. Prophecy, ability to predict the future for edification of the church. 7. Discerning of Spirits, ability to distinguish good and evil spirits. 8. Tongues, ability to speak to God in a Heavenly language or other national language. 9. Interpretation of tongues, being able to translate other languages for the church. Jesus said, Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened up unto you. This was His promise and our leagasy a part of our inheritance. This concludes this lesson in the Armour of God. ars. js Concerning Hell Acts 2:24-2:26 As the scriptures say a lot about Heaven, it also says about the same about Hell. Its existence, that most people want to ignore. To give people an alternative to everlasting piece, God introduced a place of torment into their decision. Hell in the beginning was created not for man, but for satan and his fallen angels. Man was created to live eternally with God on this planet. I know that you’ve all heard the stories, that came out of russia, about the scientist drilling down into the depths of the earth, dropping sound devices into the holes and hearing screams and the sounds of people ,at incredible depths. True ? ,I don’t know, but it makes for a good discussion around the dinner table. What I know is true thou, is Gods account of a place that is hotter than a great blast furnace.Lets take a look at Luke12:4-5 , Jesus by His own words confirmed the existence of Hell, “But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear; fear Him, which He hath killed hath power to cast into Hell,....” Remember now the Gospel is for those who will believe, atheist will say there is no hell or heaven, and until God deals with them in a manner of His own choosing. They will remain un-believers, but one act of violence or near death experience for them ,will turn the most stern atheist into an agnostic. Even in the book of Psalms, the sorrows of Hell are apparent, 18:8, 16:10, 55:15, Psalms 27:20, gives us a unique look at the condition of hell and its size, lets read, “Hell and destruction are never full, so the eyes of man are never satisfied.” David knew about the existence of hell, and his information came from the Holy Spirit. How many times, does the Bible have to say that something exists, before its considered to be true? One. I believe that one of the most remembered verses in scripture about hells existence ,is found in Isaiah, 14: 12-15. “How art thou fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, son of the Morning......yet thou shall be brought down to Hell, to the sides of the pit.” These verses not only prove the existence but condition and layout of Hell. A pit is a , grave or a vault, this grave that the writer talks about, has length, width, breath, depth and sides. An inescapable, vault or prison for the unrighteous and un-repenting of mankind and the whord of fallen angels of Satan. Some consider Hell as a place without light, with heat greater than a modern blast furnace, because the scriptures state that the sinner “will be cast into outer darkness, there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. “ This is just a taste of the scripture concerning Hell, enough to allow those that are lost to start thinking about their future.In the Book of Jude, the scripture tells us that,” On some haveing compassion makeing a difference and on others using fear, hateing even the garment, spotted by the flesh.” Convinsing some of the existance of Hell, is an important way of turning them around and directing them to Jesus. “Even thou, I make my bed in Hell, the Lord is with me, and I pray that God will always be with you. js, ars The Power of the Holy Ghost You as christians, have become a minority in the world. The Bible states that many are called but few are chosen. We all offend in one way or the other ,as we bring forth the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His words are pure and sometimes harsh and to the point. If we affiliate ourselves with the world then we become as weak as the world. The commandment of Jesus was, “ Come out from among the world and BE ye a separated people.” We cant be partaker of the sins of the world for we then become as guilty as the world. Jesus told Pilot, “you would not have power over me , except the Father in Heaven giveth unto you.” “ wait for the promise of the Father.” These are commandments of Jesus, not suggestions, sometimes christians jump ahead of God in trying to do a work, a work that seems worthy, a work that seems justified, a work that even needs to be done, but the works are sometimes done without the authorization from God. Remember that what God authorizes, He is obligated to finish, but if He hasn’t’ started the work, He has no responsibility for it. Some times I’m told that I am too imflamitory, too harsh or too forward for Jesus himself was accused of the same thing. We are to be Christ like, the Bible states, “be careful for nothing,..” to me thats calling things the way they are, calling sin, sin and unrightiouness, unrightiouness We are heading into a new world order of sin and unrightiouness.. Leading the way is the anti-christ or should I say the spirit of anti-christ. The power of the Holy Ghost, leads us into all truths, and ask yourself what are the truths in the scripture. The truths here in this verse is the truths behind the words, the world can read the words and even try to interpret them, but the truths are the hidden truths behind the words, interpreting the hidden mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. This is where the power of the Holy Ghost comes in to play with the believer. The Holy Ghost has the power to ,help us with our infermities. The Bible says so. We not only have a prayer line to Jesus but also the Holy Ghost, prayers for us, when we don’t know what to pray for. He helps us with our sicknesses, illnesses, desieses and depressions. His power extends beyond the physical into the spiritual realm. God did His part in the plan of salvation, by giving His son as the perfect sacrifice., Jesus did His part in giving His life as a ransom for many, and now the Holy Ghost has been given the power to convict and lead the lost to Jesus. His power started for us in Genesis and will finish at the end of time. He teaches us how to pray without ceasing , how to interpret scripture, how to love our enemies and most importantly, how to worship the Father. All His work and power ,is to the Glory of the Father. Lets look into scripture, The Holy Ghost is mentioned 112 times in old and new testament and Jesus is mentions 506 times in the New Testament. Starting this sermon is Acts 1:8, other scriptures are Matthew 1:20,3:11, 12:31-32, 12:32, and 28:19. These are by , no means the end of the list but its a start on a continuing search for the Power of The Holy Ghost. ars. How much is enough? Covetness in ones life will be the death of them. How much is enough, how much money, titles, positions, land , how many homes is enough. We war and strive, fight and kill, lie and cheet, decieve and steal, to get enough. In Matthew 4;1-4, Satan was tempting Jesus with the goods of this world, food, titles, lands and power, everything that, at that time, was his to give. verse 8-10 also was listing the kingdoms of this world, these are the things that the barbarians of this generation are in search of, Hitler, Husain, Mousilene, and Osama Ben-Lauden. All Barbarens and all with the spirit of antichrist. All wanting more than enough. And what about the rich of today, actors recieveing $1,000,000 a 30 minute show, movie actors recieveing $10, 000,000 a movie, T.V. Host worth $1, 000,000,000, just for talking to poor people with nothing and telling them how bad they feel for them, the owner of a large computer company, is the richest man in the world, estamated value of $46,000,000,000 . How much is enough. Concerning the rich, Jesus said, " It is easier for a camel to past thru the eye of a neadel, than for a rich man to inter into the kingdom of Heavan." the deciples answered Him and asked, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus answered and said, " For man it is imposiable, but for God all things are Posiable." You know all the storeies and you know all the verses in scripture about the rich and Gods judgement upon them, but ,it isnt the riches that comdemed them, it was the covetness and greed, it was the lack of compassion on others that got them into trouble with God. The Apostile Paul said, "I pray that you be in health and prosper, even as you soul prosperith." Putting priorities straight. Not thinking more of the blessings than the one that gave them to you. Do people actually believe that they will never die, or be able to take it with them, and what about history? It seams that a lot of men and women want their name written down in history books. If they knew anything about scripture, they would realise that the things of this world will never inter into the next. History books will be destroyed along with their posesions, never to be remembered again. Its useless to strive with things that are not eternal. Every thing that you can see is temperal, according to scripture, and those things that are temperal ,will pass away, temperial means, temporary. Luke 16:19-22, Gives us the parable of the rich man and lazarus , Jesus said that there WAS a certain rich man, Jesus, you must understand, never told a lie, and when He said, there was, He ment it. This rich man was real, an actual person, a person of great wealth and power, that believed in only one thing and that was his wealth. So where did the rich mans wealth get him, what consilation did he have when he died, Verse23 gives us the answer," and in hell, he lifted up his eyes...." This was his consilation, his payment for curelty and covetness, this was where his god brought him, god you ask, yes, the rich mans god was wealth, he had made his desision to worship his money over God. There is so much in the scripture about money and wealth and posessions. There is nothing wrong with, haveing unless your haveing , has you. When money, position, titles, lands, ect ,become your driveing force in life, then it becomes your god. One of the greatest verses in scripture that represents this point is what Jesus said, " If a man gains the whole world and loses his soul, what would he give in exchange for his soul?" Weve intered into perolus times according to scripture, but the concept of what Jesus said over 2,000 years ago, still applies today. Gambling, lottery, horses, fights arena sports, the same thing that brought down the great empire of rome has hit the whole world again. It seams that people today are wanting to see others get hurt or killed because of the type of sports that they enjoy watching, we call them gladeator games, just like rome. What did Jesus say, " As it was in the day of Noah, so Shall it be in the time of the second comming of the son of man." Church, tell me the difference, what is different about the time of Noah and now. Can you justify what man is doing, is it that obvious , that men try to hide it under a different name? Think about it, let God open your eyes to the truth. Posess, but dont let it posess you. Ask yourself, How much is enough, how much do you need, can you let others suffer while you count your blessings. How much is enough? Are we comming to the end of the age ,when Jesus returns?, You thoughts are as good as mine, but can you see the signs? So when you read the paper, watch the news, read your Bible, and pray at bed time, ask yourself, when you see the signs of the times, How much is enough? ars. I Wish I Could, I Wish I had. John 8:38-8:45 In the life of many people there are two phrases that many people often say, I wish I could... and, I wish I had..., what they are really saying is, “I’m unhappy with the choices that I’ve made and I’m so far gone in this life, I can never go back and change my mistakes.” There is coming a time that many people will say, “ I wish I could serve the Lord, but its too late for me.” ”When the days of the Gentiles be completed. ” And there is coming a time that people will say, “I wish I had listened to the preacher and turned my life over to God, why did I turn down the invitation? “ “In the Great White Throne Judgment. “ Un-belief , to me , is the greatest sin, if I had to choose just one. Un-belief will send all the lost to the lake of fire. Sometimes the truth is hard to take, sometimes it hurts people and makes them uneasy, sometimes it creates a void between you and them. Marriages have broken up over belief in Jesus, but remember that Jesus warned us ,” I come not to bring piece ,but a sword.” Jesus knew that the truth would hurt but rather to allow this world to perish, He came to tell the truth. There is none righteous, no not one. The Bible mentions, pre-destination , words like pre-ordained, If you had the chance to redo your life over, I don’t believe that you would have made any different choices than you already have. We have to live with the choices that we’ve made. But the thing to remember, even thou you cant change the past, you can change your present. Tomorrow is not yours to take thought of, for none of us are even promised a tomorrow. So today is the only day that we can work with. If you tried to change yesterday, you would make today much worse than it might otherwise be. Leave yesterday to itself and concentrate on the now, today. Understanding your relationship with God is a step in the right direction. For , I wishes, will disrupt the flow of connection between you and God. The Holy Spirit has a duty and responsibility to God, to lead and guide you, into all truths. Serve the Lord God with all your ,Heart , Mind , Soul and strength. Lets look at Romans 8:28-30. Do you believe that God is all knowing and all seeing ? Do you believe that when you were not yet born, that God knew the choices and mistakes that you would make ? God will not inter-fear in the decision process of mankind but He does offer alternatives. The best way to relieve the “I wishes” is to not make them. Paul was and still is a good example. The Apostle Paul, paid for his, ”I wish I could and I wish I had, by the number of trials that He had to go thru. In , Prison, in peril, in danger from his country men and strangers, robbers, shipwreck, treading water, and being bit by snakes, hunger and nakedness, cold and heat. Pauls test of faith, had nothing to do with His strength as a man, but His willingness to trust His spirit and accept situations that He knew that He couldn’t change. Our problem today with many is that, they aren’t willing to accept the responsibility of what they did and when they do accept it, they generally enter into self condemnation. Not willing to let go of their own mistakes. Jesus forgave us so why cant we forgive ourselves? We call upon the lost ,not to wait too late , not to come to a point in their life where you will say I wish . The Bible tells us that, “ The Spirit of God shall not always strive with man.” What in this life is worth an unsatisfying, I Wish? What in this life is worth the chance of waking up one day, and seeing the Church Raptured and knowing that the I Wishes have condemned your soul ? Wars and rumors of war, famine and petulance, how much more, Earthquakes, floods, starvation, forest fires rage, tidle waves, hurricanes, tornadoes in record number, global warming ,changing life stiles, man with man ,woman with woman, marrying and giving in marriage, divorce, children being molested, what will it take, what will it take? Jesus said, “ In an hour that you know not, the Son of Man shall return. “ Look around and count the cost of remaining out side the protection of the Son of God, not only is your soul at stake, but those of you with children, would you want them to follow after you, the way that you live or would you rather have them follow a parent that believes in God. For I am telling you a truth, a child raised up not believing in God , will more than likely raise up their children ,not believing in God. An alcoholic raising children will have their children follow after them in their footsteps. How can I say this, because our saviour said it. “I do what I have seen my Father do, and you do what your father does, satan.” Clear and to the point, isn’t it? Jesus never mixed with words, He was direct and too the point, as we all should be. What legacy will you be leaving your children, and what legacy will you be leaving the world ? Don’t you think its time to give up the I wishes and come to Jesus, and one day when the roll is called in Heaven your name will be written down in the Book of life, never to be removed. ars. Scripture References for sermon; John 8:38-45, 12:48,. Luke 21:24,. Romans 8: 28-30. Too Old to Serve ? Isaiah 40:28-40:31 Too Old To Serve ? How many in here today ,believe that they are too old to serve God ? At what age is too old ? My dad once told me, “Son, just because there’s snow on the roof doesn’t mean that there’s no fire in the stove.” Have you ever felt like that, like there no more fire in the stove and that you’ve done all you can do for God ? Do we sometimes feel sorry for ourselves because we’ve gained a little age ? I remember as a child that I couldn’t wait to become a teen ager and when I became a teen ager I couldn’t wait untill I became an adult. To see the world, to make great changes, to make my mark on society. Now Im just glad that not all my bones don’t creek when I get out of bed. Believe me church ,Ive got pains in places now that I never knew that I had. I don’t know about you but I cant wait untill I become a teen ager again. Lets go to Isaiah 40: 28-31. Ill give you a little time to find it, this is one of my favorite passages in scripture. You know that sometimes even we as ministers become tired in body, for after all we are just people too. I gain my strength in the word, each day and rely on God to give me the strength to continue my ministry. Lets start with verse 28 “Hast thou not known ?hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary ? there is no searching of His understanding.” Verse 28, is telling the reader that gods power and wisdom and understanding is complete and beyond our ability to comprehend. he never tires or becomes week, for He is Power and might. Were told her that we can always depend upon His strength for it never fails. Verse 29, “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength.” This verse is telling us that those that are weak in body will be strengthened and those without might He gives them power to accomplish His will in their lives. Jesus doesn’t want us sick or weak and neither does the Father, but we must realize that as age comes upon us many things that are common to this mortal body, will start to afflict us. The Lord of Host will give us strength in time of need to endure untill our time to leave this mortal realm and inter into the Glory of the Lord. Is the weakness of the body limited to the older christian ? The next verse tells us no. Haven’t you seen others of younger years afflicted in body and Haven’t you at times seeing these people, thanked God that you are as healthy as posable being at the age you are ? When you start feeling sorry for yourself, when you start having pitty on yourself, stop, and look around at others that are worse off than you, I always pray that God helps those that are less fortunate than myself. If you still have a sound mind ,praise God, if you can still walk, Praise God, if you still have those that still love you Praise God. The apostle Paul stated that ,” To be absent from the Body, is to be present with the Lord, He told us that it was far better to be out of this mortal body, remember each day that God blesses us with ,is a day closer to Glory. Praise God! Verse 30 is what Im speaking of, listen to this, “ Even the youths shall faint and be weary , and the young men shall utterly fall.” It never seems to amaze me that everything we need is in scripture. Every facet of our lives is covered in scripture. When people talk about changing Gods word, I wonder why, why do they want to change perfection? All the answers to all the questions about this life are in the Bible. Now verse 31,”But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength : they shall mount up with wings of Eagles ; they shall run, and not be weary : and they shall walk, and not faint.” Renewed strength in the newness of life. Children we may be weak in body but our spirits soar with the eagles. In this life we run with the antelope and in the next we shall out run the angels in play. Think about it, a new body, a new life , a new purpose. Glory to God. An eagles babys when they leave the nest, start to fly and take off straight up toward the sun and go as high as they can ,to prove to the parent that they are ready to leave the nest and stand upon their own. are you ready, Children of the Almighty, are you ready for your wings ? Your never too old to serve the Lord for He has promissed to strengthen you and bless you in your effort. Your only as old as you allow your body to feel. We serve God in the Spirit and not in the Body. So rejoice and again I say rejoice in the Lord. ars.   The Snake Charmers. part 1. 2 Kings 9:30-9:36 The Snake Charmers. part 1. How many her today believe in the exestance of, witches, war-locks and sorcerers? If you noticed, my hand was up first. Now were not talking about halloween and spooks and goblins. witches with bumps on their noses, flying brooms or black cats or anything the like. I’m talking about, Spell Casters and Poshun Makers and Predictors, Psychics, Mediums, Numerology, Astrology-st, Horoscope Writers, Satan Worshipers, Observers of Times, Diviners, ect. believe it or not the world is full of such people, that believe in what their doing. I took a quick glance on the internet and found that there were; 2,197,261 sites containing witches 110,157 sites containing war-locks and 2,006,921 sites containing witchcraft. 1,119,088 sites containing Satan Worshipers, and the list goes on and on. The question today is, Does God acknowledge the existence of such people in the Bible? The answer is yes, over and over again. Where you ask? Lets read a little scripture. Exo 22:18 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. Deu 18:10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,Deu 18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. Deu 18:12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.Jer 27:9 Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:Isa 8:19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? [Other references;Isa_19:3; Lev_20:6; Deu_18:11; 1Sa_28:8; 1Ch_10:13; 2Ch_33:6., Zec 10:2,Mic 3:7, Jer 29:8, Isa 44:25 , 1Sa 6:2, Deu 18:14,2nd Kings 10:18 thru 30 1st Kings 18:1 thru 40] The most notable of them all was Jezebel . 2Ki 9:30-36, And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window. And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master? And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs. And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot. And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king’s daughter. And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands. Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel: 2Ki 9:37 And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel. The most exciteing verse in scripture concerning witches is here, Exo 22:18 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. Lev 19:14 Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD.Cursed for speaking to the dead. 1Sa 28:7-20; Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor. And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee. And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die? And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing. Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul. And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself. And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do. Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David: Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day. Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines. Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night. Can we speak to the dead? Yes. Will we be cursed By God for doing so? Yes. Witches, war-locks and sorcerers , a present danger to all of us, not just the Christian but also to the lost. bring their sorcery to our children, teaching them un-Godly things that should be burried with them.Decievers and snake charmers that inhabit the world, there are many in India that today are worshiping snakes, because of the witches influence over them. End part 1 of The Snake Charmers.ars The Snake Charmers. part 2. Psychics, Mediums, and other liers. Deuteronomy 18:10-18:12 The Snake Charmers. part 2. Psychics, Mediums, and other liers. The question today is, Does God acknowledge the existence of such people in the Bible? The answer is yes, over and over again. Exo 22:18 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. Deu 18:10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Deu 18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. Deu 18:12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Psychics and Mediums, are some of the most notable liers in this society today. we see them on television ,in the news papers, internet and on radio. Deceivers all, some are even lieing to themselves thinking that they really are Psychics. Most of these people are just phoneys, looking for easy money. These are easy to spot. The ones we must be wary of are the real demon filled people with the power to actually predict and contact the dead, as was the case in scripture. This is called “Divination” which means; Used in Scripture of false systems of ascertaining the divine will, such as are allied to idolatry: as necromancy, which evoked the dead (1Sa_28:8); prognostication by arrows. Act 16:16-18 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved,{Why was Paul grieved? Because the woman was a witch.Posessed by a demon.} turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. Eze 13:6-8 They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word. Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have not spoken? Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord GOD. How many today can see these people, working, lieing wonders and deception, calling out a person from the audience, telling them that one leg is shorter than another, speaking different types of illness on, healthy people and then miraculously healing them from something they didn’t have. Saying they are sent by God and not even knowing the truth in scripture? Calling on those who are desperately seeking a cure from cancer, aids, heart problems, speaking lieing words, that their healing has just been approved by God, months later they are dead. “and the LORD hath not sent them:” The snake charmers, taking up offerings before the service and again at the end of the service, running it as thou it were a circus. God has not sent these people, to heal you or to take your money. Where are they? Are they at the Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Insain Assylems, healing all manner of desiese and illness? No. There no where to be found. The reason many are not healed today, is because we as Christians have lost bits and pieces of our faith in God. Ministers wont teach the Gifts of the Spirit because they themselves, either don’t understand or don’t believe in miraculous healings from the word of God. They say, well it was for the Deciples time, its not for us. We cant do those things the Bible states, its just not for our time. How many here today even know what the gifts of the Spirit are? How many here today really know how to pray? How many here today know how to pray for a healing? If you don’t know, let me inlightin you into the word of God. As far as the Spiritual gifts not being for us; Rom 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.Rom 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 1Co 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 1Co 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. What are the Gifts? 1Co 12:8-10. Word of wisdom; Word of knowledge; Faith {This is a special type of Faith} Gifts of healing; Working of miracles; Prophecy; Discerning of spirits; Divers kinds of tongues; Interpretation of tongues. 9 Gifts from the Spirit of God and these snake Charmers have none. We, as believers, cannot be denighed these Gifts today because of this next verse . 1Co 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. Now what about praying for a healing, or just praying? James 5:13-15, Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: Many state that this next verse is for the lost,sins”And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” but this cannot be, because of the last part of the verse, ”and if he have committed sins” Their interpretation is wrong. This commandment is for the saved and not the lost. Lets go back and look at James again and what is said, 1.“Is any among you afflicted? let him pray.” You must pray for yourself first to be delivered from the illness. If your healing doesn’t come, go to step 2. 2. “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church” 3.“let them pray over him” steps. 3, 4,& 5. Are Commandments to the Elders of the Church. 4.“anointing him with oil” 5.”in the name of the Lord” In steps 3 thru 5, there must be Faith among all the Elders praying or there will be no healing. Next we see another commandment in the healing process, lets read. Act 3:16 And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. What is the key here? “And his name through faith in his name” Mat 6:9-13 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. Luke 11:4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. This is how to pray. Now what about the snake charmers, have they known the way of healing, have they known the way of God, Have they know the way of Deliverance? Have they read, 1st. Corinthians, James, Luke, Matthew? Or are some of these Television Evangelist, only looking to build themselves a kingdom on this earth with other peoples suffering? With witchcraft comes a warning from God 1Sa 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. So be careful about, what you watch, hear,see or even donate to, it may not be of God. ars Emotions and The Bible. Luke 9:54-9:55 Emotions and The Bible. Luke 9:54-55 I am no stranger to pain and suffering. In 1999 I was pronounced dead of a massive heart attack. According to the hospital records I had no, pulse,no lung function, no brain activity for the period of 8 minutes. After being shocked 3 times by paddles the doctors gave up. When the doctors gave up, thats when God took over. The attending doctor for one reason or another decided to shock me one more time, I believe it was the Holy Spirit directing Him. On the fourth shock, I was alive. In the next three days I suffered three more heart attacks but by the grace of God I survived. God talked to me every day of the ministry He wanted me to complete. He showed me subjects that were being ignored in His word and set me on my feet to address all the controversial subjects, others would not address. I preach,write sermons, lessons and commentary, on these subjects, knowing that others will become offended. But if thru these messages I am abel to get people to search the Bible for answers, my ministry is successful. I just deliver the word and keep my emotions in check, I offer no opinion but only Scripture. The scripture is full of verses, where Jesus rebuked His Deciples for using their emotions, for example; Luke 9:54-55 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. Emotions had taken over with a familiar spirit not of God but of the flesh. Are there times in our lives that we also wanted to call down fire from Heaven to destroy the unrighteous, un-godly elements in our lives? Lets read a little more; Matthew 17:4-5, Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. Poor old Peter, He was always getting into trouble with Jesus and now with God. God rebuked Peter because, Peter had allowed His emotions to take control of the flesh and spirit. Peter saw an oppertunity to build a kingdom on earth that was contrary to the Will of Jesus and the Father. Peter had forgotten that Jesus had stated that His Kingdom was not of this earth. Lets read again; Luke 10:17- 20;And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. {Emotions} And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. [Here we see a bold statement from Jesus explaining that even He saw things in His existence that they would not see, showing that He maintained a check on emotions.] 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. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.Here we see a key word that Jesus used to rebuke His deciples because of their lack of control over their emotions, that word is;”Notwithstanding” Meaning, All the same; nevertheless, In spite of, In whatever manner or way,To whatever degree or extent. Jesus was trying to get the point across ,that even thou He had all power to do as he willed, He still maintained control over that Power and control over His emotions. Now you may wonder why I say this. Lets look at it another way, If Jesus didn’t keep control over His emotions, there would have been no one left in the grave, no one would have ever been sick or age, and many more myricals would have been performed, He would have set up His Kingdom then ,as Satan tried to do. But He always maintained that He came to fulfill the will of His Father. Proof? Read; Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Being in this body of flesh, we are at odds with the Spirit.Our flesh is constantly at battle with the Spirit. Emotions are present with us but as Christians we must keep a subtle balance between emotions and what we know is the will of God. Even Jesus cried over the loss of a loved one, there’s nothing wrong with that. Lets take a moment and look at these next few verses. John 11:35-44 Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? {emotions showing thru from the people} Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.{Martha was exhibiting emotions, even thou Jesus had taught Her.} Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.[ Here we see again How Jesus kepted His emotions in line, so that the Father in Heaven would receive the Glory.] And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. Jesus knowing that Lazarus was going to die, did not interferer, He allowed the Body of Lazarus to die and decay, so that God would would be Glorified. He did not allow His emotions to sway His Mission. We as Christians cannot act on emotional stress or bias. We must maintain control of our emotions and act only on the will of God. Many have stated that in times of stress they don’t know what the will of God is. In these cases it is best to stop and remove yourselves from the situation and begin praying in the Spirit with fasting and prayer, untill you know what the will of the Father is. Remember confusion is not of God, it is a spirit from satan and must be removed quickly. Matthew 17:18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. Matthew 17:19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? Matthew 17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. Is it easy to maintain controll of our emotions? No, its hard in times of stress, for we are still in the flesh. But we must always remember that Jesus is our guide and example in times of emotional stress and angziety. When sistuations come up in our lives that we cannot handel, we must turn them over to God. ars Hes not Done. Romans 9:21-9:22 Hes not Done. I herd a fine man once say, "God isn’t finished with me yet." How many here like to work with their hands, you know, working with flowers, painting, building something that is special to you. Now it may not be important to some one else, just you. I always wanted a room, all to myself where I could read, write and Study, away from all outside distractions. Just because I didn’t get it when I wanted, I never gave up that dream of mine. After a while I got my room and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s my little corner of the world. Some times I’ve wondered weather anyone like me, my sermons, my teaching, my lessons or my commentary on the scriptures. Now for those that don’t, remember, God is still working on me. Weather a man is a king or a bum on the street, we can’t give up on them, maybe God is still working on them also. A man once told me that he was being saved, not that he wasn’t already. I didn’t understand for a while but then it came to me. As we endure each day, the troubles, trials and tribulations we are being saved each day. Being saved from our own lust and desires of the flesh and not of the spirit. Then I guess that the statement was correct. Is there something that you don’t like about your neighbor, your friends, your co-workers, or even about your pastor? Do people talk about you also when you aren’t around, is there something about you that others don’t like. Where you once an alcoholic, drug user, gambler, at one time or another God worked, and still is working, on all of us. When a man starts to build his dream home, does he stop in the middle of construction just because some one else doesn’t like it? Jesus once said, that a man doesn’t build a house until he counts the cost. We don’t dig up our flowers just because some doesn’t like them, we don’t burn a house down just because someone else doesn’t like the color, and God doesn’t give up on someone just because they make mistakes. Lets read, 2Co 13:9 For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection. Remember where we are and turn to Heb 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God. Has being a Christian been difficult at times, you know, people separating themselves from you and, those who used to be your friends are no longer there, your attitude has changed, the things that once brought you pleasure are no longer enjoyable, just different things? Then what is perfection? The state of being perfect or complete, so that nothing requisite is wanting; as perfection in an art or science; perfection in a system of morals. 1. Physical perfection, is when a natural object has all its powers, faculties or qualities entire and in full vigor, and all its parts in due proportion. 2. Metaphysical or transcendental perfection is the possession of all the essential attributes or all the parts necessary to the integrity of a substance. This is absolute, where all defect is precluded, such as the perfection of God; or according to its kind, as in created things. 3. Moral perfection is the complete possession of all moral excellence, as in the Supreme Being; or the possession of such moral qualities and virtues as a thing is capable of. 4. A quality, endowment or acquirement completely excellent, or have great worth. I have worked in steel all my life, my dad, uncle, brother all my family for years. I’ve found out when steel is changed from one shape to another, it resist change of any kind. It’s strong and doesn’t want to be placed in a state that is contrary to its original shape. That steel will moan and groan and make all kinds of ear shattering noises but in the end, the one that forms the steel wins over, sometimes with great effort and sometimes it took more than one try. Some of the problems that many Christians face are the same thing with them and God. God wants to form and the Christian wants to remain the same as he started. Some times I had to use heat to get that steel to bend or shape, maybe God is putting the heat on you and the church. As the heat goes up the temper of the steel gets softer and eventually yields to change. We must all yield to God, who by virtue of His Excellency is putting on the heat to change us into that perfect form that He desires. You may not like the way someone else speaks, looks, dresses, acts but still remember, if they are under the forming hands of the Creator they will change. Who then are we to tell the potter what to make out of the clay, who are we to tell the steel maker what to make out of the steel, weather to make something good or evil, beautiful or ugly, straight or curved. It’s all up to the former, the orator, or finisher. Gods’ hands are at work each and every day, working on me, changing, forming, shaping and refining me as He is with others. The refiners fire is not extinguished until all changes are made. Romans 9:21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? We must all be careful when we start pointing fingers at others, God works in His time and in His way and we, as in Romans 9:21, must remember that only God has the power to change a heart. There is not one instance that man has ever changed his own heart. God is always in charge. We cannot change one hair, one inch or one item in our bodies that isn’t controlled by God. We can’t even come to Christ, unless we are drawn by the spirit, so those that say, "Ill come to Jesus when I feel I’ve done all I can." Are deceiving themselves. God is the potter and we are just the clay. We are all subject to change. My little room, is designed to please God and then me, your lives must be formed to please God and not man. The things that I write and preach are formed to please God, your flowers and homes and clothing are formed to please the creator, which, in this natural life, is you. No man, having created a thing of beauty, destroys it or hides it, so that no one else can view what he has created. And that is the nature of God. He doesn’t create beauty, nor perfection, just to hide or destroy it. I remember a time in my youth that I started to build a home for my family and me. The neighbors complained and ranted and raved and wanted me to give up, "You’ll never be able to make something out of it." They would say. Now if I had listened to them, that house would have been abandoned, the weeds would have grown up around it and my children would never have had a place to call home. But thru persistence and hard work, a little moaning and groaning, it took shape and finally when it was finished, it was just as good as the other houses in the neighborhood, people stopped complaining and went to find someone else to complain about. Now what if God would have listened to others about you, " God, he will never amount to any thing, no body likes her God, and I think they will never be a Christian, Just look at all that they’ve done." Now ask yourself, aren’t you glad that the Potter never gave up on you? Just remember, if people don’t like you, don’t like your life, just tell them, "God is still working on me." ars The Power of the Church Matthew 15:5-15:6 The power of the Church Where is the Power of the church, has it become the fear of the world, or just another religious entity? Where has your ordination come from, man or God is it paper or rock, is it a river of life or a stream of corruption? ORDA’INED, Appointed; instituted; established; invested with ministerial or pastoral functions; settled. (KJVA) Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you I (Jesus) have chosen you, and ordained you. By whose authority do you minister, testify and teach? By whose rules do you subject these people too? (Ref. Matthew 21:23-27) Hard questions for hard times. Jesus was asked a lot of hard questions. (ISV, Matthew 15:5-6 But he answered them, "Why do you also disregard the commandment of God because of your tradition? does not have to honor his father.’ Because of your tradition, then, you have revoked the authority of God’s word.) Who has the authority to revoke Gods word, which has the authority to say the scripture is incomplete, under whose authority do you call Gods word lacking in principle. Who gives you the authority to doubt the almighty God, who gave you the authority to say, He didn’t deliver this word, you have in your hands today, suitable enough for our salvation? Matthew 15:9 Their worship of me is empty, because they teach human rules as doctrines (Policy, Guidelines, Rules, Canon, standard).” Is there any word of Jesus, in the Bible, that does not concern us? No, I haven’t found any, but there have been and will continue to be many that consider the words of Christ to be of no importance to us. Who has the authority to say that the words of, the Prophets ( Old Testament), Paul, John, Matthew, Mark and Luke are not the words of Jesus? 2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: They are the words of our savior. “And the Word became flesh (Jesus) and dwelt among us” “When man doesn’t find relevants in the knowledge of Gods word, he tries to eliminate the barrier to his lack of understanding.”(Ars) They teach the words of Christ to Nicodemus to be “ of the past” John 3:3 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. Doesn’t a man have to be born again today or is it just for those in the past? Many teach, Conversion without rebirth. Conversion to a religion does not assure salvation. Without the rebirth of the spirit and soul a person is still lost. They teach, we can’t believe ,1Cor. Cpt. 12, to be for us, it’s for those of the past. Chapters 2 and 3 of Revelations has no meaning for us, it’s of the past. And Matthew 23:9 doesn’t mean anything to us. Matthew 23:9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Act 15:24-25 Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment: It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, And the place where they prayed was shaken, Why? They were attending to the perfect will of God, being in one mind and one accord in one place, the place of the heart. I’ve traveled from Europe, Canada, Mexico and from Maine to California, and when I get into a praying church that is in the will of God the place rumbles with the power of the Holy Ghost, you can feel the power flowing from one person to the next, chills, tears, shouts of joy, light in peoples eyes as they Glorify the name of God, it’s a wonderful sight. Act 4:31-32 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. What was the key? And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. The Holy Ghost (Spirit) was invited into their congregation, given free reign, and all opposing spirits were removed out of their way. They had the power of God in their midst. The Father inhabits the praise of His children. The place was shaken. As a sensible evidence that their prayer was granted, and then they were filled with the Holy Spirit, as on Pentecost, so inspired that all fear was shaken off. Act 4:31-37 place was shaken, glorious token of the commotion which the Gospel was to make (Act 17:6; compare Act 16:26), and the overthrow of all opposing powers in which this was to issue. We do not pray, Lord let us go away from our work, now that it has become dangerous, but Lord, give us thy grace to go on stedfastly in our work, and not to fear the face of man. Power of the gospel and the spirit of Christ that dwells within us. Then why are so many afraid of telling the truth? Why doesn’t the church shake when they pray? When we all come together in one mind and one accord the church has to reverberate with the spirit of God, it can’t help not to. This is the power of Pentecost, this is the Power of Christ, this is the Power of the Holy Ghost and this is the power of God, all coming together in one place at one time. There is a Laodicea church, a Luke warm church, yes, its prophecy, but we don’t have to be part of it or partaker with it. We are individuals in Christ, we can come together and have a church that shakes the foundation of mans rules, mans doctrine and mans laws. Was it man who ordained us, was it man who called us, was it Law that saved us? Are we to put our trust in God or man? (Ref. Matthew 15:5-6). Matthew 15:9 Their worship of me is empty, because they teach human rules (Policy, Guidelines, Rules, Canon, standard) as doctrines.” This verse must be taken as a clear warning from Jesus, a warning about including man made doctrine into the life of the church, an empty worship, ship wreaked faith. Preaching, Teaching, Evangelism and any other Ministry, in the name of Jesus, is simply, finding the truth and delivering it to a world that hungers for it. John 7:16-17 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. Has the church doctrine become a thing of controversy and doubt, do many consider it a doctrine of man or the doctrine of God? Has the church become so laxed in their study of the Word to know the difference? Jesus, even being the Son of God, could not deliver a doctrine of His own even if He wanted to, He delivered the doctrine that was delivered to Him from His Father. And we must only deliver the doctrine that was delivered to us from The Christ. So then how can so many churches be so far apart in doctrine that they all had to come up with so many different names? One answer, the fulfilling of prophecy, “ not everyone that sayeth, Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven, only those who do the will of My Father.” Ars. What is Reverence? Matthew 6:9-6:13 Reverence? What is A new look at Matthew 6:9 thru 13. Many call Matthew 6:9-13, The Lords Prayer but it actually isn’t. Its the prayer that Jesus gave to us, so in essence its our prayer. What I want to do is break it down to make it more personal. How many here today love Jesus? How many here today love God? How many here today do the commandments of Christ? You know, Love your neighbor as yourself, pray for those who use you, forgive others, pray for your enemies, ect, ect, ect? If you are sure, then this is your prayer. Mat 6:9 Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Mat 6:10-13 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. Now lets make it personal, between you and the Father. 1.“Our” Belonging to, in possession of, to abide in oneself. God belongs to us and we to the Father. By the purchase of our body and soul with the blood of His Son. 2.“Father”A man who begets or raises or nurtures a child. To procreate (offspring) as the male parent. To act or serve as a father to (a child). To create, found, or originate. To acknowledge responsibility for. Isn’t the meaning of Father, everything that God is? “To acknowledge responsibility for.” God acknowledges us as His children, His seed, His Creation and he fully takes responsibility for us. To Teach and Nurture, to Feed and cloth, to Save and protect. Now what about those who refuse God as Father, refuse His Chastisement? Heb 12:8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. “Bastard”, The Talmud and the rabbis are probably therefore right in explaining mamzer, not illegitimate children in general, but those begotten in incest or adultery: from mazar, "to be corrupt." The only other occurrence of mamzer is Zec_9:6; "a bastard (a vile alien) shall dwell in Ashdod." One who is without the conjoining of Father (God) to themselves. We must look at this from the spiritual and not the physical for all children have a physical father(dad). 3.“which art” “Which Art”, residing at, being in a certain place or time, without doubt as to where or who. Positive. Without our Faith knowing where God our Father resides, we would not believe in a Diety, that is in control of all manner of life. We must first believe in Heaven and Hell, Reward and punishment, Resurrection and Damnation, on a grand scale, up to and including, the very soul that makes us who we are. Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. 4a.“in heaven” 4.”IN” Within the limits, bounds, or area of: From the outside to a point within;. To or at a situation or condition of. 5.”Heaven” The sky or universe as seen from the earth; the firmament. The abode of God, the angels, and the souls of those who are granted salvation. An eternal state of communion with God; everlasting bliss. Any of the places in or beyond the sky conceived of as domains of a divine being. A place of great happiness, delight, or pleasure: Jesus promised all who believed in Him a place. John 14:2-3 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. Heaven is not the place that Jesus spoke of, but a place in the Family of God, an abiding of spirits together as one with the Father. 6. “Hallowed”Sanctified, Blessed, Holy, Sacred.. 7. “be” Happen, occur, take place. 8.“thy” your; belonging to you 9.“name” 1.El-Elyon as "Maker of heaven and earth." 2.El Olam “God of Eternity.” 3.EL Berith “God of the Covenant.” 4.EL Roi “God of Vision.” 5.EL Hoseem “God of Creation.” 6.Elohim “ Creator of the Universe.” 7.Eloi, “My God.” 8.Yeshua “The Lord of Salvation” 9.Yahweh “Jehova is the Lord,The Lord of Miracles.”. 10.Yahew Jireh ” The Lord will provide.” 11.Yahweh Nissi, ” The Lord is My Banner.” 12.YAHWEH MEKADDESH, “THE LORD Sanctifes.” 13.Yahweh Shalom “The Lord of Peace.” 14.Yahweh Sabaoth.”Lord of Hosts.” 15.Yahweh Rohi,”The Lord is my Shepard.” 16.Yahweh Rophe,”I am the Lord that Heals You.” 17.Yahweh Tsidkenu, The Lord is our Righteousness.” 18.Yahweh Shammah, “The Lord is there.” 19.Adon. 20.Adonai 21.Jehova Adonai. 22.Yeshua-"The Lord Of Salvation" 10. “Thy kingdom.”The domain in which God is dominant 11. “Come”Move toward, travel toward, approach,Reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress, Come to pass; arrive, as in due course. 12. “Thy will” Decree or ordain, A fixed and persistent intent or purpose. 13. “be done” Gods Intent and purpose to come about, into existence. 14. “in earth, as it is in heaven.” In the un-limitless expanse of His Power and Reign. 15. “Give us this day” Matthew 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. 16.”our daily bread.” The Spiritual bread of the Word of God. 1Ti 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 17.”And forgive us”Alleviate or remove, Free from a burden, evil, or distress, Grant exemption or release. 18. ”our debts,”Anything that is owed to someone else, The state of being legally obliged and responsible. 19. “as we forgive our debtors.” ”Anyone that owes us, 20.”And lead us not into temptation,” God never leads us into temptation but our prayer here is stating that we desire God to correct our wavering from the right path, back to where we should be. Our temptations come from our own lusts and being weak in the flesh, we are dependant upon God to help our short comings. 21.” but deliver us from evil:”Recover or preserve from loss or danger. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. So as you can see, The Lords Prayer is our own personal prayer to God. Our future lyes with Him and His mercy. Take the Scripture personally as thou it was written especially for you. For It Was. ars Of Lords and Bishops 1 Peter 1:15-1:16 This is a look at titles within the Church. I have found out here lately that many people are upset with titles that many Churches are using within their organizational circle. Lets look at the Bible and see what God has to say. The First Title I want to look at is; “Reverend.” This first verse of scripture has been misinterpreted by many. Psa 111:9 He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name. “holy and reverend is his name” This section of the verse is what we are going to look deeper into. The word “holy” and “reverend” if you noticed is not capitalized, which signifies that these are not names of God but attributes of God. The same attributes that Jesus aspires us to be. Ref; 1st Peter 1:15,1:16, Lev. 11:44, 19:2, 20:7. For those who wish to create a controversy, they skip the word ”holy” and only concentrate on the word ”reverend.” There are many places in scripture that the word holy is used in signifying a man and a land. Lets look at the meaning of the word; 1. belonging to, derived from, or associated with a divine power; sacred. 2. regarded with or worthy of worship or veneration; revered: a holy book. 3. living according to a strict or highly moral religious or spiritual system; saintly: a holy person. 4. specified or set apart for a religious purpose: a holy place. 5. Solemnly undertaken; sacrosanct: a holy pledge. 6. Regarded as deserving special respect or reverence: The pursuit of peace is our holiest quest. Now lets look at the word ”reverend”. You say then; “What about the word reverend?” “reverend” ADJECTIVE; 1. Deserving reverence. 2. Relating to or characteristic-of the clergy; clerical. 3. Reverend Abbr. Rev. Used as a title and form of address for certain clerics in many Christian churches. NOUN: Informal 4. A cleric or minister. Used with the. ETYMOLOGY: Middle English, from Old French, from Latin reverendus. If you noticed in definition # 2 it is a characteristic of a minister, a title and not a name. Not being a name is extremely important and being a characteristic or title is the key. Rom 13:4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. I wish to look at Romans 13:4 a little closer, The words, “be afraid” and “a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.” Rom 13:5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. Rom 13:6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Is Romans 13:4-6 speaking of a physical fear? No. Its speaking of a reverence fear as we fear God. So a “reverend, preacher, minister” is a man called and ordained, by God, to deliver the Gospel, to those that are lost and to those who are under his charge, to maintain the acceptable standard of conduct as a Christian according to the Commandments of Christ. His duty’s include, Preaching the word, being instant in season, out of season; reproveing, rebukeing, exhorting with all longsuffering and doctrine. By the Power delivered to him by God and Christ, who is the head of all things concerning the Church. 1Ti 5:17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. 1Ti 6:1 Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. Well what about other names for the clergy in Scripture? Stewards, Minister, Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists; Pastors, Teachers, Bishop, Elder and Deacon. The word,”trustee” is not in scripture but the word means; A member of a board elected or appointed to direct the funds and policy of an institution. Many a hypocritical Christian will overlook many a name if it suites them, but will not go against titles that are not listed in scripture. Why is that? Is it because they want attention or to cause division within the Church? They don’t come out against the title “lord”, why is that? And when you give them scripture or try to explain to them the meaning of a title or word, they close a deaf ear to you. The establishment of a trustee came about from the passage, Acts 6:3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. And the title “trustee” came from the word “Trust”. What about the word ,”lord” is it proper to call a minister or any one else lord? Yes, its acceptable with God. 1Pe 3:5 For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: 1Pe 3:6 Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement. But again we must look at the way the word “lord” is written. A small [L] not a capitol. What about the word “Priest”? Its OK. but not the title of “High Priest”, for we only have one High Priest which is Jesus Christ. Heb 5:1 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: Heb 5:2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. Heb 5:3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. Heb 5:4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. But we must remember that this title is only given by God. “but he that is called of God” What about the word”Father?” No. Mat 23:9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. What about the word,”Rabbi?” No. Mat 23:8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. What about the word “cardinal?” Not in scripture. What about the word,”pope?” Not in scripture. Has many a Christian over-dramatized titles because of a lack of knowledge of Scripture? Are there those that are in need of re-teaching? Are there those who have forgotten who they are in Christ, which come out with hateful remarks, not following after the teachings of Christ? I am saddened to say, Yes, there are. They have forgotten to read and study, they have forgotten about love and compassion, they have forgotten about coming together and reasoning one with another, they have forgotten who they are supposed to represent. I pray that this message comes forth as a learning experience so that all can remember who we are, Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus. ars. The Sins of The Flesh. The Series. Part.1.“Rape.” This series will cover the sins of the flesh, mans in-humanity to man and Gods view of such acts. Man is destroying himself, for Satan has gotten a hold on multitudes. Multitudes that are in the valley of decision. We all must make decisions in this life some are for the preservation of religion and family and others for to sin or not to sin. Violation of any individual in a sexual context is considered rape. Violent rape is when violence beyond the rape itself is a part of the assault. This may include physical force or threat of harm, including death threats or threats against a family member. People who commit violent rapes include strangers and people the victim already knows. The most common effect of rape on victims is psychological. In the past, survivors of rape and sexual assault were often diagnosed with Rape Trauma Syndrome, then considered an psychological disorder. RTS is no longer considered a diagnosis, but rather a set of normal psychological and physiological reactions that a victim is likely to experience. These include, but are not limited to, feelings of guilt and shame, tension, anger, eating disturbances, and sometimes depression. The greatest example in scripture is of Tamar and Amnon, the daughter and son of King David.Lets read; 2Sa 13:10-13:15; And Amnon said unto Tamar, Bring the meat into the chamber, that I may eat of thine hand. And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. And when she had brought them unto him to eat, he took hold of her, and said unto her, Come lie with me, my sister. And she answered him, Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this folly. And I, whither shall I cause my shame to go? and as for thee, thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king; for he will not withhold me from thee. Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice: but, being stronger than she, forced her, and lay with her. Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone. As you can see, Amnon was greatly in love with the idea of having his own sister, he mistook lust for her for love. “the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her.” After this act, you can see how the love turned to hate. It was not what he expected nor wanted. A sin that would lead to others to satisfy the flesh and a sin that would eventually lead to death. That is the way with rapest today and thru-out history. One rape leads to another because a need for love is never satisfied with force nor deception. In speaking of death, we see two different kinds, 1. Death of the Body, thru punishment for the act, and 2. Death of the spirit, that leads to the destruction of the soul. As with all sin, once is not enough. To satisfy the desire, need, lust, greed, absence and lonely-ness, sin is continuously in search of the next thrill. As with many drugs users today, sin is addictive. Its like telling a lie and then telling another to cover-up the first and so on. Deu 22:25-27; But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die: But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter: For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her. As you see in Deu 22:25-27, God ordained death for the act of Rape. Rape in not only between a man and a woman but also in these last days, between men and children (Boys). Deceiving men, decieveing children into acts that are against nature and the Body. Acts against all that God has ordained to be proper and righteous. These men have no conscience nor scruples as to these acts but rather enjoy them and seek out others that also are in league with them. In Romans 1:31-32, Paul states it this way; Without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. In The Book of Psalms 50:16-19 we see; But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee. When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers. Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit. “Who knowing the judgment of God “ These men and all men know the law of man and God concerning these shameful acts. They know that the word states that the punishment will fit the crime. But today the punishment doesn't fit the crime any more, for man has soften his view of rape and his view on sin in general. Jude 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. The effects on the victims are great and varied. Depression is one of the greatest of these, closely followed by self condemnation. As you can see in Deu 22:25-27, God holds no sin against the woman or should we say victim, but all the fault and punishment is directed toward the one committing the act. Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. The victim is not at fault, the victim is not to blame, its the one who has disregarded Gods law and mandates, that are at fault. So then, what happen to Amnon? Lets read about his punishment. 2Sa 13:19-20; And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of divers colours that was on her, and laid her hand on her head, and went on crying. And Absalom her brother said unto her, Hath Amnon thy brother been with thee? but hold now thy peace, my sister: he is thy brother; regard not this thing. So Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom's house. 2Sa 13:28-29; Now Absalom (Amnons and Tamars Brother) had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon; then kill him, fear not: have not I commanded you? be courageous, and be valiant. And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose, and every man gat him up upon his mule, and fled. ars. The Sins of The Flesh. The Series. Part 2. “Murder." [partly from Old English morthor; partly from Old French murdre, of Germanic origin] The crime of unlawfully and un-justifiably killing another under circumstances defined by statute (as with premeditation); esp Such a crime committed purposely, knowingly, and recklessly with extreme indifference to human life or during the course of a serious felony (as robbery or rape) Murder is the taking of another's life. The first instance of murder in scripture occurs in Genesis. Cane and Abel. Gen 4:8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. God is very specific on the punishment for murder, even tho we went from the Law of Judgment to the Law of Mercy, with the arrival of Jesus Christ, who fulfilled the Law of Judgment. God will forgive all sin except one, that is the Blaspheme of The Holy Ghost. As God will forgive Murder we will still must pay the price for our sin. We look at the Crucifixion for an example. Luke 23:41-43; And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds( The charges that these two men were accused of were justly sentenced. For they broke laws that were punishable by death. The one man didn't denigh his guilt but accepted His punishment. Feeling only compassion for the innocent blood that was being shed.): but this man hath done nothing amiss.( The word “amiss” here signifies that the crime that Jesus was accused of was false and He was guiltless.) And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.( Believing in Jesus saved this man even at the point of Death.) And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.(Here the acceptance and reward for faith and belief.) Here we see the Law of God. Exo 21:12 He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death. Exo 21:14-15; But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die. And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death. Heb 10:28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Rom 9:15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. (Gods mercy and compassion is directed to whom He wills. Sometimes a man is spared the death penalty because of one reason or another, only know by God, and sometimes the punishment will be delivered as written. Many times a week Christian will be taken early, so that they will not lose their salvation.( My Opinion.) God knows the future. The reason that I said “Many times a week Christian will be taken early, so that they will not lose their salvation.” is because of this passage in Mark 13:20, And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. This passage has many meanings one the statement that I made and 2. The end days, when the Tribulation starts. Many will not be strong enough to withstand the tribulation that will come upon mankind. Here we see the slaughter of babes because of anger and greed for power. Mat 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.(Fulfilling Prophecy.) Mat 23:35 That upon you ( in other words, the blood that you have shed will be required of you also.) may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew (Murdered) between the temple and the altar. Act 22:20 And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.( In Acts 22:20, Paul found himself consenting to a murder and took responsibility for His part in the act. Showing that God will forgive and use the guilty also for the work of the Kingdom.) Act 5:30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew (Killed, Murdered.)and hanged on a tree. “The judgment (which is coming on all of us) shall be without mercy to him who hath showed no mercy.” It shall be such toward every one as every one shall have been [Bengel]. Our acts that we do in this life, must be answered for, either in this life or the next. James 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. mercy rejoiceth against judgment — Mercy, so far from fearing judgment in the case of its followers, actually glorifieth against it, knowing that it cannot condemn them. Not that their mercy is the ground of their acquittal, but the mercy of God in Christ towards them, producing mercy on their part towards their fellow men, makes them to triumph over judgment, which all in themselves otherwise deserve. End part 2 of Sins of the Flesh. ars. Exo_20:13; Gen_9:6; Lev_24:17; Num_35:16-24, Num_35:30, Num_35:31; Deu_19:11-13; 2Sa_12:13; Mat_26:52 "The Sins of The Flesh.”The Series. “Theft.” Gunman robs Maryland churchgoers at evening service. BALTIMORE, Jan. 1 —A gunman burst into a church service Sunday evening and robbed several members of the congregation, authorities said. About 50 people were attending the service at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Bel Air when a man entered brandishing a handgun, the Harford County Sheriff's Office said. No injuries were reported. How many times have you heard this passage from Exodus 20:15 ? “Thou shalt not steal.” How many do you know personally that violate this law? Today we see many trying to take the Bible out of all government and off the court house walls. But don't they understand that many of the laws of the land are written in accordance to Gods Laws, not only to Moses but also to The New Testament Church, under the Law of Grace and Mercy? The old saying,”you can lock out a thief”, has become null and void. If a man desires to steal there is no lock that will keep him out. A lock is not ment for an unrighteous man but for the righteous. God established Government and Laws covering all aspects of its administration. Prisons today, as it was in the time of Abraham and Jesus, are full of thieves, some we call, “white”and some we call “Blue caller”, crimes. It is so easy for man to put a label on sin, calling it something else to make it sound better. But sin is sin and will be judged accordingly. Exodus 22:1 If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. The repayment of theft was greatly noted in Scripture and the Laws were upheld. There was no doubt what the punishment was. Lev 19:11 Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another. Theft takes many forms, the one we associate with the most is, material goods, cars, money, jewelry, ect. But theft also comes in by stealth, con-men, liars, deceivers. Many times we are the victims of theft by buying something that others say works and then once we get it home we find out its broken and doesn't work, this is also theft by deception. Home repair that isn't done correctly is also theft by deception. The list goes on and on. Weather these acts are criminally prosecuted or not, God knows and deals with it on His own terms and in His own time. Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Sin is repaid by God. When a Child of the King is hurt by un-believers God deals with it Himself. Mark 9:42, And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. Pro 6:30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;(Clark states; Men do not despise a thief if he steal - Every man pities the poor culprit who was perishing for lack of food, and stole to satisfy his hunger; yet no law clears him: he is bound to make restitution; in some cases double, in others quadruple and quintuple; and if he have not property enough to make restitution, to be sold for a bondsman; ) No matter what the situation is, there is no justification for a thief. No law exonerates him from his actions. There is no excuse for theft, if a man is a believer in Christ. All of mans needs will be met if He only believes. The Prophet put it this way; Psa 37:23-25; The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. “I not seen the righteous forsaken.” These words are true. I've known many a Christian in need but the thought of stealing for food never entered into their mind, for as they needed, they received from God. Theft comes from greed and lust, covet-ness is another sin that plays a great part in theft. When man goes beyond what God has provided for Him and lust to have more, then theft becomes a reality. In Matthew 6:25, Jesus Said; Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 1Ti 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. Thieves are never satisfied by food and clothing, they desire what others have, not willing to work for the ability to buy what they want. They pray off the unsuspecting and destroy not only their own soul but the trust of the victim for mankind. Luke 3:14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. Dis-contentment is another way of stealing. Look around you at the work place, do you know of people that are paid for working and most of their day is spent trying to avoid doing what they agreed to do? This is theft in deception and dis-contentment. When we agree to do a job for such amount of money, God holds us to that agreement, for we cannot hide from God. Lets read; Matthew 20:11-15; And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? Here are words of Wisdom; John 10:10 The thief (Satan) 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. (The theft of the soul.) Romans 2:21, Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? (Hypocrisy in Service) Eph 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. ( We work to give to others, Saint or Sinner.) Mat 6:19-20. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: Phi 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.end part 3. ars “The Sins of The Flesh", The Series, “Effeminates.” Sin is a destroyer of both the person and the soul. It has destroyed, man, family, spouse and churches. A man had just married a woman a couple of days ago, he got drunk on the way to their honeymoon and killed himself in a head on collision with another car. Drunkenness, God speakes of this as a sin. It was, and it led to death. The sins of the flesh takes many forms. If mankind doesn't know what is sin they are not held accountable untill told. Some call this the ”Age of Accountability.” This is what this series is all about. To inform and to in-lighten. Look closely what Paul says about judgment of different types of people. The Apostle Paul backs up what I have said in Romans 2:12, For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; Romans 5:13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law, and in Romans 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. “I had not known sin, but by the law:” The Law of Judgment or Mercy. For there are still those that live in both. Sin is a learned system. Mankind in this day and age are without excuse as far as knowing the difference between right and wrong. All men know that there is a God and they also know that there will be a judgment. The law of man was based on the laws of God. We have God in our Laws, on our Money and even at the very doors of the Supream Court . Thou Shall Not ! Atheist say they don't believe in God, well I'm afraid that God doesn't believe in an Atheist. Now lets take a look at the sin, Effeminacy. Effeminacy; [from effeminate.] The softness, delicacy and weakness in men, which are characteristic of the female sex, but which in males are deemed a reproach; unmanly delicacy; womanish softness or weakness.(Cross Dressers.) Voluptuousness; indulgence in unmanly pleasures; lasciviousness = (Feeling or devoted to sexual love or desire: Amative, Amorous, Concupiscent, Erotic, Lecherous, Lewd, Libidinous, Lustful, Lusty, Salacious, & Asexual. Of, concerning, or promoting sexual love or desire: In American legal jargon, lascivious is a semi-technical term indicating immoral sexual thoughts or actions. It is often used in the legal description of criminal acts in which some sort of sexual activity is prohibited to differentiate that activity from innocent conduct. For example, a lewd or lascivious act would refer to sex crimes such as child rape. Whether an action amounts to lascivious conduct rests to a large degree on whether society is currently condemning the action. For example, lascivious cohabitation refers to a mostly archaic crime of living with a member of the opposite sex, and having sexual intercourse (Homosexuals) with him or her.). Having unsuitable feminine qualities, not manly, womanish, Having qualities more appropriate to women than to men. Characterized by excessive softness or self-indulgence, the trait of being effeminate (derogatory of a man) This is men (or Women) who are pretending to be something that they are not. Having the hardness of Heart, ignoring the basic law of nature. 1st. Co 6:9-10; Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. Be not deceived, God is very specific on sin and its consequences. God has never made man sinful in nature, man creates his own sin after birth and makes his own choice weather to be an effeminate. The old excuse, ”They cant help what they are.” is not acceptable with God. He destroyed Sodam and Gamorah for that very fact. The life style that many live today are learned Characteristics and made by freedom of Choice. Our Television is becoming full of debotchery and learning tools that will turn many into something they are not. Sin comes by the acceptance of society of lifestyles and acts that are against nature and against God. Many say that, “I serve no gods”, but in fact they are serving not one, but many. As such stated by Paul Himself in Galations 4:8, “Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.” This is not a disease of the flesh but a disease of the mind and spirit. A Spirit that is in bondage to Sin and Satan. In other words man was not born into Homo-sexuality nor into being an effeminate. Remember this, write it down, burn it into your memory; ”God will not create something that He has already Condemned!” Here is Gods answer to those that do not believe His word and will not obey His laws of Conduct. Psa 50:16-22; But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee. When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers. Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit. Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son. These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes. Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver. The Sins of the Flesh.”Un-belief.” Mans wisdom and knowledge of the universe comes not from their own knowledge or efforts, it comes from the power and delegation from God to give to those, whom He wills, that knowledge. Man has always tried to better himself above the Creator of all. We saw this in Babel and beyond. When we see man unsatisfied by the laws and statutes that God has directed for man, he has always come up with some other god to worship or none at all, so that he will not be hindered by law and commandments. Mark 7:20-23 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness; All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. In mans search for a better way of life, he has forgotten where and from whom he has came from. The sins of the flesh is tied directly to the sins of the spirit or Mind. In these last days man has tried his best to remove God from his knowledge for it has become a thorn in his side. Not being able to do those things that his flesh desires to do. 1Co 2:14 But the natural man(The man of the Flesh) receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness( a hindrance) unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. Mans wisdom and knowledge cannot understand the scriptures neither can he understand God. He is held by his so called science and limited understanding of the natural world around him. That is the reason that man must repent and return to the creator of all things, so that he will be able to understand salvation and destruction. 1Co 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. Because an un-believer of the largest state in mind and spirit, cannot understand the Love of God for them, the scriptures that we preach are nothing but foolishness to them, for the simple fact that they don't believe in anything that they cannot see with the natural eyes. 1Co 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. The wisdom of this world is foolishness to God because this knowledge was already know to God before the foundation of the world and these things that man places great prize in knowing is useless to God. For to create God thinks, To destroy, God thinks, to build, God thinks. Is there anything in this world, that you know that man has ever created from nothing? I think not, for man has not the power to create from nothing. These sins; adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness, Effeminacy, Rape all come from un-belief and lust of pleasing the flesh. God forces no man to believe, so many take the Bible as a Book written by man as a way of expressing his own views of life. Titus 3:10-11; A man that is an heretick = ( A person who dissents from the doctrine of an established church: Dissenter, Schismatic, Noncomformist ) after the first and second admonition = (Words expressive of strong disapproval: rebuke, reprimand, reproach, scolding. Advice to beware, as of a person or thing: warning, caution) reject ( Put Him to the side stay away from); Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself. The time is coming that God will do as He said, He will turn them ( The Un-believer) into a reprobate with a reprobate mind, let them believe a lie and be damned for eternity. Titus 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. Rom 1:28-32; And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. If these heretic's say they don't believe in the Bible then why do they spend most of the energy and life on trying to prove that the Bible is False? Why do they go to great lengths to dig up past city's and books and temples? Why do they create for themselves other religions, Scientology, Budism, Satanism, ect.? Is it because of the fear of being wrong? I think so. Isa 27:11 When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, and set them on fire: for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favour. James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Is the sin of the flesh worth not knowing God? Is the sins of the Flesh worth spending eternity in Torment? Be afraid, be very afraid. Its your Choice. ars.   For Him Web Designs