Monthly Archives: August 2011

Biblically and Doctrinally Illiterate Believers

28 Sunday Aug 2011

Posted by in Faith and Wisdom

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

Are You Biblically and Doctrinally Literate? Do You Know ALL of The Lord's Parables in This Picture?

When The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life released its September 28, 2010 “U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey,” many American Christians readily argued the survey’s findings: Atheists, agnostics, Jews, and Mormons outscored evangelical Protestants, mainline Protestants, and mainline Catholics “on questions about the core teachings, history and leading figures of major world religions” (U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey, Executive Summary). Now, in spite of the fact that critics have found valid problems with some of the questions asked in the “U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey,” for example, questions dealing with world religions, especially since world religions’ fundamental tenets, practices, history, and famous religious figures have nothing to do with what actually is written in Christians’ Holy Bible, the sad truth is that this survey is spot on about many American Christians, in this 21st century. Truly, too many of these Christians are living in both a biblically and a doctrinally illiterate culture.

For this last reason, it is important to note here that biblically and doctrinally illiterate believers are ignorant about what is in the Holy Bible because today’s Christians either HAVE NOT read the Holy Bible from cover-to-cover, at least once; or, they HAVE read the Word of God from cover-to-cover, HAVE learned about a great many biblical characters, and HAVE memorized plenty of verses, BUT they neither understand what the Scriptures teach nor know how to apply that instruction to their daily living and circumstances. In other words, both of these kinds of Christians are biblically and doctrinally illiterate, primarily because they don’t have enough biblical knowledge and biblical understanding about what God teaches in His Word concerning His complete redemptive plan, and this lack is why they have a hard time connecting the dots—this lack is why they struggle with putting together everything that God teaches about salvation from Genesis to Revelation. Consequently, because they don’t FULLY know or FULLY understand how God’s entire redemptive plan (ALL Scriptures, the whole purpose, plan, counsel of God; cf. Acts 20:27) affects each of them, as one Body of Christ member, they don’t FULLY know or FULLY understand how to apply God’s whole purpose, plan, counsel to their daily living and circumstances. The bottom line is that these biblically and doctrinally illiterate believers are incompetent; that is, they cannot effectively present an accurate demonstration of Jesus the Christ’s Gospel!

Now, there are those believers who think that no one HAS TO read the Word of God to know and understand what the Word of God says, because this knowledge and understanding (this biblical and doctrinal literacy) can be obtained from merely listening to Christian sermons, Christian music, or even from talking with believers who demonstrate the kind of lifestyle Jesus the Christ displayed. While some Christian sermons, music, and individuals can impart many biblical truths and doctrinal tenets (principals and/or beliefs), the questions still remain: How do these believers who get their biblical knowledge and understanding from just listening to Christian sermons, music, and/or individuals rightly divide (correctly analyze and accurately handle) the Word of God (cf. 2 Timothy 2:15; see also 2 Timothy 3:16), especially if they have not read, or are not reading the Word of God? How will these believers know for sure that what they have heard in Christian sermons and music, or from Christian individuals, is ABSOLUTELY what God’s Word declares, if they never have read or are not reading the Word of God?

Of these three mentioned ways of possibly obtaining biblical and doctrinal knowledge and understanding, as one might expect, many of today’s believers largely tend to rely heavily on (put their full trust or confidence in) their pastors’ preachings and teachings. The biggest problem with this learning method is that too many of today’s pastors only are preaching and teaching secular wisdom . . . secular truths, rather than preaching and teaching God’s wisdom and God’s absolute Truths.

Any true believer who is paying the least bit of attention to the behaviors of Christians from so many different modern-day local churches can discern that this century’s institutional church’s myriad pastors have dumbed-down biblical doctrines and/or have taken salvation’s message out of “their” churches’ Sunday and mid-week services. It also cannot be refuted that many of these pastors often have marginalized and/or flatly avoided important biblical doctrines, simply because they are afraid that they might offend someone in their own church, ministry, or organization; moreover, these pastors who also preach and teach in colossal brand-name churches, ministries, and/or organizations have marginalized and/or flatly avoided important biblical doctrines, above all, because they are afraid that they might lose sponsorships and endorsements!

Then too, there are those current “churchgoers” who would sooner learn about what is in the Scriptures by reading someone else’s book—by reading para-biblical literature, secondary writings; external commentaries on and paraphrases of the God-breathed, God-inspired Holy Bible! Certainly, buying books written by some religious scholars, theologians, and/or Christian gurus and then forming a cell group (study group) to investigate what is in this para-biblical literature have become the custom most of today’s believers follow. To add insult to injury, these kinds of Christian groups merely slap on the “Bible study” oxymoron to their get-together’s description, when, ironically, the contrary is true. Indeed, many of these kinds of Christian groups actually are not coming together to check what the author of their para-biblical literature says in his or her book against what the Scriptures say, mostly because many of these Christian cell groups’ participants already have put more trust in their religious scholars, theologians, and/or Christian gurus’ ability to teach them God’s Truths than they have put trust in the Word of God.

The gist is this: If a Christian has a very clear grasp of the basic Divine Truths that are in the Word of God, and if this same Christian is able to apply this knowledge and understanding to his or her daily living and circumstances, then he or she is biblically and doctrinally literate. On the other hand, if a Christian does not have a clear grasp of the basic Divine Truths that are in the Word of God, then this Christian no doubt not only will fall into every kind of sin, and every kind of problem but also will be a Christian who is biblically and doctrinally illiterate.

For more on this issue, please read my blog entry, The Age of Confusion; see also The Problem with Pizzazz

*** Can you find the 12 Parables of Jesus that are in the picture at the beginning of this blog entry? Answers are below.

sʇɐoƃ ǝɥʇ & dǝǝɥs ǝɥʇ˙21 sʇuǝlɐʇ ǝɥʇ˙11 suıƃɹıʌ uǝʇ ǝɥʇ˙01  looɟ ɥɔıɹ ǝɥʇ˙9  pɹǝɥdǝɥs pooƃ ǝɥʇ ˙8  uɐʇıɹɐɯɐs pooƃ ǝɥʇ˙7  uos lɐƃıpoɹd ǝɥʇ˙6  uıoɔ ʇsol ǝɥʇ ˙5  puǝıɹɟ ǝʇɐunʇɹodɯı ǝɥʇ˙4  uɐɔılqnd ǝɥʇ puɐ ǝǝsıɹɐɥd ǝɥʇ˙3  ʞɔoɹ ǝɥʇ uodn ǝsnoɥ ǝɥʇ˙2  ɹǝʍos ǝɥʇ˙1
:sɹǝʍsuɐ

Most Believers Don’t Give a “Rip” About Other Believers, Nor Do They Care About Any Unsaved Unbelievers

26 Friday Aug 2011

Posted by in Spiritual

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

Uncaring and Unloving Believers Aren't Serving The Poor When They Make The Poor Feel Invisible, Inferior, etc.

Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—

I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.’

Then those ‘goats’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn’t help?’ He will answer them, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.’ Then those ‘goats’ will be herded to their eternal doom, but the ‘sheep’ to their eternal reward. ~ Matthew 41-46, MSG

It is absolutely true. Many of the Christian people we love the most will hurt us, disappoint us, neglect us, and even forget all about us, and they will do so much sooner than many of the unsaved people we might know and love!

Why is the above statement about many Christian people we love absolutely true? Well, the ugly truth is that too many of today’s Christians do not give a “rip” about anyone but themselves; they neither care about other believers’ unexpected troubles nor their self-imposed circumstances, and they also don’t care about the world’s unsaved unbelievers. That’s why when a believer or an unsaved individual truly needs financial help, or food, or clothing, or housing, or a friendly face on the other side of prison bars, or a warm phone call, or a thoughtful letter, and so on, the individuals who have more than most of today’s less-fortunate people won’t even give a thought about lifting a finger to serve the poor, nor give a thought to lifting a foot in the direction of someone in need, even though many of the world’s fortunate humans have more money, extra material possessions, better transportation, plenty time, ample strength, et cetera. 

Despite what many of these wealthier Christians say they believe about God, the Lord, and even the unadulterated Word of God, their every-day behaviors are contrary to what they say that they believe. Above all else, many of these Christians conveniently just forget about everything Jesus the Christ teaches about serving the poor (ministering to the poor).

Now, the serving of the poor message not only is simple, but also, in the Holy Bible, this message is continuous—this messages is in the Pentateuch (the first five books), the books of the Law, or the Torah (the most sacred part of the Holy Bible); in the  books of History (Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1st and 2nd Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings, 1st and 2nd Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther); in the books of the Major and Minor Prophets; in the poetic and wisdom books (Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon); in the four Gospels and the book of Acts; finally, this simple and continuous message is in the Epistles. Furthermore, serving the poor also is one of those weightier matters of the Law, which  Jesus the Christ alludes to when He is speaking to the hypocritical Scribes and Pharisees about those Law issues that they “consider” to be most important. To these so-called Law experts and Law extremists, the Lord says: 

You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God’s Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required. ~ Matthew 23:23, MSG

Concerning the meat of God’s Law, in particular, FAIRNESS, COMPASSION and COMMITMENT, the brother of Jesus the Christ has the following to add to this serving the poor weightier matter. James writes:

My dear friends, don’t let public opinion influence how you live out our glorious, Christ-originated faith. If a man enters your church wearing an expensive suit, and a street person wearing rags comes in right after him, and you say to the man in the suit, ‘Sit here, sir; this is the best seat in the house!’ and either ignore the street person or say, ‘Better sit here in the back row,’ haven’t you segregated God’s children and proved that you are judges who can’t be trusted? Listen, dear friends. Isn’t it clear by now that God operates quite differently? He chose the world’s down-and-out as the kingdom’s first citizens, with full rights and privileges. This kingdom is promised to anyone who loves God. And here you are abusing these same citizens! Isn’t it the high and mighty who exploit you, who use the courts to rob you blind? Aren’t they the ones who scorn the new name—‘Christian’—used in your baptisms? You do well when you complete the Royal Rule of the Scriptures: ‘Love others as you love yourself.’ But if you play up to these so-called important people, you go against the Rule and stand convicted by it. You can’t pick and choose in these things, specializing in keeping one or two things in God’s law and ignoring others. The same God who said, ‘Don’t commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Don’t murder.’ If you don’t commit adultery but go ahead and murder, do you think your non-adultery will cancel out your murder? No, you’re a murderer, period. ~ James 2:1-9, MSG (the blue lettering is this blogger’s emphasis)

Consequently, even though this biblical serving the poor message also is a contemporary simple and continuous message, a present-day weightier matter message, and a not to be replaced by the favoritism that goes on in today’s institutional church message, modern-day Christians in every institutional church still fail to emphasize serving the poor, and their failure is one of the key reasons why they also fail to actualize serving the poor. For sure, the Holy Bible emphasizes and actualizes the serving of the poor message much more than all of this world’s human beings—much more than humanity as a whole does!

That’s why it is so common these days to find the same self-serving attitude that the rich Jewish leader, in Jesus the Christ’s day, had. Without a doubt, if some of today’s spiritual leaders were to tell their wealthy members to sell all that they have and give those profits, along with what they have stored up in their bank(s), to the poor, these affluent “churchgoers” either would cuss out (shout vulgar words at their spiritual leader because they are annoyed with this person), or they would laugh in their spiritual leader’s face, or do both!

Why would any spiritual leader who is preaching or teaching about ministering to the poor receive either of these mentioned reactions? Well, the main reason is because it matters very little to many 21st-century Christians if their pastor(s), and other spiritual leaders and teachers, are living the same kind of life Jesus the Christ lived. Moreover, many of these same Christians could care less if their pastor(s), or other spiritual leaders and teachers, are discipling believers on how to live like Jesus the Christ lived, because for many 21st-century Christians the sad truth is they, like the rich Jewish ruler Jesus the Christ advises, love “their” money and their possessions more than they love doing the God sanctioned moral (right) thing.

Indeed, today’s affluent “churchgoers” just take a page from the rich Jewish leader’s book (life). After he asks the Lord about what the “good thing” is that he (the rich synagogue or Sanhedrin Council ruler [see Luke 18:18-23]) MUST do to receive eternal life, the Lord advises him that he had to do what God says he should do, meaning he must keep God’s Law. Once the young leader says that he has kept God’s Law, Jesus the Christ inserts: “If you want to give it all you’ve got…go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me” ~ Matthew 19:21, MSG. So therefore, just like the rich Jewish ruler walks away from the Lord with no intention to do what the Lord says is that which would make this man perfect in the eyes of God (cf. Matthew 19:22), most of today’s affluent Christians are walking away, daily, from doing that which would prove to them, and to God, that they are truly His children who are busy doing God’s business—who are busy carrying out the Perfect Will of their Father God.

Of course, many 21st-century Christians do serve the poor; however, when some of these Christians serve, their service often is more about feeling good about themselves than it is about loving the people they are serving. Furthermore, after serving the poor, many of these Christians often will boast about the good works they have done, which is their way of self-admiring themselves, putting themselves on pedestals upon which they are unworthy to stand.

Some of the worst of the kinds of “Christians” who serve the poor to make themselves look good are many of the mega-church pastors, many of these pastors’ pew sitters, and many of these pastors’ church board and/or trustee members. Lots of these mega-church “believers” will agree to spend millions of dollars on their beautiful edifices, with evangelistic windows—windows that say “come inside and see what we’ve done” instead of “go into the world and make disciples.” Plenty of these mega-church “believers” also will agree to spend some of those said millions on their ineffective outreach programs, which are meant to improve their so-called images rather than to meet the needs of the widows, the orphans, and the strangers in the community their particular mega-church serves. Indeed, many mega-church “Christians” usually don’t give a “rip” about their cities’ less fortunate, which is why they rarely ever have a personal relationship with the homeless, hungry, poorly clad, or other needy humans they serve. Why is this so? It is so, because serving the poor often is more about the natural highs and the warm fuzzies these counterfeit “Christians” get than about the seriously disadvantaged people they serve.

Any “believer” who approaches serving the poor the way that the “Christians” depicted in this article serve the poor is the very kind of “Christian” who ends up hurting, disappointing, neglecting, and even forgetting all about others in Christ, and/or the kind of “Christian” who treats the unsaved unbelievers the same way, especially if either the believer or the unsaved person is a less-fortunate individual! For sure, this kind of “Christian” either doesn’t serve the poor, or he or she isn’t REALLY serving the poor! The former is true primarily because this kind of “Christian” will ignore, neglect, and even forget all about someone he or she knows is in need, simply because this kind of “Christian” doesn’t want to be asked for money—he or she doesn’t want to be asked to give ANYONE some financial help; the latter is true because, even though this kind of “Christian” might give financial help, or food, or clothing, or housing; or even though he or she might be a friendly face on the other side of prison bars, or the voice in a warm phone call, or the writer of a thoughtful letter, this kind of “Christian” only is doing these so-called “good deeds” to make him or herself feel better about him or herself!

Thus, there can be no doubt that this kind of “Christian” is why calling someone a Christian or a believer in Christ today is the same as calling someone a “bad” name! No wonder so many genuine believers are more comfortable being around and being loved by their unsaved, upper lower to lower-lower class caring and generous individuals than they are happy being around or being in a relationship with so many of the institutional church’s bigheaded, uncaring, unloving, judgmental, thoughtless, money-loving, self-serving, favor-showing “Christians.”

For additional spiritual food on this topic, please read a few of my other entries:  Easier for a Camel to Pass Through Eye of Needle Hyperbole; Spiritually Fraudulent Body of Christ Members; and The Lord Invites ANYONE Who Hungers And Thirsts 

Is Your Conscience Under the Full Influence of Your Soul’s Enlightener and Your Spirit’s Sanctifier?

25 Thursday Aug 2011

Posted by in Spiritual

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

THEN PAUL, gazing earnestly at the council (Sanhedrin), said, Brethren, I have lived before God, doing my duty with a perfectly good conscience until this very day [as a citizen, a true and loyal Jew].  ~ Acts 23:1, AMP (the blue words are this blogger’s emphasis)

Therefore I always exercise and discipline myself [mortifying my body, deadening my carnal affections, bodily appetites, and worldly desires, endeavoring in all respects] to have a clear (unshaken, blameless) conscience, void of offense toward God and toward men. ~ Acts 24:16, AMP (the blue words are this blogger’s emphasis)

Conscience Affects Our Choices

Because God wants us to become the children He created us to be, He gives us the Holy Bible to make sure that our journey through this world is on the path that leads to holiness and righteousness (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16). To leave no doubt about whether or not we are able to walk the path God prefers, our Father also gives us His Holy Spirit, who reveals and teaches us the deeper spiritual understandings and spiritual applications of the Word of God, which is His Divine Guideline (God’s moral standard), that confirms when we are doing our Father’s Perfect Will. 

In fact, the Word of God makes it clear that only the Holy Spirit can quicken and illuminate the Scriptures for us, so we can understand and apply both the natural and spiritual Truths in them that pertain to the holy and righteous lifestyle we are to live each day. For this reason, our Daddy chooses His Holy Spirit to be the One to lead us into ALL Truth—Father God chooses His Holy Spirit to be our master teacher. 

One way that the Holy Spirit leads us into all Truth is by influencing our conscience; of course, we know that before we can be convicted of our sins, we must have a natural conscience—a moral sense of right and wrong; a natural (inherent/innate) urge to choose right over wrong. Now, although God gives everyone a conscience, He only gives us (His children) His Holy Spirit, who lives on the inside of us and helps us to interpret everything that our conscience is communicating. In other words, for us (believers), our conscience must become God’s voice speaking in our soul, advising us about what is morally right and morally wrong, and serving notice the second we commit a moral wrong. Consequently, God’s Holy Spirit is the only One who can make this spiritual transformation happen.

So then once we become a Christian believer, become a follower of Jesus the Christ (become the Lord’s disciple), we simultaneously are prompted to make the life-changing choice of allowing the Holy Spirit to be the primary influencer of our conscience, and the only sanctifier of our whole body (outer self), soul (inner self; mind, heart, personality, individuality, etc.), and spirit (innermost self). However, when we do not heed the Holy Spirit’s prompting and, instead, choose not to surrender to the Holy Spirit’s total control of our life, we can end up having a weak conscience—one that  easily can be swayed or influenced by other sources, because our conscience lacks spiritual knowledge, understanding, and wisdom (cf. 1 Corinthians 8:10); or we can end up having a defiled conscience—one that has been corrupted, despoiled by the sin(s) that we put up with, simply because we refuse to acknowledge what we are tolerating as sin(s) [cf. Titus 1:15]; or we can end up having an evil conscience—one that has mistaken wrong behavior for right conduct, because an evil conscience makes the line between what is morally right and what is morally wrong, indistinct (cf. Hebrews 10:22; see also Isaiah 5:20); and we eventually might end up with a seared conscience—one that no longer senses any moral wrongs, because a seared conscience is spiritually cauterized (insensible; no longer susceptible to moral influences); it is an unnatural conscience that especially is hardened against both the Gospel and God’s Law (cf. 1 Timothy 4:2).

Thus, in order to keep our conscience pure or good (cf. 1 Timothy 1:5), blameless (cf. Acts 24:16), and clear (cf. 2 Timothy 1:3), we must feed our minds with the Word of God. Then too, since the Holy Spirit’s ministry involves prompting us, leading us, and teaching us how to discern, in accordance with God’s moral standard, what is right from what is wrong, we willingly must let the Holy Spirit use the biblical information about God’s moral standard as the training material that educates our conscience about how to become sensitive and receptive to His voice, which is God’s voice.

For these reasons, there is no doubt that God also expects us to surrender (totally tune in) our conscience to the Holy Spirit’s voice, while He speaks into our quickened and illuminated conscience the accurate and proper morally good, blameless, and clear-conscience settings. Moreover, once we have yielded to the Holy Spirit’s control, He then leads us to respond appropriately to Him when He speaks into our heart for the purpose of testing whether our regulated conscience is spiritually discerning whether or not what our heart/spirit is receiving from the spirit world is God’s Divine Truth.

For the record, our heart/spirit is the center of all spiritual activities; therefore, our heart/spirit is the seat (the center of authority for) our soul’s mind, intellect, thoughts, rationale, determination, will, conscience, imaginations, and emotions; our heart/spirit is the innermost part of our whole being, which flows through our soul or inner self. This spiritual truth is why our unregenerate souls struggle with our born again and saved spirits, which have become spiritually holy, righteous, perfect, and sinless creatures. 

Because the Word of God warns us to check every spirit-world source (including our own spirit, the Holy Spirit, and any evil spirit) against the Spirit of God, we then need to understand how crucial it is that the Holy Spirit frequently tests what kind of spirit that is trying to influence our new spirit/new heart (cf. 1 John 4:1), because it is our soul that makes it possible for our spirit and our body to communicate and cooperate with one another. In other words, even though our spirit is that part of us which communicates with the spiritual world (with Father God, Jesus the Christ, and the Holy Spirit), and even though our body is that part of us which communicates with the natural world (what we see, touch, hear, smell, and taste), it is our soul (our mind, heart, personality, individuality, etc.) that is that part of us which stands between our spirit and our body, with the power to discern and the will to ultimately decide whether the spiritual or the natural world would reign in our soul. Put differently, our soul has the power to reject our spirit’s messages. Again, this spiritual truth is why our unregenerate souls struggle with our born again and saved spirits.

This above-stated spiritual truth is why the testing of every spirit is essential, because our unregenerate mind by nature, in accordance with the sinful old man/old woman nature that initially programmed our soul to think wrongly and/or sinfully, always has influenced/controlled which lies or which truths would flow from our unregenerate heart. As our Lord declares, our unregenerate hearts are deceitful, and this truth is why out of our hearts comes “…evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies,” and so forth (Matthew 15:19). That’s why God expects us to surrender to His Holy Spirit’s control, because the residual effect of our old sinful nature remains in our souls, even after our spirits/hearts have been born again and saved. The Divine Truth is that Holy Spirit is the only One who can quicken and illuminate the instruction, guidance, and Light (found in the Word of God) so that our conscience is able receive God’s moral standard and then apply His standard correctly to our daily living and to every one of our circumstances (via the daily renewing of our mind/soul) .

Furthermore, once the Holy Spirit quickens and illuminates our conscience, we no longer have that natural conscience that God gives to everyone. That’s why the Holy Spirit is then able to direct our conscience toward discerning each Divine Truth, as well as is able to influence our conscience to choose to allow each Divine Truth to flow out of our born again and saved heart.

To be exact, when our conscience is under the full influence of our soul’s Enlightener and our spirit’s Sanctifier (the Holy Spirit), our Holy Spirit quickened and illuminated conscience makes us aware of how foolish it was to walk “…in the vanity…” of our mind (Ephesians 4:17b). Consequently, our animated and enlightened conscience affects not only our choices about how we value and live our lives, and/or how we value other individuals and the way(s) they live their lives, but also our Holy Spirit quickened and illuminated conscience affects what we speak. For these reasons, especially the last one, our Holy Spirit quickened and illuminated conscience will influence us to choose to speak Divine Truths instead of lies, because we agree with God that lying is a moral wrong (a vanity).

In view of everything stated thus far, it should be obvious that the Holy Spirit is the only reliable One who can direct/guide us into all Truth, because our natural conscience isn’t ALWAYS a reliable guide, for our natural conscience only can tell us what is probably morally right or good. Unfortunately, our natural conscience cannot tell us WHAT is truly morally right or good. That’s why we should not let our natural conscience be our guide, for as believers, we ALWAYS must know for sure if what we consider to be morally right or morally wrong is based on God’s absolutely Divine Truths, or just based on our own relatively imperfect truths—based on our own ‘think so’ certainties. Put differently, it must be clear in our mind that our conscience has been accurately and properly regulated—has been set on pure/good, blameless, and clear.

Now, in Romans 9:1, the apostle Paul definitely is saying that it takes the Holy Spirit operating through his conscience to confirm whether his statements are Divine Truths; that is, the Holy Spirit is the One who testifies to whether or not what the apostle has said or is saying lines up with the Word of God. By extension, the apostle also is teaching us that, like him, we (believers) are more apt not only to speak God’s Divine Truths but also to make the right (moral) choices about how we value and live our lives, and the right (moral) choices about how we value other individuals and the way(s) they live their lives, when our own conscience is under the full influence of our soul’s Enlightener (the Holy Spirit) and our spirit’s Sanctifier (the Holy Spirit).

Therefore, we know that our own conscience is under the full influence of our soul’s Enlightener and our spirit’s Sanctifier, when we have such a noticeably firm understanding of God’s Divine Truths—when we constantly are speaking and applying those absolute Truths to the situations in our own life. We’ll also know that our own conscience is under the full influence of our soul’s Enlightener and our spirit’s Sanctifier, when we are so sensitive to the Holy Spirit, especially when He is convicting us about our sin against God (convicting us whenever our soul and body break God’s moral Law) so that we readily accept the Holy Spirit’s conviction and immediately acknowledge, confess, repent (change our mindset/thinking about) our sin, and seek God’s forgiveness. Lastly, we know when our own conscience is under the full influence of our soul’s Enlightener and our spirit’s Sanctifier, when we not only obediently apply the read and/or heard Scriptures in our own life but also willingly desire to benefit from (to mature spiritually from) that application.

Jumping on the Bandwagon

22 Monday Aug 2011

Posted by in Devotional

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

Jumping on the bandwagon is more of a secular trend than a Christian inclination, primarily because the world usually doesn’t care if the who or what people are following is morally right or wrong. Traditionally, thanks in part to P. T. Barnum and his workers with their meant to deceive razzmatazz of circus parade attractions, primarily their highly decorated bandwagons, we get today’s figurative meaning of ‘jumping on the bandwagon’—people joining (following, coming on board, getting behind, supporting) a growing movement, in favor of something or someone, just when that movement has become popular and/or successful.

While this trend might be the way of the world, believers should not follow any secular direction that tends to move toward the proud, selfish, and/or evil, not even if the “movement” promotes lofty ideas, nor if the person who is leading that “movement” has plenty of power and wealth. Instead, believers are to be followers of Jesus the Christ who demonstrated what it looks like to live and walk in love. Thus, the world’s ‘jumping on the bandwagon’ type of behavior often will be in opposition to sincere Christians’ comportment. That’s why God never is pleased with believers who take part in something that is ungodly, or who get behind someone who does not emulate or imitate the life of Jesus the Christ. Yet because of His Permissive Will, God often lets believers follow the crowd, and if the crowd ends up in a ditch, the Christians in the group might suffer the same misfortune. 

For these and other sound reasons, earnest Christians always should remain faithful and true to their commitment to follow only that which is holy and righteous. If true Christians must emulate or imitate “someone” or “something,” then that “someone” should be the Lord, and that “something” should be His life. The Lord lived a sinless life, and He went about doing “good.” His true followers, through the aid of the Holy Spirit, should do likewise.

Who are you following?  Are you following God?  When unsaved individuals look at your behaviors, do they see the actions and reactions that prove you are God’s?  AMEN.  

“Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God” (3 John v. 11, KJV).

The Lord Teaches to Forgive OTHERS but NEVER Teaches to Forgive OURSELVES

22 Monday Aug 2011

Posted by in Faith and Wisdom

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, ‘Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?’  Jesus replied, ‘Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.’ ~ Matthew 18:21-22, MSG

There are several unbiblical and therefore purely secular topics that many people should stop teaching and/or preaching about, and one of those subjects is Forgiving Ourselves. Why? Well, the primary reason is because the Holy Bible doesn’t have any verses in which we can find God or Jesus the Christ saying/teaching that we should forgive ourselves.

For sure, the Word of God only instructs us about ALWAYS forgiving others (what Jesus the Christ’s seventy times seven symbolizes), and this teaching also declares that forgiveness must come from the one against whom we have sinned. Because when we sin, we are breaking God’s Laws, then first and foremost we are sinning against God, and, according to God, we must seek forgiveness for our sin(s) from Him. For this reason, when we sin against a friend, relative, enemy, and so forth, God also commands us to first seek forgiveness from that person (or those persons) against whom we have sinned, and then we can ask God to forgive us for breaking His moral Laws, such as lying, cheating, coveting, killing, stealing, and so forth (cf. Matthew 6:14-15; Luke 6:37b). In other words, when we sin against a person (or persons), we not only need to ask for forgiveness from both that person (or persons) AND God, but also that person we have sinned against has to forgive us or God won’t forgive him or her!

Now, if we truly thought about what some people really are teaching, when they tell us to forgive ourselves, we would understand that what they are teaching is craziness. Indeed, forgiving ourselves is an insane act, because we can’t forgive ourselves, for to forgive ourselves means that we ask ourselves to forgive ourselves for the sin(s) we have committed against ourselves!

Not only is forgiving ourselves craziness, but also it is us giving ourselves the God-only authority to pardon and/or dole out judgment for our sin(s). Without a doubt, if we could forgive ourselves, then that would be like telling ourselves that our sins were okay, or that what we did wasn’t all that bad; in essence, what we would be saying, if we had the power and authority to forgive ourselves, is that we don’t need a Power higher than ourselves to forgive us—that we don’t need God! Now, that really is preposterous!

On the other hand, most people who teach and/or preach forgiving ourselves wisely have stated that we need to find a way to get on with our lives—emotionally moving forward while simultaneously acknowledging our sins (the hurts, destructions, tragedies, sorrows, et cetera) that we are responsible for committing. In other words, what most of the people who teach/preach that we should forgive ourselves are really saying is that, when we sin, we need to be released from the guilt of what we have done. Being released from the guilt, however, is not in any way the same thing as us forgiving ourselves, because, once again, forgiving ourselves not only is unbiblical but also impossible.

That’s why being released from guilt has to do with us knowing if God has or has not forgiven us for our sin(s), and this “knowing” only can begin with us coming to an understanding about there being no sin that God is unable to forgive us for, other than the unpardonable sin of not accepting Jesus the Christ as our Lord and Savior. Moreover, for those of us who are in Christ, being released from guilt has to do with us understanding and accepting that there is no sin that the Lord’s blood is unable to cleanse. Put differently, we can release the guilt that keeps us from emotionally moving on with our lives by working through (coming to a healthy [sound, rational] understanding about) the forgiveness that comes from God via Jesus the Christ.

Finally, if, because of the sins we have committed, we are living with regrets and are feeling like we never will get out from under the heavy guilt boulder that emotionally has crushed us, then we need to reach out to God, right now! After we turn to God, we then will need to accept the forgiveness He offers us, by realizing that only a just God can and will forgive us, when we confess our sins to Him. Even though He absolutely knows the severity of what we have done, it is because of Jesus the Christ’s atoning sacrifice that God is willing to forgive us. Consequently, after we know, understand, and accept God’s forgiveness, then we can experience what it feels like to be released from our guilt, and live a regret-free life in Christ.

LOGOS vs. RHEMA

19 Friday Aug 2011

Posted by in Bible Study

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

Just like there are many believers in Jesus the Christ who scoff at other believers in Jesus the Christ who have had Holy Spirit experiences that the scoffers have not had, like “falling in the Spirit,” “speaking in tongues,” and “performing miracles, signs and wonders,” there also are many believers in Jesus the Christ who scoff at other believers in Jesus the Christ who preach and teach about a LOGOS and a RHEMA Word of God. These scoffers fail to believe that there is a difference between the Word of God (LOGOS—that which gives general knowledge, general understanding and general wisdom about God) and the Word of God (RHEMA—that which God uses to impart His supernatural, post-resurrection Faith into a believer’s heart so that he or she then could be spiritually reborn, cleansed, saved, and justified, with the Spirit of Life living inside a believer, equipping him or her so that a believer is ready to receive spiritual insights about LOGOS, including that LOGOS which pertains to a believer’s specific circumstances). Furthermore, to prove that they (the scoffers) are right about there being no difference between LOGOS and RHEMA, they resort to the name-calling methods of hatefully labeling the people, who preach and teach this difference, as false teachers, false preachers, liars, heretics, deceivers, and so forth.

Be that as it may, the truth is that in the Greek language of the New Testament, there are two terms for WORD (Word of God), and those terms are LOGOS and RHEMA. Now, certainly, most people understand that in the English language there usually is only one term, yet that one term often has more than one denotation and/or connotation, like the noun “love.” However, in contrast, the Greek language is more exact, having precise terms that fit specifically expressed meanings. For example, in the Greek language, the noun “love” is either Agape (godly love), or Eros (sexual, emotional love), or Philos (brotherly love), or Storge (familial, motherly love), or Mania (obsessive, addictive love). Because “love,” for the Greeks, has these various meanings, in the Greek New Testament the precise Greek term is used to communicate the kind of “love” being expressed in scriptural verses.

For the above reasons, believers should keep in mind that God is the One who makes the distinction between LOGOS and RHEMA, because in His inspired Word He is the One who uses both LOGOS and RHEMA. For sure God knows that LOGOS is the God has “said” or has “spoken” Word, and RHEMA is the God “is speaking” or “is saying” Word. The point here is that even though every Word of God is God-breathed and, thus, God-inspired, the main reason why most believers do not get the deeper more spiritual meanings of His Word is because the Holy Spirit has not quickened and illuminated any scriptural verses for them so that these believers could receive the correct spiritual meanings that God wants these believers to apply in their daily walk with the Lord.

Consequently, it is important for believers to understand the difference between the two terms for WORD (Word of God): LOGOS and RHEMA. Now, LOGOS is Jesus the Christ, Who is the Living LOGOS (Living Word). LOGOS also is the entire spoken Word of God—the Mind of God, as revealed in the God-breathed, God-inspired Holy Bible (Old and New Testaments). The Apostle John supports these definitions of LOGOS, for he says:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:1, 14, KJV)

Put differently, LOGOS (the written Word of God) is a comprehensive survey, in that in every book of the Holy Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, the readers are provided basic information about God and THE WORD (Jesus the Christ)!

For this last reason, when people read LOGOS (the written Word of God), they only receive surface knowledge, surface understanding, and surface wisdom about God, His Son, His Holy Spirit, and God’s promises. Without a doubt, no one receives the deeper spiritual meanings and applications of God’s Word, just by reading LOGOS, because in LOGOS God has said that even believers need the Holy Spirit to illuminate the deeper mysteries of God that are hidden within LOGOS (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:10-14). Consequently, even the God-kind of supernatural, post-resurrection Faith, which comes from hearing RHEMA (cf. Romans 10:17), also cannot be received just by reading LOGOS, because if it could then everyone, both sinners and saints, would have this God-kind of supernatural, post-resurrection Faith—would have the measure of Faith that renews, cleanses, saves, and justifies!

Therefore, generally knowing, understanding, and having wisdom about God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in no way could mean that LOGOS and RHEMA are the same, because the read and/or preached LOGOS doesn’t always become RHEMA. The Divine Truth is that, even though LOGOS is given to everybody (to anyone who would read or listen to the preached LOGOS), RHEMA only is given to the believer who is waiting on the Holy Spirit to quicken and illuminate every read and/or preached portion of LOGOS, because only the Holy Spirit’s supernatural workings can turn LOGOS into a personal RHEMA for a believer (i.e., make the LOGOS spiritually alive and spiritually insightful for a child of God)!

That’s why RHEMA is the Word God IS speaking! RHEMA is when LOGOS, the God “spoken” Word, becomes RHEMA—the Word God IS Speaking to a particular individual. RHEMA is a verse or larger portion of LOGOS that the Holy Spirit quickens and then brings to a believer’s attention through illumination. Next, He applies that verse or larger portion of LOGOS to that specific believer’s current circumstance(s), or to his or her need for direction or clarity. Jesus the Christ supports these definitions of RHEMA, when He says: “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4, KJV). The Lord is saying that RHEMA is EVERY WORD that God IS speaking, either directly or indirectly, to someone. In other words, RHEMA is spiritual FOOD, a specific Word spoken to a specific person who is in a specific situation, like Jesus the Christ was, when He was in the wilderness and the devil was tempting Him!

Because RHEMA is spiritual food (spiritual insights) spoken to someone, it stands to reason that this someone must be born from above, cleansed, saved, and justified. This last statement means that the person who receives spiritually insightful RHEMA first must have received the God-kind of supernatural, post-resurrection Faith that renews, cleanses, saves and justifies. Now, according to Apostle Paul, this God-kind of supernatural, post-resurrection Faith ONLY comes through the foolishness of preaching (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:18, 21; Ephesians 2:4-8; Romans 5:1; and Luke writes about Faith that cleanses in Acts 15:9).

About this God-kind of supernatural, post-resurrection Faith, the apostle also says: “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17, KJV). In this verse, the Greek term RHEMA is the equivalent of the English term “word.” Thus, there can be no doubt that the God-kind of supernatural, post-resurrection Faith will cause the preached LOGOS to become RHEMA (become that God “is speaking” Word), which will lead not only to the new birth that takes place in every believer’s spirit but also to every believer’s salvation/justification. There also can be no doubt that this same God-kind of supernatural, post-resurrection Faith will cause any born from above and justified believer to receive the Holy Spirit’s animated and enlightened RHEMA, which conveys deeper spiritual insights and their vital spiritual applications to every believer who is waiting on the Holy Spirit to quicken and illuminate the read and/or preached LOGOS.

That’s why once certain verses or longer portions of LOGOS have come alive and personal (have become RHEMA) to a believer, the Holy Spirit then not only is able to burn that RHEMA into that believer’s soul (make that RHEMA indelible, impossible to remove, unforgettable) but also He is able to help that believer know that this RHEMA unequivocally applies to his or her specific situation(s). For this last reason, when God gives RHEMA for His children to act upon, He often confirms that RHEMA by providing a second RHEMA. The Apostle Paul supports this last statement when he writes that in “…the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word [RHEMA] be established” (2 Corinthians 13:1, KJV; the parenthetical emphasis is this writer’s).

Furthermore, Jesus the Christ also declares that: “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words [RHEMAS] that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63, KJV; again the parenthetical emphasis is this writer’s). Here, Jesus the Christ, the Living LOGOS, is saying that His RHEMAS, the words that He, the Living LOGOS, is speaking to His disciples, must be spiritually understood, and so should the eternal life His RHEMAS promise. In essence, THE LOGOS is speaking RHEMAS by uttering Old and New Testament portions of LOGOS that have been quickened (made alive) and illuminated by the Holy Spirit. Without a doubt, the Lord is saying that even His RHEMAS are really the Lord, through the aid of the Holy Spirit, ministering THE LOGOS (Himself . . . THE GOSPEL) to them.

Taking into consideration all of the above, it now should be clear to believers that the God-given Faith that comes from hearing RHEMA, which God IS speaking to them, also will prompt believers to receive salvation, the Holy Spirit’s supernatural power to perform miracles, signs and wonders, and His supernatural experiences like “falling in the Spirit,” “speaking in tongues,” and so forth (see Luke 1:37, KJV; also see Hebrews 1:3). Please note that in the King James Version of Luke 1:37, “nothing” is the Greek word RHEMA (that which is being uttered); hence, the sense in this verse is that NO RHEMA (no thing) is void of God’s supernatural power, because no thing (NO RHEMA . . . nothing) God is speaking is impossible for God to accomplish!

Having said that, it is important to note here that since the Holy Spirit of God (the Spirit of Life) is the ONE who quickens dead sinners’ spirits, then perhaps the real reason why so many people who call themselves Christians never have had the Holy Spirit’s supernatural power to perform miracles, signs and wonders, and/or never have experienced His supernatural “falling in the Spirit” or “speaking in tongues” handiwork might be because they also have not heard that extraordinary RHEMA that produces the God-kind of supernatural, post-resurrection Faith in them. Surely, this God-kind of supernatural, post-resurrection Faith, which works together with God’s Grace and the Holy Spirit to give new life, salvation/justification, spiritual gifts, supernatural power, and supernatural authority to those who believe in Jesus the Christ, ONLY comes from hearing RHEMA—from hearing a God IS SPEAKING Word!

Lastly, there definitely is a difference between LOGOS and RHEMA. God certainly speaks continuously to His children through His LOGOS, giving them spiritual insights into His LOGOS, but God does so ONLY by way of His Holy Spirit, rather than with the help of anyone’s intellect, book knowledge, higher education, talents, and so forth. In other words, ALL believers need God’s Holy Spirit to make certain passages stand out with significant spiritual meanings and imperative spiritual applications for their lives. These key passages that have spiritually important meanings and spiritually essential applications for believers’ lives are the RHEMAS (the manifold “is speaking” Word) of LOGOS (the “said” Word, as presented in the Holy Bible), and these RHEMAS should be experienced daily by every believer. 

It Is Very Meaningful, When God Speaks A Name Twice

19 Friday Aug 2011

Posted by in Bible Study

≈ 34 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


In the Holy Bible, when God called a person or a city’s name twice, each occasion immediately was elevated to one of great biblical importance to that person and that city involved. For example, in the Old Testament, when Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Isaac, God called out to him, “Abraham! Abraham!” (cf. Genesis 22:11, KJV); when Israel was in old age and moving to Egypt, at the invitation of his lost son, God called Israel’s birth name twice, “Jacob, Jacob” (cf. Genesis 46:2; see also Genesis 35:9-15, KJV); when God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, He called out, “Moses! Moses!” (cf. Exodus 3:4, KJV); and when God called Samuel’s name twice (cf. 1 Samuel 3:10, KJV), it happened after He had called out to him two other times, but Samuel had mistaken God’s voice for that of Eli’s. In each of these instances, especially the last one, most people say that God uses the double salutation because He wants to get that person’s attention.

Perhaps getting someone’s attention is a true reason for these aforesaid double calls, because there is no doubt that after each time God used the double hailing of Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and Samuel’s name, He had something vitally important to say to them. In the case of Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and Samuel, the significance of each double call respectively pertains to Abraham becoming the father of Jacob (Israel) and the father of Faith; to Jacob becoming Israel, which is God’s chosen name for His chosen people, and God’s chosen name for Jacob, which God changed to Israel at Bethel; to Moses becoming the nation of Israel’s deliverer and the giver of the Law; and to Samuel becoming the first in a line of prophets who faithfully would bring God’s Word to His people. For sure, all four of these Old Testament individuals were key people in Israel’s history, and this truth no doubt is why God’s redoubling of their names happened at the key turning points in their lives.

Getting people’s attention because the Lord had something momentous to tell them is also why, in the New Testament, Jesus the Christ’s redoubling of names has biblical significance. In the Sermon on the Mount, the Olivet Discourse, and two other times, when Jesus the Christ was making a crucial point to His disciples and the multitudes, He repeated, “Lord, Lord” (cf. Matthew 7:21-22, 25:11, KJV; Luke 6:46; 13:25, KJV); when Martha was upset with Mary for not helping her prepare the big dinner for Jesus the Christ, who was visiting with them, the Lord called out to her, “Martha, Martha” (cf. Luke 10:41, KJV); when, after the Lord’s Last Supper, the Lord predicted Peter’s denial, He called out to him, “Simon, Simon” (cf. Luke 22:31, KJV); when Jesus the Christ was on the Cross and it was the ninth hour, just moments before the Lord said “it is finished,” He cried out to God, “Eloi, Eloi” (cf. Mark 15:34); when Saul was on his way to Damascus to arrest and put in chains any followers of the Way so that he could bring them back to Jerusalem to stand trial, the Lord called out to him, “Saul, Saul” (cf. Acts 9:4); and when the Lord expressed His intense emotions for Jerusalem, which had become a wicked city, even though God intended for it to be His holy city, Jesus the Christ called out, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem” (cf. Matthew 23:37 and Luke 13:34). In each of these instances, the Lord uses the double salutation in a time and in a situation when it was urgent for Him to say (or teach) something that was critically important.

The central importance of each of Jesus the Christ’s double calls concerns the perfection of Divine order, in particular, the completion of the perfect cycle of ten repeated names—seven redoubling of names spoken directly to seven different individuals (four Old Testament and three New Testament people), and three redoubling of names spoken in connection with Jesus the Christ’s ministry. Thus, in the New Testament, this Divine order was completed and perfected after Jesus the Christ spoke His double calls.

For sure, through the Lord’s redoubling of names believers learn that the significance of each double call respectively pertains to His Way followers becoming the first of those who would be so sold out for Jesus the Christ that they no longer would give Him lip service with their ‘Lord, Lord’ but would call Him ‘Lord’ because they would be doing the Will of the Father, which began with loving God with all of their heart; to Martha becoming like Mary, who experienced Jesus the Christ’s ultramodern radicalness (His teaching/discipling of a woman who sat at His feet, for in the Lord’s day a Jewish Rabbi only would teach/disciple males); to Peter becoming the firm and solid little “rock” built on the massive ROCK foundation of Jesus the Christ, for the redoubling of Simon’s name was primarily to accentuate the weaker part of his nature—Simon the big fisherman’s wishy-washy nature—rather than to draw attention to the strong, emotional, and bold part of Simon Peter’s nature; to God becoming glorified through His ONLY begotten Son’s completion of Father God’s Will (Jesus the Christ becoming the substitute Lamb whose atoning sacrifice would authorize Him as the ONLY ONE who could pardon the world’s past, present, and future sins); to Saul becoming the greatest Christian missionary of the Gospel, in spite of the fact that he started out as the greatest Jewish persecutor of the Way followers; and to Jerusalem becoming a city that not only would reject God’s messengers but also would slay them, including Jesus the Christ.

All six of the abovementioned key incidents are included in Israel’s history. More important, the three individuals to whom the Lord directly speaks the double calls each play major roles in the history of the Body of Christ, which is why Jesus the Christ’s redoubling of Martha, Simon, and Saul’s names happens at the key turning points in their lives!

As mentioned earlier, when God called a person or a city’s name twice, each occasion immediately was elevated to one of great biblical importance to that person and that city involved. Furthermore, this biblical importance also affects those of us who have come to Christ by Grace through Faith. That’s why we need to be able to answer these questions: Do we truly understand the significance of the double call? Are we listening (paying close attention) to God’s voice, so as to hear Him when He speaks to us? Has He called out to us with a redoubling of our individual names, and if so what does His double call say about our roles as Body of Christ members?

The Most Powerful Two Words: Collected from My Facebook Statuses (Before I Cancelled My Account)

16 Tuesday Aug 2011

Posted by in Spiritual

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

Two words: Spiritually Dead!

Sinners are spiritually dead (spiritually unreceptive to God; spiritually separated from God). Before sinners can become spiritually receptive to God’s Salvation plan, the Holy Spirit first has to quicken their spirit (make them spiritually alive again)—He has to give them a born from above second birth so that they can see the Kingdom of God (see Christ).

Two words: Open Door!

Through Christ, who is God’s Open Door, God invites EVERY sinner to come and receive the TOTAL work by which He saves each sinner from sin—the three stages of Salvation: Justification (saved from the penalty of sin), Sanctification (being saved from the power of sin), and Glorification (to be saved in the future from the presence of sin).

Two words: Born Again!

Being born again is solely God’s work, which His Holy Spirit makes happen. So, no Sinner’s Prayers, no rededication vows, no confessed sins, no live-better decisions, NOTHING people do or say can influence their new birth; only the Holy Spirit can make people a new creature—make them no longer dead in sins and no longer spiritually blind.

Two words: God’s Faith!

GRACE alone does not save us. FAITH is the other essential factor. Surely, it is God’s FAITH in us that renews us, cleanses us, saves us, and justifies us. God’s measure of supernatural, post-resurrection FAITH also makes it possible for us to please Him. Thus, God’s FAITH works preternaturally in us because of the Holy ONE who gave His Faith to us!

Two words: God’s Business!

God is in the business of saving souls, and this is a three-part process (Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification). Even though God has forgiven our sins, only our “spirit” is given new life. That’s why God’s business is about spiritually maturing our spirits, souls, and bodies so that we accurately model Christ’s Good News to a hurting and dying world.

Two words: Be Holy!

If we’re not living holy, then it won’t matter how many “be better” common-sense instructions we follow, because none of them has any power to produce holy living in us! ONLY when we work in cooperation with God’s Holy Spirit can we ever hope to be holy, and being holy far exceeds the very best life-improvement results there are!

Two words: Let God!

Only after we have accepted the reality that God’s faith, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, guidance, healing, etc., are ever-present and ever-available can we then totally surrender our desires, hopes, indeed, our whole life, and LET GOD fill our every void, our every emptiness with His new desires, hopes, light, and life—His Divine Presence.

Two words: God’s Favor!

Most people think that being blessed means having big homes, expensive cars, designer clothing, and/or plenty of money in the bank. However, to God, being blessed means having GOD’S FAVOR upon you so that when you praise Him, especially when it looks like you’ll never be prosperous, your worship causes God’s Favor to make a way for you out of no way!

Two words: But God!

In all of the Scriptures that we find BUT GOD, we are given extraordinarily GOOD NEWS—God has brought to pass the greatest GOOD from what was meant by humans, or even Satan himself, to be the greatest evil. The greatest GOOD NEWS is God’s redemptive process establishes Jesus as the ONLY way to righteous and HOLY living!