Mankind has been worshiping something or someone since the beginning of time. Why people today think because we have technology that this fact has changed is mind boggling. Nothing has changed, we all worship something. What is true since the dawn of time is the fact that when people are left to themselves, they treat religion like a buffet. "Everyone does what is right in their own eyes". Many treat the Bible or other religious texts like a buffet, "Give me a side of blessings, hold the repentance, and leave out hell, and give me a side order of karma." The world rejects the message that there is only one way to heaven. It defies humanistic logic. We want choices, we think the more choices we have the better off we will be, but the facts dispute this. Actually having more choices is detrimental to peace and security. The more choices you have, the more confused you are, you are delayed more in making decisions, and you are never satisfied because you are wanting "the next thing". That is what the advertisers count on, you not being satisfied with what you have, no, to be "happy", you need the next new thing, the bigger, faster, prettier, richer, different thing. That is why so many are 'unhappy'. They have bought into the lie that the goal of human life is to be happy and that doing what ever you want, getting material things is what will make you happy. If having material goods makes people happy, why are millions suffering from depression, suicidal thoughts/actions? The truth is nothing in this world will lead to true happiness. "Vanity, Vanity, Vanity, all is Vanity"-Ecclesiastes 12:8. What is most important is to fear God and keep His commandments. This is what leads to true happiness. "ENTER BY THE NARROW GATE; FOR WIDE IS THE GATE AND BROAD IS THE WAY THAT LEADS TO DESTRUCTION, AND THERE ARE MANY WHO GO IN BY IT." Jesus Matthew 7:13 BROAD OR NARROW CHOOSE THIS DAY WHICH WAY YOU WILL GO
There is going to be a Day of Judgment, and God will judge everyone who has ever lived, His wrath is going to poured out on all the wicked and ungodly. The eyes of the unrepentant wicked need to be opened and the ears unplugged so they can see and hear the truth. The Good News is Salvation is a free gift from God, anyone who will believes will know and have a real relationship with the true God. You can't work for it or buy because the price has already been paid with the Blood of Jesus Christ and Believing in Jesus gets us into the Kingdom of God and saves us from the righteous wrath of God. But that is not all, He gives us a new heart and mind NOW, and we receive some of His blessing from heaven NOW and are equipped to be able to live a life that is holy and acceptable to Him NOW. 1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave. 2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus. 3. Confess that Jesus is your Lord and God 4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ. This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived. Bible verses related to this post: Judges 17:6, Matthew 7:13-14; John 14:6; Revelation Chapter 13 and 14; Ecclesiates Chapter 12 References: "Making choices impairs Subsequent Self Control" by Kathleen D.Vohs
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Today we are bombarded with all kinds of messages about trying to live longer. Billions of dollars are spent on health programs, youth serums, people spend trillions of dollars on cosmetic surgery/supplements to try to maintain a youthful body, men and women dye their graying hair. It is true that people are living longer than in the past, but are they better off? Not according to the research on human aging. People are living past 50 years old, but they are living with all kinds of life impacting diseases, which negatively affects their quality of life. It is amazing how much time people spend obsessing about this life, when life on this earth is only a few years compared to thousands of years. Everyday, every hour someone dies, people live to 50, 60 years old, some die as babies/children, and right now the oldest person on record is 117 years old. But again, time has not stopped, and it will continue to tick along, so what happens after the 117, 50, 60 or any other year? Christians are not to follow the fad of this perishing world, worrying about this life. Jesus said, in Matthew Chapter 6,verse 27 "Which of you worrying can add one a single hour to spare his life?" It is a rhetorical question, because the answer is NONE. No human being can change or control when they will die. A person can diet, exercise, avoid all dangerous activities, but they still will have an appointment with death. Why am I talking about this? Why not a message on "prosperity" and "happiness", and "good living", the "blessings of God". There are plenty of those 'feel good' messages, not much talk about the other truths that many ignore. Many, that includes many pastors, preachers, theologians, Christian apologists, don't like to talk about hell, which is interesting when Jesus talked about that place quite often. "I don't want to scare people." is the often excuse. Many pastors admit that they don't talk about hell because that makes people leave their church,because they don't want to hear about 'hell'. It is a sad day when the 'whole' counsel of God is watered down to keep 'butts in seats' rather than being sure there are souls headed for heaven. Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Holy Lamb. AND THE SMOKE OF THEIR TORMENT ASCENDS FOREVER AND EVER, AND THEY HAVE NO REST DAY OR NIGHT, WHO WORSHIP THE BEAST AND HIS IMAGE, AND WHOEVER RECEIVES THE MARK OF HIS NAME. Revelations 13: 9-11. They have no rest, day or night. This is true even now-those who are alive, those who reject Christ and by default worship the beast, Satan. They have no rest day or night now in this short life. See the prostitutes on the streets at all times of day and night, see the hustlers spending all their time trying to get the next score, the drug addicts, how all their activities revolve around obtaining using substances, some go days without any sleep, just searching for their next fix. The gang members who have to stay vigilant against their enemies. Those who want to have sex outside of marriage, they get heart break after heart break, they too lose sleep, are unhappy, and miserable, to the point some even take their own lives and lives of others because of their pain. THEY HAVE NO REST DAY OR NIGHT now and they won't have any rest when they die if they don't repent. I have seen funerals of people who have lived wicked lives and how at their eulogies people make statements like, "They are 'resting in peace' now, they are "rocking in heaven now". All baseless and worthless epitaphs to make people falsely believe that they are in a better place. Jesus gave a picture of what happens when people die in the story of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke Chapter 16 verses 19 through 31. Lazarus went to paradise where he was at rest, while the rich person went to Hades, where he had no rest and was tormented all day and night. Many think this was just a metaphor, not a real story. Either you believe or you don't, but it would behoove you to really think about why did Jesus warn often about living a life of wickedness that would make you end up in a place where this there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, a place of utter torment and everlasting destruction? There is going to be a Day of Judgment, and God will judge everyone who has ever lived, His wrath is going to poured out on all the wicked and ungodly. The eyes of the unrepentant wicked need to be opened and the ears unplugged so they can see and hear the truth. The Good News is Salvation is a free gift from God, you can't work for it or buy because the price has already been paid with the Blood of Jesus Christ and Believing in Jesus gets us into the Kingdom of God and saves us from the righteous wrath of God. But that is not all, He gives us a new heart and mind NOW, and we receive some of His blessing from heaven NOW and are equipped to be able to live a life that is holy and acceptable to Him NOW.
1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave. 2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus. 3. Confess that Jesus is your Lord and God 4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ. This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived. Bible verses related to this post: Matthew 6:27; Revelations 13:9-11; Luke 16: 19-31; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; Matthew 13:50; Mark 9:43 references: https://www.nia.nih.gov/research/publication/global-health-and-aging/new-data-aging-and-health; http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/11/29/worlds-oldest-living-person-italy-117-emma-morano/94619290/ I sit here watching the commentaries and news stories about all the most hot topics today. What is amazing and mind boggling is the fact, today, people 'talk' about freedom of speech, but when it comes to free speech, that is only for some groups. Some sects of people. It is "against the law" to have your own opinion today and people are ready to act as arresting officer, prosecutor, judge, and jury, if you voice an opinion contrary to the masses. You are not given the same right to what you believe, no, if you say you support Trump, or support marriage is supposed to be between a man and a woman, that the unborn baby needs to be protected from evil corporations like Planned Parenthood, or that the US needs to fix the immigration system and set up COMMON SENSE regulations to protect America from those who clearly and have verify-ably stated their goal is to infiltrate the whole world and take over the whole world, and they enter into 'free' countries under the guise of "peace" but back in their homeland, they are cutting off people's heads, hanging people, burning people alive, destroying property, cutting off women's breasts, kidnapping young girls raping them and forcing them into marriage, all under the name of ISLAM or some other false religion- oh, but the one's leaving their country are the 'good' Muslims and they just want to be able to practice their belief in peace, but is that a fact? Is it fact that when the Muslims come to America or any other western country do they just practice their religion in peace, or do they start to ask for Sharia Law instead of the law of land they are residing, or do they start to demand special privileges because of their religion? or do their 'members' engage in killing sprees, unprovoked, on unsuspecting innocent people all in the name of Islam? Why are the stories of 'refugees' raping and terrorizing those towns overseas and now those countries are trying their hardest to get them out not on every news channel? Germany declared a crisis on Islamic refugees raping of German woman AND CHILDREN, a breakdown in social order. Surely these stories are not really happening, because if it was, the people in America would rise up to protest placing the country in harm...no this it not the case, they are marching to let them in, under the belief that America is different than Germany or any other country, that America can control them or the unrealistic belief that they are 'peaceful'. And if you are someone who supports keeping those kind of people out, get ready to be called every kind of derogatory name, vilified, ridiculed, and hated on even to the point of physical violence. "Toto, I don't think we are in Kansas, anymore." I feel like a character in a fantasy movie, because I can't help but think, are the way things are now real, surely we are not this far gone left, actually beyond left, we have entered a new dimension of ridiculousness. If you are 'dark skinned' in America and you support Trump, you are automatically lumped in with the Klu Klux Klan, every hate group, a bigot, 'uncle tom', and they do all they can to attack your 'intelligence'. If you support the Constitution of America, you are 'stuck in the past' and need to 'get with the times'. The "times" I see are the democracy of America is becoming the Socialist America. The masses believe the lies from the evil media, the government reports that the unemployment rate is 4.7%, that 96% of people in America are working. Oh, we can believe what our government tells us, because they are trustworthy, they are honorable, they don't lie, they don't cheat...oh wait, that is my fantasy, we have a government full of backdoor illegal deals, the good ole boy system, the more money you have you can get your way, lying, cheating are the most common virtues to be a government official. If you believe that 96% of people are working/or financially supported, you need to check yourself into a psychiatric inpatient facility. Right now on Fox, they are showing the protests at the airport, with signs, "We love our Muslim neighbors". They love them because they are not shooting them or cutting their heads off. Do we have current proof of what happens when those who believe in Islam take over a town/country? Yes we do, Muslims as a group are not 'inclusive', it is covert to Islam or die. RIGHT NOW any other religion that is not Islam in Egypt is nearly extinct, and those who remain, largely Christians, are systematically persecuted, harassed, abused, their daughters kidnapped, their property confiscated, houses burned down, but Islam is a religion of peace. It is so sad how many are so blind. Their goal is to spread Islam around the world, but I am no surprised because the bible tells us that Satan will deceive many through 'peace'. The Muslims coming to America are the "peaceful ones". There are millions of refugees all over the world, that are supposed to be 'running' away from the 'bad Muslims', but something that has been repeated over and over, IF the majority of Muslims are 'peaceful WHY are they not fighting back against the 'smaller' bad Muslims? And why are their own practicing Muslim countries not taking their own people?? Everyone can have an opinion, as long as you agree with what ever they believe, but if you dissent, you are the enemy. If you are black but don't support Obama, you are traitor, if you are black and don't support the Black Lives Matter movement, you are a traitor. If you are Christian and say anything about sin-especially homosexuality, you are racist, judgmental, bigot. But if we were to respond in like kind calling those who disagree with us "white washed tombs, wolves in sheep clothing, wicked, lawless, anti-christs, selfish, haters, the damned, foolish, unnatural, abominations, worthless, stupid, naive, gullible" OH watch out! Now you, the Christian, are being judgmental, and hypocritical. Christians do not hate Muslims, Homosexuals, fornicators, liars, murderers, child molesters, rapists, thieves, Buddhist, Communists, Socialists, or any other sect or religion, but that does not mean we agree with their lifestyle and Christians are commanded to TELL THE TRUTH to the whole world. What is clear that the world is most definitely under the deception of Satan is the one religion that ACTUALLY that supports COEXISTING is the one religion that the world rejects. Hindu's, Buddhists, Communists, Muslims, fake Christians- kill in the name of their religion. True Christianity says to 'turn the other cheek, let yourself be cheated, used' and to SHAKE THE DUST OFF YOU FEET, meaning when you tell someone about the gospel, if they don't believe then you MOVE ON, you don't KILL them for not believing! It was wrong for the Catholic church to torture and kill those who would not covert to Catholicism, it is wrong for ANY people/person/government to KILL others in the name of their religion. True Christianity is the only PEACEFUL religion. But of course the world is blind to this fact, so we have what have, they hate Christians, and love those who have hurt/killed/used/abused others. Go figure. I counsel many different people and a common response I get when I offer solutions to their problems, they say, "I don't want anything to do with God or the Bible". They are struggling with depression, anxiety, hopelessness, relationship problems, but they don't want the real answers to their problems. The fact is they want to learn how to be happy living in sin. There is no such thing. "But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith and FOLLOWING AFTER DECEITFUL SPIRITS AND DOCTRINES OF DEMONS." 1 Timothy 4:1. The bible says that when you reject God, you are a slave to sin, and Satan is a hard task master. Time is the teller of truth. When the war that is experienced in other parts of the world comes knocking on America's door, all those who were against moral standards, righteous rules, common sense regulations, please don't cry then. That is something I don't understand. You do what you want to do because 'it's your body', 'it's your life', but when the consequences of living contrary to God come, THEN you want to cry out, "God save me" or "Why did this happen to me?" When that time comes, God will have closed the door on His mercy, only His wrath for all the ungodliness and what is doubly/trippely sad, that even when God releases the demons from hell to torment those who took the mark of the beast, and sends down hail, and all the other judgments, the people will STILL reject God. The Bible written so long ago predicted the very specific things that are happening before our very eyes. The Bible says that in the last days, they will not endure sound doctrine-this prophecy is being fulfilled now. People will be lovers of self and haters of good-this prophecy is fulfilled. Anti-Christs will rise in the name of 'god' and kill those who disagree with them in the name of their 'god'-this prophecy has been fulfilled. Men will have sex with men and women will do they same-this prophecy has been fulfilled. There would be a form of 'godliness', but not really the real God, this has has been fulfilled. So many other prophecy's have been fulfilled. There is nothing left but the revealing the head honcho of evil, Satan. We could see Him in our life time. That is why if you call yourself a Christian, you must stay ready, you must stay focused on the main goal, run to get the prize, purpose in your heart now to stand up not cave in the pressure, don't give in to the pressure to conform. You may be the only 'sane' one in a crowd of a thousand, but that is okay, Jesus said that the world will hate His own, so don't be surprised, when they hate you, when they revile and gossip, and vilify you. They hated Jesus and what He said too.
There is going to be a Day of Judgment, and God will judge everyone who has ever lived, His wrath is going to poured out on all the wicked and ungodly. The eyes of the unrepentant wicked need to be opened and the ears unplugged so they can see and hear the truth. The Good News is Salvation is a free gift from God, you can't work for it or buy because the price has already been paid with the Blood of Jesus Christ and Believing in Jesus gets us into the Kingdom of God and saves us from the righteous wrath of God. But that is not all, He gives us a new heart and mind NOW, and we receive some of His blessing from heaven NOW and are equipped to be able to live a life that is holy and acceptable to Him NOW. 1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave. 2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus. 3. Confess that Jesus is your Lord and God 4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ. This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived. Bible verses related to this post: Thessalonians, 2 Timothy 3:1-2; Matthew 24:11, Matthew 24:9; Matthew 24:9; 1 John 2:18; 1 Timothy 4:1; Revelation 16:11, Revelation 9:21; John 8:33-36; Matthew 10:14 references: http://www.tradingeconomics.com/united-states/unemployment-rate https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8663/germany-migrants-rape http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/12/22/islamic-state-urges-attacks-us-churches-during-holidays/95746982/ http://global-security-news.com/2016/12/23/coptic-christians-killed-in-egypt-islamists-slaughter-inside-a-christian-holy-place/ http://heavy.com/news/2016/12/all-isis-islamic-state-terrorist-attacks-2016-list-countries-casualties-count-pictures/ http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/01/14/christian-persecution-reaches-global-historic-high-thanks-to-rise-of-radical-islam/ Why do we continue to do things that hurt us? Are we born masochists? What got me thinking of this blog post was I love popcorn. I can eat a whole large bag of popcorn in one setting. I had bought a new brand of kettle popcorn, it was a big bag. I started to eat it and found that I really did not like the flavor, but I kept on eating it anyway, even when I could feel that I was full. I was thinking, "it's popcorn, I don't want to waste any." Afterwards, it left a funny taste in my mouth and an upset stomach. I went to sleep but woke up in the middle of the night thinking to myself, "Why did I continue to eat that popcorn even though it did not taste good?" Immediately, the Holy Spirit spoke to me, (not literally), "This is what sin is." Satan loves to tempt us with our fleshly desires and they look and taste good. All of Satan's weapons appeal to the three main problems that plague mankind-lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. You have only to turn on your TV set, cruise the magazine aisles/internet, go to a bar/restaurant, go through the rich neighborhoods, and any entertainment venue and you see the bought lies and temptations of the enemy on display. The lie of the devil is summed up like this, "Satisfy your flesh and you will be happy." No where is the message more stated than in the clubs and bars around the world. The neon/flashing lights, the dark atmosphere, the alcoholic drinks are so vividly displayed in various colors with adornments; everything looks 'cool' and 'free', and 'fun'. "Drink, be merry, have a good time, there are no worries, live for today, do what feels good." But what's behind the bright lights and colorful cocktails is hidden, they don't display all the heart ache, pain, and suffering that comes with gratifying the flesh. "The wages of sin is death." This truth is ignored and the lie is believed by so many as proven by the millions of addicts to drugs/alcohol, pornography, gambling, sex, food, lies, and money. If being rich and famous makes you happy, why are so many rich people killing themselves? If taking God out of the schools, courts, and homes makes people happy, why is there a young girl or boy sexually/physically/emotionally/verbally abused every minute around the world? If following the worlds' recommendation for relationships (no need to marry, living together before marriage is good, monogamy is outdated-promiscuity is the way to go) works so well, Why is the divorce rate over 60%? Sexually transmitted diseases are an all time high? Millions of single men and women depressed and suicidal over breakups and feeling lonely or think they need can't survive without another person? Drugs and alcohol are one of Satan's best tools for stealing souls. "Take this, it will make you happy and feel good and take away all your problems." It seems like daily we get some new report about the epidemic of opiate abuse related deaths. Why are young people who are born in the United States, Canada, countries that are supposedly rich and have every comfort known to man, taking substances that are killing themselves? What are they trying to escape from? Why is America the land of the brave, the free, and the obese? There is a restaurant on nearly every block. There are reality shows on who can eat the most food. There are reality shows on food, cooking, cooking contests. When you go to a restaurant your servings are four times a normal serving of food, and we eat the whole plate to include appetizers and desserts. Gluttony is now called, a "thyroid" problem. Over eating is now called an, "impulse control" problem. What ever the issue is-eating, drugs/alcohol/sexual immorality, it all points to the same problem-sin. Living a sinful lifestyle is being enslaved to the darkness. A slave has no choice, they must obey their master and Satan is hard slave master. He makes you eat the poison and when you throw it up he makes you eat the the vomit too. As a counselor,I hear too often the desperate cries of the lost, they want to get off the roller coaster from hell, but they don't want to do it God's way. They want to stop doing the drugs, they even say they don't even like the drugs anymore but they can't stop; they don't like the way they make them feel, but they can't stop. They don't like the empty existence of just sleeping around with multiple partners, lonely, unloved, their bodies just used up like trash to be thrown away, but they can't stop; They want to stop gambling their life's savings, they don't like that they are homeless, they don't like that they are afraid, depressed, anxious, jealous, rejected, but they won't make the decisions they need to address their sinful lifestyles. They don't understand what it means to be an enemy of God. They basically want to learn how to be 'happy' living a life of sin. They want the blessings of God but don't want to obey Him. Unmarried couples living together, the girl is angry at her boyfriend for having sex with another girl. Why? They are not married, virtues like 'faithfulness, loyalty" don't come from the world. The virtues of the world are survival of the fittest, there is no right or wrong, humans are just molecules, there is no such thing as monogamy. What they don't understand is that all humans are born with free will, the knowledge of good and evil. Every human has a choice to accept or reject God. Every human is born with the capacity for good and evil. In relationships because we are born with knowledge of good, we expect our partners to be faithful, but this contradicts the worldly view. What these people don't understand is they are wanting 1 Corinthian's 13 kind of love, but this kind of love is only for believers. You are NOT going to get 'long suffering' 'unselfishness' 'bearing all things' in the world. The world is selfish, self serving, self seeking. It's perfectly normal to be unfaithful in ungodly relationships. But they continue to engage in sinful relationships expecting different results, but end up with the same useless, unloving, hurtful engagements, they want to stop, but can't. Atheists believe you can have rules without God, but that does not any sense what so ever. Either there are true right and wrongs or there aren't.
I will finish with the truth's of why we can't stop sinning without believing in God and His Son Jesus Christ:
There is going to be a Day of Judgment, and God will judge everyone who has ever lived, His wrath is going to poured out on all the wicked and ungodly. The eyes of the unrepentant wicked need to be opened and the ears unplugged so they can see and hear the truth. The Good News is Salvation is a free gift from God, you can't work for it or buy because the price has already been paid with the Blood of Jesus Christ and Believing in Jesus gets us into the Kingdom of God and saves us from the righteous wrath of God. But that is not all, He gives us a new heart and mind NOW, and we receive some of His blessing from heaven NOW and are equipped to be able to live a life that is holy and acceptable to Him NOW. 1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave. 2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus. 3. Confess that Jesus is your Lord and God 4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ. This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived. Bible verses related to this post: Romans 6:23; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Romans 8:7; John 3-17-19; Romans 7:14-25 references: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/fentanyl-bc-deaths-november-tally-622-so-far-2016-1.3901731 Today the world of religion is completely divided. And there is no more divided religion than Christianity. Now true Christianity is not a religion, it's a relationship with the One and Only True God. I use the term religion just as comparison label for this post. What is astounding to me is today, when preachers and teachers go out into the streets and highways and the college campuses, that people who call themselves "Christians", say that they are wrong for telling people about hell and what sins send a person to hell. This phenomena is not new. People in the dark have been 'throwing stones' at God's people since the beginning. Throwing stones is accusing someone of doing something wrong. David, who was chosen to be king by God over Saul, was fleeing his son Absalom in 2 Samuel Chapter 16 when a man from the family of Saul named Bahurim, came out cursing and throwing stones at David and all his people, incorrectly accusing David of stealing the kingdom from Saul and that Davids's problems were because of this. Bahurim's belief that David stole the kingdom was wrong, David did not steal the kingdom from Saul, God took it away from Saul due to Saul's disobedience. Another example of people throwing stones because of false beliefs is found in Acts Chapter 7. Young Stephen who was filled with faith and power from the Holy Spirit, was boldly preaching before the high priests at the Synagogue of the Freedmen. Stephen spoke the truth and said starting at verse 51, "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just one, of who you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it." When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. (They were furious-just like those today who get enraged at the preaching of repentance from sins). But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" Then they cried out with a loud voice with one accord, and they cast him out of the city and STONED HIM. What brings to life the truth of the Bible is what I see happening today. Jesus and all the apostles warned of a coming apostasy. Paul said that there would come a time that they-the lost- will not endure sound doctrine, "For a time will come (that's now) when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from truth, and be turned aside to fables." 2 Timothy 4:3-4. We have this truth before our very eyes!!! Practicing homosexuals in the pulpits, practicing adulterous and sexually immoral teachers, preachers, leaders in the church, and the church members. What 'sound doctrine' are they not enduring?
They will not tolerate the truth as evidence here in this picture, "cursing" these guys, "Homo sex is awesome". I ask myself all the time, when I see on TV, like it did last night, on the news, a gay 'pastor' and his 'husband' talking about how 'God', wants them to help people; are they not reading the whole bible? What part of 'abomination' do they not understand? and the same goes for heterosexuals who have sex outside of marriage or commits any other sin. The bible is crystal clear that those who practice these things WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD!! The bible warns to not just be readers of the Word, but be DOERS of the word or else you DECEIVE yourself. Many show that they are doing this very thing. They go to church services every Sunday and Wednesday, but they live a wicked and immoral lifestyle. But they still believe they are going to heaven because they 'go to church'. Many who do not even go to church believe they are going to heaven, because 'everyone goes to heaven' no matter how they live. Many people do not think about the afterlife. They live like they are going to live forever in the state they are in. Many people are worried about the temporary pleasures of this life, but not what's going to happen to them when they die. Which is kind of crazy given it is an absolute guarantee that you will die some day. But today, those who tell these parts of the bible are derided by other's who say they are 'Christians'. "You are being judgmental, you can't tell people what to do, they are in control of their own lives" "God is a God of love, He doesn't send people to hell." Jesus gave His disciples the 'Great Commission". We are to GO into all the world, teaching them to observe all things He had commanded. Jesus taught about the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. Jesus talked about heaven and a very real and horrible place called hell. Christians today are to talk about the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness, and we are to do so in and out of season. The truth is most definitely 'out of season' right now, but that does not change the duty of all those call themselves Christians. Those who reject the truth have been throwing stones since God revealed His righteous laws. They throw literal stones and 'stones' of false beliefs. They were going to stone Jesus when they heard something they didn't like in John 8:58-59. Jesus said to them (the unbelieving Jews),"Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." Jesus is God in the flesh. They didn't like this, not only did they not like what He said, they wanted to kill Jesus for saying it. The Truth. He came to die for our sins, He took our rightful place on the cruel cross of Calvary, to SAVE US FROM OUR SINS! How can people know what they are being saved from if they don't know what sins are in the first place? and How can people know what is the purpose of getting 'saved' without talking about what they are being saved from? To those who feel called to take the gospel to where it is needed most, the streets, the colleges, the highways and byways, and the communities, stand firm in the faith. Let them who are perishing throw stones. If you are getting stones thrown at you, you are in good company, because all the true prophets of God had stones thrown at them, they were hated, and lied upon, they were ridiculed and persecuted. And they were part of the minority. Jesus said that FEW find the true gate and narrow road. So don't be discouraged when you are alone, but understand that we are never alone, because our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is with us all ways, where ever we go. He will never leave us or forsake us. They tried to keep our Savior locked down with a large stone, but no stone could hold our Savior, that stone was rolled away, He has risen and now we have a High Priest Who fights our battles and gives us power to remain true to His calling. Tomorrow is not promised to any one. There is going to be a Day of Judgment, and God will judge everyone who has ever lived, His wrath is going to poured out on all the wicked and ungodly. The eyes of the unrepentant wicked need to be opened and the ears unplugged so they can see and hear the truth. The Good News is Salvation is a free gift from God, you can't work for it or buy because the price has already been paid with the Blood of Jesus Christ. and Believing in Jesus saves us from the righteous wrath of God. But that is not all, He gives us a new heart and mind NOW, and we receive some of His blessing from heaven NOW and are equipped to be able to live a life that is holy and acceptable to Him NOW. 1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave. 2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus. 3. Confess that Jesus is your Lord and God 4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ. This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived. Bible verses related to this post: 2 Samuel 16:5-8; Acts Chapter 7; 2 Timothy 4:3-4; Revelation 21:14-15; Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:26-32; James 1:22; John 8:58-59; Matthew 7:14; Re Today is presidential voting day in the United States. Millions will go to man made voting places to vote their choice for president and other congress positions. Never in the US political history have we the people been subjected to an outright crazy election season. The choice between two candidates have led many to want to choose 'no option'. But those who call on the name of Christ, we should be praying for those in authority and those who will be in authority, we do not have to fear which candidate will be elected because who ever it will be is in God's sovereign will. There is no point in moaning about why we are here because the hard and cold truth is we are here because we, the church have neglected our duty. The duty that Jesus gave to us to go into all the world preaching the TRUTH and teaching them to obey and walk in the light of truth has been seriously neglected. The church has been asleep and now many wolves have crept into the church houses, teaching false and twisted doctrines, stealing away the minds and true faith of many. But I am not surprised, because Jesus said that even the 'elect' would be deceived. We will find out tonight the next president, but we who are the called out and peculiar, we don't have to be afraid or worry because God is in control, God is All Powerful. God is not a republican or democrat or independent. The temporary rulers of this earth are just that TEMPORARY. Many troubles WILL come but only for a little while because there is a DAY coming. A most glorious and awesome day, THE DAY OF THE LORD! Jesus Christ will return, and not in the same way He came, in a dirty, homely manger, no Jesus Christ is returning in His true form, ALL mouths will confess and ALL knees will bow and proclaim JESUS CHRIST IS LORD! Jesus Christ KING of ALL KINGS! His kingdom will last FOREVER. No more voting, no more campaigning, no more rhetoric, we will not have to 'decide' who to vote for, no more lies and false promises. Jesus Christ will be ruler OF THE WORLD, and His statutes and laws will UNDEBATABLE! His Word will be law, no voting body, no lobbying actions. There were will no need to update laws or march for change. There will be no pain, no more tears, no fears, NO EVIL, in Jesus's kingdom. Those who reject Jesus will NOT be allowed to live there, there will be no 'we can just believe what we want to believe', no humanist or atheistic world views shaping world policies. Only the righteous and life giving laws of God will be in action. I can't wait until THAT day. If you are afraid of THAT day, you need to test to be sure you are of the true faith.
I was strolling through my Facebook feed as I do regularly looking for prayer opportunities and to see how my friends and family are doing. As usual, I came across many different kinds of advertisements, some for health programs some for religious events/activities. One of the advertisements raised my spiritual antenna. It was promoting a text program for churches who are struggling with dwindling church attendance. I read the body of the advertisement and what stood out immediately was there was not one word about God or the Holy Spirit. Now I do understand and see nothing wrong with 'church' members using current technology to communicate with each other, but this advertisement was talking about how to get 'new' members or how to keep those who just visit a few times. The next day I was looking at news websites and noticed on one of them, another advertisement about another program to help churches 'retain' or get new members using email. Again no mention of God or The Holy Spirit. Then I went online and googled 'texting in church' and many different 'programs' came up. Some of wording in the body of their webpages mentioned some things like, "It can be disheartening for you to see new guests visit your church but don't return" and that "'texting' programs to help retain membership and help with follow up visits". Many of the other text or email recommendations echo the same underlying message, "You Need Some Man Made Method To Keep People In Your Church Or To Get New Members In Your Church". A few mentioned that the 'church' needed to represent Christ when guests arrived but otherwise nothing about God or the Holy Spirit or Jesus. Why I am posing about this? Because of the alarming trend to supplant the work of The Holy Spirit and God/Jesus in the workings in the current church body with 'man made traditions/technologies'. Does the bible say that 'Paul' added to the church daily? Or John, Peter, Matthew, or any other apostle? Is it the work of man that keeps a church together? Was it that the 1st Century church had a good 'music program'; or maybe it was their great 'social activates' program. It is a fact that God works 'through' people. We are the clay He is The Potter, humans are His vessel, God through His Holy Spirit indwells 'real' Christians and that power is shown 'through' people. The POWER works through the people for them to do good works. The bible tells us 'how' the church grew in the beginning, why do we think that the way it grows today should be any different? The apostles and other disciples went through the land with POWER-healing, casting out demons, working other miracles and preaching the gospel, and the new 'converts' lived together, and shared everything/sold property to the benefit of the whole body, they ate together and studied the word of God together and "GOD added to their 'church body' daily. Acts 2:47. Jesus's last commands before ascending back to heaven were, "GO into all the world, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit". Matthew 28:19. Fast forward to today, how many church bodies are 'going' out into the world to 'preach the good news'? No where in the Bible in the New Testament does it say ANYTHING about Paul, Peter, John, Andrew, Bartholomew, James, Matthew, Matthias, or Simon EVER going out into the world to tell the lost , 'go to the church is Ephesus, Philippi, Thyatira, Laodicea, or Corinth or any other church to 'get saved' or 'go to one of these churches to hear a sermon' or 'come to our church for pancakes and to hear about God'. Paul stated in 1 Corinthians Chapter 1:18-24: "The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? HAS NOT GOD MADE FOOLISH THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; BUT WE PREACH CHRIST CRUCIFIED, to the Jews a stumbling block and the Greeks foolishness, but TO THOSE WHO ARE CALLED, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." And in the following chapter, Paul says starting at verse 1, "And I brethren, WHEN I CAME TO YOU..."(Paul went to them, not the non-believers coming to him.) And again he reiterates that he did not spend time with the Corinthian believers telling them about how great the music program was, or what a great youth ministry they had, or how God was going to prosper them, Paul said in verses 2 through 5, "For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in DEMONSTRATIONS OF THE SPIRIT AND OF POWER, that YOUR FAITH SHOULD NOT BE IN THE WISDOM OF MEN BUT IN THE POWER OF GOD." These 'programs' say they can 'teach' churches how to 'attract' and 'retain' 'members. Does God call all men to repentance or does a church text or email saying, "Glad you visited our church, we would love to see you again, please contact us if you have any questions." satisfy the requirement of 'going' into all the world with the good news of the gospel? and another question, why are people visiting and not staying in churches around the country? All the studies on religious activities show 'church' attendance is down, and that is one of the reasons we have all these new 'build your church' programs have sprung up. But what is sad is how many churches buy into these type of programs. Some of these programs charge $200 to $1000 for using their services. When did the Holy Spirit need 'help' appealing to people? God said He knows who are His, that His true people hear His voice. True believers in Christ 'plant' the seeds, that is tell the lost/unbelieving about the whole gospel, if they believe, then they get directed toward a local church established body. But the part of making the lost believe is not our job. We tell the gospel and God makes the heart transplant, IF the person is willing to allow Him to do it. Jesus says in Revelations 3:20 " Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him and him with Me" and "Many are called but few are chosen." Matthew 22:14. The point is we don't know who's heart is open to the gospel, only God knows this, but what we do too often is judge the outer appearance of a person and make assumptions that that person will not listen to the gospel. "Do not look at the appearance or at his physical stature...For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7.We are charged with sharing the gospel to the whole world. We should not be treating the lost like a buffet line- 'well I don't like bikers, but I will talk to older people; I don't like black people, but I will talk to Hispanics; Young people won't listen to anyone, there's no point in talking to them.'' God is no respector of person, why are we? No where in the New Testament is there anything direction on what to do if a church starts to lose members, what it does say about 'losing' members is that we are living in the time that 1 John in Chapter 3, warned believers to be aware of, that true believers are not to love the world or anything in the world, and that those who love the world- the lust of eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life- that some of those worldly people would be a part of the church, but when they leave, the church was not told to outreach them, check in on them, John says that they, those who left' WERE NOT REAL CHRISTIANS! Johns directions to the church were not about how to 'build the congregation' it was about keeping those who were real Christians abiding in the truth. Now in the church body, something that is completely lax in today's churches, is church discipline. Jesus says that we confront our brother about their sin, if they won't listen then we tell one or two more, and then if they still won't listen, then we tell it to the whole church, if they still won't repent, then "But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector'. Matthew 18:15-17; and real Christians are not to even 'eat' with with an unrepentant 'believer' those who call themselves "Christians" but they habitually live a life of blatant sin. The church turns those people over to Satan, and it is up to that person to repent and God to brings them back to the church body. The key is this is for 'believers'. So when actual church members decide to stop going to 'church' meetings, you let them go, as per the word they were never really in the church to begin with. The early church did not have a problem with church 'retention' because it was the Grace of God and the Power of the Holy Spirit and the Love that each church body had within them to keep them together. Many of the churches today may have many 'good' programs, but one thing is missing, actually that is One person is missing, Jesus. Jesus tells us this in Revelation Chapter 2, verses 2 through 4, "I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil...and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My names's sake and have not become weary. NEVERTHELESS, I have this against you, that you have left your first love." Why are young people leaving the faith they grew up with? Why are church buildings closing? Why are churches turning to text/email or any other man made gimmicks to 'retain' membership in their congregations? One of the reasons is the lack of love in them. I've attended some church services and would have gotten a better reception at a cemetery. I've been to other church services where I could not tell the difference between the church and a club scene, especially by the manner of clothing worn by the women-the same clothes they wear 'bouncing in the club', they feel no shame in wearing to 'church'. Some churches preach that the gifts of the spirit are no longer available, when this contradicts what is in the Bible, Jesus said that He will NEVER leave us or forsake us, why would Jesus give the new church power but then take it back from current believers? Jesus did not say, "Just for a few years, you will be able to take poison, be bitten by serpents but they won't harm you, that you will be able to cast out demons, heal the sick, give the blind their site, but this power is only good for a few years and then you are on your own". That is how many churches operate today, on their own. The church system today brings to life fully the verse, "EVERYONE DOES WHAT IS RIGHT IN THEIR OWN EYES." Today we have a collidiscope of choices: Lutheran, Baptist, Episcopalian, 7th Day Adventist, Church of Christ, Church of God, Church of God in Christ, Mormon, Jehovah's Witness, Methodist, Rastafarian, Pentecostal, Non-Denomination, Catholic, and many other variations of 'Christianity'. It's like Baskin Robbins, just pick your favorite flavor. There's also no truth, just the doctrines of men. JESUS SAID "I DO NOT PRAY FOR THESE ALONE, BUT ALSO FOR THOSE WHO WILL BELIEVE IN ME THROUGH THEIR WORD; THAT THEY ALL MAY BE 'ONE', AS YOU FATHER, ARE IN ME, AND I IN YOU; THAT THEY ALSO MAY BE ONE IN US, THAT THE WORLD MAY BELIEVE THAT YOU SENT ME. AND THE GLORY WHICH YOU GAVE ME I HAVE GIVEN THEM, THAT THEY MAY BE ONE JUST AS WE ARE ONE" JOHN 17:20-22 One of common judgments about Christianity today that the perishing say, "Why should I become a Christian when you guys aren't even united." and "What is the point of becoming a Christian, you're life is no different than mine." It is understandable why they think these things, because they are partly true. It is true that Christians today are not united, and it is true many self proclaimed Christians lives look no different than an unbelievers. But a person is making a serious mistake in denying the gospel based on those truths, because there is no excuse for not believing. Man is without excuse when the evidence for God is crystal clear in this world and by His Word, the Bible. When each man/woman stands before the Judgement Seat of Christ, they will not be able to blame fake Christianity for their reason for not believing; and on the flip side, those fake Christians will have a very rude awakening because they will be without excuse as well for the same reason, we all have the Word of God and His Word with instructions for how to live a godly life, acceptable to God; and it says that His own are indwelt with the Holy Spirit. If you don't have the Holy Spirit, you are not saved. "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace, because the carnal mind is an enemy against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, or indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, IF INDEED THE SPIRIT OF GOD DWELLS IN YOU. NOW IF ANYONE DOES NOT HAVE THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST, HE (THAT PERSON WITHOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT) IS NOT HIS (DOES NOT BELONG TO CHRIST)." Romans 8:6-9; Christians are to go out into their communities, their jobs, their schools, where ever proclaiming the good news of Jesus. If people are not staying in a particular church, the answers they should be looking for are not outside, but inside, the key question to ask themselves is, WHY ARE THEY LEAVING IN THE FIRST PLACE? Just because a church may have a large number of members does not mean that God is blessing that church. Jesus tells us that WIDE is the way to destruction and NARROW is the way to truth and FEW find it. Are people staying in a particular church because they truly feel God's presence and they actually experience the real miracle doing power of God and the love of God can be clearly seen and they want to learn and grow more in Christ or are people staying in a particular church because they like the music, they like the pastor, they like the social outings, they like the fact that the church service ends exactly at 12:00 pm and the pastor tells them exactly what they want to hear, that it's okay if you engage in homosexual behavior God loves you, it's okay if you can't help sinning, God understands and forgives you, and they don't talk about hell or repentance or any of that 'scary' stuff? They say, "Come as you are", and some do come, but they leave the same way, unchanged, unconverted, even when they 'join' that particular church body. This quote is an example of one of the problems in the church. Jesus said, "Don't Judge". Did Jesus say that the church is not to talk about sin and what happens to those who don't believe in Him? Absolutely not. I have already given the scripture that Jesus Himself said to confront sin the the church. If you see a brother or sister in a clearly defined sin, and you say to them, "Hey, stop doing XYZ". That is not judging, that is warning and trying to help them as instructed by God. Now if you said, "Hey, stupid idiot, stop doing that you are going to hell". That is judging. You don't know the heart of a person, only God does. Only God knows who are truly His. When we take on Christ, it does not mean we live perfect sinless lives from that point on. God does forgive when the person is truly repentant, but that does not give us a license to just keep living in sin. I won't go into that as I have covered that in a previous post, but just to reiterate that there are very dire warnings for the fake 'Christian'. And there is an answer to this anonymous quote, the 'reason' they do the 'things they do' is because they are born with sin and they cannot save or cure themselves, only God can. Period. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians Chapter 5 that we are to, with the power of Jesus Christ, to 'deliver up the sinning Christian' and to expel/put away/kick out the immoral/evil person from that congregation. How would a church expel the evil person without first identifying ie' 'judging' their behavior and coming to the conclusion that it is sin in the first place? In Luke Chapter 10, Jesus is instructing His disciples on what they are to do when it comes to 'evangelizing: saying, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few;" and that those disciples were to GO to houses/cities with the gospel message, not that the disciples were to bring people back to Jesus or to a church building. It is a verifiable fact that the 'laborers are few'. Statistics on church evangelism 'programs' are abysmal, many congregations do not even bother to send their members out into their world to share the gospel. Barna Group's, a respected research program, research on religious beliefs and on one particular study on church evangelism shows that not only is evangelism going down across the board, that over 70% percent of Protestants believe they have the responsibility of sharing their faith but when it comes to actual action less than 30% actually do share their faith with ONE person in a 12 month period! And other denominations score even less. One interesting point of the research was the result that high income earner "Christians" are the least of all to share their faith. You are in denial if you don't think America is not sick. America is sick to it's very core. When you have churches turning to man and not God for help with soul winning, we know there is a serious problem. When you have a person with a medical disease at first you can't tell anything is wrong, it is when the disease breaks out on the skin, and the sores and warts and breakdown of tissue lets you know that something is really wrong. The sores are showing in America. EVERY SINGLE DAY, murder, abuse of innocent children, shootings, corruption, sexual immorality is made into law, preachers preaching that sin is okay, young people addicted to drugs and incurable sexually transmitted diseases are rampant, billions of babies are murdered in the womb, and every sin that God will condemn to eternal hell is showcased on TV, in the movies and in the homes; and the one's who are supposed to have the truth, soul saving, life changing message of hope and restoration, keep silent until that congregation dies a slow and painful death. But there is still hope, God is NOT dead and His grace and mercy still abound abundantly. There is going to be a Day of Judgment, and God will judge everyone who has ever lived, His wrath is going to poured out on all the wicked and ungodly. The eyes of the unrepentant wicked need to be opened and the ears unplugged so they can see and hear the truth. The Good News is Salvation is a free gift from God, you can't work for it or buy because the price has already been paid with the Blood of Jesus Christ. and Believing in Jesus saves us from the righteous wrath of God. But that is not all, He gives us a new heart and mind NOW, and we receive some of His blessing from heaven NOW and are equipped to be able to live a life that is holy and acceptable to Him NOW. 1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave. 2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus. 3. Confess that Jesus is your Lord and God 4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ. This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived. Bible verses related to this post: Matthew 28:19;Acts 2:47 ;Revelations 3:20; 1 John Chapter 3; Galatians 6:1: Titus 3:10: Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Corinthians 5:11; Revelations 2:2-4; Judges 17:6; John 17:20-22; Luke Chapter 10; 1 Corinthians Chapter 1:18-24; 2 Corinthians 1-5;Matthew 22:14; 1 Samuel 16:7; Romans 8:6-9; Romans 1:18-23; 2 Chronicles 7:14 references: https://www.barna.com/research/is-evangelism-going-out-of-style/ God's mercies and compassions are new every morning. Life is hard. To those without a saving faith in Jesus Christ, there is one saying that sums up the total of their purpose on this earth, "Life sucks and then you die". But the belief of the true Christian should be completely opposite of a hopeless life and then hopeless death. Jesus did not come to earth so that His followers could continue to live as if they have no hope. Jesus came and died to give all His people life and not just a hum-drum, pessimistic, 'oh woo is me' kind of life; no Jesus came to give us an abundant, joyful, peaceful, secure, and blessed kind of life. Now His idea of joy and a worldly view of joy is drastically different. The world's joy is "eat, meet, and be merry", they get their joy from material things, from artificial and temporary things. The problem with worldly things is they don't last. You eat that delicious meal with all the fixings, but as it goes down into the digestive track it turns into dirty nasty refuse; that double meat cheese burger with all the extra fixings with a side of extra large chili fries and a large chocolate milk shake, it all goes down well, but the going out of all that food is a different story. That is how sin is. It's good going down, but what comes out is broken down feces. Sorry to use such an illustration, but I want to bring home the sharp contrast of holiness versus worldliness. The temporary things are just that, temporary, they don't last, you eat one meal but you will have eat another, even if it was the best tasting most expensive meal, it still goes and comes out the same, regardless if you spent $5 dollars or $1000 a plate. That points to the absolute silliness of depending on worldly things knowing that at the end of day, they don't matter; when you die, it won't matter that you lived in a 50 bed room mansion and had 10 cars in the garage, or had millions of fans or that you were homeless with the sky for your ceiling and the dirt and a rock for your bed and pillow. If your name is not written in the Lamb's Book of Life, it does not matter whether you were rich or poor, the life you spend on 'dining' and 'living' in the world's system will come out in the end to total destruction, your soul will be 'flushed' down the eternal 'toilet' of hell. Here is what survey takers say that a majority of people think about 'Christians' today: "Christians are bigots" "Christians are hypocrites" "Christians are self righteous" "Christians are racists" "Christians are out of touch with reality" "Christians are stupid" "Why should I follow Christians, they can't even get along within themselves" Numerous studies are done on human behavior, one study that really stood out to me was a study I heard about from a sermon on Bible School Radio, the pastor talked about this survey and it was pretty disheartening. The study was on customer service in restaurants from the worker's point of view. One of the questions asked of the waiters, 'what was the worst part of their job?', the common answer was the waiters hated Sundays, that the 'church' people were the worst customers, the most rude, and were the cheapest tippers. What kind of sermon did these 'church' people listen to? Where in the Bible does it say that God's people are to act this way? Well the Bible does talk about 'unsaved' people who act like this:
ALL WHO DESIRE TO LIVE GODLY, IN CHRIST JESUS WILL SUFFER PERSECUTION. Why I am talking about being a real Christian? Because it needs it needs to be crystal clear, the promises of God are for His people and His people alone. God says that if we will diligently obey His voice, to observe carefully all His commandments, He promises to bestow all of His blessings on those who will believe and obey. Now there are some differences between the old testament blessings under the Mosaic covenant and the New Covenant established in Jesus's blood, but the issue of receiving God's blessings are way greater than anything the world has to offer no matter if it's the old or new. Some things did not change in the New Covenant, like, God will never leave us or forsake us; that with God ANYTHING is possible; that with God we have NOTHING to fear. "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear, What can man do to me?" Hebrews 13:6; that we are not to trust in ourselves but completely in the Lord- "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and trust not in your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5 and Matthew 6:33. Christians can have 'the peace that passes all understanding' NOW, not in some future state. The blessings of God are not for those who reject Him and His laws, period. The wages of sin is death, that means if you are an unrepentant sinner, the work you do in the flesh-sin- what you get paid back with is death/curses, not life and blessings. "The ungodly shall not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous...but the way of the ungodly shall perish." Psalm 1: 4-6. That is why it is so ridiculous to think that God will bless us when we are living contrary to His word. Now, we can't 'earn' our blessings from God, they are His gift to us, we have to have faith to take what He is giving us. We are to obey God's commands because we want to, not because we have to, and God's gives us the ability to obey as we should because it is impossible to live the holy and totally opposite way of the world without the help of the Holy Spirit. It is God who makes us complete "in every good work to do His will, working in us what is well pleasing in His sight, though Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever, Amen." Hebrews 13:21; So, if you have the Holy Spirit of God, we don't despair like the lost thinking, "life sucks and then we die". "The fool has said in his heart, there is no God"-Psalm 41:1, It is foolish to disbelieve. Christians have a better promise that we can depend and live on and base our very life on. Jesus tells us, instructs us, "we do not live on bread alone, but every word that comes from the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4. "Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance."Psalm 42:5. Jesus promises His people that, "...I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" and "Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb" and "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain...HE WHO OVERCOMES SHALL INHERIT ALL THINGS AND I WILL BE HIS GOD AND HE SHALL BE MY SON." Revelation 19:6-9 & Revelation 21:4-7. I will end with God's call to all those who will pick up their cross and follow His Son, Jesus Christ: There is going to be a Day of Judgment, and God will judge everyone who has ever lived, His wrath is going to poured out on all the wicked and ungodly. The eyes of the unrepentant wicked need to be opened and the ears unplugged so they can see and hear the truth. The Good News is Salvation is a free gift from God, you can't work for it or buy because the price has already been paid with the Blood of Jesus Christ. and Believing in Jesus saves us from the righteous wrath of God. But that is not all, He gives us a new heart and mind NOW, and we receive some of His blessing from heaven NOW and are equipped to be able to live a life that is holy and acceptable to Him NOW.
1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave. 2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus. 3. Confess that Jesus is your Lord and God 4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ. This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived. Bible verses related to this post: 1 Corinthians Chapter 6, Revelation 12:11, Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy Chapter 28; Psalm 42:5; 2 Timothy 3:2-4; Romans 1:29; Psalm 14:1; Matthew 19:26; Psalm 34:18; Psalm 30:5; Philippians 4:12-13; 1 Corinthians 4:8-12; 2 Corinthians 4:8-12; 2 Corinthians 6:5-6; Job 13:15; Romans 8:38-39; Matthew 5:10; Psalm 118:8-9; Hebrews 13:5-6; Romans 6:23; Matthew 6:33 & Proverb 3:5; Psalm 1: 4-6;Hebrews 13:21; John 15:18; 2 Timothy 3:12; John 14:3; Revelation 19:6-9 & Revelation 21:4-7; Philippians 4:7 references: unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks of Christianity by David Kinnaman.; http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/10/sundays-are-the-worst-christian-tipping_n_4934418.html A rope 1,300 feet long, two inches in diameter and made entirely of hemp would be the sole thing separating him from the roiling waters below.In 1858, at 35 years old, Charles Blondin became the first man to walk on a tight rope across Niagara Falls. He was fearless and performed many daring acts on a tight rope; one to include rolling a wheel barrow along a two inch wire suspended miles above the the river. The crowds would cheer, and some would bet on him falling to his death because Blondin did not use any kind of safety apparatus at all. When he brought up the wheelbarrow, he asked the crowd, "Do you think I can make it?" Some in the crowd cheered for him, "Yes, we believe in you, you can do it!" They believed this because they had seen him perform other amazing acts on the tight rope. He crossed over the river on the tight rope with the wheelbarrow and the crowd roared, cheering loudly. Then he asked, "Who will get in the wheelbarrow and cross the river with me?" The sound from the crowd was silence. In 2011, Nik Wallenda, a descendant of famous tight ropers, was approved to attempt the same feet as Blondin, except, Nik was going to do it with all kinds of safety nets in place, to include having a helicopter near by to help him, "Just in case". Blondin had no such assurances, yet he bravely performed many acts on the tight rope. There is another story of a daring act to defy nature. It happened one night thousands of years ago. It happened when 12 men were instructed to get on a boat and cross a sea to get to the other side. Before this new instruction, they had witnessed many great miraculous feats, greater than a man walking on a tightrope. The man walked on water, not on ski's or in a boat or some other floating device. No this man defied the very laws of gravity. That man was Jesus; the 12 men His chosen apostles. This particular story is very popular in the world. "Walkin' on water" is a common saying for someone doing something amazing in human eyes. But what Jesus did was just like any other day. His trust and faith were completely secure in His Father, God, which empowered Him-Jesus, to do the impossible. Now, the main point to this post is not to discuss the amazing feats of Jesus and man. The focus of this post is about the bystanders/crowd, the 12 men. It is about their response to witnessing the great miraculous feat that I want to talk about here today. For the purpose of brevity, I will sum up what happened in Matthew Chapter 14. Jesus had just performed another miracle in feeding 5,000 starting with just 5 loaves of bread and two fish. Now historical records would indicate that it was probably more than 5,000 as more than just men would have following Him, the men would have their wives, children, and servants with them as well. After this, Jesus told His disciples to get in a boat and cross the Sea of Galilee and go before Him to the other side. This sea is about 13 miles long. Let's stop here for a moment. It is Jesus, not some unreliable, good for nothing person, telling them to go; and, before this, besides the food miracle, the disciples had witnessed many other miracles as well. Jesus told them to go. *side bar that is the same instruction He gave to the disciples before He ascended back into heaven after sacrificing His body to the Cross of Calvary and rose from the dead. Jesus said"GO therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you; and lo, I am always with you, even to end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20. Simple instructions, go, why do we make it so complicated?*** OK, back to the focus of post*** Jesus tells them to get to the other side of sea in the boat, Jesus went off by Himself to pray. So, at the beginning, when everything was copacetic, the multitude/disciples had their fill of food, it is a nice warm day, the Sea of Galilee is calm and pristine, they get on the boat and set sail. I can imagine their conversations, they may have been talking about the miracles Jesus was doing, or they may have been arguing among themselves who was best. Some hours pass until it is night time, the disciples are in the boat and in the middle of the sea which becomes tossed by waves. It did not long before the calm waters turned to raging waves, knocking the boat and men around, the winds were violent and: "In the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went to them walking on the sea, and when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying ,"It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them saying, " Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." Matthew 14: 25-27. Now, we are not told that the sea had calmed down at this point. When Jesus called out to the disciples, Peter, the only one brave enough said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." I love Jesus's responses, He doesn't use a lot of words and oratory dispensations, many times, He simply says, "Come", "Go" , "Stay". In this instance, all Jesus said was, "Come". Now Peter starts out great, he believes it is Jesus and he gets out of the boat and actually is defying nature himself, walking on the sea towards Jesus. But now Peter proves the principle, "It's not how you start, it's how you finish that wins the game". Peter made the number one mistake we who are followers of Christ tend to make when faced with difficult circumstances, he took his eyes off of Jesus. Now when taking his eyes off Jesus, he did not close them, no he looked at the storm, the raging waves, and fierce winds and he believed at that moment that his life was in danger, where was his belief in Jesus? Where is our faith when trouble comes? Like the crowds at the Blondin's tight rope act with the wheelbarrow, even though the crowd had seen him cross over the tight rope with the wheel barrow just fine, where did the crowds faith in him go when challenged with getting in the wheelbarrow and crossing the raging river over the tiny tight rope? One word that describes both reasons to for not putting their fate in another's hands, FEAR. Another word is DOUBT. When face to face with the 'monster' our natural instincts tend to kick in, to either fight or flee. But when a person puts on Christ, they are not supposed to operate under the natural anymore. "I have been crucified (my flesh) with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20. and "God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of loved and of sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7. It is the Spirit of God that empowers His followers to operate in the spiritual realm. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. But Peter walking in the flesh, took his eyes off of the One Who Can save and strengthen him, and allowed fear and doubt to rein in his heart and he began to sink into the sea. Peter came to his senses and cried out to the only One who could save him. Peter did not cry out to the other disciples in the boat, or cry for them to put down a rope. No he called to the One true Savior, his Lord and King, Jesus; and Jesus did not hesitate to rescue him. Jesus stretched out His hand and said, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" This particular passage in the Bible is talking to us now in our present time. Many self professing Christians are like the other 11 disciples and Peter. Some are still in the boat, cowering, afraid, doubting, trusting more in the boat than anything else. Some are like Peter, they see Christ, but then they take their eyes off of Him and instead are like the seed that fell in the thorns, their cares/troubles are for the things of this world. Many are like the crowds at Blondin's shows, just standing on the side lines, cheering, but not willing to risk it all by participating in the stunt with him. Some are like Nik Wallenda, they only do things as long as they have a safety net in place. Many are not wanting or willing to risk it all for Christ. Think that staying in the boat or the side line is just fine. Not according to the written Word. Jesus Himself said in Luke 14:26-27 "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his father and mother, wife, and children, brothers and sisters, and yes his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." and at verse 33 in the same chapter, "So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple." So what is keeping you, me from getting out of the boat, stepping out of the side line in climbing into the wheelbarrow? Let us all examine ourselves, asking God to help us remove all forms of doubt and fear. His perfect love casts out fear. We have no need to worry about any trouble in this world as Jesus overcame it all with His blood. Trust in His blood, Trust in Him, Trust in the Father and Holy Spirit. They are all we need. There is going to be a Day of Judgment, and God will judge everyone who has ever lived, His wrath is going to poured out on all the wicked and ungodly. The eyes of the unrepentant wicked need to be opened and the ears unplugged so they can see and hear the truth. The Good News is Salvation is a free gift from God, you can't work for it or buy because the price has already been paid with the Blood of Jesus Christ. and Believing in Jesus saves us from the righteous wrath of God. But that is not all, He gives us a new heart and mind NOW, and we receive some of His blessing from heaven NOW and are equipped to be able to live a life that is holy and acceptable to Him NOW.
1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave. 2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus. 3. Confess that Jesus is your Lord and God 4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ. This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived. Bible verses related to this post: Matthew Chapter 14; Matthew 28:19-20; Matthew 14: 25-27;Galatians 2:20; 2 Timothy 1:7; Luke 14:26-27 and verse 33; Philippians 4:13; 1 John 4:18 references: http://www.keepbelieving.com/2012/06/15/the-great-blondin-and-true-saving-faith/ http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-daredevil-of-niagara-falls-110492884/?no-ist I believe that after blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, sexual sin is the second most deadliest, costliest, most defiling and debilitating sin of all. The bible shows this truth; in Proverbs Chapter 6 verse 32, "Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding; HE WHO DOES SO DESTROYS HIS OWN SOUL" and what's more clear than, "Her house (the house of the harlot, the prostitute, the adulteress) IS THE WAY TO HELL, DESCENDING TO THE CHAMBERS OF DEATH!" Proverbs 7:27. Sexual sin is connected to all ten of the 10 commandments God gave to Moses. Sexual sin is a recurring problem throughout the Bible and it is recurring problem in the church today. It is one of Satan's greatest weapons against mankind. Many people can say they have never thought of murdering someone, or dishonored their parents, but unless you were born on a rock on the moon, EVERYONE has faced sexual temptation. Christians are warned, our bodies are NOT to be used for sexual immorality but for the Lord, that our bodies were bought with a price, and that price was Christ crucified; our bodies are not our own and our bodies are members of Christ! "...Shall I take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot/fornicator/prostitute)? Certainly not!....Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body." 1 Corinthians 6:15-18. As I was preparing for this message, I felt a stirring in my spirit. As I searched for decent images to use to illustrate this post, I felt a sinister and evil spirit trying to enter into my mind. This was not an easy message to put together. It is way too easy to get to evil sexual images through the technology we have today. It is absolutely imperative that parents have blocks on their internet/phone/TV for any sexual related programming to prevent their young children from stumbling upon one of Satan's greatest tools to infect young souls with every kind of filth and degrading images at an age where their mind is completely unguarded and unprepared to deal the wicked influence. The spirit world is real and it is filled with every kind of evil spirit, principalities, wicked powers of darkness and they are the ones who invade and persuade and deceive the millions of men and women who do not heed the warnings and commandments of God. Today's culture is so desensitized to violence and sexual sin. The evidence is just so overwhelming, it is no longer shocking anymore. If you turn on the TV, the shows, the commercials have been sexualized. You can't even watch a bag-of-chips commercial without being bombarded with images of sexual perversion. The awards shows both adult and teen, there is no modesty, no decency. It used to be that curse words and nudity were only only for the premium paid channels, but now all of these unrighteous actions are on regular TV; Go the stores, the little girls clothes section and see how the clothes are shorter, tighter; go to a church service and you will see women with tight short skirts with push up bra's showing lots of cleavage; walk by any magazine rack and see the titles of the articles of women's magazines, men's magazines, teen magazines, homosexual magazines, and of course the most popular playboy and other completely degenerate magazines that are not appropriate to even post a cover of their magazine here: The church that is supposed to have the truth, the Holy Spirit, is not immune to falling for the deception of sexual sin. The sexual evils of the Catholic Church are known around the world but still millions practice this false religion. It's very common to see pastors and preachers in the news for adulterous relationships, homosexual practices, and child sexual abuse. Studies show that children as young as 6 years old are 'sexting', exchanging nude pictures of themselves with other children and adults, and are performing oral sex because 'that's not real sex'. According to a recent Barna study, now over 65% of adults believe that cohabiting is normal, that living together before marriage, engaging in fornication is normal; and what's even more sad is that 41% of those who agreed that cohabitation is normal were self professing Christians. Visit any young adult church ministry and you will find teens and young adults in sexual relationships outside of marriage, but they believe they are in the will of God, but teens and young adults who try to keep their virginity are shunned and ridiculed. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be know of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen...So they are WITHOUT EXCUSE, because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but BECAME FUTILE in their thoughts, and their FOOLISH hearts were darkened...Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves (all forms of unrighteousness,sexual immorality), who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to VILE passions, for even their women exchanged the natural use for what is AGAINST NATURE also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another committing what is SHAMEFUL....God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things WHICH SHOULD NOT BE DONE. Romans 1:18-29 What was the sin that got Sodom and Gomorrah utterly destroyed? What was the sin that got David's kingdom taken away? What was the sin that led the Hebrews/Israelites into slavery and death over and over and over? What was the sin that led to Samson getting his eyes gauged out then put in prison and then death? What are the consequences of sexual sin? One of the most famous serial killers in the world was Ted Bundy; this man raped and killed over 36 confirmed women and it is believed that he probably killed more. He blamed his killing spree on watching violent pornography as a teen; and in more recent horrible news, men raping babies- INFANTS!!! and teenage boys raping their grandmothers!!!! Do a general search for 'teens raping' and 'babies sexually abused' and hundreds/thousands of articles come up for these stories as well as other stories of gang rapes, teachers being arrested for having sex with their students, men and women being arrested for child pornography. Absolutely heinous and utterly evil story after story of young children sexually abused and sometimes killed by the ones who are supposed to care and love them. Thousands of women/young girls are regularly kidnapped and raped and forced to marry Muslim men in the countries in Africa. One has to be absolutely blind not to see the problem of sexual sin. But I know why they are blind. Because the Word of God tells us that Satan blinds the minds of the lost. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, would shine on them. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4. What does the Bible have to say about the most common sexual acts today? The world says, "God is okay with homosexuals" The bible says, "Men do not lie (have sex) with a male as with a female. IT IS AN ABOMINATION". Leviticus 18:22. The world says, "God is okay with transgender people". The bible says, "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God he created him: MALE and FEMALE He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply;" Genesis 1:27-28. The world says, "Bestiality is just a another form of kinky sex." The bible says, "Nor shall you mate with any animal, to defile yourself with it. Nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. IT IS PERVERSION." Leviticus 18:23. The world says, "There's nothing wrong with incest." The bible says, " You shall not have sex with your mother, mother -in-law, sister, sister-in-law, daughter, daughter-in-law, aunt, your neighbor's wife, your brother's wife, your close cousins, IT IS WICKEDNESS." Leviticus 18:7-20. The world says, "It's okay to 'creep' if your married." The bible says, "Thou shall not commit adultery". Deuteronomy 5:18. The world says, "It's okay to look at pornography," The bible says, "If you look at a woman with lust, you have already committed adultery in your heart." Matthew 5:28. The world says, "It's okay for women to dress like prostitutes." The bible says, "Women adorn themselves in 'modest' apparel with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing." 1 Timothy 2:29. And the bible is clear what is the difference between 'modest' apparel and ungodly apparel, "And there a woman met him, With the ATTIRE OF A HARLOT, and a crafty heart. Proverbs 6:10. The world says, "It's okay to 'hook up'/ cohabitate before marriage/never marry". The bible says, "Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but FORNICATORS and adulterers God will judge." Hebrews 13:4. The bible tells Christians to 'flee sexual immorality'. The operative word is 'flee', 'run', 'escape'. Don't play, sit there, visit, try out- any forms of sexual immorality. You know the struggle is real. If you are honest with yourself, and your mind is not reprobate, and your conscious is still working, you feel the tug of war in your spirit to watch that certain show, watch that certain movie, read that particular book-when you get to certain scenes and you feel a stirring in your soul, you can feel/hear something telling you to turn it off, put it down, don't go there, but there is another pull for you to keep looking, touch it, go there. This is that spiritual struggle that we are warned about. We fight not against flesh and blood. The weapons of our warfare is the Word of God! When we have the word of God implanted in our hearts and minds from daily study/meditation/memorization and when we stay in constant contact with our Creator through prayer and fasting; when we purpose in our hearts EVERY DAY to live a life of holiness different from the world, we set up a barrier to the traps and deceptions of sexual sin. The further away from God you are, the easier it is for Satan to slip in and catch you unguarded and unawares. Joseph is our perfect example for a godly response to sexual temptation; he had purposed in his mind that he would ALWAYS put God first. No matter that he was a slave or in prison. He 'knew' his God, and he had the right perspective of God. He answered rightly when he responded to Potiphar's wife's demands to have sex with her, "How could I do this GREAT WICKEDNESS and SIN against God?!" Genesis 39:1-9. This is same question we all have to ask ourselves when faced with temptations to give into sexual sin. The message must get out. Sexual sin is the root cause that leads millions of women and men into prostitution; it is why adult and child pornography is a billion dollar industry and thousands of women, men, and children are trapped in sex trafficking. Sexual sin is the root cause of the proliferation of all kinds of sexually transmitted diseases to include incurable HIV/Herpes, and now some strains of Gonorrhea are resistant to the usual medications; according to the World Health Organization, 1 million sexually transmitted diseases are acquired EVERY DAY! Instead of schools/parents teaching 'safe sex' (which is an oxymoron-there is no such thing as 'safe sex' outside of God's design for sexual relations; all sexual immorality leads to death); the virtues of abstinence should be taught to the children/teens. Break the misconception for kids who feel peer pressure to give into sexual acts, educate them on the fact that 'everyone IS NOT doing it. Besides the physical implications, the most important reason to not engage in sexual immorality is a strong warning from God: There is going to be a Day of Judgment, and God will judge everyone who has ever lived, His wrath is going to poured out on all the wicked and ungodly. The eyes of the unrepentant wicked need to be opened and the ears unplugged so they can see and hear the truth. The Good News is Salvation is a free gift from God, you can't work for it or buy because the price has already been paid with the Blood of Jesus Christ. and Believing in Jesus saves us from the righteous wrath of God. But that is not all, He gives us a new heart and mind NOW, and we receive some of His blessing from heaven NOW and are equipped to be able to live a life that is holy and acceptable to Him NOW.
1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave. 2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus. 3. Confess that Jesus is your Lord and God 4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ. This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived. Bible verses related to this post: Ephesians 6:12; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Leviticus 18;22; Genesis 1:27-28;Leviticus 18:23; Leviticus 18: 7-20; Deuteronomy 5:18; Matthew 5:28; 1 Timothy 2:29; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Proverbs 6:32; Proverbs 7:27; Proverbs 6:10; Proverbs 6:10; 1 Corinthians 6:15-18; Romans 1:18-29; Genesis 39:1-9 references: https://billygraham.org/decision-magazine/november-2013/thou-shall-not-bear-false-witness/ https://www.barna.org/research/family-kids/research-release/majority-of-americans-now-believe-in-cohabitation#.V7Xi4CgrIdU http://katv.com/archive/davis-to-go-free-after-rape-charges-dropped-by-judge http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs110/en/ |
AuthorErica Harris is a God Gifted Christian Coach, Counselor, providing insights and truths from the Word of God, The Bible. Archives
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