1Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
There is quite a bit to a steward being required to be found faithful , read Luke 12 : 35-48 is talking about servants , some would debate that they were false servants and some would debate that they were real servants that loss their salvation, no matter what you believe on it , it is clear that stewards are judged more strictly (James 3:1).
3But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.
4For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.
5Therefore
judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring
to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the
counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
No one should judge anything of you , you shouldn't even judge yourself , because the time will come when the Lord will judge our works and then "shall every man have praise of God".
6And
these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to
Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men
above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one
against another.
7For
who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou
didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as
if thou hadst not received it?
8Now
ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I
would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.
9For
I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were
appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to
angels, and to men.
10We
are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak,
but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.
11Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace;
12And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:
13Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.
14I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.
15For
though ye have ten thousand instructers in Christ, yet have ye not many
fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.
16Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.
17For
this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and
faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways
which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.
18Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.
19But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.
20For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
21What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?
The major problem with the Church addressed in this chapter was that they were prideful and lacked real leadership. They had gotten away from the teachings and ways of Christ (verse 17). Some of them were apparently mocking Paul's teachings (verse 18). Paul will not be talking in the same speech that they talk but with power . Verse 20 makes a point that the kingdom of God is in power. Finally verse 21 he gives them a choice he came come with a rod (discipline) or in love. The choice is there's. A real good point from this chapter that we can take away is that we can always get "puffed up" in our heads and sway from the truth. We ought to be alert and have enough respect for the leadership God has put in our lives to at least examine correction by them instead of over-reacting to it. Too many times I have seen people with a little pride problem go into full blown back slidding just because a Pastor pointed out a tiny problem.
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.
Probverbs 12: 1
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Friday, April 6, 2012
1 Corinthians Chapter 3
1And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
2I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
3For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
4For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
Here Paul is making a point of the spiritual condition that the Corinthians are in. They have to be fed milk because there fighting amongst themselves indicates that they are still carnal. Carnal means fleshly desire.
5Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
6I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
7So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
Them fighting over Paul or Apollos for credit is pointless as it is GOD that gives the increase.
8Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
9For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
10According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
11For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
14If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
All labor should be built upon the foundation of Christ and the type of work that is built will determine reward. A point that is sometimes forgotten that is made here is that only Christ can give the reward not man , and not a church. In verse 15 we find out that a man's work can suffer loss but he will still be save , yet by the fire which in modern terms would be : "by the skin of your teeth".
16Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
17If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
If you put two and two together here this passage is talking about defiling your body by living by your carnal desires and those works God will destroy because your body is the temple of God. As we read more in 1 Corinthians you will notice ways that this Church defiled the temple of God which is there bodies.
18Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
20And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
Glorying in man's wisdom is pointless . A point that has always helped me in my relationship with the Lord is knowing that the world's wisdom is foolishness with God . How many have us been called foolish for believing in the gospel , the world's wisdom and God's wisdom are incapable. The other point made right here is that worldly wisdom is really vainity (verse 20)
21Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are your's;
22Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are your's;
23And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.
The basic , essential theme of this chapter glorying in men is worthless , all glory goes to Christ and he is God's. I skimmed over the middle of the chapter but right now I want to reiterate we all will be tried for our works and they could stand or they could burn up it says we will still be saved but none of us Christians should want to spend eternity poor. If all our rewards are burned up we will in one sense be poor. God bless you.
2I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
3For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
4For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
Here Paul is making a point of the spiritual condition that the Corinthians are in. They have to be fed milk because there fighting amongst themselves indicates that they are still carnal. Carnal means fleshly desire.
5Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
6I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
7So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
Them fighting over Paul or Apollos for credit is pointless as it is GOD that gives the increase.
8Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
9For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
10According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
11For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
14If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
All labor should be built upon the foundation of Christ and the type of work that is built will determine reward. A point that is sometimes forgotten that is made here is that only Christ can give the reward not man , and not a church. In verse 15 we find out that a man's work can suffer loss but he will still be save , yet by the fire which in modern terms would be : "by the skin of your teeth".
16Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
17If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
If you put two and two together here this passage is talking about defiling your body by living by your carnal desires and those works God will destroy because your body is the temple of God. As we read more in 1 Corinthians you will notice ways that this Church defiled the temple of God which is there bodies.
18Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
20And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
Glorying in man's wisdom is pointless . A point that has always helped me in my relationship with the Lord is knowing that the world's wisdom is foolishness with God . How many have us been called foolish for believing in the gospel , the world's wisdom and God's wisdom are incapable. The other point made right here is that worldly wisdom is really vainity (verse 20)
21Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are your's;
22Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are your's;
23And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.
The basic , essential theme of this chapter glorying in men is worthless , all glory goes to Christ and he is God's. I skimmed over the middle of the chapter but right now I want to reiterate we all will be tried for our works and they could stand or they could burn up it says we will still be saved but none of us Christians should want to spend eternity poor. If all our rewards are burned up we will in one sense be poor. God bless you.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
1 Corinthians Chapter 2
1And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
2For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
At the end of the day preaching Christ crucified is better than all the wisdom or "excellent speech" that we could use for the testimony of God.
3And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
4And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
5That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Again it is reinforced that speech and preaching with "enticing words of man's wisdom" is nothing compared to preaching in the demonstration of the Spirit and of Power . The reason why? Verse 5 sums it up , Our faith should not come from wisdom of men , but in the power of God.
6Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
7But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
8Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
The wisdom of God is different than the wisdom of this world and different than the wisdom of the princes of this world . The interesting thing about Princes of the World is that Satan is referred to as the "Prince of this World" in John 12 : 31 , 14:30 , and 16 : 11 , Jesus says in 14:30 that there was much more to tell his disciples but it had to wait because "The Prince of this World" has come , so these verses in 1 Corinthians 2 : 6-8 could very well be talking about Spiritual forces and how they would not had crucified Christ if they knew the hidden wisdom of God which is Christ crucified . See Ephesians 2: 2 for another reference to "The Prince of the Air".
9But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
This is a wonderful promise for us that love him , that believe the gospel of Jesus. Our eyes , ears , and even heart can not comprehend the things that God has prepared for us.
10But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
16For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.
Verses 10 -16 set out the difference between wisdom by the Holy Spirit and wisdom by man :
Verse 10 : The Spirit searches the deep things of God and reveals things to us.
Verse 11-12: The spirit of man can not know the things of God , only the Spirit of God
can. In verse 12 it also makes it clear that the things we might know from
God are freely given by God
Verse 13 : Speaking in things that the Holy Ghost teaches is different than man's
wisdom . Comparing spiritual things with spiritual is a good idea.
Verse 14 : Nautural man can not receive the things of the Spirit of God they are foolish-
ness to him, this verse is quite packed first of all it was written because as we
will see the Corinthian Church was having a hard time walking by the Spirit
and were certainly walking by the natural man. But also this verse explains
why unsaved people can not understand the things of God outside of their
hearts convicted them. I would suggest that next time someone tells you that
what you believe is foolish or doesn't make any sense you quote this verse to
them .
Verse 15-16: Who can judge the Spirit and who can instruct the Lord? Very good points
here. This whole Chapter has been comparing the difference between
man's wisdom and God's wisdom. Wisdom given by the Spirit is beneficial
and wisdom given by the flesh isn't. How can we know it is Spirit led?
Verse 13 says comparing spiritual things with spiritual. Well the Word of
God is spiritual we know this from a couple places : John 1 says the Word
was there in the begining was with God and was God. Also 2 Timothy3:16
says All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: , and
Hebrews 4:12 says the word of God is sharper than a two edged sword.
So the Word of God is spiritual and the way to compare spirtual would
be to compare the message with the word of God just like the Bereans did
in Acts 17.
2For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
At the end of the day preaching Christ crucified is better than all the wisdom or "excellent speech" that we could use for the testimony of God.
3And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
4And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
5That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Again it is reinforced that speech and preaching with "enticing words of man's wisdom" is nothing compared to preaching in the demonstration of the Spirit and of Power . The reason why? Verse 5 sums it up , Our faith should not come from wisdom of men , but in the power of God.
6Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
7But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
8Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
The wisdom of God is different than the wisdom of this world and different than the wisdom of the princes of this world . The interesting thing about Princes of the World is that Satan is referred to as the "Prince of this World" in John 12 : 31 , 14:30 , and 16 : 11 , Jesus says in 14:30 that there was much more to tell his disciples but it had to wait because "The Prince of this World" has come , so these verses in 1 Corinthians 2 : 6-8 could very well be talking about Spiritual forces and how they would not had crucified Christ if they knew the hidden wisdom of God which is Christ crucified . See Ephesians 2: 2 for another reference to "The Prince of the Air".
9But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
This is a wonderful promise for us that love him , that believe the gospel of Jesus. Our eyes , ears , and even heart can not comprehend the things that God has prepared for us.
10But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
16For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.
Verses 10 -16 set out the difference between wisdom by the Holy Spirit and wisdom by man :
Verse 10 : The Spirit searches the deep things of God and reveals things to us.
Verse 11-12: The spirit of man can not know the things of God , only the Spirit of God
can. In verse 12 it also makes it clear that the things we might know from
God are freely given by God
Verse 13 : Speaking in things that the Holy Ghost teaches is different than man's
wisdom . Comparing spiritual things with spiritual is a good idea.
Verse 14 : Nautural man can not receive the things of the Spirit of God they are foolish-
ness to him, this verse is quite packed first of all it was written because as we
will see the Corinthian Church was having a hard time walking by the Spirit
and were certainly walking by the natural man. But also this verse explains
why unsaved people can not understand the things of God outside of their
hearts convicted them. I would suggest that next time someone tells you that
what you believe is foolish or doesn't make any sense you quote this verse to
them .
Verse 15-16: Who can judge the Spirit and who can instruct the Lord? Very good points
here. This whole Chapter has been comparing the difference between
man's wisdom and God's wisdom. Wisdom given by the Spirit is beneficial
and wisdom given by the flesh isn't. How can we know it is Spirit led?
Verse 13 says comparing spiritual things with spiritual. Well the Word of
God is spiritual we know this from a couple places : John 1 says the Word
was there in the begining was with God and was God. Also 2 Timothy3:16
says All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: , and
Hebrews 4:12 says the word of God is sharper than a two edged sword.
So the Word of God is spiritual and the way to compare spirtual would
be to compare the message with the word of God just like the Bereans did
in Acts 17.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
1 Corinthians Chapter 1
1Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
2To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:
3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, 5that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, 6even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, 7so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Corinthians 1 : 1 -9
So in the 2nd verse Paul is reminding the Corinthian Church that they have been sanctified in Jesus and that they are Saints by calling. In verses 5 -7 we see that the Corinthian Church has been blessed with gifts and in verses 8 - 9 Paul is confident that God will keep the Corinthian Church blameless to the end. So in the first 9 verses we see Paul reminding the Corinthian Church who they are (verse 2) , thanking God for them (verse 4) , reminding them of all that they received from Jesus (verse 5-7) , and being confident that God will keep them(verse 8-9)
10Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. 12Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.” 13Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15so that no one would say you were baptized in my name. 16Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other. 17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.
1 Corinthians 1 : 10-17
Any preacher could do a sermon on verse 10 alone here . The Church is not meant to have divisions , in Romans 16 : 17 they are warned to watch out for those that cause divisions and in Ephesians 4:3 they are to keep the Unity of the Spirit (same mind and same judgement) . Verses 4 - 6 in Ephesians 4, then go on to talk about one faith , one body , one God and father above all . The point is that Jesus does not want divisions among the Church In verse 11 - 12 we find out that they are fighting over which teacher they listen to ! Now does this sound familar to any of us? How many of us have ever had a teacher that we prefer over another one? I'm talking about in Church , I know I have before and I'm sure some of you have too . In verse 13 -14 Paul makes the point clear and that point is that we ALL follow Christ not this teacher or that teacher but Christ , after all none of our teachers was crucified for us only Christ Jesus . Verse 17 is interesting : the Gospel and Baptism are different , but the other point I find real interesting is that Paul points out that he preached the gospel without cleverness of speech because he did not want to void the cross of Christ . This is a problem in the Church these days , the gospel has become blurry to some , everyone has a different "requirement" , what is a simple message has been made complex , honestly if we all just preached John 3 : 16 -18 and Romans 10 : 9-10 the Gospel would probably be more clear. Personally I like Acts 16 : 30-31 . We could throw in all the conditions like "repent" or be "be baptized" or "say this simple pray" , but none of that will mean anything if they don't believe in there heart who Jesus is , I mean Acts 16 : 30 -31 makes it simple , believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.
2To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:
3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, 5that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, 6even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, 7so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Corinthians 1 : 1 -9
So in the 2nd verse Paul is reminding the Corinthian Church that they have been sanctified in Jesus and that they are Saints by calling. In verses 5 -7 we see that the Corinthian Church has been blessed with gifts and in verses 8 - 9 Paul is confident that God will keep the Corinthian Church blameless to the end. So in the first 9 verses we see Paul reminding the Corinthian Church who they are (verse 2) , thanking God for them (verse 4) , reminding them of all that they received from Jesus (verse 5-7) , and being confident that God will keep them(verse 8-9)
10Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. 12Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.” 13Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15so that no one would say you were baptized in my name. 16Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other. 17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.
1 Corinthians 1 : 10-17
Any preacher could do a sermon on verse 10 alone here . The Church is not meant to have divisions , in Romans 16 : 17 they are warned to watch out for those that cause divisions and in Ephesians 4:3 they are to keep the Unity of the Spirit (same mind and same judgement) . Verses 4 - 6 in Ephesians 4, then go on to talk about one faith , one body , one God and father above all . The point is that Jesus does not want divisions among the Church In verse 11 - 12 we find out that they are fighting over which teacher they listen to ! Now does this sound familar to any of us? How many of us have ever had a teacher that we prefer over another one? I'm talking about in Church , I know I have before and I'm sure some of you have too . In verse 13 -14 Paul makes the point clear and that point is that we ALL follow Christ not this teacher or that teacher but Christ , after all none of our teachers was crucified for us only Christ Jesus . Verse 17 is interesting : the Gospel and Baptism are different , but the other point I find real interesting is that Paul points out that he preached the gospel without cleverness of speech because he did not want to void the cross of Christ . This is a problem in the Church these days , the gospel has become blurry to some , everyone has a different "requirement" , what is a simple message has been made complex , honestly if we all just preached John 3 : 16 -18 and Romans 10 : 9-10 the Gospel would probably be more clear. Personally I like Acts 16 : 30-31 . We could throw in all the conditions like "repent" or be "be baptized" or "say this simple pray" , but none of that will mean anything if they don't believe in there heart who Jesus is , I mean Acts 16 : 30 -31 makes it simple , believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.
1 Corinthians Part 1 Intro
This will be a study series on the book of 1 Corinthians. Why 1 Corinthians? Simply the Corinthian Church had so much going on that Paul's letter to them covers a wide variety of topics and is applicable for many situations in our lives . I will put it to you this way take the most Worldly but biblical sound church you could think of and they are not even close to the Corinthian church. God must have a great sense of humor because this Church that was being disciplined by him even to the point of some being killed also seem to have more Spiritual gifts than the other early Churches .
Friday, March 30, 2012
NIV translation issues
Behold the land of the Chaldeans; this people was not, till the
Assyrian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness: they set up
the towers thereof, they raised up the palaces thereof; and he brought it to ruin.
Isaiah 23 : 13 kjv
Look at the land of the Babylonians, this people that is now of no account! The Assyrians have made it a place for desert creatures; they raised up their siege towers, they stripped its fortresses bare and turned it into a ruin.
Isaiah 23 : 13 niv
Now I'm sure you can see the difference but think that is is a minor verse to mess up the truth is that is not so , The Assyrian is very different from the Assyrians. The Assyrian is a name used for the Anti-Christ in Micah 5 : 5-8 . Here in the King James it gives us more clues on the Assyrian saying that he founded the Chaldeans , the Chaldeans were in control Babylon . In fact Isaiah 23 : 13 in the King James Version eludes the Tower of Babel episode in Genesis 11 and if you go back to Genesis 10 : 8-12 you would see that Nimrod founded both Babylon and Assyria , in fact Assyria is called the land of Nimrod . So the Anti-Christ aka the Assyrian will be like Nimrod he won't look like a Hitler or a Stalin , he will instead be a hero to the Earth and unite the people.
Let's look at another mis-translation :
And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
Daniel 2 : 43 KJV
And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.
Daniel 2 : 43 NIV
Do you see the difference????? One is telling us that something that is not Human will be involved in the ten toes kingdom , meanwhile the NIV switches it around to basically hide the fact that there is a "they" that will mix with the seed of men , if you want more on this they check out Genesis 6 : 1-4 , Jude 1 : 6and 7 , 2 Peter 2 : 4-6 , notice the Angel's act and punishment in Jude and Peter is followed by references to Sodom in the verses after . To put the top on this bizarre story read Genesis 6 :9 and ask yourself why Noah was perfect in his generations because he wasn't sinless we know that . You have to read these in King James because NIV even distorts the Jude passage enough to make it sound different than the King James .
Two mis-translations that have an effect for us in these days , you have to ask yourself who is behind the NIV translations????
Here's a final one , this one made me sick
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Isaiah 14 : 12 KJV
How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!
Isaiah 14 :12 NIV
The problem with this one? Jesus is the Morning Star!!!!!! Not Lucifer!!!!!!!
I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
Revelation 22 : 16
The NIV commits blasphemy in Isaiah 14 : 12 and that's not something I accuse someone of that often.
Isaiah 23 : 13 kjv
Look at the land of the Babylonians, this people that is now of no account! The Assyrians have made it a place for desert creatures; they raised up their siege towers, they stripped its fortresses bare and turned it into a ruin.
Isaiah 23 : 13 niv
Now I'm sure you can see the difference but think that is is a minor verse to mess up the truth is that is not so , The Assyrian is very different from the Assyrians. The Assyrian is a name used for the Anti-Christ in Micah 5 : 5-8 . Here in the King James it gives us more clues on the Assyrian saying that he founded the Chaldeans , the Chaldeans were in control Babylon . In fact Isaiah 23 : 13 in the King James Version eludes the Tower of Babel episode in Genesis 11 and if you go back to Genesis 10 : 8-12 you would see that Nimrod founded both Babylon and Assyria , in fact Assyria is called the land of Nimrod . So the Anti-Christ aka the Assyrian will be like Nimrod he won't look like a Hitler or a Stalin , he will instead be a hero to the Earth and unite the people.
Let's look at another mis-translation :
And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
Daniel 2 : 43 KJV
And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.
Daniel 2 : 43 NIV
Do you see the difference????? One is telling us that something that is not Human will be involved in the ten toes kingdom , meanwhile the NIV switches it around to basically hide the fact that there is a "they" that will mix with the seed of men , if you want more on this they check out Genesis 6 : 1-4 , Jude 1 : 6and 7 , 2 Peter 2 : 4-6 , notice the Angel's act and punishment in Jude and Peter is followed by references to Sodom in the verses after . To put the top on this bizarre story read Genesis 6 :9 and ask yourself why Noah was perfect in his generations because he wasn't sinless we know that . You have to read these in King James because NIV even distorts the Jude passage enough to make it sound different than the King James .
Two mis-translations that have an effect for us in these days , you have to ask yourself who is behind the NIV translations????
Here's a final one , this one made me sick
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Isaiah 14 : 12 KJV
How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!
Isaiah 14 :12 NIV
The problem with this one? Jesus is the Morning Star!!!!!! Not Lucifer!!!!!!!
I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
Revelation 22 : 16
The NIV commits blasphemy in Isaiah 14 : 12 and that's not something I accuse someone of that often.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Eternal Security
No issue is bigger in the church it seems than this one , I have seen people on both sides of the fence on this issue and they provide scripture for there side of the argument . I will make a few points and leave you with a passage of scripture . The Bible never says that you lose your Salvation , passages like Galations 5:4 say "fall from grace" , not from Salvation and to be honest in that one Paul is talking about how the Galations after receiving the gospel of Jesus Christ (You know saved by grace through faith) , had let some people come in and tell them that they had to follow the law to either be saved or keep there salvation (which is funny because people that use fall from Grace to say you can lose your salvation are actually guilty of trying to make people do the same thing that Paul is fighting here) , but notice he doesn't say that they loss there Salvation , if anything he says they have defeated themselves and made Christ ineffective , but he never says they are now condemned nor does he say that they have lost Salvation , just grace , and he never said they couldn't repent and get back into Grace . This is the major problem with the passages that are used to say that someone can lose Salvation none of them say that a person loses Salvation , John 15 is a another example people say that is says that if you fall out of the vine you lose your Salvation , no where there does it say that , it actually is talking about how apart from abiding in Christ you can DO nothing , do would be an action word and that the branches that stop abiding are burned hmmm..... to me it sounds similar to the judgement seat of christ where works that were not done for Christ are burned ......... [If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. 1 cor 3:15] The point is it never says that Salvation is loss , as to "security" It says in John more than once that a believer will never perish and I will give just one example here :
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them; and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand”
(John 10:27-29).
Now people can argue whatever they want , they could say it's conditional and that you can jump out of his hand or whatever but they miss a part before the hand where he says they shall NEVER perish. That is a key and a promise from God (who can never lie) . He doesn't say that they might not perish , nor does he say "as long as they believe they won't perish" , nope he says they will NEVER , NEVER , NEVER perish . The definition of never is :
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them; and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand”
(John 10:27-29).
Now people can argue whatever they want , they could say it's conditional and that you can jump out of his hand or whatever but they miss a part before the hand where he says they shall NEVER perish. That is a key and a promise from God (who can never lie) . He doesn't say that they might not perish , nor does he say "as long as they believe they won't perish" , nope he says they will NEVER , NEVER , NEVER perish . The definition of never is :
1. at no time; not ever
2. certainly not; by no means; in no case
Most English versions use the word never in this verse as well : http://bible.cc/john/10-28.htm
Monday, March 26, 2012
Confusion Solution : Read the Bible !!!!
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2 : 15
11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
Acts 17 : 11
I've got to admit a lot of topics I have seen on some sites have left me scratching my head , now while a lot of the bible is meat and requires study and revelation by the Holy Spirit , some topics are easy to answer just by reading your Bible!!!!! A clear example would be the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20) , I think it is safe to say that wanting to have an affair is wrong , or wanting what someone else has (coveting) is wrong , or bearing a false witness (i. e. lying) is wrong , but I have seen people ask questions along those lines , the point is if you don't read your Bible you won't know.
2 Timothy 2 : 15
11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
Acts 17 : 11
I've got to admit a lot of topics I have seen on some sites have left me scratching my head , now while a lot of the bible is meat and requires study and revelation by the Holy Spirit , some topics are easy to answer just by reading your Bible!!!!! A clear example would be the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20) , I think it is safe to say that wanting to have an affair is wrong , or wanting what someone else has (coveting) is wrong , or bearing a false witness (i. e. lying) is wrong , but I have seen people ask questions along those lines , the point is if you don't read your Bible you won't know.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Few lessons from David and Solomon
Many Christians know the story of David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11 and 12) , but what is usually missed is that God did not define David by this incident . In fact if we read on the end of Solomon's life we can pick up on a few things about the character of God for those that are his.
9 Now the LORD was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the LORD had commanded. 11 So the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. 12 Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”
1 Kings 11 : 9-13
Ok so first thing we notice is that God appeared to Solomon twice on this issue (9-10) , that right there is a good life lesson that anytime we get into messes we can know that at some point God tried to warn us about them. But now we can get to the points of this post , Solomon despite not really serving the Lord will be spared while alive because David is his father . There is a good point in here for any of us with children , this shows us that because of our relationship with the Lord our children can receive blessings even if they purposely disobeyed the Lord. The other thing we can notice in here , is that David is not remembered for his sin with Bathsheba , we all know he did it but God does not remember him for it and if you listen to God here , if this was the only part of the Bible you ever read you would assume that David never sinned . This is good evidence for us to believe the Lord when he says that our sins and transgressions he will remember no more .I will leave you with a couple of scriptures on God's forgetfulness of our sins and on God's blessings to the children of those that love Him.
If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness
1 John 1 : 9
I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.
Isaiah 43 : 25
They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household
Acts 16 : 31
but showing love to a thousand [generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Exodus 20 : 6
9 Now the LORD was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the LORD had commanded. 11 So the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. 12 Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”
1 Kings 11 : 9-13
Ok so first thing we notice is that God appeared to Solomon twice on this issue (9-10) , that right there is a good life lesson that anytime we get into messes we can know that at some point God tried to warn us about them. But now we can get to the points of this post , Solomon despite not really serving the Lord will be spared while alive because David is his father . There is a good point in here for any of us with children , this shows us that because of our relationship with the Lord our children can receive blessings even if they purposely disobeyed the Lord. The other thing we can notice in here , is that David is not remembered for his sin with Bathsheba , we all know he did it but God does not remember him for it and if you listen to God here , if this was the only part of the Bible you ever read you would assume that David never sinned . This is good evidence for us to believe the Lord when he says that our sins and transgressions he will remember no more .I will leave you with a couple of scriptures on God's forgetfulness of our sins and on God's blessings to the children of those that love Him.
If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness
1 John 1 : 9
I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.
Isaiah 43 : 25
They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household
Acts 16 : 31
but showing love to a thousand [generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Exodus 20 : 6
Monday, March 19, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
Calling Evil Good
20Woe unto them that
call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light
for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
21Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
22Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:
23Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
Isaiah 5 : 20 -23
In the times we now live in , we clearly see this passage of scripture taking place all around us . Everyday we are confronted with people calling evil good and calling good evil. We see this in such topics as "Universalism" which is the belief that every faith leads to Heaven , this is directly against the bible where Jesus teaches :
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14 : 6
Yet should a Christian tell someone this we are seen as being "bigots" and even "delusional" , when all we are doing is trying to tell people the truth. Then we might hear that we are being "old fashion" and that God has "changed" . The fact is that the bible is quite clear that God does not change :
For I am the LORD, I change not
Malachi 3:6a
It is real important that we stick to what the Bible says and that if we dare say we are Christians that we believe what it says . I read some alarming statistics recently , about a high percentage of "Christians" in this country that don't even believe in the Holy Spirit or the Devil , my response would be how can you be a Christian? Or Homosexual ministers the word of God is clear that Homosexuality is a sin(Lev 18:22) ,(1 Cor 6 : 9) , how can a homosexual be a minister???????? This generation is indeed the Laodicean church , not Hot (believer) or Cold (Unbeliever) , but Luke-Warm (I believe God loves me but don't believe in Judgment , Hell , Sin , The Devil , The Trinity , etc , etc, etc, you get the point?)(Rev 3: 15 -16) . The fact is to be a Christian you either believe all of it or you believe none of it.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
2 Timothy 3 : 16
Notice how it says ALL Scripture , not some , not part , but ALL.
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
Matthew 6 : 24
No one can serve two masters and that is not just money two masters could be God and yourself , God and the Devil , God and your Pastor . The Fact is you either serve God or you don't.
If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. Mark 3 : 25
It is real important that Christians recognize the deception that is under way everything that God calls good society is trying to paint as evil and everything that God calls evil society is trying to paint as good , it is time to wake up and recognize this , do not be afraid to be called a bigot or a hypocrite or old fashioned, out of touch , or whatever else someone may call you , you can love the sinner but don't ever tell them that there sin is "alright". Don't make them think that you agree with their sinful behavior , remember a sinner can not come to repentance if they don't think they need a Savior. I will also say don't be surprised by what is happening in society this is suppose to happen remember what was written to Timothy :
But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith. But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes’s and Jambres’s folly was also.
2 Timothy 3 : 1 - 9
21Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
22Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:
23Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
Isaiah 5 : 20 -23
In the times we now live in , we clearly see this passage of scripture taking place all around us . Everyday we are confronted with people calling evil good and calling good evil. We see this in such topics as "Universalism" which is the belief that every faith leads to Heaven , this is directly against the bible where Jesus teaches :
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14 : 6
Yet should a Christian tell someone this we are seen as being "bigots" and even "delusional" , when all we are doing is trying to tell people the truth. Then we might hear that we are being "old fashion" and that God has "changed" . The fact is that the bible is quite clear that God does not change :
For I am the LORD, I change not
Malachi 3:6a
It is real important that we stick to what the Bible says and that if we dare say we are Christians that we believe what it says . I read some alarming statistics recently , about a high percentage of "Christians" in this country that don't even believe in the Holy Spirit or the Devil , my response would be how can you be a Christian? Or Homosexual ministers the word of God is clear that Homosexuality is a sin(Lev 18:22) ,(1 Cor 6 : 9) , how can a homosexual be a minister???????? This generation is indeed the Laodicean church , not Hot (believer) or Cold (Unbeliever) , but Luke-Warm (I believe God loves me but don't believe in Judgment , Hell , Sin , The Devil , The Trinity , etc , etc, etc, you get the point?)(Rev 3: 15 -16) . The fact is to be a Christian you either believe all of it or you believe none of it.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
2 Timothy 3 : 16
Notice how it says ALL Scripture , not some , not part , but ALL.
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
Matthew 6 : 24
No one can serve two masters and that is not just money two masters could be God and yourself , God and the Devil , God and your Pastor . The Fact is you either serve God or you don't.
If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. Mark 3 : 25
It is real important that Christians recognize the deception that is under way everything that God calls good society is trying to paint as evil and everything that God calls evil society is trying to paint as good , it is time to wake up and recognize this , do not be afraid to be called a bigot or a hypocrite or old fashioned, out of touch , or whatever else someone may call you , you can love the sinner but don't ever tell them that there sin is "alright". Don't make them think that you agree with their sinful behavior , remember a sinner can not come to repentance if they don't think they need a Savior. I will also say don't be surprised by what is happening in society this is suppose to happen remember what was written to Timothy :
But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith. But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes’s and Jambres’s folly was also.
2 Timothy 3 : 1 - 9
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
A few verses on Rapture
For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who
now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the
way.
2 Thessalonians 2:7
Perhaps no verse in the bible is more sufficient proof of a rapture than this one, it is clear that the power of the lawlessness is being held back until the one that holds it back is taken away , that one would have to be Holy Spirit or the Holy Spirit filled church , this verse would be saying that as long as the Church in on Earth , the Holy Spirit is holding back the power of lawlessness , another verse that would strongly indicate rapture can be found in Revelation chapter 3 , when Christ is talking to the church in Philadelphia he has no complaints against them and even says they have kept his word and not denied him because of this he gives them a promise :
Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.
Revelation 3 : 10
How could Christ keep the faithful at Philadelphia from the hour of trial unless we are talking of a Rapture? These are just a couple of verses that indicate a Rapture of the church , one indicates because of faithfulness and other indicates because the Holy Spirit is holding the power of lawlessness back.
2 Thessalonians 2:7
Perhaps no verse in the bible is more sufficient proof of a rapture than this one, it is clear that the power of the lawlessness is being held back until the one that holds it back is taken away , that one would have to be Holy Spirit or the Holy Spirit filled church , this verse would be saying that as long as the Church in on Earth , the Holy Spirit is holding back the power of lawlessness , another verse that would strongly indicate rapture can be found in Revelation chapter 3 , when Christ is talking to the church in Philadelphia he has no complaints against them and even says they have kept his word and not denied him because of this he gives them a promise :
Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.
Revelation 3 : 10
How could Christ keep the faithful at Philadelphia from the hour of trial unless we are talking of a Rapture? These are just a couple of verses that indicate a Rapture of the church , one indicates because of faithfulness and other indicates because the Holy Spirit is holding the power of lawlessness back.
Friday, March 9, 2012
The simplicity of the Gospel
16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 He
who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been
judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 3 : 16 - 18
Sometimes we can lose the simplicity of the Gospel , the Gospel in it's most simple form is that Jesus was brought into the World to save it and that whoever will come to believe in him has eternal life and will not perish , faith in Jesus alone is the way to Salvation , no works , no religious conditions , fancy music , or "alternative" ways of presenting the Gospel , just faith in the Gospel of Jesus alone and the most effective way to share the Gospel is by the word of God .
12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Hebrews 4 : 12
We need to be careful that the word of God is being presented to unbelievers , too many churches today are neglecting sin , hell , the need for Savior , judgement , repentence . There are churches that deny parts of the Bible , churches that mix false religions , churches that are more worried about your life being prosperous than they are about lost souls. The big danger is that if you think you are good enough for Heaven on your own than you don't need a Savior and if you don't need a Savior than you are in big trouble....
Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
Hebrews 9 : 22 (ESV)
The law is God's law and the reality is that everyone has violated it , so let's not neglect the Gospel message , but let's not make it too complicated either , the simple answer is that faith in Jesus alone is the way to Salvation , for if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved (Romans 10 : 9-10)
John 3 : 16 - 18
Sometimes we can lose the simplicity of the Gospel , the Gospel in it's most simple form is that Jesus was brought into the World to save it and that whoever will come to believe in him has eternal life and will not perish , faith in Jesus alone is the way to Salvation , no works , no religious conditions , fancy music , or "alternative" ways of presenting the Gospel , just faith in the Gospel of Jesus alone and the most effective way to share the Gospel is by the word of God .
12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Hebrews 4 : 12
We need to be careful that the word of God is being presented to unbelievers , too many churches today are neglecting sin , hell , the need for Savior , judgement , repentence . There are churches that deny parts of the Bible , churches that mix false religions , churches that are more worried about your life being prosperous than they are about lost souls. The big danger is that if you think you are good enough for Heaven on your own than you don't need a Savior and if you don't need a Savior than you are in big trouble....
Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
Hebrews 9 : 22 (ESV)
The law is God's law and the reality is that everyone has violated it , so let's not neglect the Gospel message , but let's not make it too complicated either , the simple answer is that faith in Jesus alone is the way to Salvation , for if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved (Romans 10 : 9-10)
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Trust the Lord
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones.
Proverbs 3 : 5 - 8
It took me a long time to apply this passage to my life , and there are always areas of our lives where we still don't apply this . Sometimes when it is beyond understanding and there is no way out , it is important just to give it to the Lord and stop trying to fix the problem yourself , in certain situations the sooner we can let go , the sooner our circumstances can improve. I mean the promise here is clear in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. We should always remember that the Lord is trustworthy and that he is in control. God bless you.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones.
Proverbs 3 : 5 - 8
It took me a long time to apply this passage to my life , and there are always areas of our lives where we still don't apply this . Sometimes when it is beyond understanding and there is no way out , it is important just to give it to the Lord and stop trying to fix the problem yourself , in certain situations the sooner we can let go , the sooner our circumstances can improve. I mean the promise here is clear in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. We should always remember that the Lord is trustworthy and that he is in control. God bless you.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Beware of Motives
3 For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit; 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts. 5 For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness
1 Thessalonians 2 : 3 - 5
The motives of alot of "God's ministers" these days could be questionable . One way to get discernment is to read the word of God and in 1 Thessalonians we see that it was important for Paul to make it clear that he was not using "flattering speech" , nor was he looking for money. I would caution that we especially be careful of televangelist who have multi-million dollar homes , expensive rides , and clothes , and it seems that everything they preach is about you giving them money. Now I'm not trying to say all tv pastors are bad , but when they are worth hundreds of millions of dollars and they are begging you to "give God" your money to keep there ministry on the air , you do you have to question there motives. There speech certainly is flattering as well , most of them sound exciting and more interesting than your "boring" Pastor at church who preaches more out of the Bible than most of them do. Here's a few verses to read over , may God bless you .
1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
1 Timothy 4 :1
15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?
Matthew 7 : 15 -16
1 Thessalonians 2 : 3 - 5
The motives of alot of "God's ministers" these days could be questionable . One way to get discernment is to read the word of God and in 1 Thessalonians we see that it was important for Paul to make it clear that he was not using "flattering speech" , nor was he looking for money. I would caution that we especially be careful of televangelist who have multi-million dollar homes , expensive rides , and clothes , and it seems that everything they preach is about you giving them money. Now I'm not trying to say all tv pastors are bad , but when they are worth hundreds of millions of dollars and they are begging you to "give God" your money to keep there ministry on the air , you do you have to question there motives. There speech certainly is flattering as well , most of them sound exciting and more interesting than your "boring" Pastor at church who preaches more out of the Bible than most of them do. Here's a few verses to read over , may God bless you .
1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
1 Timothy 4 :1
15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?
Matthew 7 : 15 -16
Monday, March 5, 2012
Lack of Faith
1 Jesus went out from there and *came into His hometown; and His disciples *followed Him. 2 When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him. 4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.” 5 And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He wondered at their unbelief.
Mark 6 : 1 - 6
In reading this passage of scripture we come across something quite remarkable , Jesus the son of God , God in the flesh , was not able to do many miracles in his home town because of their unbelief!!! This story can tell us why it seems our prayers are not answered from time to time , to me this says that when we are living for God and we don't have unconfessed sin , that are unbelief that God will answer our prayers could be what prevents our prayers from being answered. If you are having a problem in your life that you have been praying over , I would encourage you to read on the miracles of Jesus today, you will see that they all involved faith and Jesus ultimately did not turn any away , even the one he appeared to, persisted and he told her that her Faith had healed her. God bless you.
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
James 1 : 5 - 8
Mark 6 : 1 - 6
In reading this passage of scripture we come across something quite remarkable , Jesus the son of God , God in the flesh , was not able to do many miracles in his home town because of their unbelief!!! This story can tell us why it seems our prayers are not answered from time to time , to me this says that when we are living for God and we don't have unconfessed sin , that are unbelief that God will answer our prayers could be what prevents our prayers from being answered. If you are having a problem in your life that you have been praying over , I would encourage you to read on the miracles of Jesus today, you will see that they all involved faith and Jesus ultimately did not turn any away , even the one he appeared to, persisted and he told her that her Faith had healed her. God bless you.
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
James 1 : 5 - 8
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Salvation ( A long explanation)
The God of the Universe has a Righteous Standard that humanity can not keep
THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;
11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,
THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;
12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;
THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,
THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”
13 “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE,
WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,”
“THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”;
14 “WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS”;
15 “THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD,
16 DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS,
17 AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.”
18 “THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”
Romans 3 : 10 -18
The consequence of unrighteousness is Sin and the wages of Sin is death(Romans 6 :23) , the death talked about is not a physical death , it is a spiritual death as described in the book of Revelation :
7 He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. 8 But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Revelation 21 : 7-8
Now I'm sure that between those 2 lists we all can acknowledge that we are all guilty , according to the Justice of our Creator all of us are doomed to burn forever and ever in the Lake of Fire which is not the party that alot of people make it out to be. In fact Mark describes Hell quite a few times with verses like : 48 where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED. (Mark 9 : 48) , perhaps more scary is that Hell is not even the Lake of Fire , Revelation makes it clear that those in Hell get thrown into the Lake of Fire where clearly nothing dies and the fire never ends , imagine setting yourself on fire and not being able to stop it and not being able to die to escape it , that is the gist of what the Lake of Fire is going to be like , a Rock Party? , I don't think so.
The Remedy ? Jesus :
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 3 : 16 - 18
God loves you and me so much that he sent Jesus to Earth to die in our place for our sins to satisfy his Righteous standard :
21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
2 Corinthians 5 : 21
So if God sent his son to die in our place taking our sins and then raised him from the dead three days later giving us the promise of eternal life , what do we need to do to be saved ?
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
Romans 10 : 9 - 10
Ask Jesus to come into your heart today and save you , you don't have to pray a predetermined prayer just pray a heart felt prayer , I know for me it was , "Ok God you got me , I will stop running , yes I'm a sinner and I need a Savior , I believe Jesus died on the Cross for my sins and was raised from the dead 3 days later , I ask Jesus to come into my heart right now and Save me in Jesus name amen."
Now if you have accepted Jesus as your Savior , you need to get into a local church , this could be difficult to pick the right one , just try to make sure that they believe Salvation is by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ alone . Here's a link that may or may not help you : http://www.christianchurchtoday.com/locator/
It is also important to get a bible and read it everyday as well as praying to God , it may be hard when you start you can use some sample prayers such as the Lord's prayer (Matthew 6 : 9 - 13) , God Bless you and if all else fails search online there are quite a bit of materials as well
Setting and Following Dates
No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Matthew 24 : 36
It amazes me how many Christians can be deceived into believing dates , if the Bible makes one thing clear about these dates is that no man knows them , whether we are talking about the Rapture , second coming , or the anti-christ , if we read our Bibles then we know that any date someone comes up with is false.
Another danger I could see with dates is that they could set people up for deception . Jesus warned about False Christ and False Prophets .....
At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it.
For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible.
Matthew 24 : 23 -24
People who believe dates put themselves in danger , when reading Revelation it can be seen that the Anti-Christ is going to go out of his way to appear as if he is Jesus , the Bible doesn't confirm it , but I wouldn't be surprised if he resembled the image of Jesus that the world has
1 I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!" 2 I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.
Revelation6 : 1 -2
The symbolism here screams Jesus , except for the bow , so making dates can be dangerous , for example (and this is just a theory) , if someone who looks like Jesus comes riding on world wide television on December 21 , 2012 , how many people do you think would believe he was Jesus? We always need to be alert and search the scriptures for answers , we can not just allow ourselves to be led astray because this person has slick speech or that person sounds smart , we are encouraged to search the scriptures (Acts 17 : 11) and test the spirits(1 John 4 : 1-3)
Heavenly Father I pray that we would seek and search your word before jumping at the words of others , Lord I pray for discernment for all of your believers and I thank you for your word that you have given us to help guide us through these last days in Jesus name amen.
Matthew 24 : 36
It amazes me how many Christians can be deceived into believing dates , if the Bible makes one thing clear about these dates is that no man knows them , whether we are talking about the Rapture , second coming , or the anti-christ , if we read our Bibles then we know that any date someone comes up with is false.
Another danger I could see with dates is that they could set people up for deception . Jesus warned about False Christ and False Prophets .....
At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it.
For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible.
Matthew 24 : 23 -24
People who believe dates put themselves in danger , when reading Revelation it can be seen that the Anti-Christ is going to go out of his way to appear as if he is Jesus , the Bible doesn't confirm it , but I wouldn't be surprised if he resembled the image of Jesus that the world has
1 I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!" 2 I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.
Revelation6 : 1 -2
The symbolism here screams Jesus , except for the bow , so making dates can be dangerous , for example (and this is just a theory) , if someone who looks like Jesus comes riding on world wide television on December 21 , 2012 , how many people do you think would believe he was Jesus? We always need to be alert and search the scriptures for answers , we can not just allow ourselves to be led astray because this person has slick speech or that person sounds smart , we are encouraged to search the scriptures (Acts 17 : 11) and test the spirits(1 John 4 : 1-3)
Heavenly Father I pray that we would seek and search your word before jumping at the words of others , Lord I pray for discernment for all of your believers and I thank you for your word that you have given us to help guide us through these last days in Jesus name amen.
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