Site Title

In this section will be various studies from the Word of God that you may find very intersting and informative.  The truth shall set you free!

There is much to be said about the blood. Blood cries out, speaks, and even bears witness. Let's start at the beginning in the book of Genesis: Genesis 9:4 “But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.” Leviticus 17:11 “For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” Leviticus 17:14 “For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is the life thereof, therefore, I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh; for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof; whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.” The scriptures do not say that life is the blood! It says that life is “in” the blood. There is something in the blood that gives life. It is something that all living creatures have in common. Genesis 2:7 “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” When God formed or molded Adam out of the dust of the earth, like a potter forms jars of clay, the body was complete, but inanimate. God gave Adam the “breath of life” and he became alive. At this point, it is obvious that God put something into Adam that brought him to life and this something could be passed on to his heirs. James 2:26 “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” The spirit mentioned here is man's spirit and not the Holy Spirit. James is referring to the fact that when the spirit leaves the body, the person is dead. Since the life is in the blood, it is logical to assume that the spirit of man, which gives him life, is in the blood. Whenever a person becomes a new creation in Christ, a person receives a new heart (which is used to pump the blood throughout the body) and a new spirit (which is in the blood). Adam did not have ordinary blood. His blood was special because he was a very special man. Some people, probably most, believe that Adam was the beginning of all Mankind. If this is correct, who were the people in the Land of Nod? Adam and Eve first had Cain and then Abel. Cain murdered Abel and was driven from the land of Eden. He went east to the land of Nod and took a wife. Cain was in Nod before Eve conceived and bore Seth. Genesis 4:25 "And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth; For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew." Seth was the third child born. He was to replace Abel, who is now dead by his brother's hand. Who, then, are the people of Nod and how did they get there? On day six of creation, God created man: Genesis 1:26 "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..." {27} "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Notice that God created male and female. By His spoken word, He created male and female. Where did He place them? Genesis 1:28 "And God blessed them, and said unto them, be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth..." To replenish something means that there was something there before. They were told to repopulate the earth. Genesis 1:29 "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth..." They were given dominion over the entire earth. In creation week, God created man and woman, placed them on earth, and told them to repopulate the entire earth. Genesis 2:1 "Thus, the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them." Everything that God created on the first six days was considered “all the host of them”. Now, let's read another scripture that explains this further. Psalm 33:6 "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth." The creation of the heavens and earth and all that is upon the earth was by God's Word! On the seventh day, He rested. Now comes the very interesting part! Genesis 2:7 "And the Lord formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul." Notice that this man was formed out of dirt. He was molded into the image of God like a potter molds a vase. Notice also, only one man was formed here. In Genesis 1:27, mankind was created, not formed, by the spoken “Word”. Mankind is made in the image of God and has some characteristics in common with our Creator. Whenever mankind lays his hands upon anything, it is changed. We impart a part of ourselves into whatever we touch. We leave fingerprints, we shed cells, and sometimes we even leave some of our DNA on objects that we touch. If you enter a cave where there is living rock, the tour guide will warn you not to touch the living rock. You are to enjoy the beautiful colors with your eyes. If you touch the beautiful rock, it will cease to be living rock. I'm not sure if it dies or not, but the beautiful colors will disappear and it will become an ugly chunk of plain rock. In this case the human touch is harmful. Mankind can also take clay and make beautiful objects. After molding the object, it is then placed into a kiln where it is baked to the point of the object becoming hard, so that it will not lose its shape. Then, the object can be painted and a beautiful art piece emerges. The only way to avoid our changing everything that we touch is by wearing sterile gloves, draping ourselves with sterile gowns, and even wearing a mask over our mouth. When God spoke mankind into existence, He did not physically touch the bodies. However, when God picked up dust and formed mankind in His hand, I'm sure the Creator imparted fingerprints, cells, and maybe even DNA into the dust that He manipulated to form this special man. Have you ever tried to do anything with dust? To form something out of it, you would need water to make the dust into clay. Is it possible that God spat on the dust and made clay? We don't know; the Bible doesn't say. The Bible does say that Jesus spat into the dust and used the clay to heal blinded eyes. Then, there is the breath of life that God breathed into this special man. Inhaled substances affect humans. Some people are ill and inhale medication to improve their condition. It can be harmful to inhale some substances. Firemen, at a fire, need to wear protection from the toxic smoke. In some situations, law enforcement or the military use a gas that renders people unconscious or even dead. When substances are breathed in, they are picked up by the blood and transported throughout the body. Whether these substances are good or bad, the blood distributes them to all cells. So, air that enters the body creates changes within that body for good or bad depending upon the source of the air that is breathed in. Think about it! If God breathed into a clay man that already had touches of God within the cells and the blood picked up that breath and carried it throughout the body, how could it be the same as a body that was never touched or breathed into by God? Obviously, there has to be differences between the man that was spoken into existence and the formed man. The formed man simply has more particles in him that came from God! So, he would be more like God. Genesis 2:8 "And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed." This formed man was not placed on earth to subdue it. He was placed in a special garden planted by God Himself. Genesis 2:15 "And the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it." The purpose of this man was to keep and dress this special garden that God planted. In Genesis 1, the man and woman were to replenish the entire earth. This man was to keep a garden. Genesis 2:23 “And Adam said, this is now bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man.” The woman created in the garden was from the flesh of man. God’s spoken Word created the woman in Genesis 1 at the same time as man. The Garden of Eden was a special place unto God. The man in the Garden of Eden was a special man because God walked in the Garden of Eden to have fellowship with this man. If you trace the generations backward from Jesus, it goes all the way to Seth and unto Adam. Adam, who was formed from the dust by God, was formed to be special to God and to have fellowship with God. This Adam was the beginning of God's Chosen People… “Israel”! Adam was the first Israelite. Adam's bloodline goes to Abraham and on to Jesus. Adam has special blood for sure! The man and woman of Genesis 1 were the common couple who formed the Gentile nations of which the people of Nod were! Many will argue that Adam and Eve had other offspring before Seth was born and they were the inhabitants of Nod. Yes, there were other offspring born to Adam and Eve, but not until after Seth was born! Genesis 5:3 “And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth.” Seth was born when Adam was at the age of 0ne-hundred and thirty years. Genesis 5:4 “And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters.” After Seth was born, Adam lived another eight hundred years. Notice here that it was after Seth was born before the bible says that Adam begat other sons and daughters! Seth was in the likeness and image of his father. The likeness is what he looked like. Seth was a flesh and blood male just like his father. What is the Image? Luke 3:38 “Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.” Adam was a son of God! This is the image that flows from Adam to Seth. Seth was also a son of God! He was the begotten son from whom Jesus would enter into this world. Seth was the chosen bloodline! God mentions the four rivers that flowed from the land of Eden, in which the garden was planted. Genesis 2:11 “The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; “ Havilah means sandy stretch. It is the Biblical name for the sand-dominated region to the south, covering what we call Arabia. The descendants of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, lived in Havilah. Genesis 25:18 “And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria; and he died in the presence of all his brethren.” Genesis 2:13 “And the name of the second river is Gihon; the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.” Gihon was the primary water supply for Jerusalem. The name (Gihon) means a bursting forth, and is descriptive of the spring that is located in the Kedron Valley. In Biblical times, Ethiopia was equivalent to Nubia, the region beyond the first cataract of the Nile south, or upstream of Egypt. Genesis 2:14 “And the name of the third river is Hiddekel; that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.” Hiddekel is known today as the Tigris River in Turkey (Assyria). The Euphrates flows through Turkey and Iraq into the Persian Gulf. These four rivers form a boundary from Turkey to the Persian Gulf, all of Saudi Arabia, down to Egypt. This is the exact area promised to Israel and the exact area that Israel will receive upon Christ’s return. Adam lived in this area first, so he is the first Israelite! Cain killed Abel, and God was questioning him on his brother’s whereabouts! Genesis 4:10 “And He said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.” Blood is not only the life of all flesh! It also has a voice and can speak to God. That voice is man’s spirit! Hebrews 12:24 “And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” Abel’s blood cried out for vengeance. Christ’s blood speaks of better things. It speaks of blessing instead of cursing. Abel’s blood cried out for judgment; Christ’s blood cries out for mercy and pardon. I John 5:8 “And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood; and these three agree in one. It is interesting that John, here, calls attention to the water and the blood which came from the side of Jesus on the cross.” John 19:34-35 “But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he saw it bare record, and his record is true; and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.” The water, which makes up a big part of the human body, agrees with the blood, which gives the body life, which also agrees with the spirit within the body, which Jesus committed into God’s hands at His death. These three bear witness to the deity of Christ. These three are one, because together they make up a human being. Water makes up most of the flesh. The blood gives life to the flesh. Man’s spirit is the image of God because God is Spirit. Blood, water, and spirit are one. The blood is in the water, and the spirit is in the blood. Blood, water, and spirit are throughout the entire human body. When God searches the heart of man, He is searching the spirit, which runs much deeper than man’s soul. Man’s soul is his mind, or who he is. It is the soul that makes one person different than another person. It is the individual part. Without realizing it, man has created something using the same principal that God used in creating mankind. On the assembly line of an automobile factory, vehicles are produced. First, the body is created and parts are added that will make the body function in the way the vehicle is intended. After the body is completed, fuel is added. Before the fuel will cause the body to operate, a spark from the coil has to come into contact with the fuel. For the coil to create a spark it needs a power source, or battery. When all things are put together, the vehicle will operate just as the creator (man) intended. When God formed Adam out of the dust, He made the body, with all the necessary parts in place to function correctly. But it was lifeless; it just laid there. This body had (the fuel) blood and all parts, but did nothing. God breathed in the breath of Life and the man came to life. He gave man a spirit and put it in his blood for life is in the blood. The spirit of man is very similar to the coil, which when it comes into contact with the fuel brings the vehicle to life. For mankind, the ‘battery’ or power source is God Almighty. It is God that gives the spirit {coil} to all created bodies to mix with the fuel and bring the vehicle to life. Ephesians 4:22-24 “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” When one receives Jesus as your personal Savior (born again experience), the old man is removed and a new man is put on. These two acts are inseparable. The new man is the new life that we receive in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things become new.” Galatians 6:17 “From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” Colossians 3:10 “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:” This is not the reformation or renovation of the old man. This is the product of the new birth and results in a new creation. If one is in Christ and Christ is in him, he is a new creature. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Matthew 9:16-17 “No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.” Pastors mostly teach that this new man is spiritual and not physical. But, the scripture says that one becomes a “new creature”. A new creature not only means spiritual, but also physical. For there is a natural and a spiritual body combined to form a man. I Corinthians 15:44 “It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body.” Let us go a little further. Galatians 3:7 “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.” Anyone who receives Christ as his or her Lord and Savior becomes a child of Abraham. To prove that you are the child of a certain person, you need to have your blood tested and compared to the other person. Consequently, when you receive Christ, you become of the bloodline or seed of Abraham. Something changes in your blood that marks you as belonging to Christ's family tree. Galatians 3:29 “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” God promised many things to Abraham and his descendants. Whenever you accept Christ, the promises of Abraham, become your promises. The Covenant of Promises went to Abraham and he became known as the Father of all Israel. So, when you receive Christ, you become an heir of Abraham and the promises belong to you. You become an Israeli, since he is the Father of all Israel. Romans 9:6-8 “Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.” Being of the physical seed of Abraham does not make one an Israelite, for Abraham had many sons. Only the children of the promised child, Isaac, are counted as the aforementioned seed. Isaac was the begotten or chosen seed. Galatians 4:28-29 “Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.” Paul is speaking of the Christians as being true Israel. They become the children of the promise when they become “born after the Spirit”. There are two types of man in the world. They are those who have been born only of the flesh and those who, in addition to a fleshly birth, have been born of the Spirit. It would be better not to be born at all than to not be born of the Spirit (born again). Men of the flesh only detest men of the Spirit. So, when one becomes a Christian (born again), you become a child of Abraham, heir to the promise, and a true Israelite. How exactly does a Christian's bloodline change? 2 Corinthians 4:10-11 “Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.” When as a Christian you are persecuted and suffer for Christ’s sake, Jesus’ life is made manifest in your body. Since life is in the blood, those who suffer for Christ’s sake substantiates that Jesus’ blood is within them. John 15:20 “Remember the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.” Jesus said that none of us can be greater than Him because the “servant is not greater than his Lord”. He was persecuted, so it follows that His followers will be treated likewise and be persecuted. Persecution can be used as a test! If a person is not persecuted, then he is not truly Christ's follower (born of the Spirit of Christ). Christ's followers will definitely be persecuted, through no fault of their own, simply because of whose they are! So, when persecution comes, welcome it! Do not receive it as a pleasant experience, but as proof positive of your standing in Christ's Kingdom. I John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” His blood cleanses us from all sin. Hebrews 9:14 “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” His blood cleanses our conscience. To purge is to forcefully expel. Hebrews 13:20 “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant.” Did you see that? His blood is the blood of the “everlasting covenant”. Everlasting means forever, with no end. And the covenant is the promise to Abraham. Romans 5:16-18 “And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, (Adam) but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” So through the blood of Christ we have justification. Ephesians 1:7 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;” We have redemption through his blood. Revelation 5:9 “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;” The blood of Christ has redeemed us. Through the blood of Jesus, we are known to God, not just spiritually, but fleshly as well. We even bear God’s seal! I Corinthians 1:22 “Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” The Godhead is made up of three parts: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The third part of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, has a three-fold purpose to those who are sealed to God: (1) to indicate ownership, (2) to indicate genuineness, and (3) to preserve and keep us safe. Ephesians 4:30 “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” 2 Timothy 2:19 “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” Christians are sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise! The Spirit of Christ and the Holy Spirit are one, so when a person receives a portion of Christ’s blood, not only does the Spirit of Christ dwell in you, but also, the Holy Spirit. Notice that those who claim to be the Lord’s should depart iniquity! Why would the word iniquity be used here and not the word sin? Most churches teach that these two words are interchangeable. Will get to the answer later. John 6:53-54 “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” The phrase “eateth the flesh of the Son of man” refers to listening to everything that Christ has said. It is receiving the mind of Christ, and understanding his words. All who are alive has blood, but to receive the blood of Christ means to have everlasting life. John 6:63 “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” “They are spirit”, refers to the fact that Jesus' words, whenever you heed them, are Spirit, which means to be born again and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. “And they are life”, means to be saved from destruction and to have everlasting life. So, when Christ's spirit indwells in your body, you receive a better understanding of his words. Also, you have everlasting life, and you are sealed unto God. Basically, you get a blood transfusion and become a seed of Abraham through Isaac (the promised one of Abraham) and you receive the promises made to Abraham concerning Isaac's seed. You become an heir to the Kingdom and you become a true Israelite unto God. Galatians 6:16 “And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.” Because of the blood of Christ, a person who receives Christ and has a true conversion experience will become a new creature both in the physical and spiritual realm and will become the Israel of God. Joel 3:21 “For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the Lord dwelleth in Zion.” Israel, as we know it today, will become true Israelites during the Day of the Lord. At that time, they will receive the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. Israel of today cannot be the heirs to the promise because they have not, as of yet, received Christ’s blood or spirit which makes one an heir to the promise. Ezekiel 36:26 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” He has kept his promise! Christians who form nations of Christians are the restored house of Israel, heirs to the promise of power and wealth in this world. This is detailed in my book called “Identity Crisis”. I Peter 9-10 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God; which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” Pastors say that the church has never formed a nation. This particular passage says that the church, which is actually the body of believers, is a holy nation (Israel is God’s holy nation)! Christian nations, which were formed by the believers in Christ, are the restored House of Israel! In time past, Israel was not a people because God had divorced them and they were no longer his people. He did not have mercy upon them. He promised to raise them up again, change their hearts and spirits, and place his Holy Spirit within them. This was to happen in the time frame of the latter days. Israel will once again become His people. The original House of Israel has once again become God’s people through the spirit of adoption and through the blood of Jesus, who is the atonement for mankind. There is neither Jew nor Gentile in Christ! There is only Israel! The Christian nations have received the promises of Abraham. America, England, Australia and the other Christian nations have become the heirs and recipients of Abraham’s legacy. Abraham is indeed the father of many nations. Whenever you believe that Jesus died for your sins and accept Him as your personal Savior, His atoning blood flows through your veins, cleansing you from all sin. You become a child of Abraham through Jesus' bloodline and heir to the promise. You become an Israelite because God promised that He would send the Messiah to take away all the sins of Israel. Let us now dig a little deeper! I Corinthians 11:24-25 “And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.” Jesus said that we should partake of His flesh and drink His blood. These are two separate and distinct actions we are to take! John 6:53-54 “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” When you drink His blood, your sins are washed away and you become "saved". Once you are "saved" you will always be saved. John 18:9 “That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.” You cannot become "unsaved" after being "saved"! God is not going to reverse the wonderful thing He has done for you and in you. Drinking His blood (getting saved and forgiven of sins) is only step one. He also said to partake of His flesh. So, salvation is actually a two-step process. The meaning of “partake of His flesh” is that you have to be "born again". I Peter 1:23-8 “Being born again, not of corruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, how can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one “that is born of the Spirit.” “Born again” means to be born of the Spirit! You must receive the Holy Spirit within you. The spirit gives you life and that life is in the blood. So you must receive the Holy Spirit within your blood to have everlasting life. Christ’s blood cleanses your sins and the Holy Spirit gives you everlasting life. Your inheritance is the Kingdom of Heaven. It is possible to receive Jesus’ blood but not His Spirit. When this occurs, you are still saved, but not “born again”. When you are only saved, and not spirit filled, you walk in your own spirit. When you are in your own spirit and not walking in the Holy Spirit, you are in iniquity. To be born of water does not mean water baptism! It means you first have to be born of the flesh! You have to be born of water from your mother’s womb! In other words, to be born of the Spirit, you must first become a person! What did Jesus come to do? He came to baptize in the Holy Spirit! This is when you receive the Holy Spirit! Matthew 7:22-23 “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” This is a prime example. Very likely this man was a preacher, who had received Jesus’ blood and became “saved”, but did not take the next step and receive His Spirit. He preached in his own will and not in Jesus’ will, because he was walking in his own spirit. He was never “born again”. Jeremiah 50:20 “In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.” The time frame for this occurrence is right after the Great Tribulation Period and right before the Millennial Reign of Christ. Israel, at this time, is still dealing with their iniquity because they had never taken the second step (baptism in the Holy Spirit). Judah, at this time, is still dealing with their sins, because they had never taken the first step (accepting Jesus as the Christ). The condition of Israel and Judah is: Israel is saved, not born again; Judah is dead in their sins. Sin and iniquity both mean transgressing the laws and precepts of God. Sin is when you do this before you know Jesus. Iniquity is when you do this after you know Jesus! John the Baptist said, Matthew 3:11 “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear; he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: “ He was referring to Jesus as the one that cometh after him. Jesus came to baptize in what? The Holy Spirit! John 16:7 “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” The Comforter, our Lord referred to, is the Holy Spirit. Since God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are one, the Spirit of Christ and the Holy Spirit are one, much like God can be “I am”, Lord of Lords, Jehovah, etc., and Jesus can be the Shepherd, the Lamb, and Son of Man. The Holy Spirit is also referred to by other names. In order to receive the Holy Spirit, you must be baptized in the Holy Spirit! Ephesians 4:4-6 “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” The one baptism is the baptism in the Holy Spirit. When you have taken both steps (accepted Jesus, and accepted the Holy Spirit) you become “God’s Israel” or the true Israel and have everlasting life with the Father of all life. Luke 13:23-27 “Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, we have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in out streets. But, he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.” Many will presume to know Christ. Many will do religious rituals in Jesus' name by prophesying, casting out demons, and many other works. They will also partake of communion (eat and drink in His presence) ritually. They will know all the words that Jesus spoke (thou hast taught in the streets). But, they are still told to depart because of their iniquity. Does this mean that you can be a Christian and not go to heaven? Answer a bit later! I Corinthians 3:13 “Every 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.” There is a time coming when a man's work will be openly displayed for what it is. This time is given in the words “the day”. This is the day of the Judgment Seat of Christ. I Corinthians 3:15 “If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” Those who are told to depart because of their iniquity have worked for the Lord in vain. Their works will be burned but they will still be saved. “As by fire” means: they are permanently cleansed from their sins by Jesus' Blood as fire destroys permanently. These will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the loss that they will suffer. Only those who have received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit will enter Heaven. What does the saved people inherit? Where do they go? Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:10 “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The “poor in spirit” is the opposite of the proud or the haughty in spirit. The “poor in spirit” and those that are persecuted for righteousness’ sake and have humbled themselves to the point of not only acknowledging Jesus as the Christ, but also walk in the Holy Spirit. Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” These are the ones who inherit the Kingdom of God upon the new earth. These are the saved ones who have not received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Contrary to what has been taught in the 'mainline' churches, not everyone who is 'saved' will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. They will not enter Heaven and they will not go to hell! They inherit the “New Earth”. Matthew 7:21 “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” You must receive the baptism in the Holy Ghost and walk in the Spirit to be able to “doeth the will of my Father”. When you walk in your own spirit you are not able to do God's will. You are in iniquity (your own will). To receive Jesus' blood means to get rid of one's sins. To receive the Holy Spirit means to remove all iniquity. I Corinthians 3:1-3 “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat; for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal; for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” It is important to note that these people, to whom Paul is speaking, cannot be robbed of their relationship to Jesus Christ as far as being saved, in spite of their immaturity and iniquities. They could not understand deep spiritual truths, because they still walked as men (in their own spirit). As newborn babes in Christ, this would be natural and to be expected. I Peter 2:2 “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:” But, there comes a time, when one should grow up, even in spiritual matters. To remain a child is embarrassing and shows ones’ immaturity. The main problem with these people is that they are still walk as carnal man (fleshly). The factors, which destroyed the unity in Corinth, indicate that these believers were not walking in the Spirit, but were allowing the flesh to direct their behavior. They would not and could not receive the deeper things of God! They were soldiers of the Lord's Army, who were attempting to march to the beat of worldly drums. Envying, strife, and divisions are all works of the flesh and are symptomatic of their carnality. Within the church in America, we find the same carnality. If the church were in 'One Spirit', there would not be so many denominations! Denominations are divisions in the church caused by envy and strife. I Corinthians 10:1-5 “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.” The expressions “spiritual meat and spiritual drink” are intended to be a parallel with the elements employed in the Lord's Supper. The water that was received from the rock was real water. It was spiritual in the sense that it was given through divine intervention of God. When they drank from the spiritual rock, the water from it maintained their life. In parallel, when one drinks of Jesus' blood, one is cleansed and one's life is maintained through the forgiveness of sins. Sins lead to spiritual death. But, God was not pleased with all of them. The water sustained everyone, but many were not allowed into the Promised Land because of their iniquity. All Christians are sustained by the blood of Christ and are saved. But, God is not pleased with those who do not become Born-again by being baptized in the Holy Spirit. Those that do not take the other step will not enter into the Promised Land! See the correlation? The church today (professing Christ) have all drank of the same drink (Christ' blood) and are saved. But, not all have eaten of the same spiritual meat, which is receiving Christ' Spirit through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Paul further explains why God was displeased with some. I Corinthians 10:6-11 “Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” “…written...Upon whom the ends of the world are come”, means that this was written for the Latter Day Christians. It was specifically written for all Christians of today and it would be wise to pay attention to this example. I John 5:1 “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.” I John 3:9 “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin: for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” When you confess that Jesus is the Messiah, you receive His blood (seed) and can no longer sin. But you can still commit iniquities. I John 5:18 “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not: but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.” “Begotten of God” refers to those people who have received Christ’s Spirit. These are the elect that Satan cannot touch. The begotten of God are those that have become born-again. Those who ask Jesus into their heart receive a drop of Jesus’ blood and become saved from their sins. You can no longer sin because of that blood. You are born of God! When you receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, you become the begotten of God and keep yourself because of your liberty as a son! You are part of the Family of God! Why hasn’t the churches taught these scriptures to their people before now? Some have, but out of context and missed the meaning. Knowing that the body of believers that form Christian nations are God’s Israel, changes everything and the meaning is now very clear. The reason that the Christian nations have not seen that they are God’s chosen people, Israel, is stated in Romans 11. Here Paul is talking to the gentiles that have received Christ and are saved. Romans 11:18-21 “Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, the branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.” The gentiles are being warned not to sneer at Israel because He could do the same thing to them. Gentiles are branches by grafting, not by growth of the roots and trunk. Romans 11:22 “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.” The gentiles were warned to continue in what they had received or face the possibility of being cut off. Romans 11:23 “And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.” There will come a time, when Israel is no longer in unbelief, and God will restore them to their place and graft them back on. They will become His people once again, by birth as well as by faith. Romans 11:24 “For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches be graffed into their own olive tree?” Gentiles are not of the original family tree of God. But, they have been adopted into the family. It will be much easier to accept the natural sons back into the family! He is saying, “There is room for all, if you only believe.” Romans 11:25 “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” “The fullness of the Gentiles” is upon us. The gospel message is being preached in every nation in the world. Millions of gentiles are receiving Jesus Christ and are being saved on a daily basis. But, Israel has been partially blinded. Blinded of what? Blinded to their heritage and genealogy! They do not know who they actually are! This blindness is being healed! The Christian nations are the restored House of Israel and those people within these nations that have received the Holy Spirit are God’s Israel. Romans 11:26 “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:” Romans 11:33 “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” God’s wisdom is compared to a pool of water, which is so deep that mankind cannot even shine a light on the bottom, much less understand it. But, God is in the process of shining His flashlight into the depths to reveal a little more to us. We must be willing to move into a ‘new’ era, based upon what God reveals to us by His Holy Spirit and His Holy Word, the Bible. The ‘new’ era will usher in a ‘new’ church, where there are no denominational barriers. This church will be of ‘one’ spirit and ‘one’ mind as God had planned from the beginning. This ‘new’ church is the Restoration and Rest Church! It will show how God has restored Israel to her prominence and has given her rest in the Lord Jesus Christ. Ezekiel 13:4-5 “O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord.” “The day of the Lord” is the time period during the Tribulation Period. No one has prepared the house of Israel, {the Christian nations}, to stand in the upcoming battle. The church has been deceived into believing that they will not have to go through this period of time. This study has been inspired by God’s Spirit and is to prepare God’s people for their future. Israel, during Bible times, did not have anyone to stand in the gap for the people. Ezekiel 22:30-31 “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God.” Let’s compare the reasons for God’s wrath against His people of the past with what is happening to us today: Ezekiel 22:25-29 “There is a conspiracy of her (Israel's) prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof. Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: They have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. Her princes (National leaders) in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls (with a liberal agenda), to get dishonest gain. And her prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord God, when the Lord hath not spoken. The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: Yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.” What Israel did in the past is exactly what we are doing in the present. The important things of God are being treated as common and the people of God are being taken advantage of and attacked with a vengeance. The people are being lied to, abused, killed (note the reference to widows), robbed, and the leaders are claiming that it is God's will. The leaders have their own agenda to follow and God very seldom enters into the picture. However, the leaders claim to have heard a revelation from God. The difference is that, now, God has found someone who will stand in the gaps (Eze. 22:30,31 see above). To prepare Israel for their future, God has sent someone in the spirit and power of Elijah. And like Elijah his mission is to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just. He is to make ready a people for the Lord. Luke 1:17 “And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” The one referred to here is John the Baptist. He prepared the way for Christ's first mission. There will arise a new Elijah to prepare the way for Christ's second coming. Perhaps, since you now know the facts, you are also called to stand in the gap and repair the hedge. Maybe you are the one that has come to prepare for Christ's second coming! John the Baptist did not work alone. Matthew 11:2 “Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” Whenever you become 'saved' and 'born again', the Holy Spirit guides your path. You cannot sin or commit iniquity, but you can still make mistakes. The difference is that the sins and iniquities have already been paid for (by Christ' atoning blood). You have already judged yourself, as one in need of a Savior. There is no further judgment needed in the area of sin. All of us still live in a fleshly body. Even a Spirit filled Christian battles the flesh. It is a constant war between the flesh and the spirit. Jesus said to his sleeping disciples: Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Even his disciples, in a very crucial time, had to fight the urges of the flesh (in this case…sleep!). Many Christians grow weary. Galatians 6:9 “And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” What he calls “faint”, we call backsliding. Backsliders are still saved and born again, just tired and weary from many battles. They may even be running away from God and His call upon their lives. Jonah ran from God until a fish was sent to set his feet back on the path! God only allowed Jonah to run away to a point. He then returned Jonah to the battle. Can you imagine what a witness Jonah was? He was in the fish for three days. What else was in the fish? Bits of other fish, seaweed, and stomach acid. Jonah would have been a mess to say the least. He is spit out on the shore of Nineveh! He smelled of . . . all manners of stuff! He looked a bit odd with pieces of seaweed and fish in his hair. Then he said loudly, “REPENT!” I believe his witness was stronger than it would have been if he hadn't run in the first place and had arrived all clean and neat. God will allow his people to go only so far. Then, He will bring them back. Sometimes they will be wearing evidence of just how far they ran. That is why we should never judge based on outward appearance. Only God can see the heart. Only God knows why there are bits of fish and seaweed in your hair! We cannot see a conversion experience reflected in a person's eyes, nor in the way they walk, nor in the clothes that they wear, not even in the house that they live in. Only God can see the heart and the evidence is written there, which is out of our sight. Paul said in: I Corinthians 6:12 “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” I Corinthians 10:21 “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.” Paul said that anything that he does is lawful because of his complete conversion experience. This doesn't mean that all things are good for him. When a Christian is seen in a backsliding condition, it seems terrible to the rest of the body. Especially if the Christian goes out into open sin and makes no effort to hide it. This is common when backsliders get into sexual immorality, drugs, or alcohol. These people must be saved or they couldn't be backsliders! They could even be born again Christians! These pitiful Christians could even love the Lord deeply in their hearts, but are too faint to withstand the obstacles in their path. Before a conversion experience, the people go with the flow into sex, drugs, alcohol, idolatry, lying, stealing, etc. After conversion, they must fight the flow. It is like trying to swim in fast flowing waters. At times, they become tired and just float along with the prevailing current until they catch their breath, reach a safe landing, or someone throws them a line. This major fatigue is often associated with very young believers, who must struggle with their environment and find a way to rearrange people and objects that are causing them to fall into the stream. Perhaps, after a conversion experience, one must find new friends, a new place to live, etc. to be able to avoid the streams that flow so fast! Sometimes, due to specific circumstances, they are more mature Christians and they are running from God. Or, they could have simply given up the good fight and gave in to fleshly desires and now feel trapped in the river that flows away from God. They still cannot sin or commit iniquity! Someone needs to tell them! Someone needs to throw them that lifeline that leads back to God's shoreline. Sometimes, what looks like a backsliding condition is actually a purification process! Remember Job’s so-called friends that accused him of wrongdoing? The Lord takes His people through the fire to refine them into pure silver. When they are going through the fire, they sometimes get burnt and run away, at least for a season. It can get very difficult to tell the 'saved' from the 'unsaved' and the backsliders from the ones going through the fire. So, perhaps, we can all understand why the Lord told us not to judge. And it is good for us to remember what Jesus said about the Harlot that washed his feet with her tears and dried them with her hair: Luke 7:47 “Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.” Often, whenever tribulation comes to a 'born-again' believer, the blame is placed on the devil. However, the devil can't touch these individuals. So, where do these problems come from? All that are truly God's people will be tested, refined, purified, and made ready for the purpose that God intends to use them for. He is the Great Potter and we are the clay. Think about it! Whenever we make a clay object, we first dry out the clay. Then, we pound it into dust. Then, we add water, again, and begin to churn it all around to thoroughly mix it. Then, we push and knead it until it's the proper consistency. We place it on a wheel and spin it to form it with our hands. With tools we cut off the excess. We let it dry for a while and then we sand out the rough spots and paint it with a special paint to transform it into a work of art. Then, we place it in a kiln at thousands of degrees of heat for a long time. Finally, we carefully cool it, so as to not allow the winds to cool it too fast and break it. If the clay were alive, it would wonder about its creator! If it could talk, it would say why, why, why, and quit, quit, please quit! It might even say, “What have I done wrong?” Then the day comes when the beautiful work of art is finished. It is strong, beautiful, and is a vessel worthy of the maker. The vessel can hold food, drink, flowers, or even sand! Our walk with God is a continuous learning experience. We do not reach the place of completion like our vessel did above. Why? We are alive and always changing, growing, and going through various stages and experiences. No man can come to know all that there is to know about God or His Word. There is always something new to learn. A lot of our learning comes from our mistakes. These seem to be the lessons that we remember the best. Remember, that you are not perfect and you will not reach perfection in this lifetime. So, have compassion on the brother or sister who is at a different stage of development than you. Use your life experiences to help others to get to a place of safety and out of the stream that is so difficult, or at least, talk them through it or be there for them. Studying the Bible is like working a jigsaw puzzle. The first puzzle that you work has 5 or 6 pieces and is quite challenging to the preschooler. As the child grows, the difficulty of the puzzle is increased. Each time that you read through the Bible and thoughtfully meditate, you will put together a puzzle that is a bit more complex. You will see things that were always there, but you just hadn't grown enough to handle it yet. This life is a training period for the next. We need to become good puzzle solvers! If you are a 'born-again' believer that has on occasion taken a stumble in your walk, don't beat yourself up. Be patient with yourself. Perhaps you are being purified and refined. Your salvation is secure; it can't be taken away. Rejoice, whenever tribulation comes your way. You know that you are being refined because you are precious to God. He has decided to create a work of art in you! So, when adversity strikes, fight the good fight! Don't judge yourself or others too harshly; you are both in training! There is one scripture that when it is taken out of context can be used (and is used) by some scholars to disprove the fact that once you are saved you are saved forever. Let's take a look at that scripture: Hebrews 6:4-6 “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come. If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”” “If they shall fall away” is a hypothetical situation. The usage here is circumstantial as a condition. This is not an actual falling away. Notice the big “if” in the statement? “They crucify to themselves the Son of God, afresh”, refers to the crucifixion of Christ and makes one, who could accept all that God has to offer and then throw it away and go back to the former condition, equal to the ones who crucified Him, unjustly, in the first place. Some things cannot be repeated, an old man cannot return to his mother's womb and be born again in the natural sense. Also, one who has been killed and is definitely dead cannot be killed again. For instance, Jesus cannot die again. The word “afresh” comes from the Greek word meaning to re-crucify. Since, it is impossible to re-kill Jesus, this passage is clearly identified as being hypothetical (what if). When you are saved, God does a blood transfusion and you become a new person, a new creature. You cannot keep becoming a new person or a new creature every so often. It is a “once-in-a-lifetime” happening and God plays for keeps. So, the falling away is hypothetical, since it can't happen. Jesus died once for the remission of our sins and once is enough! This passage is being told to immature Christians that aren't growing properly. They still require milk when they should be teachers of God's word. These people were unsure of their salvation and felt the need to be saved over and over again. Assurance of salvation is subjective, depending upon the believer's acceptance of God's promise. Although a believer's spiritual life is secure, he may not think or feel that it is so, thus the need to continually re-examine the spiritual condition for assurance. This lack of faith leads to a believer’s growth being stunted by their insecurities. Conversion involves man's will. It is God's Will that produces regeneration. John 1:13 “Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, for of the will of man, but of God.” Salvation is definitely more than a contract, which can be broken or set aside. God is not going to remove the new heart and replace it with the old. You can't say, “God! I don't like this new heart! I want my old one back!” and expect to revert back to the former self. It is the work of God that transforms us from stumbling around in the dark to walking in His light. Matthew 11:28-30 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” If you are in a church that is causing your walk with Christ to be hard and you are constantly put under condemnation, get out! Your walk with the Lord should be easy. Didn’t Jesus say that His yoke is easy? If it is hard, then something is wrong! If your burden is heavy due to condemnation, then you know that something is wrong with that church. Read and study the Word of God (Bible) for yourself. Do not take anyone’s word as Gospel, including a pastor. Take notes and check it out for yourself! That includes any teachings that you get from us. Prove it for yourself. Satan tempted Jesus through quoting scriptures. The scriptures were indeed true. However, Satan was trying to twist the scriptures to make them say what he wanted them to say. He took them out of context and didn’t present the “whole picture”. An unlearned person would have believed Satan, (Eve did in the garden). Satan uses the same tactic in the church of today. And many have been deceived in many areas. This deception sometimes comes by not hearing correctly what is said and sometimes through incomplete research of topics. If ye seek ye shall find! This includes truth that is in God’s Word.

What exactly does “Liberty” mean? In Greek, the word liberty is “eleutheros”, which means unrestrained [to do or go at pleasure] as a citizen and not as a slave; exempt from liability. Another Greek word for liberty is “exousia”, which means authority, power, right, lawful, freedom, and privilege. So, Liberty means that you have the authority and lawful right to do anything you feel the need to do without fear of being chastised because you are exempt from any liability. It is kind of like diplomatic immunity. When you become born of God by receiving Christ as your personal Savior and receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, ALL things become legal for you to do, but not all things are in your best interest. 1Corinthians 6:12 “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” Does this mean that I can do anything I want without any repercussions? You cannot lose your salvation no matter what you may do, but you WILL be in trouble with our Lord. 1Corinthians 6:15 “Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid”. The liberty you have in Christ is not a license to go out and commit an evil act. Ask yourself this question “What would Jesus do?” If Jesus would not do it, then, you should not do it either. 1Peter 2:15-16 “For it is the will of God, that with well-doing, ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men {16} As free, and not using your liberty as a cloak of maliciousness, but as servants of God”. This passage states that it is permissible to use your liberty and knowledge of God’s Word to shut the mouths of ignorant people as long as you are not using your liberty to deliberately hurt someone else. Always use your liberty for Gods’ Kingdom. Galatians 5:13 “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another”. Having liberty does not mean that you may deliberately get in the flesh whenever you feel like it. Having liberty means, when you make a mistake, you are covered. How does one know if you have this liberty in Christ? 2 Corinthians 3:17 “… and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” If you are saved and born-again, then, you have the liberty in Christ. Those who have received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit have received this liberty in Christ. Even though liberty allows us to do all things, we must be careful how we use it. 1 Corinthians 8:9 “But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak.” Brethren that do not have the understanding or knowledge that you have can easily become offended by the things that you can lawfully do. Those that are ignorant of the law of liberty will wrongfully judge those with liberty. This can lead to them being judged by the same measure by God that they judged you by because of their ignorance. Ignorance is no excuse to God. 1 Corinthians 10:29-32 “Conscience, I say, not their own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience? {30} For if by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks {31} Whether therefore ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do, do all to the Glory of God {32} Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God.” We are to do our best not to offend anyone because of our liberty. People will judge us by our actions even though all things are legal for us to do, when it is done for God’s Glory. Also remember that it is God’s Will for us to silence the ignorant and foolish man as long as it is done for well doing. If someone is teaching false doctrine, we are to silence him or her by proving the WORD with scriptures even though this will offend the false teacher. Nowhere in scripture does it say not to offend evil spirits! There are many false brethren that are being led by evil spirits with the sole purpose of bringing those with liberty back into bondage. These are the ones we are to silence. Galatians 2:4 “And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage.” Satan knows who has liberty in Christ and who doesn’t. He will never cease to bring someone your way to try to bring you back into bondage. He fears those with liberty and continually does his best to discredit those with the truth of the gospel. The main area Satan attacks is in the area of sin. If he can convince those with liberty that they can still commit sin, he can once again bring them under the bondage of the law of sin. In reality, this cannot happen except in the mind of the believer, which is where our enemy wages his war. When a believer thinks that he can still commit sin, his liberty becomes of none effect. The law of sin is a curse. Jesus came to break that curse. When you receive Christ’s Blood, you are no longer under the curse of the law of sin. This law will not judge you. You are now under the law of grace. This means sin no longer has any power or authority over you. You can no longer commit sin because Jesus’ Blood cleanses you of all sin. 1 John 3:9 “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His seed {Jesus’ Blood} remained in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” Sin means to transgress the laws of God. No one can be justified under the law of sin. All sinners will earn their part in the lake of fire. It doesn’t matter how righteous they have lived their lives. If they are not saved by Jesus’ blood, the law of sin will judge them. One is born of God when he receives Christ’s blood, thus becoming saved. This person can no longer commit sin. If we cannot commit sin any longer, what is it then when we transgress against God? When a person becomes saved, he can no longer commit sin but he can still commit iniquity. Iniquity also means to transgress the laws of God. When a person transgresses God’s law before he knows Jesus, it is called sin. When a person transgresses God’s law after he becomes saved, it is called iniquity. If you can still sin after you become saved, Jesus died in vain. Galatians 2:21 “I do not frustrate the grace of God; for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” Grace is a spirit of God given to those who accepts Christ’s blood and becomes saved. This spirit of grace gets frustrated with believers who still think they can sin once saved. It is very simple. Think about it logically. When you accept Christ as your personal Savior, you receive forgiveness of sins through His atoning blood. You receive a drop of His blood, which cleanses your entire being from all sin. This drop of blood remains in you marking you as His. How then can you sin with Christ’s blood within you? You can’t! When you are born of God, you can no longer sin and you are saved from the lake of fire. But, you can still commit iniquity. Matthew 7:21-23 “Not every that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven {22} Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? {23} and then I will profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Notice that Jesus did NOT say “sinners”! He said “those that worked iniquity”. These are the Christians that are doing God’s work in their own will and not in His Will. These are the saved! These are those born of God and cannot sin but still commit iniquities. If the saved do not go to the lake of fire and do not go into the kingdom of heaven, then what happens to them? Paradise! They receive eternal life in Paradise by eating from the tree of life, which is now in Paradise. Faith without works is dead. The saved will be judged by their works. Their works is the determining factor of rewards given to them in Paradise. 1 Co. 3:15 “If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire”. Some saved will have bad or no works and their works shall be burned. But, they will still be saved and enter into Paradise. Who, then, can enter into the kingdom of heaven? John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, Verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”. John 3:5 “Jesus answered, Verily, Verily, I say unto thee except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God”. Most believe this means to be baptized in water! That is not what our Lord meant. Now read the next verse, John 3:6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.” When a baby is in the mother’s womb, it is in water, What Jesus is saying here is that to enter the kingdom of heaven you first have to be born with a fleshly body and be reborn in the spirit by receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not baptize with water! He baptized with the Holy Spirit! Not only do you have to be saved, but you also have to be born of the Spirit. When you become saved, you are born of God and are a servant. When you are born-again your iniquities are covered and you become the begotten of God [a son]. 1 John 5:18 “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not”. Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. When you receive the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead [Holy Spirit], you also become a son of God and are begotten, Where the Holy Spirit is, there is liberty also. Only a son or daughter can have liberty. Your sons and daughters have liberties that they may take that a stranger can’t. Why? Because they are family! Romans 4:7 “Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered”. These are the born-again sons of God. The blood of Jesus has covered their sins and their iniquities have been forgiven by receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit. These are the sons that are under the law of liberty. They are saved and born-again. James 2:12 “So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty”. The law of sin will judge the un-saved. Their works in faith will judge the saved; the law of liberty will judge the born-again. We, as sons and daughters, will be judged on how we use this wonderful gift of liberty. We are to be doers of the word and not hearers only. James 1:25 “But, whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty. And continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed”. When the lost transgress the law they commit sin. When the saved transgress the law they commit iniquity, what is it when a son transgresses the law and misuse their liberty? James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another that ye may be healed…” Notice, that nowhere does it say to confess your sins! James assumes here that his audience consists of born-again believers. He knows they cannot sin or commit iniquity. The law of liberty shields us from sin and iniquity but not from faults. Revelation 14:5 “And in their mouth was found no guile; for they are without fault before the throne of God”. These are the 144,000 raised up during the Tribulation Period. Notice! It does not say without sin or iniquity. It says without fault! These are “Perfect” before God! They never misused their liberty at any time. Galatians 6:1 “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted”. It doesn’t say “overtaken by sin or iniquity”. It says “a fault”. Notice! Those that are spiritual [under the law of liberty] should be the ones to confront the brother. The mainline churches tend to substitute the word “fault” with the word “sin”. They are not the same thing. Sin means to transgress the law while a fault means to miss the mark. Misusing your liberty is not without consequences. If you happen to get caught in a fault, the Lord will chastise you. He corrects those that are His. 1 Peter 2:20 “For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? But, if ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God”. Those who have liberty and who fall short of the mark will receive correction from God. He wants us to strive for the goal of perfection. When we fail and fall short, we should take the correction of the Lord patiently, not giving in to anger. We all have faults that we must try to overcome. Even secret faults! You and the Lord only know these faults. Psalm 19:12 “who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults”. There are times when we are in error without realizing it. This error is not a sin or an iniquity; it is a fault. In conclusion, we are to use our liberty in Christ for well doing and not for selfish reasons. Even though sin and iniquity no longer has a hold on us, that doesn’t give us the right to use our liberty for an occasion to get in the flesh, which will put us in a fault. We will be judged on our use of our liberty. A fault will not keep us out of heaven but it will affect our rewards.

If I cannot sin or commit iniquity once I become born -again, then what is it when I make a mistake? James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another…” Many teach that all born--again believers must confess their sins one to another. That is not what the scripture says! Sins and faults are two different things! “Faults” is the Greek word “hamartano”, which means to err, to miss the mark, or to offend. Sin, as we all know, is to transgress the laws of God. Born-again believers cannot commit sin or iniquity, but they can commit a fault. Romans 4:7 “Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered”. Your iniquities are forgiven when you receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and become born-again. Your sins are covered when you receive Jesus as your personal Savior and become saved. When you do both, you are then blessed. But, even spirit-filled believers struggle in the battle between the flesh and spirit. Even Paul, who said all things are legal for him to do, struggled in this ongoing battle. Romans 7:14 “For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin”. The Mosaic Law is holy and just because it is derived from the Holy Spirit. If the law is holy and good, why is it that it cannot bring holiness? Because of the “Flesh”! Paul points out in the following passages that, under the law, everyone is constantly being tugged and pulled by a self-seeking and a self-centered ego. Paul knows in his mind to do right and to obey the law, but in himself he cannot do either. Rom. 7:15-17 “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I [16] If then I do that which I would, not, I consent unto the law that it is good [17] Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me”. Paul recognizes, that under the law, it does not matter how hard he tries to do good; sin is always there to plague the flesh. There is a war constantly going on between his flesh and his spirit. Paul concludes that the only way to be delivered from this law of sin has to come from without and not from within [vs. 24-25]. Only through Jesus can a person live a sanctified life. Only through the Holy Spirit can a person walk uprightly and receive eternal life in the kingdom of heaven. Before one receives Christ, the same is under the law of sin. After one becomes saved, transgressions are then called iniquities. After one becomes born-again, mistakes are just faults because of the liberty that we have in Christ. What does it mean exactly to walk in the Spirit? First, we have to re-establish the difference between being saved and born-again. 1 John 3:9 “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin, for His seed [Jesus’ blood] remainth in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God”. Once you accept Jesus into your heart, you become born of God and can no longer sin. One drop of the Lord’s blood remains in you at all times [His seed]. Think about it! His blood cleanses you from all sins, not only at the time of conversion, but His blood continually cleanses you every day. If His blood remains in you, then it is impossible to sin! Your sins are now forgiven and covered for good. You are now “Saved” and born of God. His blood that remains in you is what causes you to be born of God. 1 John 5:1 “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God…” Being born of God is the same as being saved, but not born-again! To be saved or born of God, all you have to do is believe that Jesus is the Son of God and accept Him as your Savior. When this is done you can no longer sin, but you can still commit iniquity. 1 John 5:18 “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not…” Once again it is stated that when you become saved [born of God], you can no longer commit sin. Now lets finish this verse. “… but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not”. “Begotten”, means that you have become born-again by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. “He keepeth himself”, means that you are now a son of God with all the rights and privileges of being a son! You are now filled with the Holy Spirit and have liberty in Christ. Your sins are covered and your iniquities are forgiven. Being born of God you become a servant. Being begotten of God you become a son. Romans 8:9 “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. If so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His”. If the Spirit of God dwells in you, then you are in the Spirit and no longer in the flesh. If you are no longer in the flesh, then you can no longer commit sin or iniquity because the Spirit of God cannot commit either. Also, if the Spirit of God is not in you then you are not His! You are a servant and not a son! The Holy Spirit is the deciding factor in our salvation process. No one enters heaven unless they are born of the Spirit [born-again]. Many believe that at the moment of salvation, we have all the Spirit of God or we have none of Him. This is an error because salvation is a two-step process. Romans 8:10 “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” Let’s examine the first half of this verse first. “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin”. When you receive the blood of Christ, you are no longer in sin. The body [flesh] dies and you become a new creature born of God and sinless. Now, “but the Spirit is life because of righteousness”. When you receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, you become the begotten of God and have ever-lasting life in the kingdom of God. Through the Spirit we receive a new life, which is a life of righteousness. Your sins and iniquities are now behind you. When you receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, you are under new management and therefore debtors to that management. All things are new in Christ. Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit”. You crucified the flesh when you became saved and born-again. You are now under the law of liberty! You should do your best not to give yourself to lifestyles that are characterized by the flesh. Romans 8:13 “For if you live after the flesh, ye shall die, but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live”. The deeds of the body are those fleshly activities that points one out as not being alive in Christ. It is the outward showing of who you really are. This does not mean that you are not in Christ! It means that your actions or fruits show that you need some improvement. Paul suggests that we should reckon as dead [mortify] these deeds and no longer engage in them. Because of the fruit born in our life, others shall know that the Spirit of God resides within us. Matt. 7:18, 20 “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit” [20] “ wherefore by their fruit, ye shall know them”. You know a person by their fruits. This is not judging them. If you see someone steal, you may assume the person may be a thief. If you catch someone in a lie you may assume the person may be a liar. You are not judging them if it is a fact. Their fruit shows what kind of person they are! You can be a fruit inspector, but you cannot judge them. You are judging someone when you accuse someone on the basis of their inner motive, which you cannot see, and when you accuse without knowing the facts based on your feelings or their outward appearance. We all tend to put what we believe is right up as a standard for truth. What is right for us is not necessarily right for someone else. The Holy Spirit convicts each one of us in different areas. That’s not saying one is right and the other is wrong. They may both be right! Unless of course if whatever one is doing is directly against the Word of God, then the trespass should be brought to the attention of the trespasser… IN LOVE! Not by judging. Transformation from the flesh to the Spirit usually takes some time. Even when you become a son of God, there are areas that need to be cleaned up. Let’s go on! Romans 8:14 “For as many are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God”. When the Holy Spirit dwells within you, you become a son of God. A son of God has a characteristic that no one else has. This characteristic is that the Spirit of God constantly and habitually leads their thoughts, behavioral patterns, and life styles. [Cf. Matt. 7:20, John 13:35] Romans 8:15 “For ye have not received the Spirit of Bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry Abba Father “. There is a contrast to be drawn here between the life of a servant [saved person] and the life of a son [born-again person]. Paul states that we have not received the Spirit of Bondage. He is saying here that when the Holy Spirit is within us, we are not treated by God as servants, but as sons [cf. 1 Co. 2:12, 2 Tim. 1:7]. Sons do not fear God as the servant fears his master. As sons, we love God as a natural son loves his father. The servant does his masters bidding because he knows that he will be punished if he does not. But, to him in whom the Spirit dwells, there is no element of fear that can intrude into his service to the Lord. He serves God as a loving son serves his loving father. The son is on an entirely different level than a servant. A son can come boldly to his father, while a servant fears any confrontation with his master. The word “Abba” is an Aramaic word, which was never used by Israel in addressing God. But, when the Holy Spirit dwells in us, our relationship to God the Father is such that we may address Him as we would are fleshly father. When we become sons of God, we become His elect. This means that we are His favorite or chosen. Those whom God has chosen and are sons are the saints mentioned throughout the New Testament. When we become sons, we have the assurance that the Holy Spirit will intercede on our behalf. Romans 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered”. “Infirmities” is the Greek word “asthenema“, which means failings or weakness. When a son of God makes a mistake, the Holy Spirit acts as the go-between. He intercedes, on our behalf, to Father God. Romans 8:27 “And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is in the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God”. When Father God searches the hearts of His sons, He finds the Holy Spirit because that is where He dwells. The Holy Spirit interprets our innermost feelings and intercedes on our behalf. When a servant [saved] makes a mistake, Jesus intercedes on his behalf telling the Father that the servants’ sins are covered. When a son makes a mistake, the Holy Spirit intercedes on his behalf telling the Father that he is a son and that his iniquities are forgiven. Mistakes before you know Christ is “sin”. Mistakes after you become saved are “iniquities”. Mistakes after you receive the Holy Spirit are “faults”. Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose”. In the midst of the sufferings of this life, God has given us knowledge that He is working out every detail of the life of His sons for His eternal purpose. “The Called” is not in the general sense that many are called and few are chosen. These “called” are in the specific sense of those that comprise the elect family of God. Therefore, the promise of all things working together for the good is given to a specific group, which are His sons. Romans 8:29-30 “For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren [30] moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called, and whom He called, them He also justified, and whom He justified, them He also glorified”. In God’s overall plan for salvation, there is a link from eternity past, through the present, and to eternity future. That link includes foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, and glorification. As sons, we were foreknown and preordained prior to our fleshly birth. Yet, God does not manipulate us like puppets. He “calls” us and beseeches us to receive His offer of salvation. When we are quickened by the Spirit of God [cf. Eph. 2:2] and respond to His call in faith, we are then justified in His sight by faith. When God justifies us, He sees us as being righteous because of the atoning death of His Son on the cross. He imputes the righteousness of Christ to our account. We will ultimately be completely conformed to His Son’s Image and be glorified. As you can see, it is very important to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. If the baptism in the Holy Spirit is so important, then why do so many saved Christians reject or fear it? One of the most common statements Christians use to justify NOT receiving the Holy Spirit is that it was for those of Jesus’ day and is not for us today. The only way to receive eternal life in heaven is to receive the Holy Spirit. I believe it is sufficient to say that it is for us today! Another common statement is that they do not believe in talking in tongues. Talking in tongues is just evidence that you are filled with the Spirit. Satan has deceived many Christians with these two comments. If you were Satan, wouldn’t you try to convince people that these two comments are a fact? If he can convince people that this is truth, those believing these lies will open the door for him to grasp a hold in their lives. Satan cannot touch those that receive God’s Spirit, unless God allows it for a season and for a specific purpose. He no longer has any hold on them because they are sons of God with liberty in Christ. Satan has a counterfeit for any thing God has established. There are some churches in America today that claim to be spirit-filled when they are actually counterfeit. I visited a Spirit-filled church one time that scared the tar out of me. The entire body of believers in the church were moaning and groaning, swaying back and forth, and everyone was speaking in tongues at the same time. It was utter chaos! God is an orderly God and this was far from orderly. If I had not already been spirit filled, I would have ran from that church and would never seek any more knowledge of God’s Spirit. It was a counterfeit church aimed at turning those seeking the Spirit of God from Him. They were spirit -filled all right, but not with God’s Spirit! There is a misconception about speaking in tongues. There are two types of tongues in the WORD. There is your personal prayer language and there is “tongues” in church for edification that requires an interpreter. 1 Corinthians 14:2,4 “for he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men but unto God; for no man understand him; howbeit in the Spirit he speaketh mysteries”. {4} he that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself…” This type of tongues is your personal prayer language. You are speaking directly to God through the Spirit. If this were between you and God, why would you shout as loud as you can? If you are in a one to one personal conversation with your spouse, do you shout for every one else to hear? Of course not! Those that shout out in tongues are saying “LOOK AT ME”! They want attention to be brought to themselves. They want to be seen of men! There are times when spirit-filled Christians get an urgency to pray, but do not know what to pray for. So, they pray in tongues, which links the Spirit to God! These prayer warriors do not know what they are praying for. It is a total mystery! Praying in this manner is a “hot line” to God! A good example of personal tongues is in a situation that occurred in my life. I was working alone, painting an interior of a house, when I suddenly had the urge to pray. I asked the Lord what I should pray for and all I heard was “Pray”! I started using my personal prayer language. About the time I was in deep prayer and worship, something happened to my family that I was not aware of until I went home from work. My wife told me that on her way home from running errands, a semi-truck came around the mountain to fast and was mostly in her lane. She was in the outside lane with an extreme drop off into a deep ravine. She swerved to the right to avoid a head on collision with the semi, which meant certain death to my entire family. She turned toward the ravine and said, “Catch Me God”. The next thing she knew, she was back on the road past the semi. We went back to the site and saw where the drivers side tires skid onto the shoulder, which was about three feet wide before the drop off. Half of the pick-up she was driving was in mid-air. She said that she did not notice that the truck drove any different than normal. She literally drove on God’s hand! His hand kept my family alive! The Holy Spirit foresaw this event and had me pray in advance to take care of it. If I had not been spirit-filled at the time, I would have lost my entire family in one fatal accident. You can see how important it is to be spirit-filled and have a personal prayer language. The Holy Spirit did not tell me what I was praying for. If He had said to me, “Pray for your family because they are about to be killed”, I would have been beside myself with fear. The Holy Spirit will not tell you anything that will cause fear or distress. He is a gentleman. As it happened, a peaceful, orderly prayer, in the Spirit, saved my family before the event occurred. It was an orderly event! People screaming in tongues in church are not using the gift of tongues properly or orderly. Tongues are for edification. Personal tongues edify the individual person praying. There is also tongues that edifies the church. This type of tongues requires an interpreter. 1 Corinthians 14:26 “How is it then brethren? When ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done to edifying”. Any of these gifts used in a church setting must be done for edification. It must also be done in an orderly manner. 1 Corinthians 14:27-28 “If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course, and let one interpret [28] But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself; and to God.” This is the guideline for the use of tongues in a church setting. At the most, three can speak out in tongues. These three must be one at a time and not at the same time [“and that by course”]. Only one should interpret everything that was brought forth in tongues to edify the church. If there is no interpreter in the body, then everyone should remain silent and pray in tongues to himself and to God. Notice that it says to pray silently! Nowhere does it say to out yell every one else in the building. If you visit a professing spirit-filled church and every one is praying in tongues aloud, they are in confusion and chaos. They are not in the will of God nor are they obeying what this passage of scripture sets as a standard for proper procedure in the church! 1 Co. 14:33,40 “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace as in all churches of the saints [40] let all things be done decently and in order”. If you are seeking the Holy Spirit, you now know the difference between the real thing and the counterfeit. Do not let the counterfeit deceive you and turn you away from the gift of eternal life through the indwelling of God’s Spirit. Speaking in Tongues is evidence that one is spirit-filled, but not every one that is spirit-filled speaks in tongues in the church setting. Remember that personal tongues are extremely important and are between you and God. Tongues in the church is a gift of the Spirit that not all spirit-filled Christians receive. 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 “for to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom, word of knowledge by the same Spirit [9] to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit [10] to another a working of miracles, to another prophesy, to another discerning of spirits, to another divers [different] kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues”. All of these gifts are evidence or manifestations of being Spirit-Filled. Notice that these gifts are given individually! Some may never speak in tongues in church. They may have the gift of healing others instead. Some may be used in all of the gifts, but usually one gets a certain gift while others receive different gifts. What are these gifts of the Spirit? “Wisdom” has to do with the exposition of wisdom. It is speech that has wisdom as its content. “Word of knowledge” is receiving from the Spirit personal knowledge of someone else or a situation you could not of known otherwise. “Faith” is not saving faith, but the wonder-working faith that stops storms or moves mountains. “Gifts of healing”! There are different kinds of healings: physical, emotional, hereditary, spiritual, and relationships. There are also different ways to bring about healings: by prayer, fasting, laying on of hands, and even by the use of doctors. One or the other may be used or a combination of all or two or three. All healing comes from God. Some receive healing through their faith while others may need faith in conjunction with medication. “Miracles!” This is more than miraculous healings. It is more in mind of manifestations such as casting out demons or raising the dead. “Prophesy” is special revelation from God foretelling the coming of future events. “Discerning of spirits” is the ability to tell what spirit is oppressing an individual and/or influencing an event or other people. “Tongues and interpretation” has already been discussed. These are the gifts of the Spirit you can receive when you receive the “One Baptism”. Those who are truly walking in the Spirit bear certain characteristics of the Spirit. You can easily spot a spirit-filled Christian by the fruit that comes forth. That does not mean they do not make mistakes. It means that you can see the effort made to follow after God! Galatians 5:22-23 “but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith [23] meekness, temperance; against such there is no law”. “But the fruit” is singular in number. There are not nine fruits. There is one fruit consisting of nine elements. The first three elements of the fruit are in relationship to God: “Love” is the self-denying, self-sacrificing, Christ like love which is the foundation of all other graces. “Joy” is the deep, abiding, inner rejoicing in the Lord. “Peace” is the tranquility of soul that Christ gives and the world cannot take away. The next three elements are in relations to fellow man: “Longsuffering” is patient endurance and steadfastness under provocation with no thought of ill will or retaliation. “Gentleness” is a gracious and kindly disposition or attitude. “Goodness” is being sympathetic to the needs of others, being kind, and showing mercy. The last three elements of the fruit are in relationship to one’s inner self: “Faith” is fidelity, which makes one true to his promise and faithful to his task. “Meekness” is controlled strength and is not weakness. It is submission to God and unselfishness to fellow man. “Temperance” is self-control or rational restraint to natural impulses. If anyone has these nine elements and walks in them, there is no law they have to adhere to. These are those with liberty in Christ in which all things are lawful for them to do. They have received the “One Baptism”. Many Christians believe that once they receive Jesus as their personal Savior, they are automatically filled with the Spirit of God. John 14:16-17 “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever [17] Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you”. Notice! When God’s Spirit dwells within you, it is forever! Also, notice that the Holy Spirit has a two-fold ministry! He is to dwell with you [be in your midst] and to dwell within you. When you receive Christ’s atoning blood, the Spirit dwells with you. When you receive the baptism, He will dwell within you. Many Christians never take the second step and become born-again. They are content that the Spirit is with them, but not in them. The saved Christians are about to experience something they have been ignorant of for years. Acts 2:17 “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams”. [C.f. Joel 2:28] The Holy Spirit is about to reach out and touch every human being in the world! Everyone on earth will have the opportunity to receive Christ and will also have the opportunity to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is the last effort to bring people into the kingdom before devastation strikes the earth. The time of the Gentiles is coming to a close. It is time to quit playing CHURCH! We are all eternal beings. We all have three choices where we want to spend eternity. We can reject Jesus and spend eternity in the lake of fire. We can reject the baptism of the Holy Spirit and spend eternity in Paradise [the new Earth]. We can also accept everything God has to offer and spend eternity in Heaven. When you receive the Baptism, do not be under the misconception that it will be smooth sailing from now on. On the contrary, when you become a son of God, a purging process begins. Those that are Gods’ are purged and purified because of His love for His sons and daughters. This purging begins with those He has chosen to minister His Word! Mal. 3:3 “And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness”. If Gods’ people are to be pure, the purification process has to begin with His chosen ministers of God. God is set forth in the figure of a refiner of precious metals. He carefully makes sure that the fire is hot enough to burn away all the dross and impurities of the metal being refined. He keeps removing the dross until He can see His own image clearly reflected in the purified metal. Christians that are truly His sons will go through this process until they reflect the image of “HIS SON”. This is how we become conformed to the image of Christ! The dross of our lives must be burnt away so that Jesus can be seen in us. If you are not going through a purging process, you are not His! Being a son of God comes with a price! The Lord expects more from His sons than from His servants. Just as you raise your sons and daughters the way you want them to be as an adult, God raises His sons and daughters the same way. You expect certain things from your children. God expects certain things from His. You expect your children to behave a certain way. You want them to be in your WILL. God also expects us to behave a certain way and to be in His Will. Your children do not always adhere to your will. That is when you use the rod of correction. Gods’ children are no different. He also corrects those He loves. 1 Peter 4:12-13 “Beloved think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some strange thing has happened to you [13] But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy”. When a situation comes along and knocks you out of your comfort zone, do you respond with “why me Lord” or “Lord, what am I doing wrong?” When these trials come your way, do not think it is because of something you have done! These trials must come to those that are His! See these trials as a privilege because you have been chosen to share in the sufferings that Christ went through for all of mankind. This is part of the purification process. 1 Peter 1:6-7 “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations [7] that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor, and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ”. It is no fun going through trials. Even though you may be going through one trial after another to test your faith, praise the Lord that they are only for a season. It is God’s way of refining those that He loves. It is not that you have done something wrong. It is God getting you ready for something great that is to happen in your future. He is preparing you for a specific purpose. The greater the purpose of one’s calling, the more refining of the person is done. This I can personally attest to! John 15:2,5 “Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away, and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit [5] I am the vine, ye are the branches; he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without Me, you can do nothing”. All saved and born-again believers should bear good fruit. The Lord purges these fruit bearers so that they can produce more fruit, just as a gardener prunes his plants in his garden. Those who do not produce fruit are plucked from the tree and are burned [Verse 6]. There are many Sunday morning Christians that worship the Lord with their mouths on Sunday, but live like the devil the rest of the week. In reality, these are just professing Christians and are not Christ’s. Anyone can say, “I am a Christian”. Their fruit will bear them out. You will not have to judge them because their fruits will show you who they really are. Pro. 3:11-12 “My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, neither be weary of His correction [12] For whom the Lord loveth, He correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighted.” Every person on earth errs or misses the mark. Those who enjoy the Lords blessings will, at some time, experience the Lord’s chastening. His sons, who are in a fault, will especially receive correction. These times of correction are a sign of His displeasure and also His love. When He sends difficulties into His children’s lives, He is not to be regarded as vindictive, but as a loving father that diligently corrects his children. The Lords hand of correction is sometimes found moving us away from a fault. We must not grow weary of this hand nor despise its gentle and persistent presence. Heb. 12:6-8 “For who the Lord loveth, He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth [7] if you endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not? [8] But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” “All” that are His sons will receive correction. There are no exceptions! If you do not receive chastening from the Lord, then you are not His son! God’s principle of discipline is completely congruous with the practice of the world. Love and punishment are two complementary and necessary aspects of training. God’s discipline is universal, “whereof all are partakers”. Every father that loves his children, disciplines them. It is also true that this same father does not discipline all the neighborhood children because they are not his. In the church setting, there are many among the sons of God that are not His sons. One has to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit to become a son. All others are considered bastards. This sounds harsh, but it is a fact. It is time these lukewarm Christians move to one side or the other. Rev. 3:15 “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I would thou were cold or hot.” Many have neither a zeal for the Lord nor an absolute repudiation of the Lord. Many churches have great humanitarian and cultural projects without the power or authority of the Holy Spirit. They are in their own will and not the will of God. They are in their own iniquity. They are evangelical, but not evangelistic. Rev. 3:16 “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew the out of my mouth.” Spitting these out of Christ’s mouth has no reference to the loss of being saved. It means that they will be removed from their place of witness. When the sons of God are removed in the rapture or hidden away, these lukewarm Christians will remain on earth to endure the Tribulation Period. Rev. 3:17 “Because thou sayest I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, and Knowest not thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” These Christians have convinced themselves that they are in need of nothing. They are self-satisfied and self-complacent. They boast of their wealth, attributing it to God. At the same time, they judge those Christians who are not prosperous financially. They fail to realize the absence of spiritual life in their midst, while the poor are rich in faith! They are blinded to the fact that they are in great need. Rev 3:18 “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see.” These Christians have never been refined with fire because they are not sons. The Lord is asking them to become sons. He is also asking them to clothe themselves with the Holy Spirit {white raiment} to cover the shame of their iniquities {nakedness}. He also wants them to receive the indwelling Holy Spirit to heal their spiritual blindness so they may see. The problem is, they truly believe that they are righteous and are in need of nothing. But, they have never known the Holy Spirit. Rev. 3:19 “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous therefore and repent.” The whole reason for this rebuke and counsel is because of Christ’s love. If not for this, Jesus would have forsaken these Christians. Walking in the Spirit is not an easy walk. We have to battle our fleshly desires. We also battle a war in our mind, which is where the battle is for the sons of God. Our flesh rebels when certain situations come against us even though we know that we are not battling against flesh and blood, but against powers of darkness in high places. It is no fun being purged through trials, tribulations, and afflictions. But, it is necessary to purge the impurities out of our lives so that we can be more like Jesus! We grow closer to God after each purging. After each purging, we begin to learn what is God’s will. Giving over our will to God’s will is also not an easy task. The sooner we learn from our tests what God wants us to do, the sooner the tests are over. Some of us are slow learners because of our stubbornness and rebellious nature. This I know well! When we fail the tests, the same test will keep coming until we get it right. This is what it means to be a son of God. The Lord is in the process of bringing us into perfection. This walk sounds tough! It becomes fairly easy once you become a son. As a son, you become more open to the Word of God and become teachable. Those that are not sons believe they know all that there is to know. This process of walking in the Spirit is only the beginning! There is a lot more to learn. Learning about Jesus and the Holy Spirit is only the “Milk” of the Word. There is “Meat” in the Word of God that is yet to be taught! If you are a son of God and are going through some tough times, rejoice! If your life is like a bed of roses, check on whose you are!

Ephesians 4:4 “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; (5) One Lord, one faith, one baptism, (6) One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” One baptism? Many believe various things about this one baptism. Let’s take a look at the beliefs for just a moment: 1. Church A teaches that you must be immersed in water to be saved. They rush terminally ill people to church for a dunk before death. 2. Church B teaches that the immersion is symbolic of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and by doing so, this act shows that you join Jesus in his sufferings and believe that He did it to clean up a stone heart and make it a heart of flesh. 3. Church C baptizes in water, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. 4. Church C baptizes in water in the name of Jesus only. 5. Church D believes that the water baptism is for the remission of sins. 6. Church E believes that by the laying on of hands one receives the baptism of the remission of sins. Then one can receive the Holy Spirit. 7. Church F believes that one can receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit simply by speaking the words. 8. Church G believes in sprinkling with water to baptize. 9. Church H believes that the baptism in the Holy Spirit was only relevant in the book of Acts and not to be sought for today’s believers. 10. Church I believes that the baptism in water, marks you belonging to Jesus, but your sins are still very much with you and must be confessed to others or otherwise dealt with on a regular basis. Most churches believe one or another or even several of these statements. One believes in the baptism for the remission of sins and another baptism into a church. One believes in baptism into Jesus while another the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Which is the one baptism? Do we neglect the others? Where is the truth of the Bible in all of these variables? Are they all correct? Are they all wrong? Let’s research this topic in the Word of God, the Bible. First, we need to define baptism. Does it mean immersed? In the Strong’s Complete Dictionary, baptism or baptize is the Greek word “baptizo”, which means to make overwhelmed or to be totally enveloped. Interestingly, in this computer thesaurus, the term “baptize” is defined as: name, describe, identify, entitle, label, term, dub, or christen. “Baptism” is defined as: initiation, beginning, debut, introduction, start, and launching. If there is only one baptism, why are there so many doctrinal differences? Matthew 3:11 “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:” John uses water in his baptism. He says that Jesus will baptize in the Holy Spirit with no mention of water. Jesus never once said to baptize with water! John’s baptizing people was the beginning of a new way. It was the beginning of the New Testament Church. The old way was animal sacrifice, if you remember. Look back to the definitions: Beginning, identify, label, christen, and start. It was the kick off point of Jesus’ Ministry. Acts 1:5 “For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” These are Jesus’ words! He emphasizes that His disciples would be baptized with something other than water. There is a change to be made in the way baptism was performed. This is another beginning! The people will now be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Jesus will launch the Holy Spirit! The people will be initiated into the Holy Spirit! The people will also be overwhelmed and enveloped by the Holy Spirit. All of these definitions for baptism fit and can be used in this context. Acts 2:38 “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Remission of sins is the Greek word “aphesis“, which means freedom from sins or forgiveness of sins. There seems to be a contradiction of what Peter said here and what the Gospels say. To investigate this, let’s look at the term remission of sins: Mark 1:4 “John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.” John’s baptism of water was the baptism of repentance for what? It was for the remission of sins. Why did Peter say that the baptism in the name of Jesus was for the remission of sins? Because He (Peter) immersed those in water and baptized them in the name of Jesus and they received the Holy Spirit. The water was for the remission of sins and the name of Jesus was to receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 8:16 “(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) (17) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.” In this passage the people were baptized in the name of Jesus and received the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands. No where does it mention that they were immersed in water, nor is there any mention of the remission of sins. This time Peter and John baptized the people differently than Peter had done earlier. Acts 10:43 “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. (44) While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.” In this case, those who heard the words of Peter and believed on our Lord Jesus Christ became filled with the Holy Spirit. These people had become saved and born again at the same time, simply by believing totally in our Lord. People received the Holy Spirit in each of these three passages. 1-by being immersed in water in the name of Jesus. 2-by the laying on of hands in the name of Jesus. 3-by hearing and believing the words of Peter Confused yet? Acts 2:21 “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Anyone who believes that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died on the cross for the forgiveness (remission) of our sins, and that He was buried and resurrected on the third day, and shall call upon His name will be saved. Luke 23:42 “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. (43) And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” This is the scene at the cross. The thief called Jesus ‘Lord’. He called upon His name and became saved. He recognized that Jesus was who He said that He was…the Son of God! The thief was not immersed in water, he was not baptized in the name of Jesus in any of the forms in Acts, and he was not baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. He simply called on the name of the Lord and was saved. John 3:18 “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” The thief believed on Jesus and was saved. One can be saved without being baptized, simply by believing in Jesus. Jesus said: Mark 16:16 “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” Jesus would not have said this if it were not important. The first thing is to believe. Earlier scripture says that if you call upon the Lord, then you shall be saved. To call upon Him, you must believe that He is who He says that He is. Jesus said to be baptized. Earlier, John the Baptist said Jesus was to come to baptize in the Holy Spirit. When Jesus says to be baptized, He means in the Holy Spirit because that is what He came to do. How did Jesus say to do this? Matthew 28:19 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” This is the proper way to baptize the believers. These are Jesus’ words. He came to baptize in the Holy Spirit. He said these words for His disciples to show how to get people baptized in the Holy Spirit. All of the churches, that have baptized their flock in this manner, have unknowingly, baptized their flock into the Holy Spirit. Whether immersed in water or sprinkled with water is totally irrelevant. It is not the water that is the relevancy; it is the words. Words are the power. The people have literally been immersed into the Godhead…Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Any person baptized in this manner has become a Son of God unknowingly. If this is the case, why don’t the people walk in the Spirit and use the Gifts of the Spirit? I’m glad you asked: I have always wanted to fly a plane. Without instruction and knowledge of the plane, I can never get it off of the ground. I could sit in the plane all day long pushing buttons, but the plane would not do what I want it to. I would have to take some classes and read the literature on flying. I would need courses in navigation, instrumentation, and map reading. After I completed the book side of the training, I would then need an instructor. I would have the head knowledge, but no hands on knowledge. The instructor would pick the easiest things to master first and be on hand if I get into trouble. Gradually, I would be able to do more and more. There would come a graduation day, when I would be allowed to fly solo. As time goes by, it would become as second nature to fly a plane, as it is to walk across the yard. At this point, I could probably begin instructing others in the art of flying. Many who are baptized in the Holy Spirit have no knowledge of Him. They will never get their “Gifts” off of the ground. But, some discover the Holy Spirit in God’s Word and they begin the book learning side of their spiritual life. Then, they often move to a church that is skilled in the spiritual gifts and where they can see the Gifts of the Spirit in operation. Gradually, they begin to learn how to let go of themselves and allow the Holy Spirit to operate in their lives. After a period of maturing, they are able to operate in the Gifts in a solo mode. They can even become pastors, themselves, to instruct others in the operation of the spiritual Gifts of the Spirit. This is why many who are spirit-filled have a difficult time placing a time on when they received the Holy Spirit. They received the Holy Spirit at the time of their baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Unlike water baptism, where the residual wetness reminds you of the water baptism, the Holy Spirit baptism does the residual internally and not externally to be seen. So, even though the church taught baptism incorrectly, the end result is the very thing that Jesus came to do, which was to baptize in the Holy Spirit. Some churches that believe in Jesus and water baptism do not look or teach favorably on being Spirit-filled. The people are still spirit-filled and have no clue that they are! Why did people receive the Holy Spirit when Peter baptized them in the name of Jesus only? Jesus said that He was in the Father and the Father was in Him. If you see Jesus, then you see the Father. There is power in the name of Jesus. He left this world so the Father would send the Comforter or the Holy Spirit. That is why no one was baptized in the Holy Ghost until Jesus ascended to Heaven. When you baptize in the name of the Father, you baptize in the name of the son (Jesus), and you baptize in the name of the Holy Spirit. When Peter baptized in the name of Jesus, He knew that the three are one and that the Holy Spirit would descend upon those that he had baptized. To be real technical, he should have spoken the exact words of Jesus, but the end result is the same. If you baptize with immersion, sprinkling, laying on of hands, or even just by speaking the words, the end result is the same. Whenever you receive this One Baptism, the baptism of John is dissolved. There is no more need to be baptized of water for the remission of sins because the One Baptism takes care of everything, including the remission of sins. You could not have the Holy Spirit if your sins were not already forgiven! The significance of being baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost is this: when you are baptized in the name of the Father, you are being baptized into the family of God! You are becoming a son or daughter. When you are baptized in the Son, your sins have been forgiven! When you are baptized in the name of the Holy Ghost, your iniquities are forgiven and you are sealed as a child of God! You are guaranteed eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. So, when you are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, your sins are forgiven, your iniquities are forgiven, you become sealed as a child of God and are now a member of God’s family with all the liberties of a family member. Liberty and Iniquities will be discussed in a later chapter. Jesus told the Pharisees, “You have ears, but you do not hear, you have eyes, but you cannot see.” For us today, our eyes are opened and we can hear with our ears. Jesus’ One Baptism has opened to us the things of God. We can see God move and hear His voice through the Holy Spirit. Without the One Baptism, we would be just like the Pharisees. This One Baptism is the only baptism the people of God will ever need. If a church requires that you be re-baptized to join the church, then it is nothing more than an initiation into their private club. It is without spiritual significance. That church did not go to the cross for you and has no new gifts of God to offer you. I would be very suspicious of this type of church. The elders, pastors, and deacons, should be able to discern if one is spirit-filled or not. If they cannot tell truth from error, then, I would seek a church that can discern the difference. God’s Word will not return void! If you are already baptized into such a church, don’t worry! God can still use man’s errors to accomplish His will. But, to mature and grow up in the Lord, you might consider checking some of your options. I want all that God has to offer me! I do not want to be limited by someone else. What is the Fire mentioned in Matthew 3:11? Look at 3:12: Matthew 3:12 “Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Water temporarily cleanses the outside, however, fire permanently purifies the whole inside and the outside. Whenever you receive the Holy Spirit, you begin a process of purging (purge his floor) and after you are thoroughly purged and are His, you eventually will be brought home to Heaven (like wheat into the garner). But those who are not His, (the chaff), will be tossed into the lake of fire (unquenchable fire). Hence, the baptism of John was a temporary fix. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is permanent. You are then sealed. Ephesians 1:13 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise” This Holy Spirit of promise is for anyone who believes in our Lord Jesus and is baptized in the One Baptism. At this time you are sealed and are a member of the family of God destined to a much better place! Even though there are doctrinal differences and divisions in the church, those who are baptized Peter’s way or Jesus’ way are all baptized into the One Baptism into the One Spirit, into the One Body, serving the One Lord, and One Father of all, having the One Faith, and One Hope of our calling. There will be many that will disagree with me! I want to ask them this question, “When and where did Jesus baptize with water?” He did baptize His disciples! He did not use water! He simply breathed on them and they received the Holy Spirit! He did what He came to do! That was to baptize in the Holy Spirit!

Today’s society does not place the same value on life that God does. Modern day liberals (not all) are trying to redefine life. To the pro-abortionists, an unborn child is nothing more than tissue (a blob of flesh) and is useless as a tumor or appendix. It is like a cancer to be freed from. They call this blob of flesh a fetus and not a child. They say that life doesn’t begin until the fetus takes its first breath. What does God say about an unborn child? Hosea 9:11 “As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird, from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception.” The inference here is that life begins from birth, in the womb, and from conception. The moment that a woman’s egg becomes fertilized with sperm: life begins. Luke 1:41 “And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:” Luke 1:44 “For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.” When Mary, the soon to be mother of Jesus, spoke to Elizabeth, Elizabeth’s baby leaped in her womb. Elizabeth calls her unborn child a baby, not a fetus. This passage tells us two things: (1) A baby can hear others talking while it is still in the womb. (2) A baby has consciousness, is able to think and to understand while it is still in the womb. Elizabeth’s baby, John the Baptist, reacted to Mary’s words by leaping in the womb. Is this the normal reaction for a blob of flesh? Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” God controls the development of any unborn child. At conception, before the child is formed, God knows the child. This is when God places His spirit of life into the child. The spirit within any person is what gives them life. James 2:26 “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” The spirit is the life of all flesh. So, at conception, life begins. While a child is being formed in the womb, God sanctifies the child. Sanctified is the Hebrew word “quadash” which means to be, or to make clean, appoint, consecrate, dedicate, prepare, purify, or proclaim. As God is forming the child in the womb, the Lord prepares the child to an appointed path in its upcoming life. The unborn child’s entire development in the womb is under the total control of God. Some unborn are special as was the case of Jeremiah. Jeremiah’s path was set forth while he was in the womb. He was to be a prophet of God. Mankind may think that he is in control of his destiny, but is he? In every person there is a divine plan for his or her life. Some people know what the plan is from their birth and some realize the plan at a later stage of life. God has spoken to every person living on Earth, while in the womb, whether they believe in God or not! He believes in you! Luke 1:15 “For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.” Jesus was filled with the Holy Ghost before He was born. Can you imagine what could have happened if abortion was as accessible in those days as it is today? Here is Mary, pregnant and not married! According to Jewish custom, this is a major shame and is worthy of death by stoning. Often abortion happens in a weak or uncertain moment. Mary was human and she had weak moments. If abortion were as easy to get done then as it is now, it would have been possible for the Savior of the world to be terminated before birth. Just one weak moment in a young girl’s life! Just one doubt! That wouldn’t have been likely, but Mary was extremely young. A lot of young women find themselves in a similar situation. Some of these women are pressured into getting an abortion, even though it isn’t what they really want to do. Some women give in to the pressure and have the abortion. Others stand their ground (sometimes alone) and give birth to their child. Mary knew that she was carrying the Lord and this added to her strength in the face of adversity. Not all young women in her position have the assurance that their child will be so very special that it is worth the risks. Some of God’s special children were named in the womb. John the Baptist, Jesus, and Isaiah are among those who were named before birth. Isaiah 49:1 “Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.” Job 31:15 “Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?” This passage shows that God formed (made) us in the womb and that He set us on our path in life (fashioned) in the womb before we were born. God takes life very seriously! He forms each and every one of us. Killing an unborn child is serious business to God, who is the giver of life! Amos 1:13 “Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they might enlarge their border:” “Ripped” is Hebrew “bago”, which means to break forth, tear, or cut out. The ammonites practiced abortion back then, even as this country does today. God said that He would punish Ammon for this act. What punishment does God have in mind? Amos 1:14 “But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour the palaces thereof, with shouting in the day of battle, with a tempest in the day of the (15) And their king shall go into captivity, he and his princes together, saith the LORD.” Abortion is a serious issue. God is so against it that He caused the nation of Ammon to fall because of it. This nation (USA) has murdered millions of unborn children, formed by God and set on a path of life. We, as a nation, have murdered a whole generation of people. How much longer do you think that God is going to put up with this horrible transgression? Are we any better than Ammon? If Roe vs. Wade doesn’t get overturned soon, America will be as Ammon. When Christians and those who oppose abortion stop speaking out against it, destruction will surely come. Those who perform abortions will answer to the Lord with their own lives! Exodus 21:22 “If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.” If someone else causes a woman to have a miscarriage accidentally, the person causing it should be punished, as determined by a judge. “Mischief” in this sense is the Hebrew word “Mera”, which means wickedness. The causing of the miscarriage here was accidental and not malicious wickedness. What if there is wickedness involved? Let’s see: {23} And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, (24) Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, (25) Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. God will require the life of those who perform abortions. They will also die a horrible death. These butchers have to have a reprobate mind to pull a baby from its womb piece by piece or to vacuum a baby’s brain from its head. These people could not have a right or normal mind. They will deserve the judgment of God, which is going to be brought home to them, sooner or later. What about the women who have had an abortion? Some have made a mistake while others do it over and over again. Some treat murder as birth control. Those who have made a mistake and feel remorse for what they have done can find forgiveness, through the Lord Jesus Christ if they will: (1) repent for what they have done (2) receive Jesus as their personal Savior and (3) Ask Jesus to forgive them and (4) be baptized in the Holy Spirit to become born again. Then they can enter into the Kingdom of God. The women who continue to kill their babies, feeling no remorse, are in effect sacrificing their unborn child to a false god. They are in fellowship with a lustful spirit just like the pagan child-sacrifices of old. These women will also face God to explain why they have chosen to do this. God’s judgment will be poured out upon them. Here is a true story for you: There was a couple that had 4 children. The husband had syphilis and the wife had tuberculosis. The 1st child was born blind. The 2nd child was born deaf and dumb. The 3rd child died at birth. The 4th child had tuberculosis. She became pregnant with a 5th child. What do you think that the chances were that the 5th child would be born normal? In their situation, would you consider an abortion considering their track record? The 5th child was born and he wasn’t normal. He was a musical genius, named Beethoven. The world sure enjoys his music in spite of his family. Here is a second true story: A young woman made a mistake and became pregnant. She was disowned by her family, and kicked out of her parents’ house. She suffered greatly and qualified for a free abortion from the clinics. She couldn’t take care of herself, much less a baby. So, she decided to go ahead and have an abortion. She got as far as the abortionist’s table. But something caused a delay and she had a moment to rethink the whole thing. She took it as a sign from above, and got off of the abortion table. She gave birth to a beautiful little girl. This child wasn’t a normal child! Her given name was Sherri Lynn. Her name was shortened to Cher, who we know is a gifted singer far outside of the norm; and she makes music for the world to enjoy. A third true story: A woman was savagely raped and became pregnant. In the state that she lived in, rape was justification for an abortion. She was pressured to get an abortion, but she refused and had her son. Her child grew up and is a well-known television evangelist named James Robinson. His sermons are unforgettable. How many great leaders have perished at the hands of an abortionist? Consider this before abortion crosses your mind. Your child may be a future president, a military general, a popular singer, an actor or actress, a police chief, a sheriff, a professor, a governor, a pastor, a doctor, a lawyer, or even a prophet. Life begins at conception. We do not have the right to take it away.

John 15:20 “Remember the word I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord, if they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also.” There is not a man alive today nor has there ever been any man that is greater than the Lord. If you think that you should not suffer because you are a Christian, you have been greatly deceived! It is the call of a true Christian to suffer! No way! John 15:21 “but all these things they will do unto you for My name’s sake, because they know not Him that sent Me.” Jesus tells us that all who follow Him will suffer! Ministers of the Gospel that tell you that there will always be peace and prosperity in the life of a Christian is a false teacher! Are they greater than the One that went to the Cross? It is an honor to suffer for Christ’s namesake! I did not say it was fun! Just an honor! If you consider yourself a Christian and you have no sufferings, tribulations, persecutions, or trials in your life, then you are not Christ’s! I know that this is going against the teachings of a lot of pastors, but hear me out! Let the scriptures speak for themselves. There will even come a day when TRUE believers will be taken before the politically correct state controlled church to be condemned just as Jesus was! John 16:2 “They shall put you out of the synagogues {churches}; yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think he doeth God service.” True believers that are in these modern day churches will be put out of these politically correct churches. Why? Because truth has been revealed to them through the Holy Spirit and they will challenge the pastors that are teaching false doctrine. There are many churches today that will not let you join their body unless you agree with their doctrine 100%. The time will come when those that challenge the politically correct church will be put to death! The penalty for disagreeing with the church will be equal to someone convicted of capitol murder. The leaders of this church will believe that they are doing God a favor just as the Pharisees of Jesus’ day believed when they caused the death of our Lord and Savior! A non-believer reading this may have the question “ Why should I become a Christian if all I have to look forward to is suffering?” You have to remember that the devil rules this world! Yes, the Christians will suffer, but so will the unrighteous. The difference is that believers will enter into eternal life after they leave this world; the lost will enter into eternal torment! As long as there is evil in this world, there will be suffering of the good and the bad. When you are reading your Bible about the sufferings of Christ, you are reading a pattern that true believers will follow. Acts 14:22 “confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue the faith, and that we MUST through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” “Confirming” is the Greek word “episterizo”, which means to establish or to give strength to. True believers need to be established in their faith and strengthened. They must be steadfast in their faith. They should not give way to the teachings of false doctrine. Many will say that this is false doctrine! Read the scriptures for yourself! Do not take my word for it! “Must” is the Greek word “opheilo”, which means under obligation to or the Greek word “dei”, which means that it is necessary. True believers are under obligation to go through a large amount of tribulations to enter into God’s kingdom. Does God want His people to suffer? Of course not, but it is a means to an end. It is no different than parents allowing their children to suffer through their mistakes so that they will grow and mature. They only intervene when great harm might come to them. God will not allow anything to come on us that is more than we can bear. Romans 8:18 “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” I know of no one that rejoices when tribulations or problems come their way. That includes myself! These problems, which seem to be as big as mountains, are really just a slight inconvenience. I know they do not seem like an inconvenience, but from these problems we learn patience! Do not pray for patience unless you want an abundance of tribulations! I DID! It was not FUN! BUT! I have grown into a close relationship with the Lord because of the sufferings and I would not trade that for all the wealth on earth! Tribulations are how the Lord cleanses and purifies those that are His! When His Glory is revealed in you, the memory of your sufferings will vanish. When the Lord uses you in a mighty way, you will then realize why you went through the sufferings. It is for a specific purpose that He has for you in your life that will ultimately magnify Him! 1Peter 4:12-13 “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you [13] But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceedingly joy.” Most of us have said at some time “Why me Lord?” or “ Show me what I am doing wrong Lord and I will stop doing it”. “Fiery” is the Greek word “puroo”, which means to be inflamed with grief. Another word for “fiery” is the Greek word “purosis”, which means calamity as a test. A calamity will come into the lives of every true believer that really makes no sense to them. It is a test! When we realize that the sufferings that we go through are tests, it becomes easier to endure them. It is not easy, but we should try to rejoice in them because they prove WHOSE you are! You become partakers in the sufferings of Christ Himself! Show me in scripture ONE disciple, apostle, or true follower of our Lord Jesus Christ that did not suffer for their belief in Jesus. Your sufferings are nothing compared to what Jesus went through! No one has nailed you to a cross have they? John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” As long as we are in this world, we will have tribulations and sufferings. Jesus, by telling us this, intends for us to be at peace with this fact. As long as we keep our eyes on Him during our times of trouble, we will receive His peace that passes all understanding. He overcame the world and this is the assurance that we will also overcome this world with all its tribulations. Matthew 5:11 “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” It is hard to understand that we are blessed when people come against us. “Blessed” is the Greek word “makarios”, which means fortunate or well off. If you are ridiculed for your beliefs in the things of God, you know that you are doing something right, so rejoice! 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory [18] While we look not at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” When tribulations come our way, we definitely do not consider them “light”! In the scheme of things, our afflictions are just an untimely nuisance. Although we cannot see the benefit, these afflictions are of eternal value. We are in the habit of looking at the problems instead of what we can learn from them! We DO learn from these problems! We have to learn how to benefit from them and learn to not harbor bitterness. Why does God allow these afflictions to come upon us? Romans 5:3 “… but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience,” Our Lord allows tribulations in our life to teach us patience. Patience is a virtue few people have in today’s fast pace society. Patience is necessary in the lives of those who follow the teachings of the Lord. The sooner that you learn patience, the sooner the tests will stop! If you are an impatient person called by the Lord to a specific task, tests will continue until you learn what the Lord wants you to learn. Learn FAST! 1 Peter 1:7 “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried by fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” Jesus tests our faith through tribulations and sufferings. How far will you go for the Lord? What are you made of? He allows problems to squeeze us to see what kind of juice flows from us! Do you become enraged at the problem or do you become humble? Do not feel discouraged! I lost count of how many times I have failed the test! With each failure, I have grown stronger. Each time I fall, it becomes easier to brush the dirt off and try again! Do I still lose my temper at problems? Unfortunately, the answer is a definite YES! At times, I could make a sailor blush! Nothing against sailors! Some of the words that come from my mouth are very embarrassing. Then I get angry with myself for not controlling my tongue. Then I have to repent, which is humbling in itself. How many other Pastor would admit to what I just did? Very few! I am a human just like everyone else. Any Pastor that says that he never gets angry and has a slip of the tongue is a liar! We have to have tests in our lives folks! Without tests, we cannot learn and mature in the things of God. Let us look at Job for a moment. He was a loyal man of God. He lost his standing in the community; he lost his wealth; he lost his children; he lost his health; and he lost his wife! What would you do in his place? I know of no one that has been tested to these limits! Including myself! Through all these sufferings, he never lost his faith in the Lord. Yes, he went into despair and self-pity at times, but through his faith, he knew that the Lord was allowing these sufferings for a specific purpose. He never doubted the Lord. The end result was that the “glory of the Lord was revealed.” Job was better off in the end than he was in the beginning. Have you been tested? Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.” Those who are called to a specific purpose by God WILL be tested! These tests lead to a greater good. Our redemption was bought for a price, which was Jesus’ death on the cross! We also must pay a price for the privilege of being a son of God! This is being tested through tribulations and sufferings. These tests are not pleasant, but are necessary for our maturing in the Lord. Tests are for our greater good! 2 Corinthians 1:6 “And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.” Afflictions have redemptive value. It is hard to comfort some one going through a tribulation if you have no idea what they are feeling! We are allowed to suffer, at times, so that we can comfort others that are going through a similar situation. Have you ever heard the expression “Been there, done that”? Or even “walk a mile in my shoes”? We cannot effectively minister to some one if we have not been where they are! For instance, how can you minister to a homeless person effectively if you have always lived the life of luxury in a million dollar house? You can’t! They will say, “It’s easy for you to say! You have a nice home!” But, if in some point in time in your life you had to live in a house that was made out of 2x4 studs wrapped in plastic with a dirt floor and tin roof, then you have a point of reference and can understand where they are coming from. You can now effectively minister to the homeless. You are thinking, “No one lives like that”! I Have! Not by choice! But, by afflictions that I did not understand at the time! It was a test! It was not fun watching your shoes float by during heavy rains! At that time I did not realize that I was going through a test! I thought that I had offended the Lord somehow! The “WHY ME” syndrome! Have you been tested? 2Corinthians 1:7 “Who comforted us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” As we go through tribulations, the Holy Spirit will comfort us. When we see others going through a similar problem, we will be able to comfort them by the Holy Spirit within us. 1 Peter 3:17 “For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well-doing, than for evil doing.” Suffering comes to the good and the wicked. It is better to suffer for doing good. Notice, it says in this passage that it is God’s Will whether we suffer or not! He has a purpose for each one of us. Only He knows what we need to improve in our walk to be able to fulfill His purpose. Only He knows the future and what it holds for each of us. 1 Peter 3:14 “But and if ye suffer for righteousness sake, happy are ye; and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled.” Right! Be happy about suffering! I know of no one that is happy about suffering. Nevertheless, we are supposed to be happy about it. To be happy about suffering, one must achieve a very high degree of maturity in spiritual matters. I know of no one that has reached that level, including myself! But, recognizing the fact that our sufferings are for a specific purpose to be revealed later in our life, does ease the agony to some degree. Most professing Christians that see a brother or sister in Christ in a severe tribulation, generally speaking, show no compassion. Most of the time, their fellow brothers and sisters judge the one suffering. “You are doing something wrong!” “You are not tithing properly!” “There is sin in your life somewhere!” “If you were right with the Lord, you would not be going through this!” This really helps matters doesn’t it? Their ignorance of God’s Word ultimately makes the problems of others worse! When I was going through one of these tribulations, it was brought to my attention that I wasn’t “Dealing with a full deck!” THAT really makes a person feel better when they are down! John 9:1-3 “And as Jesus passed by, He saw a man that was blind from birth [2] and His disciples asked Him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind [3] Jesus answered, neither has this man sinned, nor his parents, but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” Boy! Times have not changed very much has it? Even Jesus’ disciples blamed sin in the lives of people as the cause of suffering! But, just as in the case above, suffering, at times, comes to a person so that God can manifest Himself in the suffering person. DON’T judge your brother or sister! Your job is to comfort; not judge! Remember, you will be judged by the same measure that you judge others. There are three categories of suffering. First, is the “physical” suffering which includes sickness, disease, and injuries. Second, is the “natural” suffering which includes disasters such as floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, etc. The third and most common are sufferings caused by “human actions”. Others, who want to control and manipulate people for their own personal gain or satisfaction, cause most problems. Let’s face it! Most people are lost and destined to eternal death! Most people embrace the ways of the world and are being led by evil spirits! It is as simple as this! If you are God’s child, His spirits are leading you. If you are not God’s, evil spirits are leading you. You belong to Satan! Satan knows who belongs to God and uses anything and anyone to bring distress upon a true child of God. 1 Peter 5:8-10 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour [9] whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world [10] but the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal Glory by Jesus Christ, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” Satan knows who the true believers are all over the world. Our enemy afflicts all brothers and sisters in Christ. God allows this for a season. Afterward, you become strengthened. You are in the process of being made perfect in the eyes of God by partaking in the sufferings of Christ. You are getting closer to the process of being transformed into the image of Christ Himself. You are being established as a son of God and you are being settled in as a member of God’s family. Remember, suffering is only for a season and then the glory beyond your imagination will come upon you. 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair [9] persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed [10] always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus be made manifest in our body.” THIS is the main reason for our sufferings! So that Jesus can be made manifest in US! We become His ambassadors! We represent Jesus in this world. Through our sufferings, others will be able to see Jesus in us! Jesus is the only “begotten” Son of God! To be conformed into the image of Jesus means we are to become sons and daughters of God also! Being baptized into the Holy Spirit makes us sons and daughters. The trials and persecutions that we go through represents what Jesus Himself went through. If we are to be more like Christ, we MUST partake of His sufferings! Romans 6:3-5 “Know ye not, that so many of us were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death [4] therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life [5] for if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection.” When you become baptized into the Holy Spirit, you become baptized into the likeness of Jesus Himself, which is in His death and in His resurrection. You receive the same Spirit that He had which makes you a brand new creature. You are also guaranteed eternal life and will receive a resurrected body just like Jesus! The moment that we receive His Spirit, we become partakers of His sufferings and can expect persecutions and tribulations. We should rejoice in this because we have become like the only begotten Son of God! 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 “And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me [10] therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then I am strong.” It does not matter how difficult a trial in our life is; God’s spirit of Grace is with us the whole while! Paul had a demonic spirit follow him wherever he went. This spirit was constantly coming against him. He prayed three times for God to remove this spirit, but God refused and told him that His Grace was sufficient. This spirit meant evil to come to Paul, but God turned it around for the good! What was the good of being bothered by an evil spirit? Paul could not get puffed up with pride because of the divine revelations given to him. It is very easy to become self-righteous and puffed up with pride when great knowledge and understanding is imparted to an individual! Paul was made weak because of his infirmity, which in turn made him stronger in the Lord. When we become weak or helpless in a particular situation, the end result is that we become stronger in our faith and learn HUMILITY! Psalm 73:3-12 “For I was envious of the foolish; when I saw the prosperity of the wicked [4] for there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm [5] they are not in trouble as other men, neither are they plagued like other men [6] therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them like a garment [7] their eyes stand out with fatness, they have more than heart can wish [8] they are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression; they speak loftily [9] they set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth [10] therefore his people return hither; and waters of a full cup are wrung out of them [11] and they sat, how doth God know? And is their knowledge in the Most High? [12] Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world, they increase in riches.” The writer of this Psalm is envious of the wicked wealthy man. Suffering comes to the righteous and the wicked, but there are some wicked people that seem to have been born with a golden spoon in their mouth! It does not seem fair that so many that serves the devil seem to prosper while those that truly serve God do not! It does not seem fair that those who truly serve God struggle to pay their bills while the wicked do not seem to have any problems whatsoever! These wealthy, wicked men maintain their wealth by oppressing the poor. It just does not seem fair! Oppression and dishonesty pays the wicked high dividends while the honesty of the poor believers gain them more suffering! It Just Isn’t Fair! Why do the poor, rich in faith, seem to do nothing but suffer while the wicked rich prosper? Psalm 73:17-19 “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end [18] surely Thou didst set them in slippery places; Thou castest them down into destruction [19] how are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors.” The reward of the wicked is what they gain in this world while they are alive. They cannot take their wealth with them when they die and leave this world. Their end will be eternal torment in the lake of fire! They will never be able to get away from the constant pain and terror throughout all of eternity! They better enjoy their riches in their BRIEF life on earth! Yes, the wicked prosper in this world, but knowing their end, should you be envious of what they have and you do not? Be thankful for your sufferings in this world. Your reward in heaven will be beyond anything this world has to offer and is beyond your wildest dreams!

Luke 16:22 “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; (23) And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. (24) And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. (25) But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. (26) And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. (27) Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: (28) for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. (29) Abraham saith unto him, they have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. (30) And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. (31) And he said unto him, if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” The rich man was in a flame in hell. From where he was, he could see across a great gulf into Abraham’s Bosom, which was also in a part of hell. The rich man knew Abraham, immediately upon seeing him. In Old Testament times, all who died went to hell. But, there were two distinct places in hell. On one side of the great gulf were those who were in torment and on the other side were those who were comforted in Abraham’s Bosom. These were the two holding places for all of the souls, who had died and were awaiting the final judgment. Matthew 27:50 “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. (51) And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; (52) And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, (53) And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.” At the moment of Jesus’ death, the veil was split in half and an earthquake took place. What happened next is awesome. The saints of the Old Testament times rose from the dead, at Jesus’ Resurrection! They were no longer in Abraham’s Bosom. They were set free from their holding place. Some even walked the streets of Jerusalem in their newly resurrected bodies and were seen by the people there! Ephesians 4:8 “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men (9) (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? (10) He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.” When Jesus died, He first descended into hell and led captivity captive. He freed all of the saints who were in Abraham’s Bosom. Hell is also called Hades and Prison. Evil men are held in prison in death, as well as the saints. In Old Testament times, all men were held in prison. Jesus came to release the righteous prisoners. Isaiah 42:7 “To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.” Jesus came to open the spiritual eyes of men, to remove the saints from prison, and also something else. He came to bring the people out of prison that were in darkness! Let us continue: 1 Peter 3:19 “By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; (20) Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” All of the saints who were in Abraham’s Bosom were automatically freed from prison. Jesus did not have to preach to them. Who did, He preach to? He preached to the people who were killed by the flood in Noah’s day. They were given a second chance! No way, you say! Well, let’s go on to see: Psalms 102:19 “For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth; (20) To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death; (21) To declare the name of the LORD in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem; (22) When the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.” Jesus heard the groaning of those people who were in hell and had mercy upon them. He went and preached to those people, who were appointed to the second death in the Lake of Fire. The people, who received His message, will be gathered together with the saints to serve Him, when He comes to reign in Jerusalem. If the saints and those souls whom Jesus preached to are no longer in hell, then where are they? Luke 23:43 “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” The thief, on the cross, requested Jesus to remember him when Jesus went into His Kingdom. The thief received Christ on the cross. He believed that Jesus was who He said that He was…the Son of God. The thief, that day, became saved and went with Jesus to Paradise. Where is Paradise? Some say that it was Abraham’s Bosom, but Jesus set the people that were there free. 2 Corinthians 12:2 “I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. (3) And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth; (4) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” Paul was the man, who was caught up to the third heaven. Notice, that he says that he was caught up to Paradise. This means that Paradise is in the third heaven. So, this is where the thief on the cross went. He did not go to Abraham’s Bosom, which was in hell. Also, Jesus did not say that he would be with Him in Abram’s Bosom, did he? No! He went directly to Paradise. That is where all of the Saints of God are right now. Many believe that the third heaven is a “level” of heaven. Is it? We will soon see! Revelation 2:7 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” Paradise in Greek is “paradises”, which means a park, Eden, a place of future happiness and is derived from the Hebrew word “pardic”, which means a park, forest, orchard, and a place of beauty. The ‘tree of life’ is the key issue in this passage. In Genesis 2:9, we find that the ‘tree of life’ was in the midst of the Garden of Eden. Remember the definition of paradise includes Eden. One must assume that paradise and Eden are one and the same. The Garden of Eden, in which the ‘tree of life’ is located was removed from earth and taken to the third heaven. Then the name was changed to paradise. This all happened when Adam and Eve were driven from Eden and God closed the door to keep them from returning. He then placed cherubim and a flaming sword to block the way. God really blocked the way when He removed it to the third heaven! All of the Saints, whether past or present day, go to the Garden of Eden once they have experienced death on this earth. At the gate stand Cherubim with a flaming sword to prevent any evil from entering into Paradise. Genesis 3:24 “So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” Okay, let’s look a bit farther into scripture: Isaiah 65:17 “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” You are wondering, what this has to do with Paradise? The Lord says here that He has created new heavens and a new earth. These new heavens and new earth will replace our present heavens and earth. Isaiah 66:22 “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.” In the beginning, the heaven and earth were created. This was the first creation of one heaven and one earth. Then the Lord created the heavens (more than one) and placed the earth in them. This is the same earth as today, but for the second time heavens were created. Earth has been created once and the heavens have been created twice. There is going to be a second creation of the earth and a third creation of the heavens. 2 Peter 3:7 “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” This present earth and the heavens, which we can see with our own eyes, are reserved for the Day of Judgment. Both are destined for destruction. 2 Peter 3:10 “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” A cataclysmic event is in our future! The earth and everything on it shall be totally burned up. The sun and all of the stars that we can see will be destroyed and totally burned up. 2 Peter 3:11 “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,” Knowing what is coming, all of mankind should be earnestly seeking God. 2 Peter 3:13 “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” Knowing that this earth and these heavens are going to be destroyed, we are to look for the new heavens and the new earth. It is where the righteous dwells. Paradise, which is in the third heaven, is where the righteous now resides. The new heaven is the third heaven and the new earth is Paradise. This is where the righteous dwell and where the ‘tree of life’ is located. The new heavens and the new earth were created before Jesus died on the cross. He took the saints from Abraham’s Bosom to the new earth in the new heaven, which is the third heaven. Our present earth and heaven are waiting for Judgment Day. Revelations 21:1 “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.” The heaven that was created in the beginning, the first heaven, and the first earth, which is our earth, are going to be destroyed. In Second Peter it said that the heavens (more than one) was going to be completely dissolved by fervent heat. These heavens were the second creation of the heavens, with the first heaven still remaining. So, the beginning heaven, the heavens that were created later, and the beginning earth are going to be destroyed. God is starting over! Revelations 21:2 “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” A New Jerusalem is on this new earth and is where Jesus, himself will dwell. In Paradise (the new earth) there is a holy city (New Jerusalem) where the throne of God will reside for eternity. Revelations 21:3 “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.” Eternity Begins!

There is a false assumption in the traditional church today that God wants all of His people to be rich! Many of the churches believe that being wealthy is a sign of God’s favor. This may be so in some cases, but I have not found any scripture that states that God wants all of His people to be wealthy! I have found scriptures that state that God wants all of His people to be rich in the things of Him! Too often, the wealthy in the churches put their fellow brothers in Christ under condemnation that are not wealthy. They accuse them of doing something wrong. I have personally heard these words and I quote, “If you were tithing properly you would be more prosperous.” Or, “You have to be doing something wrong or you would be more prosperous.” God does not measure wealth be the size of your bank account! It is true that God has at times blessed some with an abundance of wealth such as Abraham, Isaac, Solomon, and Job. This does not mean, however, that poverty is a sign of God’s disfavor! There are many Godly men today that have been blessed with wealth. But, just as the aforementioned men, they are blessed because they have been chosen to do a special work of God that will reach around the entire world! The Lord does not have anything against His people prospering financially, but He did not promise financial wealth. Php 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in Glory.” His promise is to supply your need, not your wants! According to what? His riches in Glory! Not His riches of the world. The riches He wants us to have are not of this world. It is God, through His spirit of Wisdom, who decides who should prosper and how much! He supplies everyone’s needs and at times their wants. The prosperity that the Lord is talking about is not filthy lucre or unrighteous mammon, which in our terms is money. He is talking about prospering in the things from above! 3 John 1:2 “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” The key here is as your “soul” prospers. Your soul prospers at the gaining of more wisdom, understanding, and knowledge of the Lord. Money has nothing to do with it! As your soul prospers, you will gain good health and prosper financially. The most important thing is that your soul prospers. The rich do not realize that their wealth is a burden around their neck. If they are not careful, their wealth will choke them to death! Luke 8:14 “And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life and bring no fruit to perfection.” Christians are the focus here. They have heard the Word of God and received Christ, but never bear any spiritual fruit because of riches and pleasures of this life. I am not saying that rich Christians never bear any fruit! I am saying that it is extremely difficult for a rich Christian to bear fruit because of the cares of this world. They tend to trust in their wealth and put their pleasures ahead of the things of God. Their riches become a trap! 1 Ti. 6:9 “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare…” The reason why the rich easily fall into a snare and are easily tempted is that they are trying to serve two masters. This is an impossible task to perform. Matt. 6:24 “no man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” It is very difficult for a rich Christian to effectively serve God because of their riches. They do not realize this and will deny that they are in the snare. If they are not in the snare, then why don’t they help their brothers in Christ that are poor and struggling tremendously? Why do they accuse the poor instead of helping? If they truly were serving God, they would not hesitate in giving of their wealth to their poor brothers and sisters in Christ! Is this happening? No! I am sure that there are some that help the poor, but the majority hoards their wealth and look down at the poor. The Church is guilty of this also! The purpose of tithing is to bring money into the house of God so that there will be money to help the less fortunate and the needy and also to provide for the pastors. The Pastors are well provided for, but what about the needy in the church? Too often, the tithe money is used to get better sound systems, improve the parking lot, add on to the existing building, etc. Riches are a huge temptation and no matter how hard you try to do what is right, you will fall into a snare because of the riches. Mark 10:23 “And Jesus looked around about, and saith unto His disciples, how hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God.” It is very difficult for a rich man or woman to enter into heaven because they trust in their wealth more than they trust in God. They serve mammon more than they serve God! 1 Ti. 6:17 “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches…” The wealth of the rich is an uncertainty. They could lose all that they have in an instant! What will happen to their wealth if the world economy totally collapsed? They could become poor overnight! Where is their trust then? A poor Christian rich in faith can never lose his/her riches because Jesus said that he would never leave nor forsake them. On the other hand, the rich that trust in their wealth can lose everything! Too many rich Christians are high-minded and look down on the poor in Christ. They believe that God has shown them favor and the poor disfavor. They have deceived themselves into believing that they are doing everything right and the poor are doing something wrong! Let’s see what the Lord says to these rich Christians that believe this! Rev. 3:17 “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and Knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked…” How can the rich be poor? Because they trust in their wealth and are poor in faith! They do not realize that their life does not consist of only the abundance of material things! There is more to life than just things! Luke 12:15 “…take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” Possessions are not what life is all about. Receiving the riches that are stored in heaven is what life is all about. The possessions of this world will deteriorate and pass away. The things of heaven will remain intact throughout eternity. Luke 6:24 “But woe unto you that are rich! For ye have received your consolation.” James 5:1 “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you [2] your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.” James 2:6 “But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seat?” The rich, including rich Christians, continuously oppress the poor. They are easy prey because they do not have the funds to protect themselves from the rich. The poor are always being taken to court because they are poor and the rich take from them even more. This is oppression folks! A very good example is the medical field in America today. If you are wealthy and need treatment at a hospital, you are given special treatment. If you are wealthy, the hospital will knock up to 50 percent off of the bill if you can pay cash, even though you have insurance that would cover the costs. But! If you are poor and cannot afford insurance, you are forced to pay the inflated full amount of the bill, plus you will be taken to court continuously for being even one day late on a payment that you can’t afford anyway! Then you have to pay court costs, lawyer’s fees, and interest payments on top of what you already owe. This is oppression folks! The rich oppressing the poor! Yes, this is in the secular section of the country. But! Isn’t it the churches responsibility to provide for the poor, fatherless, and the widows? Isn’t this a Christian nation? Was not this nation founded on the principles, precepts, and doctrines of our Lord Jesus Christ? Are we not supposed to attain to be more like Christ? Then why are rich Christians and the Church itself so selfish as to let these things go unattended? Jer. 5:28 “ They are waxen fat, they shine, yea they overpass the deeds of the wicked. They judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper, and the right of the needy do they not judge.” This is talking about the people of God! They are just as bad as the wicked, if not worse. They continue to get richer and could care less about the needy or the fatherless. Sound familiar? This is the Church today! Mad at me yet? These are not my words! Pastors better take heed also! Jer. 10:21 “ For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the Lord: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.” Just as the pastors of that time failed to seek the Lord, so has the pastors failed to seek the Lord today. Self-righteous pastors that have not sought the Lord will soon have their wealth taken from them by the Lord Himself! Their congregations will be scattered with no shepherd to lead them. Some Pastors have not done what the Lord requires of them. When the Lord allows pastors to prosper financially, He expects them to use the finances to help others. Luke 12:48 “…for unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required…” The Lord requires a lot from those He gives much! If Pastors are given wealth, the Lord expects them to use that wealth to further His kingdom and to help the fatherless, widows and the poor. If the Lord prospers a person in the things of Him, He expects that person to share with others what He has given that person. I have heard many a wealthy person say that they wanted God to use them, but was disappointed when He did not. They could not understand why the Lord was using us and not them! After all…we were just poor folk that was doing something wrong! James 2:5 “hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which He hath promised to them that love Him?” Where does it say in the Word of God that He chooses the rich? He doesn’t choose the rich because their priorities are split between their wealth and the pleasures of this life with that of their faith in Him. It is easier for the poor to look to the Lord because of their lack of substance. The rich tend to become complacent and to comfortable where they are. The poor are in a struggle continuously. What does the Lord think about the poor, rich in faith? Rev. 2:9 “I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, [but thou art rich]…? In God’s eyes, the poor, rich in faith, are rich and the wealthy; rich in the things of this world are actually poor! The reason the rich are considered poor is because they have not been faithful by using their wealth to do good. Luke 16”11 “If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” The reason the Lord will not answer the wealthy peoples’ prayer to use them is because they have not been faithful in using their wealth to help the poor, fatherless, and the widows! They have not been faithful with what the Lord has allowed them to have! For this cause the Lord has… Luke 1:23 “He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He hath sent away empty.” The Lord does speak to those that are rich, but they tend to ignore the Lord’s voice. Jer. 22:21 “I spake unto thee in thy prosperity; but thou saidest, I will not hear. This has been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyest not My voice.” So! Are riches of this world a good thing? Not from the scriptures that the Lord has shown me! To those that are poor and struggling I leave you with this one passage of comfort… Ps.37: 7 “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way…”

Statistics show that only between 2.5 and 5 % of all Christians pay tithes. This is an extremely low number. Could the problem be that the Pastors continually put their congregations under condemnation? "If you don't tithe, you are robbing God!" “Give till it hurts!” The church teaches: (1) that you should pay a tithe on everything that you have, and on your gross earnings. (2) That first fruits and tithes are the same thing. What exactly does the Bible really say? Nehemiah 12:44 “And at that time were some appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited.” Certain people were appointed to oversee and supervise the gathering of the “treasures”. These “treasures” were to be placed into special chambers designed especially for the treasures and involved three specific things: the offerings, the firstfruits, and the tithes. God required all of these for the temple. If tithes and firstfruits are one and the same, why did the verse list them separately? Nehemiah 10:35 “And to bring the firstfruits of our ground, and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, unto the house of the Lord:” The entire world was predominantly agricultural in commerce up until about 100 years ago. If you plant a garden, in the spring, of tomatoes, watermelon, and peppers, and in due course they produce a crop, the first fruits of the tomatoes, and the watermelon, and the peppers are to be considered as firstfruits. These firstfruits are to be taken into God's storehouse to feed the ministers and the poor. This is to be done once a year, every year. The first born of the spring animals (per type sheep, goat, cow) is also considered to be firstfruits. These are to be butchered and taken into the storehouse also. The firstfruits were collected in the spring of every year. This was done only once a year! Proverbs 3:9 “Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:” Did you notice that you are to give the firstfruits of your increase? The Hebrew word for substance is “hown”, which means wealth. You are to honor the Lord with your wealth by giving the firstfruits of your increase. The increases of your firstfruits are the very first things brought in from your garden and the very first of any food animals born each and every year. This is done once a year! What about the tithe? Deuteronomy 14:22 “Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.” Notice that the tithe was collected on a person’s “increase” and was collected once a year in the fall when it was harvest time. The people of those days did not know what their increase was until the harvest was over. In those days, firstfruits were collected once a year in the spring and the tithes were collected once a year in the fall at harvest time. It does not say to tithe your “gross”! What is meant by “increase”? Here's a modern day example: Let's say that you are a plumber, painter, carpenter, electrician, or carpet installer. You give a bid of $3,000.00 to do a certain job. You complete the job, and receive the money. You must pay $1,000.00 to your employees who helped complete the job, and the materials supplier also gets $1,000.00. According to the way the church teaches, your tithe would be $300.00, which is 10% of the gross amount of the check received. Let's take the same job for $3,000.00, but this time the individual decides to pay the labor, and materials, and give you the balance of $1,000.00. According to the way the church teaches, you would owe $100.00, which is 10% of the gross amount of the check you received. It is the same job, so why the difference in the amount of tithe owed? The only difference is how much money you carried to the bank. You still receive the same amount after labor and materials! But, the tithe changed, by who paid the bills! In both cases you actually got $1000.00 for your effort. You acted as the go-between when you paid the labor and materials bill, so why did it increase your tithe? The labor and material money was not yours to begin with. The tithe on the labor and the materials is the responsibility of the people who received the increase, not the one who carried it to them. Think of the postal carrier: Is his tithe figured on the amount of money he delivers to everyone's mailbox? He carried it to you! Of course not! The mailman had control of the money and protected it, but it was not his to keep. Even if you have control of another person’s money, you do not pay a tithe on it. You tithe your personal increase; not your gross! Matthew 22:19-21 “Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.” We are to give the civil magistrates all that is due to them. The idea here is: If the dollar is his, give it to him. To render means to pay back in full. You are to pay your taxes! The point here is that taxes belong to the government. That means that it is not your money! You are simply carrying it for the government. So, your tax money is not an increase to you, since it is not your money. Why do you pay tithe on taxes? It is the responsibility of each government worker to pay their own tithe, not your job to do it for them. Let's go back to the job you did where you received $1,000.00. You add up your gasoline for the car, stationary, and other incidentals (not materials) and discover that you have an additional $100.00 in expenses to earn your money. $100.00 of the $1000.00 is not an increase; it is replacing what you spent to make the thousand dollars. Replacing what you have lost is not an increase! This puts your earnings down to $900.00. Even the government allows you to deduct your expenses incurred in earning the money. Your tithe now is $90.00, so it seems, which leaves $810.00 to meet your needs. Remember the word “increase”! Matthew 6:26 “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 6:30 “Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? [6:32] (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.” [6:33] “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Faith is total confidence in the provision of God. If you seek first God's kingdom, then all your material needs will be met. This is God's promise of provision. This is something that He gives to His people freely; it is a gift. It is sustenance. It is what you need to survive. God promises to give this gift to those who diligently seek Him. If you buy a gift for someone, do you tell them, “The gift is yours, but you have to give me back $10.00” because it cost me $100.00”? As parents, we expect our children to obey and to love us. As parents, we provide the needs of our children. We provide clothes, food, housing, medical care, education, and anything else they need. Do we expect our children to keep track of what they have cost us and pay us back 10%? God is our parent. He expects us to be obedient and to love Him. He promises us the very same provisions that we give to our children. He does not expect nor want us to pay Him back a portion of His provision for us. Provision is not an increase; it is sustenance. You do not pay a tithe on your promised provision. We have now returned to our money. We have $900.00 left after the expenses associated with earning the money in the first place. You had to pay your rent of $300.00, you had to get $100.00 worth of food to feed your family for the coming week, you had to pay utilities of $100.00, and your insurance of another $100.00. So, what is left is your increase, which is $300.00. So, your tithe is actually $30.00. If you had paid the tithe of $300.00, you would have not been able to meet your family's basic needs. It would have been a week of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. That is not God's provision. He is not the God of just enough! $30.00 isn't much money. But, the next week, you received $900.00 once again for your labor. Out of the $900.00, you spent $100.00 on groceries and $100.00 on clothes and laundry items. So, you had a $700.00 increase for that week. You are now able to pay a $70.00 tithe with money left over. Your needs are met and you can cheerfully give your tithe to the Church and even have enough excess to give an offering! You are not giving grudgingly or out of necessity! This is what the Lord intended! He never intended for God’s people to be beat over the head with “You are robbing God”. Give, Give, Give! God does not need your money! He owns everything! It is a point of obedience. I am sorry, but I have to say it! Pastors have become greedy! So, let's do the numbers. According to statistics: 5 out of every 100 Christians tithe. If, they consistently receive $500.00 per week, their tithe would be $50.00 every week. That would be $250.00 per week for the Church, or $1,000.00 per 100 members per 4-week month. Let's pretend that the rest of the church averages an increase of a measly $50.00. So, their tithe would be $5.00 per week for the Church. If we multiply $5.00 times 95 (non-tithers), the total would be $475 per week or $1900.00 in a 4-week month for the church. If the first 5 continue their $50.00 weekly, the total would be $2900.00 per month for the Church. But even if they join the other 95% and only give $5.00, it would be $500.00 weekly and $2,000.00 in a 4-week month. The people would be cheerful givers, because their needs have already been met. They would even have excess to make special offerings, as they feel inclined. There is no place in the Bible that says to give out of your need, nor to let your children go hungry, or barefooted in winter in order to pay a tithe to the church. 2 Corinthians 9:7 “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” If you give out of your need, you give grudgingly. You cannot give cheerfully when you are getting behind on bills because of paying tithes out of necessity because the Church tells you that you have too! The church says that you are robbing God if you don't give your money, even if your needs are not being met. This is the main reason that Christians quit tithing. They love the Lord and want to do well and be obedient, but they simply can't pay their bills when they give so much to the church. Malachi 3:8 “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.” This is the church's favorite scripture to put people under condemnation and increase the church coffers. They tell you to "Dig deep; Give until it hurts!" What about this verse? 1 Timothy 5:8 “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” Many Christians find themselves trapped between the last two verses. The great dilemma begins: If, I pay my tithe, I can't meet my responsibilities and am worse than an infidel. If, I don't pay my tithe, and use the money to pay my bills, then I am robbing God. This is wrong! This is a no win situation! How could you be a cheerful giver being stuck between these two verses? This is the reason most Christians do not tithe! You should pay your bills, meet the needs of your household, and then pay your tithe. Think about this also! Because of God’s promised provision, should you tithe on things you have to replace? Let’s say that you began the year with 10 cans of vegetables in your kitchen cabinet. Throughout the year you eat the vegetables and replace the cans on a regular basis. At the end of the year, your cabinet has 20 cans of vegetables in it. You have an increase of 10 cans in which you are to pay 10% of the increase, which is 1 can! Remember! You do not pay a tithe on God’s promised provision! You only have to tithe your “increase”. It is difficult separating needs from wants, but that is between you and God. Also, there is a difference in provision; should it be plain or fancy. Again, that is between you and God. Pray over your bills and needs, God will guide you in your decision. If you pay your tithe after your needs are met, you will be a cheerful giver and not an infidel. Also, you are not robbing God. You are no longer trapped! And now, the church of 100% of tithing Christians after their needs are met will receive $32,000.00 a year per 100 members instead of $12,000 a year per 100 members with only 5% tithing. Sounds like a winning plan! It must be from God!

There are two words used in the New Testament, which are translated as fornication. The first word is “porneia”, which means harlotry (including adultery, incest, sexual sins) and figuratively meaning idolatry. The second word used is “porneuo”, which means to act the harlot, prostitute, indulge in unlawful lust or to practice idolatry. In the Old Testament, Israel’s neighbors practiced a fertility religion using prostitution as a part of their worship. They worshipped their various gods through the acts of prostitution. Exodus 34:15 “Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;(16) And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.” God is a jealous God. He did not want His people to be involved with any non-Israelite because He knew that the false religions and pagan rituals would tempt them. He knew that they would be caught up in idolatry by worshipping the false gods of their neighbors. Ezekiel 16:26 “Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger. (28) Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied. (29) Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith. (30) How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman;” Here, Israel was fornicating with their enemies, as well as their neighbors by worshipping their false god; this is idolatry. This passage shows Israel making political treaties with their enemies. These treaties were considered a form of fornication in the eyes of the Lord. Making treaties with secular or non-Christian neighbors is fornicating with them in God’s eyes! God wants His people to remain pure. Fellowshipping {fornicating} with others outside the Christian faith can cause the Christian to stray just as it did with God’s chosen people of old time. God considers this fellowship as being unequally yoked with a non-believer and fornication. God knows that all of us come in contact with non-believers every day. We are to be a witness to them, but are not to be drawn into a close relationship with them because temptation could cause us to stumble. Jesus’ disciples shared the Gospel with non-believers, but did not remain with any of them to fellowship. They were in close fellowship with others of the faith. Christians having close fellowship with those outside the faith are committing fornication! Revelations 17:1 “And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: (2) With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. (18:3) For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. (19:2) For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.” This whore of Revelation is the one-world political, economic, and religious system that has killed the true believers of Jesus. Any person involved with or participates with this system commits fornication with her. Anyone who conforms to a politically correct state, secular or religious, and that is against the things of God, has committed fornication. We have discovered, so far, that fornication means to worship other gods, make political treaties with those who oppose your way of life, conform to political and religious unfaithfulness, and to be unequally yoked with a non-believer. Colossians 3:5 “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:” In this passage, Paul lists six things that are considered a part of idolatry. “Mortify” means to deaden or subdue. We are to subdue or deaden these five things that make up idolatry. The very first thing on the list is fornication. Fornication is a part of idolatry. All of the broad meanings of fornication apply to idolatry. Uncleanness means morally contaminated or impure. Inordinate affection means lustful passion. Evil concupiscence means longing for that which is forbidden. Covetous means being eager for gain or greedy using fraudulent means to obtain what you seek. Christians are to stay completely away from these things. So, to simplify the meaning of fornication, it means to commune with people or nations or other religions, which are directly against God and His precepts. It is a form of idolatry in which unlawful sexual sins play a big part, but is not limited to sexual sins. It is putting anything in your life higher than the things of God. Matthew 5:32 “But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. (19:9) And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.” Many of the churches teach that the only reason for a divorce is adultery. Jesus did not say adultery! He said fornication! If either party of a marriage cheated on the other, it would be adultery and not fornication. A married person cannot commit fornication in the sense of sex before marriage. It would have to be adultery for married couples. But, Jesus said divorce is possible because of fornication. Since a married couple cannot commit fornication in a sexual sense, the word fornication must take on the broader meaning in this text. Fornication here means not only sexual sins, which would include adultery, but also idolatry. So, what are the grounds for getting a divorce? Of course, adultery is one of the grounds, but the list is much longer than one would think. Any sexual sin is grounds for a divorce. Incest, bestiality, or homosexuality, or even pornography addictions are examples of sexual sins. Another reason for divorce is to hold anything closer to yourself than God or your spouse. Examples would be: quitting the marriage bed, putting money ahead of God or your spouse, neglecting to provide for your family, worshipping false images or gods, being tolerant of ungodliness, compromising moral values that are established in God’s Word, in other words, any act of idolatry. The bottom line is that fornication is idolatry, which covers all sinful sexual activity and reverencing those things that are not of God. Paul also gets specific about having sex before marriage: 1Corinthians 6:15 “Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid” 1Corinthians 6:16 “What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. (17) But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. (18) Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body (19) What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (20) For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” The person who has received Christ no longer owns his or her own body. You have been bought with the blood of Christ. Your body and spirit belong to God. When a man and woman unite in sexual intercourse, they become one flesh. If this union occurs outside the bounds of marriage, and if either or both are Christians, they are defiling their own bodies. 1Corinthians 7:2 “Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.” In the last two passages, fornication has definitely meant sexual sins. It is much better to marry than to be guilty of fornication, of the sexual nature. Some people are overwhelmed by sex to the point that they worship the act of sex. When sex, even between married couples, becomes more important than the things of God, it becomes fornication because it is idolatry. Idolatry means to render homage to, minister to, worship false images, or worship anything that is not of God. It becomes an act of idolatry when you place anything or anyone above God. This includes the five things in Colossians 3:5 that we looked at earlier. When churches teach that only Adultery is grounds for a divorce, they are putting many people under condemnation, creating unnecessary hardships, and causes needless suffering. Jesus’ yoke is easy and His burden is light. So, why do churches put their people under such a heavy bondage? Why do some churches go so far as to say that God can’t use a divorced person? Why do they even go so far as to allow no divorced person to do more than sit in the pews? God used Paul, who was a murderer of Christians! My Bible says all sin is equal and all sin is forgivable, except for blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Can it be that churches believe that divorce is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? Or maybe, they believe that God needs some help in His rules regulating His people! I choose not to answer why the churches do this. It could be tradition! It could be ignorance! It could be misunderstanding! It could even be demonic influence! It could be a sin, which these churches will have to give account of when they appear before the Father. It is not my place to judge or guess why. It is sufficient to say; it is wrong. Remember that Jesus said “fornication” was good cause for a divorce. He did not say “adultery” as most churches teach! If Jesus meant adultery, He would have said adultery!

There are many elementary truths in the world today that do not line up with the word of God. Many of these doctrines of man have infiltrated the church. There are many more that are being forced on the church. The sad thing is that the church is embracing many of the worldly doctrines. Colossians 2:8 “beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” “Philosophy” is the Greek word “philosophia”, which means wise things. There are many so called wise things that the world brings forth that sounds good to the ears and seems logical. The problem is that many of these wise things are contrary to the word of God. Many of these wise things are handed down through tradition of men that has been widely accepted in the past. Have you ever heard the phrase, “That’s the way we have always done it!” Just because you have always done it that way does not mean that whatever you are doing is correct! You must remember that our enemy, the devil, has been operating in the world long before we were even born and he is very good at what he does. He is the master of deception. He has started traditions that seem to be of God. These traditions are actually twisted truths they cause believers to stray from the narrow path. Many believe that Satan could not infiltrate the church, but they do not understand that he has already done so, pretending to be an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:14 “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” “Rudiments” is the Greek word “stoicheion”, which means elementary truths. The world brings forth so called truths that are contrary to the word of God. An example of this is the worldly view of creation. Man evolved from monkeys! Sorry! That is not in my bible! This is logical and is widely accepted as truth, but is a lie created by the devil to divert people from the truth established in God’s Word. We must be aware of these lies so that we are not fooled by the worldly view. Tradition can be very harmful if it does not line up with God’s Word. Colossians 2:20-22 “wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances [21] {touch not; taste not; handle not; [22] which all are to perish with the using;} after the commandments and doctrines of men?” You are asked a question here. If you are a true believer, why do you follow these worldly doctrines of men that are contrary to the word of God? You need to stand fast in the truth no matter what the world says. A perfect example is the Gay agenda! They are trying to force everyone to accept their way of life, which is considered an abomination to our Lord! Same sex marriages are against what God created in the beginning. The worldly view is that “all” should accept this abomination as “okay” with God! We are supposed to tolerate what God Himself does not! As believers, we are not subject to these false doctrines of men! We are not subject to any doctrine that is contrary to the word of God. Matthew 15:6-9 “… thus have you made the commandment of God none effect by your tradition [7] Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophecy of you saying [8] these people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me [9] but in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Gulp! What Jesus is saying here is that there are many churches that are so legalistic and are so concerned with tradition of their particular denomination that they have made the Word that they preach non-effect. They are more concerned with activities within their body than the truth! They have a form of Godliness, but do not practice what they preach. They are hypocrites! If you don’t believe me, try visiting a church, any church, dressed in dirty clothes with holes in them with an unshaven face and uncombed hair! You will notice people trying their best to get as far from you as possible! You will feel the heaviness of condemnation and judgment against you immediately. I have tried this just to see the reaction of the people. In every case, I was immediately judged. What if the Lord led a person off the street to the church? What right does the church have to judge that person? The church cannot see the heart! It is tradition in the churches today that a Christian should look, act, and smell a certain way! If a person does not fit or conform to the way the church believes they should, that person is shunned and made to feel not welcome in God’s House! Mark 7:6-9 “well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites as it is written, this people honoureth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me [7] howbeit in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men [8] for laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups and many other such like things ye do [9] full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.” There are many churches that will reject truths in the word of God just to keep their tradition. “That is the way it has always been!” Maybe they are wrong! Maybe they are in error! An example is that there is a denomination that refuses to let anyone work in their church if they have ever been divorced! God can’t use a divorced person? I thought the only unpardonable sin was to blaspheme the Holy Spirit! The passage that the church uses is the one where it says that a pastor, deacon, or elder must be the husband of one wife. This means that they cannot have multiple wives! It has nothing to do with divorce! It is the job of each and every believer to question what someone is preaching and to test the spirits. I am not saying that Pastors intentionally deceive their congregation. I am saying that any of us could be in error! There are many people that believe that whatever their Pastor says is the truth. He could be in error! Read the Bible for yourself! Another example is tithing! Where does it say to tithe your Gross? It doesn’t! It says to tithe your “Increase”. Traditionally, tithing is taught that you tithe your gross! It is an error! [Details in later chapter!] II Timothy 4:3-4 “for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap unto themselves teachers, having itching ears; [4] and they shall turn away from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” There are some tough congregations in churches today. They only want to hear certain things. Today most people only want to hear the good stuff! Love, love, love! Prosperity, gain, financial freedom! There is nothing wrong with this except that there is no balance. Most do not want to hear about suffering, judgment, the wrath of God, or coming destruction. Yes, God is a loving God, but He is also a jealous God. Anything that has your attention more than God, He considers idolatry. He is very jealous of your attention! He caused Israel to go into captivity because of this very thing! This passage states that people will be wrapped up in tradition so bad that they will turn away from the truth and follow their traditions. Being a Christian is not how you look or what you do; it is a heart issue! It is having a “personal” relationship with the Lord! Going to church every week means nothing without this personal relationship! Anyone can look and act the part. There are many in the churches that look and act like a Christian according to tradition, but have never had a personal relationship with the Lord and will be kept out of heaven! Matthew 7:22-23 “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? [23] and then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” These are people who are wrapped up in tradition and truly believe that all they have done will get them to heaven. They have been legalistic in all they have done, but have never had that personal relationship with the Lord. All they have done for the kingdom of God was done in their will and not the Lords! Many are doing God’s work without being called! There were spirits behind all they have done, but the spirits were not of God! People who do not believe spirits are influencing them have deceived themselves. There are spirits all around us just as there are angels around us also. Without a personal relationship with the Lord, it is impossible to determine what spirit is affecting our lives. Knowing Jesus does not make you a Christian! Demons know Jesus! Does that make them Christians? At a former church, I was singing How Great Thou Art under a heavy anointing. After church, a lady came up to me and thanked me for the song. I did not understand at first. She told me that she had been in church for twenty-five years and that she had even taught Sunday school and children’s church. Then she said to me, “Today is the first time in my life that I really know Jesus!” With tears in her eyes, she also said, “I have never had a personal relationship with Him until now.” How many more are there that have been in Church all their lives and never had a personal relationship with the Lord? Tradition keeps you from that personal relationship. Tradition also causes people to depart from the faith. I Timothy 4:1-2 “now the spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils [2] speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.” Seducing spirits can’t be in my church! Lying spirits have been in the churches since the church began! Why do you think there are so many different denominations? These spirits have caused division in the church body. Jesus is not coming for a denomination; He is coming for those that have a personal relationship with Him! There are many churches today that are accepting the wisdom of the world into their body and rejecting the truth! These are the politically correct churches! These are the churches that will kill the true believers and think they are doing God a favor. Did you know that state chartered churches are not allowed to preach certain things? If the churches preach what the state does not allow, that church can lose its tax-exempt status! Unfortunately, there are many Pastors more concerned about money from tithes than preaching the truth! I visited a church for a time that I thought might become my home church. Every sermon always got around to money! You Are Robbing God! Dig Deep! You Are Not Tithing Properly! Give Till It Hurts! Ten Percent Is God’s Off The Top! This Pastor was constantly putting his people under condemnation to get more money for the church {himself}. Trying to control the congregation in this way is witchcraft! What? Yes, witchcraft has entered into the church. Trying to get people to do what you want them to do is witchcraft. Using fear to control others is witchcraft. Churches that have dress codes are controlling who is welcome in God’s house. That is witchcraft! A pastors who believes that he is the only one that can hear from God in the church is controlling the movement of the Spirit of God. That is Witchcraft! A Pastor that tells a person that is being abused by their spouse that they cannot divorce and that they will just have to put up with it is using Witchcraft! Tradition has bound the church. Many have left the church because of these traditions. Woe to the Pastors that have allowed God’s children to stumble because of tradition. Jeremiah 23:1-2 “Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! Saith the Lord [2] therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed My flock; Ye have scattered My flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the Lord.” Evil spirits sent by the Lord will visit pastors who have scattered his congregation by enforcing traditions and has not adhered to the truth. Multitudes of people are not in church today because of being mistreated by the church. They have not sought the Lord because of being put under condemnation over small faults that the church deems unacceptable. An example is that there are many people that will not set foot in church because they are under the bondage of smoking. Instead of accepting those who are under this bondage, they are judged and put under condemnation. The church puts on an image of “Holier Than Thou”. Instead of loving these people where they are and teaching them the love of Christ, the church exposes their nakedness right up front not allowing the Holy Spirit to do the changing work in the people. It is the job of the Holy Ghost to change people, not the pastors or the church! It is the job of every mature Christian to love the unlovable and to teach them the truth, not to judge! Isaiah 30:1 “Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of Me; and that cover with a covering, but not of My Spirit, that they add sin to sin:” There are many churches that are giving in to worldly counsel instead of seeking the Lord’s counsel. They have become under the covering of the state instead of the Holy Spirit. This counsel and covering, along with tradition, has limited the work of the Holy Spirit. The Lord’s Spirit is in many churches, but the church body limits or quenches the Spirit because of tradition. Many who would hear and come into the family of God are kept out because of tradition of men in the church. It is time for the church to put away traditions and seek the truth from the Lord and His Spirit! The bible says to “study to show yourself approved unto God”; not man! The best teacher you could have is the Holy Spirit. Let Him teach you and you can never go wrong! You do not think that traditions are that bad? During the Christmas season, parents around the world are deceiving their children. Even Christian parents! The Santa Claus tradition is nothing but a lie! It is a lie that causes parents to become violent if there is a chance that their children might find out the truth. We never taught our children about Santa. Because of this, we were shunned by our whole family and were told not to come around during Christmas. The lie of Santa was more important to them than there own family! These are Christians! This traditional lie has them bound so tight that they rejected the truth to hold on to a lie. What happens to the children when they find out they have been lied to by their parents? In my case, I felt humiliated! I felt that everyone was laughing at me behind my back because I believed in a myth! It hurt deeply. Children are innocent and are very impressionable. They do not forget the things that hurt them. Many have a difficult time believing in Jesus because of this lie! Is this a lie also? Is Jesus another myth that I will get hurt over? Traditions can be very destructive! Many parents will say, “It is all in fun!” Do you punish your children for lying? My children pointed out something I never realized about Santa. Move the “n” in Santa to the end and you get “Satan”! They pointed out that Santa Claus is Satan’s Cause! DECEPTION! Tradition’s of men is something all Christians have been warned about. We are not to participate in them. If it does not line up with the Word of God, do not do it! That includes anything in the church that puts others under condemnation. Don’t eat this, don’t touch that, don’t wear that, you are doing something wrong, so on and so forth! These things are traditions of men and have nothing to do with your relationship with the Lord! Christians that believe that all Christians are supposed to look, smell, and act a certain way are hypocrites! They need to leave their private bless me clubs and get a right relationship with the one that matters… The Lord! All their hypocritical and legalistic views will only keep them out of heaven! They need to get the pillar out of their own eye before they can get the splinters out of the eyes of others! Do you realize that heathen religious rights from the distant past first started most of the traditions inside and out of the church? Yes, traditions and doctrines of devils have infiltrated the church. If you do not believe this, then, why are their so many different denominations? The church is supposed to be of one accord and of one mind! Why is there division in the body of Christ? Why does one church put down other churches? Why do the different churches believe that they are the only ones that have the truth? The answer to these questions is one word…TRADITION! Tradition that has been passed down for many generations! Jesus is not coming for any denomination. He is coming for ONE church! He is coming for those that are truly His. He is coming for those who have diligently looked for Him and have a personal relationship with Him. He is coming for those who followed in His footsteps to the best of their ability and did their best to be like Him. He is coming for His elect! He is coming for His sons and daughters of God! There will be some from all denominations. You see! It is a heart issue. Not the outward appearance! Jesus looks at the heart. The outward appearance and tradition is irrelevant. Are you bound by tradition? Do you have a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior? We were created to have fellowship with the Lord. Do you fellowship with the Lord? Jesus walked with Adam in the cool of the day in the Garden of Eden to have fellowship with Adam. Does Jesus walk with you and talk to you? This He will do if you will lay aside your traditions and seek a closer relationship with Him. The signs and prophecies of the Lord’s second coming are almost all fulfilled. The Lord is standing at the door and the time is almost here. Are you where you need to be in a right relationship with Him? Are you willing to take the chance that the Lord might say to you, “Depart from Me, I never knew you, you worker of iniquity.” Think about it!

Genesis 2:2-3 “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made, and He rested on the seventh day from all the work which He had made (3) And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it…” God blessed and sanctified the seventh day of the week, which is Saturday. Saturday became God’s Sabbath day or day of rest. God requires us to keep His Sabbath. Leviticus 26:2 “Ye shall keep My Sabbaths…” Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.” Notice, who’s Sabbath it is. It is the Lord’s Sabbath. They do not belong to Israel. They are neither Jewish Sabbaths nor Gentile Sabbaths. The Sabbaths are not man’s days. They are the Lord’s. The Sabbath is a specific space of time that is Gods and not ours. If we appropriate it for ourselves for our own personal use, we are stealing that time from God. Exodus 31:12-17 “And the Lord spake unto Moses saying (13) Speak thou unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily My Sabbaths ye shall keep; for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.” Notice, that the Sabbath is a sign between God and His people. Those who keep the Sabbath show the world whose they are. Also, notice the last part. The Lord sanctifies those who keep the Sabbath. Sanctify means ‘to set apart for Holy use or purpose’. On the seventh day of the week, the Lord set apart for his holy use His Sabbath day. He also sets apart His people, through the sign, from all other people. The Lord’s Sabbath is His sign which identifies not only God as creator of all that is, but also those who are truly His holy people. The Sabbath command is the only one of His Ten Commandments that is a sign identifying who is truly His. It is also the only one of the Ten Commandments that is routinely disobeyed. Why is it so hard for God’s people to observe God’s Sabbath? Exodus 31:17 “It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.” The Sabbath was established for how long? Forever! God gave to mankind His Sabbath for the purpose of keeping His people in the ‘true’ knowledge of the Lord and the ‘true’ worship in the ‘true’ God. The very day which the Lord set aside for assembly and worship points as a memorial to whom we are to worship; the creator of all that is. Isaiah 56:2 “Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing evil.” This passage states that a man that takes hold of the Sabbath and keeps it is blessed of God. Keeping the Sabbath is important to God. Isaiah 58:13-14 “If thou turn away thou foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable, and shalt honor Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own words. (14) Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob, thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” Those who keep the Lord’s Day will be brought to great honor. In this passage, certain things are mentioned that one should not do on the Sabbath. One should not do one’s normal day-to-day routine. One should not seek ones own pleasure. One should not speak idle words. Let’s go a little further. Exodus 31:14-16 “Ye shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you; every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death. For whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. (15) Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: Whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. (16) Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations for a perpetual covenant.” Notice here, that your normal “working”, meaning your normal job, is not to be performed on the Sabbath. Notice also, that this is a covenant in itself and is ‘perpetual’, which means from now on. This includes today! God’s people are to even observe it today. Some will say, “It is for Israel and not the church!” Is it? Galatians 6:15-16 “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. (16) And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.” When you become a Christian, you become the Israel of God. The Sabbath is still in effect today, even for Christians, because the church is the ‘Israel of God’. Still not convinced? Galatians 3:29 “And if ye be Christ’s then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” If you are a believer, you become a seed of Abraham and heirs to the promise. You become Israel. You become God’s Chosen People! The Sabbath is an everlasting covenant for all of God’s people. Israel and Christians alike. The seventh day is our Sabbath. Not the first day of the week. Many Christians have said, “It doesn’t matter which day of the week the Sabbath is observed as long as you set aside one day for the Lord.” It matters to God! Who are we to change what God has established? Only the seventh day points back to creation. No other day is a memorial and reminder of creation. Why do Christians have their Sabbath on Sunday? Most say it’s the Lord’s Day. It is the day of Jesus’ Resurrection. Where does it say to change the Sabbath to Sunday? Even the early church observed the Sabbath. Acts 13:14 “But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down.” Even Jesus observed the Sabbath. Luke 4:16 “…He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read.” The church uses two scriptures to justify Sunday worship. First is: Acts 20:7 “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached to them, ready to depart on the morrow and continued his speech until midnight.” On Sunday, the disciples gathered together for a fellowship meal. Paul was going to leave on Monday morning, so he preached until midnight to get his message to the disciples before he left. Nowhere does it say that the Sabbath changed to Sunday. It was a fellowship day. The second scripture used is: 1 Corinthians 16:2 “Upon the first day of the week let everyone of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.” Here, Paul says to gather tithes and offerings on Sunday before He arrives to preach. This still does not justify changing the Sabbath. In Malachi 3:10 all who are God’s people were to bring the tithes into the storehouses. In the time of Israel, the economy was mainly based on agriculture. In the spring, when the first fruits of crops and livestock were harvested or born, they brought them in for the priests to put into the storehouse. The priests had certain people appointed to put all the first fruits, offerings, and tithes into the storehouse. This abundance of food was for the Levites to live on until fall harvest arrived. Those who put all items into the storehouse did so on every day of the week except the Sabbath. That was the day of worship. To read more about this go to 2 Chronicles 31. The early Christians observed the Sabbath from sundown Friday until sundown Saturday. Once it was sundown on Saturday, they gathered tithes and offerings and observed the Lord’s Supper. They took nothing away from the Lord’s Day, the Sabbath. They put the tithes and offerings in the storehouse on Sunday because they could not work on Saturday, the Sabbath. These two passages are associated with the resurrection of Jesus. But, the Church does not realize that Sunday worship began because of a declaration of one man! First and Second century Christian documents indicate that Sunday became the standard day for Christian worship, but they do not explain how or why this change from Sabbath to Sunday came about. Writing to the emperor of Rome, Trojan, at the beginning of the second century, Pliny, governor of Bithynia, reported that in compliance with Trojan’s edict against seditious assemblies, that could be used for dissention or popular uprisings; he had ordered that no group, including Christians, could meet at night. Israel’s days were From sundown to sundown. The first day of the week, to Israel, began after the Sabbath or sundown Saturday. The reason that Israel’s days were different is explained in: Genesis 1:5 “And God called the light day and the darkness He called night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” Notice, that the day was from the evening until the morning. The day began at dark and went into the light. Darkness then began another day, thus the first day of the week began Saturday evening after the Sabbath. Once they were forbidden to assemble at night, they moved their time to observe the Lord’s Supper to Sunday morning, and put away the tithes and offerings before they went to work. The early Christians saw Sunday as a day of joy and celebration, not a substitute for the Sabbath. The use of the term ‘Sabbath’ to refer to Sunday did not become common until the English Puritans began to do so after A.D. 1500. Evidence from the early centuries clearly shows that Christians regarded Sunday as a day to rejoice in the new life brought by the resurrection of Jesus. On other days Christians might fast and kneel when praying, but the joyous character of Resurrection Day made those actions inappropriate on Sundays. Soon after Christianity became the religion of the Roman Empire, Emperor Constantine officially declared Sunday a day of rest. Sunday Sabbath became a tradition of men. Nowhere in scripture was the Sabbath changed to Sunday. The people of this world are willing to acknowledge nine of the Ten Commandments, but the Sabbath is the one they positively rebel against. It is the commandment that is the crucial test of obedience. It identifies those that have surrendered their wills to God! The Jews generally acknowledge the seventh day Sabbath, thus, the Sabbath does identify them to the world as descendants of Abraham. Scholars are amazed that Israel, today the Jews, or tribe of Judah, have never lost their identity for over two thousand years of dispersal. God said that those who keep the Sabbath would never lose their identity because it is a sign between Him and who are His people! The Word of God is true. On the other hand, the House of Israel lost their identity because they forsook the Sabbath. When Israel was in captivity in Assyria, they adopted the ways of the Assyrians. The Assyrians worshipped their ‘sun god’, Shamash, on the first day of the week. The house of Israel changed their Sabbath to Sunday to be like their captors. As long as the house of Israel remained in the land of Israel and called themselves the kingdom of Israel, their identity was known. But, in Assyria they were no longer a nation with a king. They were mere slaves. They took up the Assyrian language and ways as succeeding generations grew up. They forsook the Sabbath and lost their identity. Judah kept the Sabbath. They didn’t keep it holy, but they always recognized it, as they do today, as the day of rest. There is nothing wrong with Christians observing Sunday, as a day for fellowship or even praise and worship and preaching. But, Sunday is not the Sabbath! Christians should still observe God’s Holy Day for they are now God’s people. The Sabbath has never changed. Look at the Jews! They still exist because they have always observed God’s Sabbath! Remember this, Jesus said in: Matthew 12:12 “that it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days.”

Isaiah 58: 1 “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. [2] Yet they seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God; they ask of Me the ordinances of justice, they delight in approaching to God.” Isaiah is commissioned to serve as God’s preacher for the condemnation of Israel’s (God’s people) sin. Verse 1 begins with an admonition to Cry aloud. Isaiah is commanded to preach at the top of his voice (Ps. 115:7, 149:6). It parallels the sound of a trumpet. God wants the prophet to sound a loud, clear, complete warning to His people. The second part of the verse gives the content of the message. He is to “show…. their transgressions”. Transgression means to revolt or rebel. The sin of Israel was that of conscious rebellion against God’s law. God’s ministers have the responsibility of addressing the sins and rebellion of God’s people. The reason for such strong confrontational preaching is given in verse 2. In spite of their rebellion and sin, Israel continued to act as if they were a righteous nation that genuinely sought after God. Their rebellion and sin was wrapped in a cloak of hypocrisy. God, Himself was highly insulted (implied) that they should act in such a hypocritical fashion. They performed their religious activities daily. They seek (to inquire about) and they delight (to take pleasure). These two words (seek and delight) imply a strong religious commitment. On the basis of their so-called religion and righteous activity, they “ask of me the ordinance of justice.” The ordinances of justice could be literally translated as the judgments of righteousness. This is a direct reference to the intervention of God on their behalf to deliver them and destroy their enemies. They also “delight in approaching to God” or to draw nearer to God. These people believe they are doing everything they are supposed to as God’s people down to the smallest detail. They are unaware of their transgression and sin. Isaiah is not going to be very popular pointing their error out to them. After all -they have reached perfection! Sounds familiar!!! Isaiah 58:3 “Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? Wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours [4.] Behold ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness, ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.” These verses express the self-righteous hypocritical attitude of Israel and God’s response to that attitude. The people were proud of their fasting and were objecting to the fact that God was disregarding their fast. The only fast required by law was a fast for the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:29; Num. 29:7). We afflicted our soul. The word afflicted means to oppress, humble, and bruise. God objected to their fast on the grounds that they integrated their fasting with their pleasure. Along with their own pleasure, they exact all your labours (your toilers, you drive hard). These were people that were pleasure-oriented and were consumed with their work in order to make money. God is not objecting to fasting. The purpose of fasting is to draw us nearer to God. These people utilized fasting for their own interests and totally ignored the opportunity to draw near to God. God outlines the results of their fasting in verse 4. Their external righteousness resulted in “strife and debate.” It should have drawn them nearer to God and nearer to each other. These hypocrites became divided to the point where they expressed their contention and violence. The “fist of wickedness” is a reference to a clenched fist and implies a striking of each other in sin. God clearly states that they did not fast for their “voice to be heard on high.” “On high” is a direct reference to heaven. They fasted for self-motivated reasons. How often do churches call for a fast to receive more money for improvements, activities, or other self-serving reasons? In verses 5-7, God describes the characteristics of a true fast; one that He accepts: Isaiah 58:5 “Is it such a fast that I have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord? 6. Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 7. Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? In verse 5 God explains that Israel has conformed to the outward characteristics of fasting but fasting is much more than conformity to certain external criteria. The meaning of verse 5 is that even though a person may bow down his head and spread sackcloth and ashes, these external manifestations alone do not constitute fasting. God opens with a question asking His people, “Have I chosen a fast like this?” God is more interested in the heart attitude out of which fasting is motivated. In verse 6-7 God outlines the true characteristics of fasting. True fasting is demonstrated in a sacrificial love on behalf of other people. In other words, when someone fasts in order to draw near to God, the legitimate consequence of his experience will be a greater desire to love and help other people. The principal communicated here is that the closer I get to God, the more conscious I will become of the needs of others. “To loose the bands of wickedness.” To loose means, “to open”. This is a reference to the removal of a bondage placed upon another person. The “heavy burdens” means to undo the bands of the yoke. Yoke refers to the collar or harness placed on an animal’s head. When this was taken off, the animal was set free. So, to loose the bands and break the yoke literally means to remove the bondage of an oppressed person to set him free. In verse 7, true fasting is characterized by a willingness to share food and clothing with those who are in need, especially with family members (thine own flesh). Here we have a mandate to be involved in meeting not only spiritual needs of others, but also physical needs. The believer must not ignore a world that is hungry and in need of clothing, but must sacrifice to meet those needs in order to ultimately minister to their spiritual need as well. This is a true fast: 1. To bring an oppressed person out of bondage, to set them free. 2. To sacrificially meet the needs of the hungry and poor by supplying food and clothing; especially those of your immediate family. This is acceptable to God. This is an acceptable fast! Fasting has nothing to do with afflicting your own soul by doing without food. The transgression that Isaiah was to point out to Israel was that they were not fasting properly. There are many promises to those who fast properly and meet God’s spiritual conditions: Isaiah 58:8 “Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily; and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward.” “Then.” Only when God’s conditions have been fulfilled will God’s promises be realized. The emphasis is “Then” and only then will God’s promises be realized. These are the promises of God to those who have fasted properly by meeting God’s conditions. 1. God promises light in the midst of darkness. The verb break forth means to break through or invade. God promises an invasion and bursting forth of light to replace the darkness in our lives. 2. God promises healing, “thine health shall spring forth.” When these first two promises are considered together, God extends both light and life to those who meet His spiritual conditions and worship Him appropriately. 3. God promises protection. Thy righteousness, shall go before thee refers not to their own religious works! It means that the Lord Himself, who is our righteousness, shall go before us; or plough the road! The glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward. Rearward means rearguard. When God’s people learn to love others by setting them free of bondage, they will progress as a mighty caravan with the Lord Himself as their headmaster. His righteousness will lead the way and His glory will be their rear protection. Jesus gave us only two commandments, Love the Lord, thy God with all your heart, soul, and spirit; and to love others as you love thyself. Love is the number one ingredient in meeting God’s spiritual conditions. But, He also expects and demands personal integrity as shown in the next verse. Isaiah 58:9 “Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity.” God promises here that He will answer our prayers If: 1. We take away any yoke that we have placed on someone else. 2. If we will stop pointing fingers at others accusingly with spiritual superiority. 3. We quit speaking vainly, which refers to verbally abusing those who are oppressing the ones whose yoke you have helped remove. You should not accuse and speak against the oppressors because God will deal with them. Your job is to help set the people free! In verses 10-11 the prophet goes on to remind the people again of their obligation to others and lists more promises. These individual promises are climaxed by an ultimate promise of revival and restoration. Isaiah 58:12 “And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places; thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations, and thou shall be called, The Repairer of the breach. The Restorer of paths to dwell in.” Keeping in context with what this chapter is dealing with, which is to meet the needs of others, this verse deals with those you have helped to get free of bondage. It is about those whom you have helped restore their self-image. “And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places.” This is a promise of revival. Those who have been helped by you will grow to help others. It will become like a domino effect. It will continue to grow, many will be set free of bondage, and many will leave the darkness and come into the glorious light. “Thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations.” Because of being in a right relationship with the Father, He will cause many generations of people to also come into a right relationship with Himself built on the foundation of your love and compassion of others. Revival and Restoration will come from this foundation. You will be called the “Repairer of the breach.” The breach is the age-old conflict between the “haves“ and “have-nots“. When you help others break free of bondage, they are no longer the “have-nots“. They may not have much material-wise, but they will be rich in faith. They will have love and compassion for others as you had for them. God will lead them and protect them just as He has for you. “The restorer of paths to dwell in.” The paths to dwell in are the many ways of the Lord. You will have restored or rebuilt the paths of righteousness for others so they too can share in the kingdom of God. As you have found the paths to heaven, so will those that you help to restore. In light of these glorious promises, Isaiah again reminds the people of God‘s conditions. So far, there have been two categories of conditions: [1.] Man‘s responsibility to God and [2.] Man‘s responsibility to others. In verses 13-14 a third category is listed; which is, man‘s responsibility to the Sabbath. Isaiah 58:13 “If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable, and shalt honour Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words. [14.] Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob, thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” The Sabbath is meant to be a delight or enjoyment. We are to honor the Sabbath in three ways: [1.] By not doing one’s own thing, [2.] Nor seeking pleasure, [3.] Nor speaking idle talk. Then the people would delight themselves, not only in the Sabbath, but also in the Lord, Himself. “And I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth.” The thought here is of sovereign rights and dominant positions. If you observe the Sabbath properly, God will raise you up to a high position not only in your own land, but over other nations, as well. It is clearly indicated in scripture that God’s people have a unique position in the plan and program of God for all nations. The thought here is that you will be raised to a place of authority and power. “And feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father.” This statement further substantiates that unique position of blessing. These Sabbath doers will also partake of the heritage of Jacob by becoming recipients of the blessings of wealth and prosperity. There is a lot at stake here! These warnings and promises in this chapter are concluded with a powerful statement: “for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” What Isaiah has proclaimed in this chapter has not been the proclamation of his own mouth, but it is the very word of God, Himself. The summary of this chapter is: 1. If you will fast properly by helping remove the yoke of bondage and by feeding the hungry and clothing the naked; God will bless you with health, remove any darkness in your life, lead your path and protect your rear from the enemy. 2. If you will remove any yoke that you have put on others, quit pointing fingers and accusing, and quit speaking vanity; God will hear your prayers, guide you continually, and your fruits shall blossom through generations of people. 3. If you honor the Sabbath and keep it holy, God will raise you to a prominent position of authority and power, plus, bless you with wealth so that you may help even more needy ones. These promises are for God’s people individually and as a nation. Our nation started out following God’s laws, but the enemy has slowly and discreetly eliminated God’s laws from our nation, one law at a time. We have become just as “Old Israel”. Our nation is becoming more secular all the time, pushing God farther and farther away. We, as a nation have eliminated morality laws, human rights laws, and are now oppressing the poor, weak, old, and needy in our own land. Just as Israel of old, this nation is about to receive the same judgment of God’s wrath. God will not tolerate being pushed away by His own people. Judgment Day for our nation is at hand! Our pride will be broken. Everything that God has given us is about to be taken away. You may have the question; “ Do you still fast by way of food?” The answer is yes. And! You may also fast other things. Anything that has control over you is a good thing to fast. By fasting these things, you break the bands of bondage in your own life as well as whomever you are praying for.

The majority of Christians, today, believe that God can only use fellow Christians that look, smell, dress, and act in a certain way. Christians in America would have rejected Jesus, Himself, just as the people of faith did in His day. Jesus walked everywhere that He went. He did not carry a suitcase with tailored suits, ties, and fancy shoes. He arrived in the cities, dirty, dusty, and smelling of sweat. He wore only what He had on between journeys. The Bible also says that He was not comely (attractive). Imagine a man arriving in your city, who is dirty, smelly, with unruly hair, and not particularly handsome. This man walks the streets and is teaching the Word of God! Would Christians of today receive a man like this? Would they sit under His teachings? Would they follow Him around from town to town? Would they invite Him to stay at their homes and eat at their table? This man does not fit the mould of being a Christian (in their minds). Yet, this is the Son of God! Did Jesus tell his disciples to wait a minute, while He changed into His Sunday-go-to-meeting-clothes, before He could teach the Word of God? Of course not! He taught the Word just as He was! He did not try to impress anyone. The people had the choice of accepting Him as He was or rejecting Him. There were many on both sides for and against Him. Christians of today are caught up in appearances! They would not accept a man that looks like this! Christians of today would reject our Lord just has the Pharisees did during His time on earth! John the Baptist was another who was rejected by his peers. John was rough around the edges. He was what would be considered a radical (rebel) of his day. He lived in the wilderness. He did not have a mansion to live in. He ate locusts and wild honey, instead of the normal food of everyone else. He, too, was smelly and dirty. He did not fit the mould of what was considered a Man of God. Yet, he paved the way for Jesus! Would the church in America accept John? There are many Christians, today, who are rich in faith and love the Lord with their entire being, but are poor as far as possessions and money are concerned. These poor Christians are looked down upon by the unsaved. Most other Christians who are more prosperous also look down upon them. In the churches of today, a person is judged by the amount of money in his wallet! Christians judge the poor, even those rich in faith, by the way they dress, the length of their hair, the vehicle they drive, the house they live in, and even by their looks. These hypocrites expect a Christian to be prosperous, look, act, talk, and dress in a certain way. If a person does not or cannot conform to the standards set forth by these hypocrites, then the unfortunate Christians are shunned or put under condemnation and severely offended. Many of these discouraged Christians have left the faith because of this rejection. What has the church done? Matthew 18:6 “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” The two most common accusations against poor Christians by these self-righteous hypocrites are: 1. There is sin in your life that causes this lack of prosperity. 2. You are not tithing correctly, or you would prosper. Doesn’t the church read their Bibles? For in it Jesus says, Luke 6:37 “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:” Doesn’t the church know? I Corinthians 1:27 “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;” The American churches are caught up in tradition. For instance, most churches will not allow anyone to teach in their bible classes, unless they have gone to Bible College. God can’t use anyone who doesn’t have a degree in theology! This seems to be the mindset of churches and officials! Where did Paul, Peter, Matthew and the others get their degree? Another common belief in churches is that God cannot use any person who has been divorced or anyone married to a divorced person. Doesn’t God still forgive sin? There are also double standards. For instance, a person who is poor materially, but wealthy in faith, with a problem of smoking will not be accepted! But a wealthy person with a self-righteous spirit who smokes and does other things will be accepted. One particular church offended a young Christian lady (poor) by offering to take her shopping for some ‘decent’ clothes. There was nothing wrong with the dress that she had on. However, to the elderly ladies, it wasn’t their style and was about two inches shorter than theirs. To them, it was not “decent”. The young lady was deeply offended! She felt condemned over two inches of fabric! This young lady grew up in a different world than the elderly ladies. Compared to the dress of her peers (of the world), this dress was extremely decent. Condemnation consumed the young lady. In the minds of these elderly ladies, they were only trying to help. They could not see that they had just judged this young lady as being a loose woman or even a tramp because of what she wore. The young lady's immediate inclination was to leave the church, but she just decided not to wear any more dresses to church. Fellowship with the elderly ladies was strained for a while. How often does judgments like this occur in the American church due to very small things that have nothing to do with the Christian walk? In another instance, a young man was at a fellowship dinner at church with his wife and family. A bald brother in the church put his arm around the young man’s shoulder and said, “Do you know that long hair is from the pit of hell?” The young man smiled and said, “I have a hot line directly to God through the Holy Spirit.” He continues, “If God wants me to change my hairstyle to please you, then He will tell me. I see nothing wrong with my hair. It is clean, it is combed, it is styled, and it is conservative with today’s styles.” A disgusted look came up on the face of the bald brother, and he quickly turned to go. The young man handled it well! His hair was very attractive. Maybe the bald brother was jealous or lusting for a head of hair! The young man was offended, but he handled it well. Fellowship with the bald brother was strained after that. In Old Testament times both men and women wore their hair long. Both Samson and Absalom (King David’s son) were greatly admired for their long locks. Judges 13:5 “.... no razor shall come on his head…” Samuel 14:25,26 “But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty; from the sole of his feet even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. And when he polled his head, (for it was at every year’s end that he polled it for the hair was heavy upon him, therefore, he polled it) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king’s weight.” Most judgmental Christians use 1 Corinthians 11:14 to justify themselves for judging those with long hair. Let’s take a look: 1 Corinthians 11:14 “Doth not nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?” You must not take this scripture out of context. In Bible times men wore their hair no longer than their shoulders, while women wore their hair waist length or longer. This passage simply means that a man’s hair is not to be as long as a woman’s hair. Leviticus 19:27 “Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.” Israeli men trimmed their hair, but the law prohibited them from cutting off the hair above their ears. They were also prohibited from cutting off their side burns. Leviticus 21:5 “They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard…” It was prohibited to shave all hair off of one’s head becoming bald. Baldness could be considered embarrassing or even humiliating. Consider Elisha for a moment: 2 Kings 2:23,24 “.... there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forth and two children of them.” Often times whenever the Lord was displeased with people, He caused baldness to come upon them. This was to shame them. Amos 8:10 “And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head…” Isaiah 3:24 “And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink…and instead of well set hair baldness…”(Isaiah 15:2, Ezekiel 7:18, Jeremiah 48:37) Beautiful hair has always been desirable for both women and men. Song of Solomon 5:11 “His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven” Grey and white hairs were respected signs of age. Proverbs 20:29 “The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is their gray Head.” Women usually wore their hair loose, but sometimes they braided it. Jesus told His followers not to follow the custom of the Pharisees, who refused to care for their hair while they were fasting. Matthew 6:17 “But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face:” God’s people are to have well kept hair. There are those in the military who must have short hair and no beards. If that is the case: Matthew 22:21 “...Then saith he to them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's” Matthew 5:41 “And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with his twain (two).” While in the military you must obey the rules and do as you are told. I’m sure there are health reasons for the hairlessness. Why are the churches so unaware of the feelings of others? Why do they not care if they offend others? If the church does not turn from their wicked judgmental attitude, one day, they may hear this from the Lord: Matthew 7:22-23 “Many sill say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Iniquity is doing your will instead of God’s will. When you do things for the Lord because you want to do them and have not been called by God to do them, you are committing iniquity. It is not God’s will to judge others unjustly. When you do this, you are in danger of being told by Jesus that He never knew you and to depart from Him. What have you done church? Repent, now, before it is too late! The church cannot judge what is on the inside. Only God can do that. A garden hose is sometimes used on farms to water the various animals that reside there. The hose is pulled from one area to another. Sometimes this hose gets very muddy and messy. To look at the hose, you can only see the outside and slightly into the ends. It appears revolting and smells of barn lot odors. But, on the inside, the hose is clean. There is pure water suitable for drinking for the animals or the person. The outside appearance has nothing to do with the purity of the water flowing through that hose. One can even hold the hose up and use the water inside to clean the outside of the hose. This is what happens when a person becomes a Christian. They may look rough on the outside, but on the inside, the living water is hard at work. Jesus enters into their hearts and begins cleaning from the inside out. Since this is how God works, why are churches trying to do Jesus’ job? Is the Lord not working fast enough to suit them or is the church saying clean the outside first then worry about the inside? Either way, does the church know better than the creator how to deal with mankind? Why does the church judge and condemn a weaker brother? Differences of opinion prevailed even amongst the immediate followers of Christ and the Disciples. Paul did not attempt to end them. Attempts for producing absolute oneness of mind among Christians would be hypocritical and of no avail. But, how many churches try to force everyone to believe exactly the way they believe and condemn those who do not? A Christian who uses his liberty should not despise his weak brother as ignorant or find fault in him. After all, God accepted him just as he was. We must ask ourselves, when tempted to blame or fault find with our brother, has not God owned them? And if He has, dare I disown them? We usurp the place of God whenever we decide to judge the thoughts and intentions of others. We are all apt to make our own views the standard of truth. We deem “things” certain, which to others appear doubtful. Because of this, Christians often despise or condemn one another. Though Christians are of different strength, capacities, and practices in lesser things, they are still the Lords’ children. They are all looking, serving, and approving themselves to Christ. Christ is Lord of those that are living, to rule them. And of those that are dead, He is to revive them and raise them up. Christians should not judge nor despise one another because both the one and the other must shortly give account to Jesus. We must take heed of saying or doing things that may cause others to stumble or to fall. We must prevent giving an occasion of grief or guilt to our brother or sister. In the above examples, the older brothers and sisters insulted the young people. These young people were not in sin nor were they being immoral or indecent. The older crowd could have led by simply setting the example of how they conduct themselves on how they dress, etc. The younger crowd would have looked up to them and followed their lead if they had led in love and not in judgment. Christ deals “gently” with those who have true grace, though they are weak in it. Christ denied Himself for our brethren. He went to the cross and died for them and us. Thus, if we follow His example, shall not we deny ourselves for others so that we keep away from indulgences? We must deny ourselves, in many cases, things that we may lawfully be able to do, when our doing so may hurt our good name or cause others to stumble in their faith. Our good often comes to be evil spoken of because we use lawful things in an uncharitable and selfish manner. As we value the reputation of the good that we profess and practice, let us seek that it may not be evil spoken of. The concern of every Christian should be to appear before God justified by Christ’s death and sanctified by the Holy Spirit of His grace. Our righteous Lord loves righteousness. As to our brethren, it is our obligation to live in peace, love, and charity with them, and to follow after peace with all men. Many wish for peace and talk loudly for it, but they do not follow the things that make for peace. Meekness, humility, self-denial, and love make for peace. We cannot edify one another while quarrelling and contending over colors and lengths of clothing. Many, for meat, drink, and filthy lucre (money or wealth), destroy the work of God in them. They do lawful things unlawfully by giving offence to brethren. This takes in all indifferent things that draws a brother into sin, trouble, or weakens him. The many blessings of Christ’s kingdom do not consist of outward rites and ceremonies, but in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost! The church must beware of putting a stumbling block in front of their brethren. Injuries done to Christians are done to Christ. Wounding Christians by entangling them in guilt is wounding Christ. We should be very tender of others. We should be careful not to do anything that may cause others to stumble, though it may be innocent in itself. Men cannot sin against their brethren, without offending Christ and endangering their own souls! Some of the stumbling blocks placed in front of many Christians by the church are: [1.] Dress codes: God only accepts those who dress exactly like everyone else. If jeans are your best clothes…stay home! Hairstyle affects your Christian walk. [2.] Entertainment codes: Listening to any music other than Christian music is a sin (even Ring Around the Rosy, On top of Old Smokey, the patriotic songs? If you can’t sing, keep quiet. You may annoy someone! Only Christian movies can be watched. {Why not Shirley Temple, or Elvis, or Bonanza, or Journey to the Center of the Earth?} Dancing is of the devil. {Miriam and David are guilty} [3.] Food and Drink codes: No alcohol, or tobacco, it defiles the body. At one time in modern years, eggs were forbidden due to cholesterol concerns and were considered a sin to eat. [4.] Finances: Some jobs are below Christians. If your car doesn’t look good, don’t park it at church or have Christian bumper stickers. If a Christian doesn’t prosper, his spiritual life is off somehow. I’m sure there are more, but you get the idea. Additions to God’s laws reflect upon God’s wisdom, as if He had left something out which was needed, and which man could supply. Never should man think that God’s Word could be improved by any human addition, whether by doctrine, practice, or tradition. Mark 7: 7-9,13 “Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do... Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.” One great design of Christ's coming was to set aside the ceremonial laws. To make way for this, Jesus rejects the ceremonies men added to the law of God's making. Those clean hands and that pure heart which Christ bestows on His disciples, and requires of them, are very different than the outward and superstitious forms of Pharisees of every age, including the church of today! Jesus says: Matthew 15:11 “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.” Christ shows that the defilement we should fear is not what enters the mouth, but what comes out of the mouth, which shows the condition of the heart. Our wicked thoughts, affections, words, and actions defile us. Luke 6:43-45 “For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good: and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” As a polluted stream that is filled with contaminates sends forth polluted waters, so does a corrupt heart send forth evil corrupted thoughts, appetites, and passions and all the wicked words and actions that come from them. A spiritual understanding of the law of God and a sense of the evil of sin will cause a man to seek the grace of the Holy Spirit to keep down the evil thoughts and affections that work within. An upright heart and a willing mind seek instruction. It is the heart that is wicked. There is no sin in word or deed, which was not first in the heart. This is why Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount said: Matthew 5:27,28 “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” If one never looked on a woman to lust, then one certainly couldn’t get into an adulterous relationship. The thought has to come first. We are taught to dread an unruly tongue as one of the greatest of evils. The affairs of mankind are thrown into confusion by the tongues of men. Every age of the world and every condition of life, private or public, affords examples of this. Hell has more to do in promoting the fire of the tongue than men generally think. Whenever men’s tongues are employed in sinful ways, they are set on fire of hell. No man can tame the tongue without Divine grace and assistance. It is not impossible to tame the tongue, but it is extremely difficult. Other sins decay with age, but the tongue often gets worse. The tongue at one time pretends to adore the perfections of God and refers all things to Him. At other times, it condemns good men if there is a difference in view point. Pious and edifying language is the genuine product of a sanctified heart. None who understand Christianity expect to hear curses, lies, boastings, and reviling come from a true believer’s mouth any more than they look for fruit of one tree on another tree. But, facts prove that more teachers of the Word succeed in bridling their senses and appetites than in duly restraining their tongues. The old phrase “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me” is absolutely false. Sticks and stones mostly hit the surface, whereas words go to the heart and even to the soul. The tongue has murdered many a soul and has defiled the temple of God, which is the church as a whole. I Corinthians 3:9 “For we are labourers together with God, ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.” This is not talking of individuals, but instead, collectively as a church (labourers together). Together, they are God’s building. One plants, another waters, and yet another one reaps the harvest. Together, they make one body, one temple, and one church! I Corinthians 3:16 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?’” Even though all who have received Christ can be filled with the Spirit, this passage is not talking about individuals. In context, the chapter is speaking to the church as a whole. The Holy Spirit dwells within the church (God’s building). Any one who defiles the temple (church), God will destroy. Many Christians have used this passage to put others under condemnation, when in actuality; they are defiling the temple of the Holy Spirit (the church) themselves by judging someone else! Ephesians 4:4-6 “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all.” The one baptism is the expression of the one faith in the one Lord, which resulted in the baptism of the one Spirit into one body. The temple of the Holy Spirit is the one body made up of all whose one hope is the one faith in the one Lord. The temple of the Holy Spirit is then the entire church body as a whole. When you defile one of the members of this body, you defile the entire church, which is the dwelling of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus returns for His bride, He is not returning for individuals, but for His church as a whole. Individuals are but a tiny member of one body, which is the church and Jesus’ bride. The Christian humanistic view is that each of us is the temple and each of us is Jesus’ bride, which is putting us on the same level as God. Satan did this himself, which caused him to fall. Believing this causes many to get into spiritual pride, when realistically, we all deserve to go to Hell. “I am the temple!” “I am Jesus’ bride!” This is nothing but foolish pride. We are nothing without grace. God tells us in Proverbs to consider the ant. Proverbs 6:6 “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways and be wise which having no guide, overseer, or ruler provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest …” An ant colony is to be the example of what the body of Christ should be like. Individual ants alone can do very little. But, as a group, they become powerful! The church is supposed to work together as one body towards a common goal for the furtherance of the kingdom of God. Why then does the church tear one another down? The ant colony doesn’t do this! The colony protects its members and doesn’t put any individual ant above another, except the queen. She is mother of all, much like God is the Father of all. Christians are supposed to be humble, not trying to make themselves as a god to rule over others or have other Christians as their servants. We are to serve one another like Jesus did when he washed the feet of his disciples. Many pastors and teachers have opened the door to let a self-righteous spirit into the body of Christ. They have defiled the temple with foolish spiritual pride by condemning lower members of the body. Those who have done this, God will destroy. Jesus will say, “Depart from me, I never knew you.” The devil is doing to the church what God did at the Tower of Babel. At Babel, all were of one accord. Together, they were building a tower to reach heaven, but the motive behind the tower was evil. God confused the tongue and the people became scattered. Satan is using the tongue of Christians to scatter believers and to prevent the building of the body and preventing this body from being in one accord. He has succeeded in scattering the body of Christ to make them ineffective. If the right hand is in Texas, the left hand in North Dakota, and the head in Florida, the effectiveness of the body will remain lower. But, if each member joins together and becomes one body, the gates of hell cannot stand against it. It will become more powerful than anything that Satan can throw at it. The devil will be unable to divide it or to scatter it. When the church realizes that each member has an important function within the body, there will be a worldwide revival. But, first, the church must quit condemning and scattering its members. Many people have much doctrinal knowledge, yet they are mere beginners in the life of faith and experience. Contentions and quarrels about religion are sad evidences of carnality. True religion makes men peaceable and not contentious. Many teachers and pastors show themselves to be carnal minded by their actions through arguments and vain strife. They have an eagerness to dispute and readiness to despise and speak evil of others. Spiritual pride is abominable. It is using the greatest favors of God to feed our own vanity and make idols of ourselves. But, take heed and beware, there may be a bad building on a good foundation. Some hold nothing but the truth as it is in Jesus and preach nothing else. Others build on a good foundation that will not stand the test when the day of trial comes. We may be mistaken about ourselves and about others, but there is a day soon coming that will show our actions in the true light without a covering or a disguise. Those, who spread true and pure religion and whose work will stand in that day, shall receive a reward. Those with corrupt opinions and doctrines shall be made known, disowned, and rejected. There are people in the church that teach an unholy doctrine. Such teachings corrupt, pollute, and destroy the building, which should be kept pure and holy for God. Those who spread loose principles and render the church unholy, bring destruction upon themselves. He is deceived, who deems himself the temple of the Holy Ghost, yet is unconcerned about personal holiness or the peace and purity of the church. To have a high opinion of our own wisdom is to flatter ourselves. Self-flattery is the next step to self-deceit. The thoughts of the wisest man in the world have vanity, weakness, and folly in them. All of this should teach us to be humble and make us willing to be taught by God. We should not be led away by pretences of human wisdom and skill. Many have been led away from the simplest truths revealed to us by Christ. True wisdom is known by the meekness of the spirit and temper. Those who live in malice, envy, and contention live in confusion and are easily provoked and hurried to any evil work. Such wisdom does not come from above, but springs up from earthly principles, acts on earthly motives, and is intent on serving earthly purposes. An example of this is some of the churches of today ordain gay ministers, which is an act strictly forbidden in the Word of God. The worldly view says that it is acceptable and the church should conform to the worldly purpose. Those churches that promote homosexuality are defiling the temple of God and making it unholy! The worldly view is tolerance of anything that God views as an abomination! A man’s fruit is the manner in which he will be judged. It is not judging someone to examine his/her fruits. If there are false teachers in the body of Christ, faithful ministers must oppose these teachers by exposing them to sound doctrine based solely on the Bible and not man‘s opinion or government‘s edict. {It is better to lose your tax-exempt status than your soul!} Churches who accept gay ministers are serving a worldly interest under the pretence of religion. Such worldly concepts in the church should be resisted and put to shame by sound doctrine from the scriptures. To those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure. Many people profess to know God, yet in their lives deny and reject Him. These hypocrites have a form of Godliness, but are without power. Be extremely careful and do not hastily attach this charge to others, so that it does not apply to you. Remember, that whatever measure you use to judge others will be the measure that you are judged by. Many churches today would readily accept a false teacher as long as he/she looks, acts, and smells a certain way (this certain way varies by locale and congregational expectations). A false teacher with a charismatic personality and a large vocabulary can easily twist the Word and convince even the elect of God of something foreign to the Bible. These teachers boast of the things that God has given to them and exalt themselves a bit higher than any one else. They have spiritual pride and downplay those of lower stature who have a true revelation of God. Being humble is not in their vocabulary. The apostle Paul gives an account of the method that God used to keep him humble. II Corinthians 12:7 “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.” This was sent from God to protect Paul from himself. We are not given an exact description of this thorn in his flesh. It could be some great trouble, temptation, or affliction in his life. We are simply told that this thorn is a messenger of Satan, which is obviously sent for evil. But! God designed it and overruled it for good. God often brings good out of evil so that the reproaches of our enemies may help to hide pride from us. God loves his children and will keep them from being exalted above measure. Spiritual burdens are ordered to cure spiritual pride! Though God accepts the prayer of faith, He does not always give us what we ask for. He, at times, denies prayer requests in love, just as He sometimes grants our requests in wrath. (Do you remember the Israelites were tired of manna and were whining for the foods of Egypt? Remember that God answered their request through quail, and his wrath was in a plague that followed the quail?) When God does not take away our troubles and temptations after diligent prayer, we should not complain. Grace signifies the goodwill of God towards us and is sufficient to strengthen and comfort us in all our afflictions and distresses. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. His grace is manifested and magnified whenever we are weak in ourselves. We then become strong in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Falls and misdeeds are humbling to a minister and God sometimes chooses this way to humble those who might be tempted to lift themselves too high. Others may be given an affliction such as a deformity or a habit that will keep them humble and not be tempted by being puffed up with pride. These ministers do not promote themselves! They wish to remain behind the scenes and only show Jesus Christ! What about a brother or sister who becomes involved in an open sin? Are we to judge them? If a brother is caught in the act of adultery, this becomes a fact and an example of his fruits. You are not judging someone if his fruits show that there is a specific sin in his life that is manifested outwardly. You can, after all, tell if a person is carrying an apple or an orange in his hand and make a statement to that effect, but you can only guess if he hid the fruit or ate it and it is in his stomach. To accuse someone who shows no outward sin, not knowing his or her heart motives or true intentions, is judging. Why is it that we know others by their actions and ourselves by our intentions? We can examine our own hearts! Only God can see into the heart of another. The Bible outlines specific procedures to follow when confronting a fellow believer, who is in open sin. It is not in the parking lot, a fellowship dinner, or in the lobby of the church. Matthew 18:15-17 “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.” “Tell him his fault”, means to honestly express the point of offence. This should be done in love and not in anger. To fail to speak up will lead to harboring bitterness. The obstinate sinner is to be cut off, at least temporarily, from Christian fellowship. Romans 16:17-18 “Now, I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them; for they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.” This passage refers to divisive teachers. These smooth talking false teachers have ensnared innocent (simple) believers in their own doctrinal trap. They are in service to their own carnal desires and self-interests and not to Jesus. We are to identify these people as what and who they are. II Thessalonians 3:14,15 “If any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man and have no company with him that he may be ashamed, count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” The word “note” implies that the person should be marked as one who refuses to obey the Word of God, while professing to be a Christian. This person should be identified and separated from the obedient Christians. He is not to be treated as an enemy, but as a brother. It must be made clear to that person and to the others that he is a disobedient Christian and should be shunned for a season. He should learn that if he wants to associate with believers, he must submit to and obey God's Word. Notice, I said God's Word and not some manmade set of rules of conduct. (If someone orders the members to run off of a cliff, no, you do not follow for this is buffalo's wisdom. We are called to be sheep; not buffalo. Buffalo stampedes were common in early American days. Anything could set them off and they would simply run, not knowing why, not thinking, oblivious to danger of any type. All they knew was that they are running. As sheep, we know our shepherds' voice and rules through studying the Bible. Simply turn a deaf ear to the Buffalo wisdom.) Titus 3:10 “A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition, reject.” “Heretic” means to choose, prefer, or take for oneself. It has the idea of choosing to believe whatever one wants to believe, factual or not, in spite of what God’s Word says. The Word of God must be the final authority for everything that we believe. People, who believe in and accept “further revelations” that are contrary to the Word of God are heretics and should be rejected. If a person teaches doctrine that is not scriptural, or uses scripture out of context to fit whatever they “want” it to say and refuses to accept his error after proving it in the Bible, you are to reject that person. The church, today, is full of heretics. The pastors teach and preach what the people want to hear. They do not teach the “whole” Word of God. The “whole” Word of God has some difficult parts that aren’t pleasant to the ears. Many Pastors will not preach these unpleasant truths in fear of offending their congregation and in fear of them closing their wallets! God is now raising up new pastors, who are being educated by God through the Holy Spirit. These new Pastors will teach and preach the entire Bible. Sometimes, we go to a restaurant and order the ‘buffet’ meal to have a variety of food to choose from. Some people think that the Bible is a buffet meal and they can be like children and live on ice cream and cake. If we were to live solely on a diet of sweets with no meats, breads, or vegetables, we would soon have major health problems. We need a balanced diet to properly sustain our bodies. This same principle applies to the Word of God. A major problem will be manifested in those whose spiritual diet is strictly sweets! Hebrews 5: 12-14 “.... ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God: and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For everyone that useth milk is unskilful in the Word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Apparently, we also need spiritual balanced meals. The churches of today tend to serve ice cream and cake at every service! This is not only the pastors’ fault! The people are not reading their Bibles and do not want to hear anything other than Love and Prosperity! They want to remain as spoiled children, being fed nothing but cake and ice cream! They want to remain as children and refuse to grow up! If Christians spent more time in studying the Bible, they wouldn’t be involved in idle (or harmful) gossip, discord sowing, and judging. They would also be dissatisfied with the same old tired sermons and want a scriptural gourmet meal and be mature enough to eat it. God would not have given man the whole Word of God if He did not expect man to study it.

If you, as a Christian, knew that your country or even your church was practicing a heathen custom, would you still do it? If you, unknowingly, were symbolically worshipping an idol, and later found out that the object that you had considered to be innocent actually represented a false god, would you still do it? Are Christians supposed to participate in any heathen practice? Jeremiah 10:2 “Thus saith the Lord, learn not the way of the heathen…” The Lord specifically says not to learn any of the heathen customs. If God’s people practice heathen customs, they very well could be worshipping a false god unknowingly and totally unaware of the reasons behind the custom. Jeremiah 10:3-5 “For the customs of the people (heathen) are vain; for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. (4) They deck it with silver and with gold, they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. (5) They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be bourne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they can not do evil, neither is it in them to do good.” The heathen would bring in a cedar tree and deck it with silver and gold and fasten a base to it so that it would stand up right. This tree became their idol and they worshipped the tree. It represented a false goddess, which I will show you in a moment. The Lord said for His children not to be afraid of the tree because it was nothing more than a tree and there is no life in it. Our Christmas tree is that idol. We have learned a heathen custom, which the Lord told us not to do! Now you will say, “But there is no harm in it. We do not worship the tree.” Hmmm. O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum, have you ever sang that song? O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, is a love song to that very idol! Our Christmas Tree is a Graven Image! Maybe you don’t “worship” the tree, but you are disobeying the Lord by having the tree in your home. You ritualistically display the tree every year just as the heathen! Do you really believe that it is harmless? Okay we will see. Habakkuk 2:18 “What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols? (19) Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.” Genesis 31:19 “And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's. Genesis 31:34 “Now Rachel had taken the images and put them in the camel's furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not.” Genesis 31:35 “And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women is upon me. And he searched, but found not the images.” Exodus 23:24 “Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images. Exodus 34:13 “But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: Leviticus 26:30 “And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.” Numbers 33:52 “Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places:” Look what I found in Smith’s Bible Dictionary! “Idol”-An image or anything used as an object of worship in place of the true God. Among the earliest objects of worship, regarded as symbols of deity, were the meteoric stones, which the ancients believed to have been images of the gods sent down from heaven. From these stones, they transferred their regard to rough unhewn blocks and to stone columns or pillars of wood, in which the divinity worshipped was supposed to dwell and which were connected by being anointed with oil and crowned with wool on solemn days. Dagon, the fish-god of the Philistines, was a human figure terminating in a fish. The Syrian deities were represented in later times in a symbolical human shape. When the process of adorning the image was completed, it was placed in a temple or shrine appointed for it. Now! You decide if they are still discussing the Christmas tree. Even the 10 commandments remind us that we are not to worship idols. Exodus 20:4 “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: (5) Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;” The Christmas tree is a graven image, an idol. If you cannot see this, then it is because you truly don’t want to see it because then you would have to make a decision - to obey God or do what the “world” does! Do you still think that there is no harm in a Christmas tree? Is there harm in being disobedient to God? Isaiah 44:19 “And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?” Without even thinking about it, people used to use part of the tree for warmth, and cooking. Then they used the trunk as an idol. They would worship it. A god that they cut up, burned, and worshipped, how odd! “But, we don’t do that!” you say? Isaiah 57:4 “Against whom do ye sport yourselves? against whom make ye a wide mouth, and draw out the tongue? are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood (5) Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks?” Whether or not the people knew it, they transgressed God’s laws by putting gifts (idols) under green trees because the tree represented a false god! These people became the seed of falsehood and made it worse, when they offered their idols to a false god represented by the tree. Jeremiah 3:13 “Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD (14) Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: (15) And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.” The Lord wants you to realize and acknowledge the fact that you have accepted the ways of the heathen by giving gifts under a tree, which represents a false goddess. I know you have been taught this for generations and was encouraged in merry making to go with this practice. It has been presented as fun, blessed, and rationally acceptable. This is a deception folks. Okay, so who is this false goddess that the tree represents? Asherah was the fertility goddess and mother of Baal. The KJV translated Asherah as ‘grove’. When ‘grove’ is mentioned, it is the fertility goddess, Asherah. There is always a wooden object that represents her. Scholars, who have studied artwork from the ancient near east, have found several representations of the goddess, Asherah. They found drawings of plain poles, carved poles, staffs, a cross, a double ax, a tree stump, and a tree! Deuteronomy 7:5 “But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.” Deuteronomy 7:25 “The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God.” Deuteronomy 12:3 “And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.” “The Israelites” were instructed by the Lord to cut down and burn up the Asherim (plural of Asherah) groves. Jezebel, wife of King Ahab, introduced the practice of worshipping Asherah to Israel: 1 Kings 18:18 “And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim. (19) Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table.” Asherah and Baal (her son), each had their own prophets. Jezebel had control over all of the prophets in the name of Asherah and Baal. She single-handedly caused the fall of Israel, by convincing the people to worship false gods and to worship the wooden image of Asherah, Which is an image with no life or power to do anything. So, you think that Christmas represents Christ’s birth and is His holiday. Then why do you have an idol erected to celebrate Jesus’ birth? What does a Christmas tree have to do with Jesus anyhow? The next time you are placing a gift (idol) or (offering) under a Christmas tree, which represents Asherah and not Christ, take a moment to notice how you are kneeling before a false god. That is one way to get you to bow before a false god, by trickery, tradition, and making merry! Jezebel used this same idol to cause the fall of God’s chosen people. Shocking isn’t it? We have all been dragged into this mockery of God and, in complete ignorance, did exactly what we were commanded not to do. Maybe, this is why God warns us against the traditions of men. “God sees my heart, I am not worshipping the Christmas tree!” you say. True enough, but now you know better. Can you still do it without a pang of conscience? I can’t and have not had a Christmas Tree for many years. There is nothing wrong with honouring Jesus on His birthday. What is wrong is participating in a pagan ritual. Nothing wrong with exchanging gifts, helping the poor, decorating with Nativity scenes, poinsettias, candy canes, etc. Maybe even a birthday cake for Jesus. Just check out a ‘tradition’ before you embrace it wholeheartedly, be sure that it is harmless. Oh but I mentioned 2 deceptions and have only discussed 1. This one gets much worse and is much harder to give up for some people. Satan does everything that he can to defile the things of God. Things meant to honor our Lord are turned to defilement. And we let it happen through our own ignorance. Okay, while I’m here, the Easter bunny has defiled the day of our Lord’s Resurrection and guess what the eggs represent? Fertility! Here is Asherah and Baal again! And Churches sponsor Easter egg hunts! What does a rabbit have to do with what Jesus did for us? Lots of money is spent on Easter: Candy, baskets, egg dyes, eggs, new outfits etc. What does that have to do with what Jesus did on that glorious day? Yes, recognize the day of our Lord’s resurrection. If you want to play hide and seek that is fine, but do it some time other than the day set aside for worshipping the Lord. This is not a good day to worship fertility gods. And don’t use eggs, please. Eggs are for eating or making into artwork, not for fertility rites. Rabbits were also used as a symbol of fertility. Why do you think women are dressed up as bunnies for Playboy magazine? Sex! Fertility! Representations of the goddess Asherah! Back to the subject: the 2nd deception. You are active in this one. Sorry, you cannot claim innocence. You are guilty and you know you are guilty. But! Rather than give it up, you make excuses. It is just in fun; it is harmless; it is representative of a good man. Okay! Moses was a good man, a godly man, and when he died, God hid his body to keep people from worshipping him. But another alleged good man is worshipped on the day set aside to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Little children all around the world listen to stories about him. They eagerly lay out stockings and cookies and milk are left as an offering to him. He even has magical powers and can make reindeer fly and can get into any house that was ever made. He gets through chimneys that are only inches wide. He never grows older, yes he is old, but he never gets older or dies. And parents, good parents, that teach their children the 10 commandments, including thou shalt not bear false witness or lie, turn around and break this commandment by lying to their children. This myth comes from mom and dad! Children who are not taught this myth grow up innocent of it and wonder why the man in red fascinates other children. My children were not taught to expect Santa and they just looked at the odd man in a red suit, with wonder, of why is that man dressed like that. It is not a natural calling in a child’s life to compel them to love Santa. If you teach your children to look for Santa, then you are lying; he does not exist. And if you then punish your children for lying then you are guilty of child abuse. What example are you setting? It is okay to lie to little ones? Is it okay to lie if the one telling the lie has fun doing it? Is it okay to deceive? Is this what you mean to teach your children? I was taught about Santa; I left milk and cookies; I adored him! Then one fateful day, my big sister laughingly told me there was no such thing as Santa. I was 9 years old, a bit old to still believe, but I did. I was crushed; I was heartbroken! Then I became very angry! They were all laughing at my pain. They made a complete fool of me. I was humiliated! I cried every night for months. I began to not trust my parents because I had caught them lying to me. I began to look behind every deed of every person to see if they were false or true. My faith was shaken to the roots. I went to church as a child and even the church backed the Santa myth. So, they were guilty too, in my mind. I got baptized and spirit-filled, but I kept waiting for someone to tap me on the shoulder and laughingly tell me “Jesus is a joke, isn’t this fun!” Finally, in a Christian counseling session, I had a break through and cried over this deception. The Lord healed me at this point, and restored my faith. Why put a child through this? Okay, not all kids have it so tough; not all kids are so sure that Santa is true. But, how do you, the parent, know which of your children will not react well to losing Santa? Why chance it? It is a lie. And what does Santa have to do with Jesus’ birth? I chose to not introduce my children to Santa. We exchanged gifts and allowed our children to participate in purchasing gifts for all their family members. This taught them to be giving and to think more of what to give others, than to make a list to give to some stranger. This kept their expectations more reasonable. Gifts were stored usually in their dresser drawers or if too large some other place, anywhere but under a tree! Have you noticed if you take the “n” in Santa and move it to the end it becomes Satan? My children pointed this out! They referred to him as Satan Claus. People flinging Santa at them offended them. You know, kids grow up believing with all of their hearts that Santa loves them and brings them gifts once a year. Sometimes, kids do wonder why Santa loves wealthy kids more than poor ones. But, they never see him! What they see is evidence; there are gifts left behind! Stockings have goodies in them! How can you justify teaching children the myth of Santa Claus and about Jesus at the same time? When they find out Santa is a myth, don’t you think that they will believe Jesus is a myth also? There was evidence of Santa and that was a lie. Why should they believe in Jesus when there is no evidence to support His existence that they can see? This is harmless? The churches sanction this? This is pushed by very pious, kind, loving people. Why? Lies! Deception! Those are not of God. Okay, I have told you the truth. You are trapped in deception. Read again what God said about not taking the ways of the heathen lest you get ensnared. Are you ensnared? Are you guilty of a fault? I am not called to judge you, but please don’t expect me to participate in this deception. I am not ensnared nor do I want to be. You must make the decision now. What are you going to do? Keep tradition, even against God’s wishes? What if you were in Sodom and Gomorrah, would you keep the tradition that was passed down? Think about it. Another thought you should ponder! Christmas is supposed to be a joyous time of peace, goodwill, and giving to others! Then why is the suicide rate higher this time of year than any other time? Why do more people get depressed at this time of year more than any other time? Much of the problem is financial! You know that you are going to receive gifts and feel obligated to buy everyone you know a gift, especially family members. But! There are times that you just cannot afford to buy gifts! You get stressed out because you do not want anyone to think ill of you, so you go in debt to try to please everyone! You then pay for these gifts the rest of the year. Then you start all over again! I know some people who have actually not paid their bills just to have Christmas. They later experienced unbelievable stress because of not paying their bills because of Christmas. Where is the joy in that? Or what if you get no gifts at all? Then you feel unloved, uncared for, or unwanted. If you get no invitations to holiday celebrations, again you feel bereft, all alone, unlovable, and unwanted. Another problem is that everyone expects you to be in four places at the same time! You get four or five invitations to dinners, but which one are you going to say no too? You are going to offend someone! Some that are deep in this tradition do not ask you to come to their house; they command it! Where is the joy in strife? We have quit Christmas all together. We would rather give gifts throughout the year instead of a certain day! We see a need; we give at that time. We do not wait until Christmas to meet a need! There is Joy in that! Decide for yourself! We choose not to participate in man’s tradition, or in a pagan ritual, or in deception, or in undo stress! What you do is entirely between you and God. We just want everyone to be aware of some facts that the devil has hid from you. Keep Christ in Christmas, but kick the other gods out! Celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. But, do so reasonably folks. Candy canes represent the blood of Christ and purity of the Holy Spirit. Cool, huh? Poinsettias are alleged to have blossomed from sticks that a poor child offered as a gift to Jesus. Awww sweet! Nativity scenes are obvious and angels announced the birth of Christ. Animals were present in the barn where Mary gave birth. We can do this folks; let’s take Christmas back! Oh Come all Ye Faithful! God Bless!