JOIN THE COMMONWEALTH?

I sent a note to the President largely along the following lines:

Back in 2017, there was some talk of joining the Commonwealth of Nations, and now in 2025, King Charles III has made a fresh overture which you have responded positively to. While joining a widely diverse group of nations seems a magnanimous gesture and gives our athletes a venue leading up to the Olympics, a scriptural injunction from St. Paul comes to mind - BE OF THE SAME MIND ONE WITH ANOTHER.  In actuality, the principles of the Commonwealth are largely far more in sync with Obama and Biden than with you, so we would be a nation swimming upstream against 56 others, all of which are considered EQUAL.  (In addition, we would be agreeing to things 180° opposite to your agenda. To wit:

1) Heavy support for the UN and its agenda.

2) Almost universal condemnation of Israel, our best ally.

3) Big on man-made climate change.

4) South Africa with racist policies just rejoined and you had to expel their diplomat.

5) The UK arrested a man for praying SILENTLY near an abortion clinic, a gross violation of free speech. Other members have similar draconian policies that are anathema to us.

6) UK students have a right to study at any nation that is a member of the Commonwealth - given the heavy Muslim component in the UK which has been very radical, you would be bringing in the very people like the deported Columbia student who want to destroy our nation.

7) India and Pakistan have atrocious records on human rights.

Just think really hard on this one.  I do not see a way it can work - plus you are already fighting what remains of the Deep State which is very much ingrained and hard to extricate, and we hardly need to expand this war until we win the one we are in already!

Thank you!

THOUSANDS OF SPORTS TEAMS MURDERED BY PLANNED PARENTHOOD

 EACH YEAR.

There is a planned diaper drive in DC to protest the 392,000 children murdered by Planned Parenthood under the latest statistics.  They plan to put a diaper for each one of them in DC and then donate them to people in need, as diapers can be rather expensive. Note that MOST diaper companies actually support abortion - talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face. 

Approximately 37% of boys and 29% of girls participate in Youth Sports. With an average of about 15 children per team, this comes out to about 4,800 boys teams and 3,700 girls teams.  Annihilated. Gone.  EACH YEAR.  The equivalent of almost 1000 Boeing 747 Jumbo Jets with 400 children each crashing each year with no survivors.  ALMOST THREE EVERY DAY INCLUDING WEEKENDS! 

Yet people say ho-hum? I heard a "Spirit-filled Christian say God has put abortion on the back-burner. Really? If reported honestly, this would fill the news non-stop with investigations and NO ONE wanting to fly. Yet women who never even looked at an ultrasound and who are scientifically illiterate about what REALLY happens still file into PP, and they are not the ONLY ones killing innocent children before they can even be born - it is beyond the pale. Our nation has a cataclysmic population problem - not too much, but too little - we are far below replacement levels and are dying as a culture.

We have some new leaders who say they want to defund and stop this atrocity, but many who claim to know God are still not on board. What is required to stop spitting in the face of the God who lovingly crafted each one of these little ones?  I am sure glad my mother did not do that. Are you?

HIGH STAKES

We are at a time of very high stakes as a nation and as a church. With the political divide now far greater than any divides over race, where you live, or how much or how little money you make, people are often at each other's throats.  I was in a meeting of Christians last week where they handed out flyers on how to oppose the elected government - the hatred was very thinly veiled, and later one of the attendees who is lock, stock, and barrel into their agenda committed slander, expressed vitriol and hate, and cared nothing for the scriptural mandate to honor the king.

I also hear kind voices telling people not to criticize others. Obviously, some make a cottage industry of being negative and opposing everyone but themselves, but scripture is very clear we are not to accept deviant beliefs or ministers who deviate from scripture and lead people astray. Paul said things probably even the most aggressive blogger would stop short of saying.

I am reading an EXCELLENT book titled WOKE JESUS.  It details the start of totally changing the image people have of Jesus that started in the 1700's with the German theologian Immanuel Kant. The emphasis on the humanity of Jesus and diminishing and then tanking his deity and oneness with the Father continued on with Hume, Tillich, MKL, Jr., and just about every WOKE seminary professor today including those from the Southern Baptist Convention. People have painted on a "Jesus canvas" their OWN ideas and made him either Nordic, Black, married, gay, confused, or an anti-Semite.  That is what happened in Germany - they stripped the favor of the Jews from the Bible and made an Aryan Jesus of their own making. Today, people attribute in blasphemous ways their own sins to Jesus, the sinless one. They seek to demonize actual Christians who love and believe the scriptures and who have a vibrant, intimate, and deeply satisfying relationship with the Son of God Himself. They opposed everything God stands for, and ministers of the gospel MUST warn people about these folks as all others who are wolves among the flock. 

So many like to key on the buffoons on so-called Christian TV who are easy targets, but there are far more of these people in local churches that people attend, defend, and give to. They slowly introduce destructive heresies and with the loyalty of the parishioners in hand, they go deeper and deeper into deception. hey often start by "demythologizing" Genesis. They say God did not create everything in six days despite a direct quote of God Himself in Exodus 20 that He indeed did do exactly that. They say the Bible is not a science book, and of course, it is not ONLY a science book, but the Devil loves to start with things like this. The Devil ALWAYS puts man's ideas above God. Do alleged scientists who indict themselves as fools when they confess they believe there is no God carry more weight to ministers than the Holy Spirit who hovered over the face of the waters and was there with the Father and the Son when all this occurred? I see people talking about "old-earth creationism" which also denies the global flood. Interestingly enough, Peter, who made no claims to bring a scientist, but who wrote under the unction and direction of the Holy Spirit, said people in the last days would be destroyed just as those in Noah's day. clinging to uniformitarianism that would dominate the day. EVERYTHING PETER SAID HAS BEEN TRUE FOR OVER 150 YEARS. 

People do not start off denying the resurrection. The build-up to it can take years, but if never addressed, you will be lost. NEVER DOUBT anything in the Bible. If you have an issue, ASK GOD. If you cannot hear His answer, tap other saints for their wisdom. Never let a difficulty in your spirit go unattended. The stakes are TOO HIGH for that. Faith is a gift. You need to keep receiving it from God. Never stop exercising faith, never stop receiving from God.  He has the answers you are seeking. Do not gamble when there are HIGH STAKES involved. 

FIVE THINGS

Elon Musk raised the hackles of a lot of Federal Employees by sending a pretty simple email. It required the receivers to list five accomplishments over the prior week and if they could not do that they would be fired. He said that was a very low bar and I agree. When working for a large firm many years ago as a manager of projects, having twelve project managers report to me on all their work, it was far more than five, believe me. They had to evaluate all projects under their control and I had to ask hard questions.

In my Sunday message today on station KERI out in Bakersfield, California, today, I dealt with this issue. My message was titled "FIRED!" (You can hear it at KingdomGospelMinistries.org)

The big question, of course, is - does God do this?  Christianity has a diversity of positions on many life issues - some are works-based where your eternal destiny is based on what good you accomplished in your life. Others are faith-based where your eternal destiny is solely based on having accepted the sacrifice for sin offered by Jesus Christ through His suffering, death, and physical resurrection from the dead.

Actually, it is a combination. Ephesians 2 is an excellent chapter to read about this. We are not saved by works but by grace.  We could never please God through works, and to be honest, most works we would come up with would be no more efficacious than those of the Scribes and Pharisees, who would not pluck grain on the Sabbath if hungry but would have no problem plotting to kill the Son of God on the Sabbath.

We are saved by God's grace alone, NOT of works, let anyone should boast. So, does that mean we should laze about and not be active for the Kingdom of God? Ha! Anyone who actually studies the Bible should know better.  Right after that warning in Ephesians, the Apostle Paul writes that GOD has prepared good works for us to walk in! God defines the works we should do! In Ephesians 5 which I preached on this morning on WRDV (Radio Delaware Valley) and also in Galations 5 which details the fruit of the Holy Spirit. REWARDS in God's eternal kingdom ARE based on what we do after receiving the free gift of eternal life from Christ. Jesus taught about what was the result of what people did with the talents they were given. Unequal outcomes are throughout scripture. If two people do not end up with the same, God does not take from the fruitful one to give to the unfruitful one. It is just the reverse. The same with the ten virgins. Paul beat his body into subjection to win the prize. We should do the same. I want to hear, "Well Done,  Good and Faithful Servant! - Enter into the joy of the Lord!"

So, FIVE THINGS.  Looking back on the last week -

1) Received a signed contract from a church in Fox Chase to expand it to 430 seats.

2) Worked on a ground-up new house in Upper Dublin.

3) Dealt with a client non-profit working in foster care and adoption in renovating a building they bought.

4) Talked with one of my sons at length about new business propositions he is contemplating.

5) Met with a Temple Professor I am discipling for about 2 1/2 hours to share a meal, get into detail on mutual concerns and pray for each other.

And many more including my wife, my sister, and producing the three radio shows we do every week.

Five Things?  Not very many when you think about it...  Hard to see how that could be an issue for someone working full-time. We all need the redeem the time, because the days are evil. Spend your time wisely! There is only so much of it!

THE GOLDEN STATUE

Many Americans are heartened at the shock and awe campaign to eliminate the funding of projects that are detrimental to our families, children, and societal cohesion.  So much of the underbelly of corruption in the government is being exposed seemingly every day. The pushing of an immoral agenda worldwide including drag queen shows, the support of the mutilation of confused young people who have not come to peace about the binary gender God created them to live and thrive in.

Yet, we know that leaders with good intentions are not perfect and sometimes they do the craziest things not advisable for ANYONE, let alone a major leader.   The Prez on Truth Social shared an AI-generated video of his vision for Gaza as a Riviera in the Middle East. A debatable concept, but one that was seemingly intended to get people thinking of solutions other than the status quo that has clearly been an abject failure. We know a two-state solution cannot work when one side wants the other erased. Israel was actually living with a defacto multi-state solution when the horror struck October 7, 2023. A rather diverse group of people, while seemingly not wanting the Vegas-like vibe depicted in the AI-generated video, they do believe some other solution is needed and this video opened the door to thinking outside the box. 

In that video, which shows a war-torn area transformed into some resort area like Miami Beach, Vegas,  or some other pleasure place like that, a child is carrying a gold Trump balloon and there is actually a huge golden statue of Trump that is reminiscent of the one erected by Nebuchadnezzar thousands of years ago. While no one was asked to bow and worship, one scene was like what the Children of Israel did when Moses was on the mountain.  The married President was also dancing with a scantily clad woman in an atmosphere like Vegas we hardly should want to export. America has exported enough cultural garbage around the world through USAid and other entities that we need to stop and for sure not seem to want to do it even more. This looked like something the President's enemies would have produced to viciously lampoon him, but HE is the one who shared it himself.

AI will do what you say, and would not it have been great to see Jews, Arabs, and Palestinians living in a normal way with churches and synagogues open to all - the beachfront a place for families to go to relax, share with one another, and enjoy God's creation with a Democratic and not an authoritarian government pushing life, wholesomeness, and cooperation instead of the death and violence that has been synonymous with Gaza since Israel gave them self-governance?

I am praying that the President will truly have a Nathan to advise him so that the things our country needs done will not be sabotaged by those who do not distinguish between what the voters had in mind in supporting the need for massive changes and a cleaning out of negative activities, especially those paid for on the taxpayers' dime, vs. any ideas that come to mind but not being thoroughly thought out. In a multitude of counselors, there is safety, and I have redoubled my prayer efforts so that our nation will become a fairer, more moral, and more just place. I pray for salvation for our leaders - some know you, but most do not appear to. I have prayed for people in the government for many years, and we still need to do that, perhaps more than ever, as the battle lines are getting more distinct and sharper and the middle ground has been vanishing.  We must always side with what is right, never what is simply expedient, and we must always be fair in our judgments.  Personally, I am a huge fan of foreign aid wisely spent, as $100 will feed a child in El Salvador for a year, while bringing the child here multiplies that cost by 100.  I put my own money where my mouth is, helping people in other nations to overcome the cards they have been dealt. I hope our nation will not throw out the proverbial baby with the filthy bathwater, but truly minister righteously and compassionately without the political agendas that have stained those efforts over the last few years.  We can do this! May God bless as you intercede for our  nation!

PEACE OR NOT?

 I saw this on Instagram: 

                    "THE CONFLICT EXPLAINED"

Hamas:  We want a ceasefire.

Israel:    I thought you wanted to kill us all and take over all the land.

Hamas:  We do want to kill you take all your land.

Israel:    But I thought you wanted a ceasefire.

Hamas:  Correct. We want to kill all of you and take all your land but we                                                                                                             also want you to stop fighting back.

The horrific deal just signed is essentially the same at the one proposed last May. It includes a paltry release of only 33 hostages along with thirty (count-em) terrorists released for each one including known murderers. Right back to Gaza to continue their fight.  Who does these things?  A 30 to 1 swap? The guilty for the innocent???  They already said they would report October 7th before the ink was dry. A lot more people could die than the number of hostages released.

We did not sign withe Germany or Japan and they did not lift up arms to threaten to either. Wars only end when there is absolute surrender by the defeated side. Anything else is simply a pause and a chance to regroup.

If you see how God treated hostilities in the Old Testament it was either total destruction or total surrender. Period. 

Hamas has admitted no guilt and says they won. That bodes very poorly, but when you know what you are dealing with, you have to act accordingly. There is no good faith here.  

The deal should have been the return of all hostages immediately. No prisoner exchange. Israel has done that in the past and it simply begs for more hostilities. There needed to be total surrender of Hamas and incarceration or death penalty procedures as there was in Germany after World War II for Nazi War criminals.  (It is no coincidence that Muslims admire Hitler so much - they are birds of the same feather.) Anything else is an illusion and makes peace harder to obtain.

Why either the outgoing president or the incoming one would crow over this deal is beyond me. While we all want peace, we know there will be no lasting peace until Jesus comes back. So at least some temporary peace, we have to operate in reality and not pretend anyone is more honorable than they are.

AN EXCHANGE ON REDDIT

 

THE QUESTION:

My church is ordaining a woman and I’m not sure how to feel about it. My understanding of scripture has always been that pastoral positions are reserved for men. I’m trying to make sure I’m not jumping to judgment on this. What say you Reddit?

RESPONSES: This is a recent exchange on REDDIT.  I am in burgundy. The other colors are other writers.

God specifically outlines that men and women have different places within the church. Women pastors go against scripture. The exception being if the entire body is only women. 

 

The time in which the Bible was written has to be taken into account here. The ways women were and still are treated in Middle Eastern cultures doesn’t always align with realities in Western cultures. I believe wholeheartedly that women like Joyce Meyer were given a calling and do a very good job preaching the Lord’s word. She’s one of many examples of women being called by the Lord to preach so if the Lord tells a woman it’s her calling to become a pastor are you saying the Lord is wrong? Being a man I find it funny to not embrace women who have a gift and while I agree both Paul and Timothy say a woman cannot be a preacher, I believe the Lord wants all his children to be saved and if the path to salvation comes at the guidance and direction of a woman preacher then that’s His will being done and we’d be using scripture to go against His will in action.

 

You are saying the timeless God was taken unaware that Western cultures would do what they have done. That is blasphemy and Joyce Meyer is a literal catalog of false teaching who has a stated animas from her own mouth against one of God's choicest servants, Paul, who was directed to write what he wrote by the Holy Spirit. People were misconstruing Deborah who was a judge to be a pastor which she was not.

Either you believe the Bible or you don't, and there is ample evidence of how far from God Joyce's teachings are. It is best to check everyone out. I often tell those to whom I preach to check me out! I preach at least twice a week, and we are held to a high standard by God - stricter than people in general.

 

 

I think, if we're looking for what the Bible has to say on the matter, it's easy to get hung up on a couple verses that are often taken out of context or hard to understand (head coverings, anyone?)

If we look at characters and themes, however, we see Priscilla helping to teach Apollos (a woman teaching a grown man, and teacher to boot?), Phoebe, Lydia, Esther, Miriam, Huldah, and Deborah. The irony of the last one is that the story highlights the failure of men to step up, and so God uses whom He will, even though it's culturally embarrassing.

Women in the Bible are teachers, elders, deacons, prophets, and more.

Please understand that I'm not trying to be "woke" or anything along those lines, but as far as men or women in leadership I don't really care what their biology says: I want to know what their character is. I want to see a person who exemplifies the Spirit of Christ, knows the Bible backwards and forwards, and is capable of communicating those things to others.

Waaaay too many men have failed as church leaders because of lack of character, and we keep elevating people like this simply because they are charismatic men who are gifted in oratory. We bring in "pastors" from the outside and choose them based on how well they perform in the pulpit, without really getting a sense of who they are as people. I've seen multiple churches in my city burn through man after man, called "pastor", many who have brought disunity or even church splits. That is the worst kind of shepherding I can imagine.

But you know who's always stepping up behind the scenes? Godly moms and Sunday school teachers who teach generation after generation. They are often even instructing our young men until they reach the age our culture decides they are "adult" (which is a different age than it was in Jesus' time).

I am a middle-aged man, but I will gladly receive teaching from a woman who is humble, demonstrates the fruits of the Spirit, and is full of integrity, rather than a man who is an eloquent speaker trained formally in rhetoric and biblical studies but devoid of strong character.

 

 

All scripture must be taken into account. Christianity is not a buffet religion where we eat only what is appealing to us while leaving all else behind. 2 Tim. 3:16.

 

In my opinion, if scripture teaches that we no longer follow a written code, that cannot be dismissed buffet style either. I believe a harmoniously reconcilation of the two is that all scripture is profitable (that is, helpful) for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, but not profitable for determining a written, infallible code of right and wrong. The Bible guides but does not claim to be an infallible code (following the letter) especially in the New Covenant.

"[5] Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, [6] who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." 2 Corinthians 3:5-6 ESV

"[14] For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”" Galatians 5:14 ESV

"[4] Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant [5] or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; [6] it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth." 1 Corinthians 13:4-6 ESV

 

So the  Holy Spirit is fallible? The word is perfect. Man's ideas are not. Neither you nor I know more than God or are in a position. To decide what to obey and what not to. Many churches have adopted your position and they are unrecognizable as Christian institutions. I have been I. Christ almost seventy years and devour the Bible. People love to say how different we are from 2000 years ago yet growing up, all women covered their heads in church and except for some fringe groups and some Pentecostals all pastors were men. The majority of black children had both a father and mother in the home and divorce was relatively rare. If someone got pregnant they birthed the child rather than taking pills and flushing it down the toilet.  The truth is we are different from only 65 years ago. What changed?  Wholesale dismissal of the scriptures and moral codes accepted by most even if not Christian. I do not live in a bubble but lead a ministry in several states and talk with a lot of people with varying positions on the issues. I have yet to find a single church that advocates what you do that has produced good spiritual fruit and where the lives of the people mirror the character of Christ. On the other hand, I see incredible decline with rampant premarital sex, with one female AG youth pastor in NJ saying she had no expectation that the youth in her care would emerge from their teen years as virgins.  Purity in that was the NORM in our Bible-believing church growing up. I had a query from a Lutheran lady pastor for work who was in a lesbian relationship and littered the churchyard with LGBTQetc signage. A church in Texas actually sponsored a Drag Queen show. My wife had been in a female headed church - the pastor being the first AME-ordained woman minister. She was very harsh, the men were enfeebled, and my wife had to leave.  The bottom line is that churches that follow scripture thrive, even with fewer people, and those that view it as a buffet inevitably compromise on the core issues of holiness. I have yet to see an exception. Incidentally, I was a youth pastor in a Pakistani church years ago and all the girls covered their heads when praying, just like their mothers, and my wife puts a net on her hair as a sign of submission. I never demanded that, and I believe that long hair can be a covering as well as the scripture seems to allow for that, but the Pakistani practice is clearly compliant and very beautiful.

 

Read Psalm 119 which is all about the Bible. The ceremonial law was nailed to the cross and Jews have not sacrificed animals for about 1954 years. Christ and the apostles taught none of the Ten Commandments, with the tenth on the Sabbath clarified to reflect freedom in Christ. In terms of daily compliance with the character of God, the New Testament notes the faith of those who came before Christ and we are privileged to clearly know what pleases God as it put it all on writing. I have had a business for 45 years, and we put it in writing. When people do not, there are endless challenges as people have selective memories. 

 

I am curious on precisely which parts of the Bible you wish to ignore. You should make a list and that will tell you everything you need to know if you are honest with yourself.

 

I actually think it’s fundamentalists like yourself who are too prideful to properly interpret the Bible. It’s ironic to imagine that you can read a verse like 1 Corinthians 7:12 “Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord…” by Paul, admitting that not everything he says is a direct divine Commandment - but ignore it because you think you know better.

 

First which of the five fundamentals of the faith do you disagree with? 

1.      The Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:1; John 20:28; Hebrews 1:8-9). 

2.      The Virgin Birth (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:27).

3.      The Blood Atonement (Acts 20:28; Rom. 3:25, 5:9; Eph. 1:7; Heb. 9:12-14).

4.      The Bodily Resurrection (Luke 24:36-46; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, 15:14-15).

5.      The inerrancy of the scriptures themselves (Ps 12:6-7; Rom 15:4; 2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20). 

Those are the fundamentals. We reject all MAN-MADE rules which are of no value against fleshly indulgence. Some so-called Fundamentalists are by far not unique in that regard - those who liberally interpret the scriptures have their own sets.

The Bible says not to slander. I am a servant of the most high God set aside as a minister of the Gospel and have been in his kingdom for almost 70 years. I have read the entire Bible numerous times (three times before the age of 12) and am not a biblical illiterate. I have produced almost 3000 radio programs, many of them verse-by-verse messages, so the Bible and I are not simply occasional friends. I am determined to teach what the scripture says without compromise, but our ministry organization founded in 1985 was formed to bring people together regardless of denomination, race or economic status. I have preached in a wide range of churches, even in places where I disagreed with much of their doctrine.

You will note that Paul in THIS INSTANCE made the statement you noted which means all the rest of what he said was NOT emanating from him but from the Holy Spirit. Wise leaders will always make the distinction as to whether what they are saying is a clear word of God or their OPINION of what God wants. When it comes to controversial subjects like the sequence of the end times, I make sure to distinguish what is an arguable belief and what is pure scripture. Private interpretation is forbidden, yet I see many Bibles with the preacher's name on them which contain sectarian and arguable interpretations. I avoid all of those.

THE FEAR OF THE LORD AND REPENTANCE

I am writing this post in response to a request from a minister friend who is distressed at how little attention this subject gets from other ministers he knows. I have a few thoughts that I trust will bring some clarity to a subject so many people seem to want to avoid, I have listened to R. C. Sprout, Derek Prince, and others on the topic to complement what I believe on the subject.

Many like to avoid the subject of the fear of the Lord. They react against those who seem scared to live a normal life, always scared to death of what God will do to them next. They also like to claim that Jesus talked more about hell than heaven, though it depends how you count reference and inferences. To be sure, Jesus was unequivocal in warning about hell, and Matthew 10:28 quotes Jesus, “Fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”  Some think hell is just a place sinners go, but the sheer terror of what happens IN HELL when God’s wrath is poured out should sober anyone. It sure did ME!  

I was but five years old and I lied (a very stupid one for no particular reason) and my sister told me that would send me to hell. Of course she was right, as 43 scripture verses say that liars go to hell.  Thank the Lord I believed her and knew she was right and I came to know Jesus. That was almost 70 years ago and I have been in the Lord ever since.  A healthy fear of the consequences of sin used to be more routine in the church, but the pendulum has swung in the direction of “love” to the exclusion of everything else.  Ironically, if you keep reading Matthew 10, you will see the love of God towards us in His care for every detail of our lives. 

When we truly understand the totally of who God is, we gain more than mere respect, though that is a good start. We understand the holiness of God and why He has to deal with sin. We understand the price of redemption paid by Christ, so God put himself out there to enable us to avoid hell. Many concentrate on how Jesus felt when the Father looked away as He became sin for us, but it is hard for me to comprehend how the Father felt when he had to forsake HIS one and only precious son on the cross. I am a Father and I stand in awe of a God willing to do that for me. Sometimes the only thing that keeps us from sin are the consequences. I believe we should obey out of love for God, but I do not believe there could be any argument when I say that it is better to obey out of fear than to disobey!

In actuality, having a Fear of the Lord that transcends reverence and awe brings us freedom from sin. Derek Prince calls it gaining confidence in God which can lead to true satisfaction in life and knowing God is our refuge as we seek to totally please him. Proverbs 16:6 says, “By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil.” (ESV)) We do not have to repent when we do not sin, and if we genuinely have the fear of the Lord, we sin far less and do not have to keep repenting for the same things over and over again! Israel messed with God repeatedly, worshiping other gods, attributing to idols the works of God, and pursuing carnal pleasures just like the pagans. When people lack the fear of the Lord, they downplay sin and are never delivered from it. They also pay a STEEP price for that. It is no wonder that preachers who refuse to preach about the fear of the Lord also tend to either downplay the seriousness of sin or refuse to use the word “sin” at all!

A man who was talking with John Piper on Skype noted, “Dear Pastor John, hello to you and the team at Desiring God. I’m a relatively new Christian in Sweden, and I have a problem with my church. I got baptized four years ago and became a member. As time passed, I notices our sermons don’t touch on sin and never call for repentance. I’ve asked one of the pastors about this, who said they are not preaching contradictory to the Bible; they just decided ti not talk directly about sin. They want to focus on the love of Jesus and his acceptance of sinners. It sounds well with me as an effort to attract lots of people into the church. At the same time, they don’t celebrate repentance and obedience. What do you think of a church that doesn’t preach against particular sins?”

John Piper’s answer to the confused young man is on the web at https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/my-pastors-dont-preach-against-sin-is-that-okay.  In summary he lists four reasons - The Prophets, Jesus and the Apostles all dealt with sin - naming specific sins and their consequences,.  Secondly, sanctification comes when sin is conquered, and we are supposed to kill sin. How can we kill something we do not even know what it is? Christ bore sin in his body on the cross  so that we might die to sin and Ive to righteousness in accordance with I Peter 2:24.   We cannot die to unnamed and undefined sin.  Third, we are born again to be new people. Free from sin - we need to know what displeases God so we can flee from it.  Fourth, Galatians 5 lists the fruits of the flesh and the fruits of the Spirit. If we do not know the fruits of the flesh, how are we going to avoid them and grow into exhibiting the fruits of the Holy Spirit?

When I visit a home, there are often DVD’s in a row by the TV or books on the shelves, I am often taken aback that people see nothing wrong with filthy R-rated movies or books which should never have been written in the first place and are unfit for any human consumption.  I know a pastor who uses four letter words liberally oblivious to the command not to let any filthy communication to process out of his mouth, and knew a now-deceased man who led a Christian men’s group who would tell off-color jokes and cast off correction. I believe one of two things is at work here - either the people do not know right from wrong, as that spiritually ignorant man from Sweden in a poor church clearly had issues concerning, or they KNOW it is wrong but have no fear of the Lord and figure they are saved.  Those who believe in once-saved-always-saved believe they have their fire insurance policy in hand and holiness is optional. A man who became the pastor of a mega-church once told me that you have to get people to accept Jesus as Savior first. The Lordship of Jesus was sort of optional and it would be good it that happened later.  Compare that to Romans 10:9 (ESV) “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” A now-deceased very famous preacher loved by many wrote a book on Eternal Security and stated that a Christian who murdered someone and did not repent would srtill go to heaven when he died because salvation was irrevocable and a gift. I guess he missed Matthew 24:13 which says, “He who endures to the end shall be saved,” as well as a host of other scriptures especially in Hebrews.

Read the Bible! Be a Berean!  Psalm 128:1 says, “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to Him.” Read I John and Revelation 2-3 so you know how God views professing Christians and churches who do not walk in his ways. You have to know the ways of the Lord.  You must KNOW the ways of the Lord, as Paul told the Romans, “How shall they hear without a preacher”. Paul communicated to Timothy that people will simply not tolerate sound doctrine, but gather around them teachers who will tickle their itching ears. That is an epidemic now just as it was in the first century. We have preachers who refuse to preach the gospel. Scripture says those who preach other gospels are cursed. We have other gospels of Emergent Christianity, Word-Faith, hyper-grace, Power Evangelism, the passion movement,  contemplative practices, circle prayer, universalism, inclusivity, kingdom now, Palagianism, mysticism, Ghosticism, born again in hell, Chrislam, Nicolaitan practices, Oneness Pentecostal modalism, New Apostolic Reformation, manifest sons, holy laughter, and more. We have people forbidden from leadership serving as pastors - men who love money, men who do not rule their households well, men who are not well thought of in the world, Men unable to teach biblically, and of course women who deny the very order of creation and usurp positions of authority in the church in direct disobedience to I Timothy 2.

I believe all of this stems from having no fear of the Lord. People without the fear of the Lord may not murder adults or born children, but support the shedding of innocent blood in abortions. I know a supposedly “Spirit-filled Christian” who claims God put this on the back burner even though God said it is an abomination to Him in Proverbs 6. The same person talks about “spiritual homosexuality” being worse than the physical perversion when a person in the unfavored political party helps another man fight unjust accusations and also believes women do not have to submit to their husbands if they disagree with them! Submission is only needed when we DISAGREE with the person!  Duh! Total deception because there is no fear of the Lord when we are ignoring crystal clear passages in the Bible not open to any different interpretations.

When people ignore the fear of the Lord, they are actually making themselves an idol - they worship their own opinions ABOVE the commands of God.  That brings us back to where we were earlier in Proverbs 16:6 - without the fear of the Lord, we will not run from evil. IF I may be so bold, I would say that without the fear of the Lord, we will always end up EMBRACING evil.  God forbid.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the BEGINNING of knowledge.  Those who reject the fear of the Lord are not wise but foolish and do not know anything - their knowledge has not even left the starting blocks.

I think I have made my point.  Comments or additions are welcome!

BE INVENTIVE

Sometimes people are not inventive about sharing the gospel. Someone made a suggestion to me just a few days ago, and I acted on it.

I have been involved in radio starting in 2002, and have had over 2,500 programs aired on numerous stations. All these are broadcast domestically, though the programs are available online worldwide, and we have had hits from various countries. A church in Pakistan reached out to me, and instead of the oft-repeated requesters to come to Pakistan, India, Kenya, or another country to speak, which I am not currently in a position to do, this church asked me to preach for them on Skype. I did that last Thursday and based upon the results have agreed to do that monthly for a while.

You can make posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more from your phone and computer, and some are doing that. 

You can also commit to prayer  - we know that no one comes to God unless the Father draws them. Yet many reject God's advances. We can pray for the soil to be plowed up and seeds planted by faithful followers of the Lord so that they will respond when God approaches them and enter into His kingdom. There is a saying that more things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. I have seen MANY answers to prayer. IF there are more prayers from more people, there WILL be even more answers!  PRAY ON!

JOIN ME IN FATHER'S FAMILY

Today is Fathers' Day. It is a day to celebrate our earthly fathers AND our Heavenly Father. The Lord gave me a message for you today as you ponder how best to celebrate the day.

God the Father had one and only one begotten Son - Jesus Christ - he did not come about through the union of a man and a woman but is co-eternal with the Father, not created as the heresy of Arianism would say. Yet, the Son was devoted to the Father and was obedient to the Father, even to the point of giving his life as a ransom for many.

John 1:12 describes how we become children of God.  "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to BECOME Children of God, to those who believe in His name." The world (and many Christians) love to repeat the meme, "We are all God's Children." While we certainly wish that to be true, it is not. Jesus called religious leaders who rejected him children of their father the devil.  We know that we must be adopted into God's family - it is not something that happens by default or as an entitlement - it is a right that must be granted by God himself and no one else. 

Many people do not understand adoption. When a child is adopted, the new parents' names are on the birth certificate and the name is usually changed.  It is as though the new parents gave birth physically to the children and the legal standing, benefits, and everything else is identical. The love of the adoptive parents is the same as if the child came out of their physical union. The love of God is the same for us as it is for his Son, Jesus Christ! John 17:23 reads, "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me."

The scriptures say that those who accept the sacrifice of Christ on their behalf are adopted into the family of God. Jesus is not ashamed to call us brethren. Brethren, period.  In fact - and this should blow your minds - God the Father has made us adopted children to be JOINT-HEIRS with Jesus Christ!  It is in his WILL! The inheritance that rightfully belongs to Jesus Christ, which is obviously given not at the death of the Father, since God is eternal, but while all are alive! 

The inheritance of Jesus is being shared with all his brothers and sister in faith!  It comes in two stages - the earnest of our inheritance comes when the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us as he took residence in the God-man, Jesus Christ.  We do not have to die physically to receive Him. We call the Father, "Abba, Father." We rejoice in the Holy Spirit. We experience his presence and power 24/7.  The scriptures fly open for us and we are transformed.  Yet, there is more to come!  While the earnest of the inheritance is ours now, the rest of the inheritance comes when we are physically in the presence of Christ!   We shall receive glorified bodies like the one Jesus is in - a body that will never decay, never be sick, never die.  This mortal shall put on immortality.  This corruptible shall put on incorruption. We will flow as brothers and sisters in Christ, the firstborn among many brethren. Oh what a day that will be! As the song says, "When We All See Jesus, We Will Sing and Shout the Victory!" We will live in the House of the Lord forever - a house we had no right to be in whatsoever except for the grace and mercy of God the Father extended to us through Jesus Christ.

This may all be foreign to you, but it is not foreign to me. Everything I have shared is from the scriptures and from my own almost 70 years following Christ. I am living with the earnest of my inheritance right now, and I am convinced beyond any doubt whatsoever that I will receive the balance either when I transition to that eternal life or if Jesus comes for his Church before then. If that faith is not present in your life today, ask for the gift of faith! If God the Father is drawing you to him, do not refuse his love. Do not be proud. Do not wait another day. Welcome his embrace. Welcome his salvation. Welcome his Spirit.  If you do, all I can say is, "Welcome to the Family of God!"