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2 Peter 2 False Teachers and Prophets Hiding in Plain Sight

5/29/2016

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Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
​2 Peter 2
There are two kinds of unsaved people. The first are those who do not know the truth, who are living oblivious to who God is and what Jesus has done for them. They may have heard Jesus’ name but they don’t know much more about Him. They are lost. My heart goes out to them and my prayers go up for them.
Then there are those who know who God is, who know what Jesus did and yet reject Him or worse yet use His name to gain profit and a name for themselves. They lead people away from the Truth, the Way, and the Life of Jesus. These are the people we are warned about so often throughout the Bible, the false teachers and false prophets who speak their own message rather than God’s. They are the vipers and hypocrites who speak one way and live another. We have to be wary of them and we have to protect our brothers and sisters from them. Today’s devotional helps us to recognize those who may be masquerading as fellow believers among us.
I warn you, not to read these scriptures with an attitude of smugness at how you are not like the people described in these verses. Read them with reflection, humility, and love. Read them and be accountable to the warnings. Verses 1-3 read,
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.
Peter calls what the false prophets and teachers speak destructive heresies. A heresy is a false doctrine, something which opposes the Gospel. They bring these teachings in on the sly. They are often made to sound pretty and can be convincing. They take scripture out of context to make the less certain among us think what they say is true. What are some heresies abounding today? False teachings about earning salvation, doctrines that say Jesus is not God but only a prophet, and philosophies which say that Christians do not change and we can live in sin just as we did before we were saved. If someone is teaching anything other than Jesus Christ lived, died, and resurrected as the only way to salvation, they are one of the false teachers or false prophets Peter is warning us about.
Verse 3 reads,
And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
What does that mean? It means that though they claim to be saved, they are not. The wrath of God awaits the false teachers and it awaits the people who follow them. Believers died to sin and its consequences but false teachers and their disciples are not believers, they are following lies and the father of lies, Satan. The false teachers definitely think highly of themselves. They’ve elevated themselves before people instead of proclaiming Christ. They’ve taken all the acclaim for themselves and left The Lord out of the equation. They really think they’re good. They think that God’s wrath is not for them, that Judgement Day is just a scary story, or that they are good enough to enter Heaven. But Judgement is the same for everyone whether they believe it will happen or not. It is based solely on whether or not our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. The only way to have our names written there is to submit to Jesus as our Lord and be sealed with His Holy Spirit. There is no one who will be able to enter Heaven based on his earthly acclaim. There are no special dispensations. Verses 4-9 in The Message read,
God didn’t let the rebel angels off the hook, but jailed them in hell till Judgment Day. Neither did he let the ancient ungodly world off. He wiped it out with a flood, rescuing only eight people—Noah, the sole voice of righteousness, was one of them.
6-8 God decreed destruction for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. A mound of ashes was all that was left—grim warning to anyone bent on an ungodly life. But that good man Lot, driven nearly out of his mind by the sexual filth and perversity, was rescued. Surrounded by moral rot day after day after day, that righteous man was in constant torment.
9 So God knows how to rescue the godly from evil trials. And he knows how to hold the feet of the wicked to the fire until Judgment Day.
The Holy Spirit guards us for eternity and He will not let the wicked escape His wrath. Who are these people? How can we recognize the false prophets among us when they are so good at hiding the lies in pretty words and convincing arguments? Their lives do not produce the fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22-23.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
They do not act out of love, they act out of selfishness and pride. Verses 10-11 begin their description.
and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, 11 whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord.
They indulge in defiling passion, which means that they give in to basal desires and dishonor the name of Jesus. They despise authority. They must be the ones in charge, they’re probably the ones who complain about their boss or any authority, who rebel against those in power, and refuse to submit to people. That can often look like a good trait to the world but it is not a godly trait. It makes them appear powerful but there is no faith in God when there is fear of letting go of one’s will. They don’t even have the respect not to blaspheme that is to curse or slander angels, people or God Himself. Even angels who might have reason to judge wouldn’t dare to that. Verses 12-13 continue the description.
But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, 13 suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you
False teachers run on instinct and appetite not wisdom and logic. Their lust for themselves will be their destruction and they will have earned it. But they don’t care. They party, they celebrate even when it is time for working, mourning, or caring. They enjoy that people follow them. They give the church a bad name. They take the Love Feast, the Lord’s Supper to look good not with the thankful attitude of recollection of Jesus’ sacrifice. Everything they do is to make themselves look good. Verses 14-16 continue,
They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! 15 Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, 16 but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.
They were taught the right way, but they abandoned the truth and followed personal gain. It’s all about them and there is nothing there to help anyone else. It looks as if they are doing some good but the only benefit is for themselves Verses 17-19 read,
These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved.18 For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved
They’re telling people they will lead them to freedom but they are in heavy chains. They’re in bondage to their lust for power, money, and recognition. They once heard the truth and even believed it and they were free from the chains of slavery but turned away from the truth. They didn’t follow through on the Gospel and accept Christ as their savior. They rejected Him for an easier road. Verses 20-22 in The Message read,
 If they’ve escaped from the slum of sin by experiencing our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ, and then slid back into that same old life again, they’re worse than if they had never left. Better not to have started out on the straight road to God than to start out and then turn back, repudiating the experience and the holy command. They prove the point of the proverbs, “A dog goes back to its own vomit” and “A scrubbed-up pig heads for the mud.”
 
Please take the time to ask yourself if you or anyone on your church fits this description, not so you can condemn and slander but so that you can pray and act. If it’s you who has not really submitted to God and let His Spirit transform you, do it now. It is someone else then pray first, then talk to him. If he is unwilling to listen, then bring up your evidence to the leaders of your church and give it God. Do not let yourself or others teach lies. We live for God’s glory or our own.
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Deuteronomy 13 God does not Coexist with False Gods nor Tolerate Idolatry

3/6/2016

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And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40
And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40
​Deuteronomy 13
What do you imagine is the worst, the most vile act a person can commit against the Lord? What sin does He hate more than any other sin? Is it murder? Or perhaps witchcraft? What about pride? No, although those sins are on His “list,” He detests idolatry. Idolatry is at the core of nearly any sin you could think of. To take someone’s life is to make yourself god. Practicing witchcraft or any other religion is idolatry. Pride makes you refuse to submit to the Lord or to anyone else and you usurp The Lordship of Christ to make yourself regent. Idolatry is what the Lord hates more than any other thing. What is the great commandment? When Jesus was asked, He answered,
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40).
What are the first five of the Ten Commandments?
“‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
“‘You shall have no other gods before me.
 “‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image…
 “‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain…
“‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” (Deuteronomy 5:6-15).
All these commandments are about loving the Lord with your whole being and against idolatry. The second five are about loving other people with the same consideration you want for yourself. I believe there is only one thing, the Lord hates more than idolatry, and that is leading others to commit that sin of sins. Verses 1-5 read,
“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. 5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.”
False prophets can be sly. They make their words sound good, similar to God’s Word but not quite. If someone doesn’t know The Lord well enough to recognize His voice they can be carried off by false prophecies and visions that came from the prince of the power of the air and not from The Lord. True prophecy from the Lord leads to the Lord, not away from Him. Moses warned the people to cling to The Lord and His commandments to obey God’s voice. He said that the false prophet had to be put to death.
In today’s world, we can’t put false prophets to death. But we can expel them from our midst and as the body of Christ we can stand together against their idolatrous deceptive words. We are not to even engage with false prophets, false teachers, or people proclaiming anything other than the True Gospel of Jesus Christ. 2 John 1:9-11 reads,
“Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.”
Whatever we do, we do not let them affect us or influence others. Even people we love dearly can be swayed to follow strange practices, religions, and other idolatry. Verses 6-11 say,
“If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter or the wife you embrace or your friend who is as your own soul entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which neither you nor your fathers have known, 7 some of the gods of the peoples who are around you, whether near you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other, 8 you shall not yield to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him. 9 But you shall kill him. Your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. 10 You shall stone him to death with stones, because he sought to draw you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 11 And all Israel shall hear and fear and never again do any such wickedness as this among you.”
Not only does Moses say the enticer is to be put to death, but that you ought to be who brings his crime to light and that you should throw the first stone! If you keep his sin quiet, if you try and empathize with him, you will let him think you agree and you will give him the chance to persuade you and others to idolatry. Who do you love more, yourself, your friend, or The Lord your God? Of course we don’t stone people today and we can’t kill someone for trying to get us to check out Mormonism or Buddhism, but we can make the church aware, cut off contact with them, and refuse to let them beguile anyone else into false religions.
People try and say that love means tolerance. They try and say Jesus would be gentle against false religions and people keeping anyone away from truth. That is a lie. True love does not let people walk to their deaths without a warning. True Love does not say, “Peace, to each his own.” Jesus, the epitome of genuine love, called the Pharisees vipers and hypocrites (Matthew 12:34, Matthew 15:7). He turned over the tables of the merchants who turned the Temple into a den of thieves (Matthew 21:12-13).  In Matthew 10:34-39 Jesus said,
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
The people telling you Jesus would put a ‘COEXIST’ sticker on His bumper, do not know Him, they know themselves as lord and give the True Lord their own idealized character. They say, “My god would never call a church leader a lying snake!” Well, guess what, the One True God did and does!”
Idolatry starts with one person whispering to another and before long it spreads to the church and then the city. Do you imagine that the city of Sodom just happened to be evil? No, it became evil because no one would stand up for The Lord, for good, or for the Truth. Verses 12-18 read,
“If you hear in one of your cities, which the Lord your God is giving you to dwell there, 13 that certain worthless fellows have gone out among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known, 14 then you shall inquire and make search and ask diligently. And behold, if it be true and certain that such an abomination has been done among you, 15 you shall surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword, devoting it to destruction, all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword. 16 You shall gather all its spoil into the midst of its open square and burn the city and all its spoil with fire, as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It shall be a heap forever. It shall not be built again.17 None of the devoted things shall stick to your hand, that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of his anger and show you mercy and have compassion on you and multiply you, as he swore to your fathers, 18 if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, keeping all his commandments that I am commanding you today, and doing what is right in the sight of the Lord your God.”
We do not just assume rumors are true, we do our due diligence and find out if it’s true. If it is, then we take action. Once again, today we can’t take our church and sack a city for God, but we can bring them the Gospel of Peace and then if they refuse to hear it, have nothing to do with them. We do not even let the dust from thier streets sully our shoes. Jesus explained it this way in Matthew 10:11-15,
“And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. 12 As you enter the house, greet it. 13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. 15 Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.”
Idolatry is a devious evil. Tolerating it is dangerous. Though you may be discerning enough to recognize false prophets, lying friends, or idolatrous cities and religions others might not be. That trip to the psychic, especially the one with the ichthus (fish symbol) is treacherous and can easily lead to death. Do not go along for the ride and do not let anyone else go along without a warning. Is it really love to let people blindly walk away from the Lord toward their own destruction?
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1 Kings 13 God NEVER Goes against His Own Word.

9/29/2015

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1 Kings 13
We don’t live in a bubble. Obedience and sin both have consequences and repercussions. In this chapter the only names we know are Jeroboam’s and Josiah’s. The other names are lost to everyone but The Lord Himself, all because one man lied and another disobeyed God.
Jeroboam who had just made up his own religion which looked close enough to Judaism to please the people was about to make offerings on his new altar. Just as he was getting ready to begin a man of God showed up. The Lord had called this unnamed prophet out of Judah to confront Jeroboam and stop him before he went too far. The bravery of the man of God probably surprised the king because rather than deride Jeroboam or even speak to him, the prophet cried out to the altar, an inanimate object built by Jeroboam for Jeroboam. Verses 2-3 read,

“And the man cried against the altar by the word of the Lord and said, “O altar, altar, thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name, and he shall sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who make offerings on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.’” 3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign that the Lord has spoken: ‘Behold, the altar shall be torn down, and the ashes that are on it shall be poured out.’”

God tried to tell Jeroboam that his false religion would be defiled and he ought to stop. Josiah would fulfil this prophecy 300 years later. (2 Kings 23:15-20). Jeroboam got angry at the man’s words. He pointed at the man and ordered his men to arrest him. And there were immediate consequences.  He had the choice to listen to the Lord and repent, but instead his arrogance got in the way. Verses 4-5 describe it,
“And when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar at Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him.” And his hand, which he stretched out against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back to himself. 5 The altar also was torn down, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.”
The sign the Lord promised was direct and instantaneous and Jeroboam was frozen by the sudden shriveling of his hand paralyzed in mid-air. Jeroboam had the charm that many psychopaths have. He quickly acknowledged the prophet’s power and asked him to fix his hand.  The man of God could have said, “Ha! See there! I was right and you were wrong, live with it buddy!” But he didn’t. He was a man of God and so responded by asking the Lord what He wanted. God had him heal Jeroboam’s shriveled hand. Jeroboam who just moments before had ordered the man to be seized now invited him to his home, rest up, and be rewarded. Verses 8-10 read,

“And the man of God said to the king, “If you give me half your house, I will not go in with you. And I will not eat bread or drink water in this place, 9 for so was it commanded me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘You shall neither eat bread nor drink water nor return by the way that you came.’” 10 So he went another way and did not return by the way that he came to Bethel.”

The Lord gave him this directive for several reasons. Jeroboam was charming and persuasive enough to make 10 tribes of Israel turn away from the Lord and begin the false worship Samaria became famous for. He also didn’t want the man to be in any way indebted to Jeroboam. Also serving God does not come with pay. (Matthew 10:7-9). And God does not want us muddying up our beliefs by discussing His pearls with unappreciative pigs. 2 John 1:7-11 reads,

“For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.”

As the man of God was on his way he was feeling pretty good about himself. Maybe he was feeling a little prideful crediting his goodness with God’s greatness. So the man of God was headed home and an old prophet who lived in Bethel heard about everything that had happened from his sons. He really wanted to talk to this man so he saddled up his donkey and headed to find the man of God. Verses 14-17 read,

“And he went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak. And he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.” 15 Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” 16 And he said, “I may not return with you, or go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place, 17 for it was said to me by the word of the Lord, ‘You shall neither eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by the way that you came.’”

The man of God knew what God had said. He repeated it to the old prophet without a problem but the old prophet perhaps was offended that God wouldn’t want him to talk with him, he was after all a prophet. But he was a prophet who had decided to stay in Bethel, who for whatever reason was not chosen to go speak to Jeroboam. God had to call a man to make the journey form Judah to Bethel instead of using a prophet in the same place as Jeroboam. Verses 18-19 read,

“And he said to him, “I also am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you into your house that he may eat bread and drink water.’” But he lied to him. 19 So he went back with him and ate bread in his house and drank water.”

Where was the man’s faith? He had just uttered prophecy, with a sign and had seen the sign come to be immediately, he had witnessed God shrivel a man’s hand and heal a man’s hand. Did he really think The Lord would have said one thing to him and another to someone else? God doesn’t give people disparate messages. That was his clue that the old prophet was also a false prophet. But he believed the old prophet, whose words sound so much like the serpent’s in the garden of Eden, “Did God really say…” 
God reacted quickly. He had the old prophet deliver a message to the man. Verses 20-22 read,
“And as they sat at the table, the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back. 21 And he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lord and have not kept the command that the Lord your God commanded you, 22 but have come back and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which he said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water,” your body shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.’”

Both men had to acknowledge their sin. The old prophet had lied and that lie had led to a horrible punishment. The man of God had figured that he could eat with a prophet, God must not have meant what he said. Now he was going to be punished. When he died, his body would not be laid with his fathers, he would be forgotten in his family history. Proper burial was important to Israel. One wanted to be buried at least in his home town and certainly with his ancestors. Jacob said, “Bury me with my fathers.” (Genesis 49:29-30). The punishment the man faced was one most Israelites and Judahites would dread.
Just as swiftly as everything else had happened, this prophecy came to be very quickly and even more horribly than the man could have imagined. The old prophet saddled his donkey for the man and sent him on his way. Verses 24-25 describe what happened next.

“And as he went away a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his body was thrown in the road, and the donkey stood beside it; the lion also stood beside the body. 25 And behold, men passed by and saw the body thrown in the road and the lion standing by the body. And they came and told it in the city where the old prophet lived.”
The two animals just stood there next to the body and people saw this incredible sight and talked about it but couldn’t do anything about it. So of course word reached the old prophet. He was very upset, he was deeply convicted about tempting the man away from his way home. If he had not lied, if he had stayed away or perhaps chosen to walk part of the way with the man, it wouldn’t have happened.
So he saddled a donkey and went to find the man’s body. It was there just like everyone had described. He put it on his donkey and brought it back home where he buried the man in his tomb. He was profoundly sorry. His punishment was worse than the man’s, he had to live with the consequences. So he mourned and repented. Verses 31-32 read,

“And he laid the body in his own grave. And they mourned over him, saying, “Alas, my brother!” 31 And after he had buried him, he said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in the grave in which the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones. 32 For the saying that he called out by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel and against all the houses of the high places that are in the cities of Samaria shall surely come to pass.”

He also saw that God’s word was real and true. He knew that the prophecy about Josiah would come to pass and if he were buried as Jeroboam’s priest or prophet, his bones would be desecrated. He ensured he would not be burned with the rest by having his body buried so closely with the man that they would be indistinguishable when both were bone and dust. He made sure the tomb was inscribed, not with his name or position but with the man’s title. In his longing to preserve dignity in death he took on the punishment of being forgotten in death. (2 Kings 23-17-18).
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1 Kings 12:25-33 Beware False Prophets, the Spirit of the Antichrist is Rampant.

9/28/2015

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Matthew 7:13-14 on photo of Garden Trellis by Donna Campbell
Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matthew 7:13-14
1 Kings 12:25-33
Not everything that looks like worship is worship of The One True Living God. Not everything that looks like Christianity is of Jesus our Christ. People can, even with good intentions, twist, misinterpret, or misunderstand scripture and make something out of it that is not there. Some people just flagrantly make up their own system of worship, rules, or rituals either for their own gain or out of misguided notions of “good.” Be careful! Looking and sounding Christian doesn’t make it Christian. If it does not proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, then it is not from God but from the enemy. (1 John 4:3).
King Jeroboam had a predicament. Israel needed to worship God, but to do that they had to travel to the Temple in Jerusalem which was in Judah. He knew when the people went there, they would want to reunite with Judah under the Davidic king and abandon and kill him. So he had a plan. Verses 28-30 read,

“So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” 29 And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 30 Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one.”

Although clearly not the worship God had prescribed it looked and sounded like it could be godly. People didn’t question, people didn’t look to scripture, people didn’t remember that the golden calf Aaron had made was an idol and had caused war within Israel leading to the deaths of 3,000 people. (Exodus 32). Israel simply accepted Jeroboam’s word and it looked enough like their religion to seem okay. We are told to question. We are told to test what is being fed to us. 1 John 4:1-6 reads,
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”

But Jeroboam didn’t stop with the sin of the golden calves in place of The Temple. Verses 31-33 read,
“He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites. 32 And Jeroboam appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made. 33 He went up to the altar that he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month that he had devised from his own heart. And he instituted a feast for the people of Israel and went up to the altar to make offerings.”

The feast Jeroboam instituted was a perversion of The Feast of Tabernacles, a feast that required the Temple which Israel no longer had access to. It was a celebratory feast of thanksgiving and fellowship and very prominent in proper worship of The Lord. Solomon had dedicated the Temple during The Feast of the Tabernacles and Jeroboam needed what he did to look godly in order to lead the people away from The Lord and to him and his new system. Jeroboam was not only king of Israel, but he set himself up as high priest of his new religion and appointed non-Levite priests who would not question or inquire of The Lord for the truth. 
His actions are a shadow of the coming antichrist. Jeroboam seemed like a good king to the people of Israel. He made them believe that their lives under God’s appointed king Solomon had been terrible. He had made them think Solomon’s yoke had been heavy. (1 Kings 12:4). But the fact was that the prosperity in Israel had been great. (1 Kings 10:21). And even the forced labor of building the Temple and palace had not been drawn from Israelites. (1 Kings 9:22). Jeroboam lied to the people with a silk tongue and the people believed his lies because he spoke to their vanity. 
Consider this, Jeroboam was king of the Northern Kingdom, ten tribes of Israel. Revelation 13:1-2 describe the antichrist, the beast this way,

“And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.”

The antichrist empowered by Satan will rule ten nations. This is not the only similarity. Jeroboam made a new festival to replace The Feast of the Tabernacles, he changed the date by a month.
Daniel 7:23-25 describe him like this,

“Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast,
there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,
    which shall be different from all the kingdoms,
and it shall devour the whole earth,
    and trample it down, and break it to pieces.
24 As for the ten horns,
out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,
    and another shall arise after them;
he shall be different from the former ones,
    and shall put down three kings.
25 He shall speak words against the Most High,
    and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,
    and shall think to change the times and the law;
and they shall be given into his hand
    for a time, times, and half a time.”


The people didn’t have to fall for Jeroboam’s lies and so sin right along with him. They could have prayed. They could have asked the prophets to inquire of God. (There were prophets in the Northern kingdom, tomorrow we’ll read about one of them.) The prophets could have spoken up. The Levites could have spoken up. The people could have checked the scriptures with the help of the Levites to see that Jeroboam was distorting God and creating an idol.
But they didn’t. They would pay for their sin of deliberant ignorance. Be careful there are false teachers, false prophets, and false religions. They sound good, but are corrupt. They seem like they lead to Truth, but they are lies which lead to death. Jesus warned us in Matthew 7:13-23.

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”

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2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 Trust Mr. Chaos Inciter or Trust The Lord About The Apocalypse

9/2/2015

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Matthew 24:29-31 On photo of Sun Breaking through Storm Clouds by Donna Campbell
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matthew 24:29-31 On photo of Sun Breaking through Storm Clouds by Donna Campbell
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

End times hysteria has a way of hanging around causing chaos and generally scaring people. People are fascinated by it, even if they don’t believe it will happen. There are numerous books and movies that make a lot of money by twisting biblical truth out of context. The confusion and commotion do not lead people to the Truth, instead it leads people to a god of their on making and away from Jesus. The church at Thessalonica was hearing rumors and they were frightened. But Paul reminded them they already knew that the rumors were unfounded, they had the prophecies, the scriptures and the teaching to understand the truth. Verses 1-5 read,

“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?”

Jesus described it this way in Matthew 24:15-18,

“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak.”

As believers, we don’t have to freak out when we hear the hearsay or the heresy. We know the truth, we have access to the Word of God, and we have communication with God Himself. The current uproar about the apocalypse being about to start is based on what John Hagee calls The Four Blood Moons. I have not read this book, but I have read the Bible. The tetrad of blood moons is not Biblically based.

First let me give a quick explanation of a blood moon. A blood moon is a lunar eclipse. It is called a blood moon because as the shadow of the earth covers the moon, it turns a coppery red color, the color of blood. A tetrad of blood moons means four lunar eclipses separated by 6 lunar months each. The final blood moon of the current tetrad will take place on September 27th-28th 2015. The first three of these moons were not visible in Israel. I would think that when God shows us a sign it will be seen by all His people and especially in Israel. Since the first century there have been 62 tetrads of blood moons.

People like John Hagee who sold a lot of books about it want to frighten people and say that this is a sign of “The End” They have misconstrued scripture and trust that we will trust them enough to not read the Word for ourselves. What does the Bible say about the moon turning to blood? Joel 2:30-32 reads,

“And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.”

And Revelation 6:12-14 says,

“When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. 14 The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.”

Clearly it is more than the moon looking red for a couple of nights. But there are many people out there who are agitated about Armageddon, the day of reckoning. We should be provoked by it, but we shouldn’t incite fear or extremism. We have to know the facts, we have to study for ourselves.

Did the antichrist set himself up as god to the world yet? Nope. Did he desecrate God’s Temple yet and put himself in God’s place? No. People have come and will continue to come saying things like, “The world will end October 21st 2015!” or “Jesus came back!” This is a sign of that the end is coming but it is not a sign of the end. In Matthew 24:23-27 Jesus said,

“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand.26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

We will know when Jesus comes back! We will see it! There are many things be ought to know and keep in mind about the end times. I strongly urge you to read Matthew 24 and the other prophecies about the end times for yourself.

The times are becoming more and more evil. Christianity is being marginalized and one world religion is gaining popularity. These are signs that the end is nearing, but it is not the end. These things have been happening since Jesus ascended to Heaven. They will continue until He comes back. The Lord is holding the antichrist back. He has Satan in check until the right time. Ad we trust The Lord to do it in His time, not ours. Verses 6-8 read,

“And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.”

As followers of Christ we look forward to The Day of Judgement, but remember that many many people will enter eternal damnation on that day. Many people will be lost forever. Our Father doesn’t want that. 2 Peter 3:8-10 says,

“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed”

Some things have to happen in order for God to say “The time is now.” All peoples have to have heard the Gospel. (Mathew 24:14). Everyone has to have a chance to accept or reject Christ. And when they reject Him, God will let them believe in the antichrist. They won’t see his evil, which will be obvious to believers, they’ll see him as great and powerful, a unifier of nations and just what and who they’ve been seeking right up until they see Jesus leading His angel armies. Then they’ll fall to their knees in devastating realization of the Truth. Satan thinks he’s in charge right now and up to that moment, most of the world will gladly follow the father of lies. Verses 9-12 read,

“The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

Believer, do not feed lies and chaos. Know the Truth, trust the Truth, and teach the Truth. The people who spread fear, lies, and bedlam will pay for their sins. The people who glorify Jesus will bless the earth and reap rewards they do not deserve.

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Titus 1:5-16 Your Life Speaks Volumes about Your Faith

4/19/2015

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Titus Chapter 1 Verses 5-16

Paul wrote to Titus in Crete to give him instructions on the church there. In the first chapter he gives descriptions of two different types of people, those he should appoint as elders and those he should not allow to infiltrate and divide the church.

Elders are church leaders. They have a lot of responsibility on their backs and it is vitally important that they are mature Christians. The proof of their Christian walk has to be evident in their personal lives. It is something we should all endeavor toward. Our lives should be a testimony to Jesus. Our lives should speak to our faith. Verse 6 says it this way,

“if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination.”

Although polygamy took place, even among the fathers of our faith it is not the ideal marriage God envisions for His children. Marriage on earth, especially the Christian marriage is a picture of God’s relationship with us. It is meant to be one man and one woman in a committed, faithful and mutually monogamous relationship. So elders are required to have one wife.

His children must be believers and must not be rebellious and ill-behaved. If a man cannot live his Christianity in a manner that makes his children want to know Jesus, if he can’t even be the spiritual leader of the home how is if supposed to be the spiritual leader of a church? Our children, our spouses, and the way we conduct our private lives are the proof of our heart for God. If our private lives are a mess, if our children hate us and are drug addicted rebellious and lost then whatever mask we put on in our public lives is only a disguise for our real selves. We can’t be effective Christians leading others to Christ or maturity if we are living a façade. Verses 7-8 read,

“For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.”

If we are in a leadership position we represent the church to the world. And whether we are leaders or not we always represent Jesus to them. People want to sling mud at us and sully our reputations. We should not ever give them ammunition to do so. Let them make up lies, but don’t let the dirt be the truth.

We can’t be arrogant. Jesus had all the right in the universe to be proud, yet he was the most humble man that ever lived. He was God and He washed the dirt, refuse, and dung off the feet of the disciples, He dined with people who no one dared be seen with, and He suffered the death of a criminal. We should follow His example and get our hands dirty, love others as Jesus loves us, and think of others more highly than ourselves.

We have to be like our LORD, slow to anger. And when we do get angry we have to make certain it is righteous and be very careful not to sin in that anger. Anger is an emotion that we all experience. It is not a sin, but It is a sin to let it control us, to let the fury overtake our minds and make us lose reason.

Regardless of our thoughts on alcohol whether we never touch it or drink regularly, we are commanded not to get drunk.  Getting drunk leads to sin, it leads to loss of self-control and licentiousness follows quickly. Instead we ought to be filled with The Holy Spirit whose proof is manifested in sharp contrast to alcohol.  Ephesians 5:18 reads,

“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,”

Galatians 5:22-23 says,

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

In fact if we read verses 7-8 again we see Paul is saying the elder has to bear the fruit of the Spirit. Jesus should be plainly seen in him. He is to be peaceful not violent, generous and not a servant of money, a seeker of righteousness, self-controlled. He has to be a man whose relationship with the Lord is apparent. Verse 9 describes him this way,

“He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”

Do we know what it is we believe as believers? We should know the Gospel, know what the Word of God says, and believe it is the truth. After we become Christians, we are not supposed to remain ignorant of God, we are supposed to grow in Him, and grow to know Him and His Word. We should be able to teach it to others. Knowing God is another sign of our maturity. Knowing what we believe is important. Otherwise any time someone comes in with a new idea, we follow it and we are tossed around like a buoy on a stormy sea. Instead of growing closer to God we move from idea to idea. One week we promote meditation, the next week we support self-punishment, and the week after we sing the glories of recognizing self-worth.

The mature Christian doesn’t allow people to come in and teach those false doctrines. The mature Christian doesn’t let his less mature brothers follow false teachings but keeps them following the truth and reprimands the one spreading the lies.

But there are many liars, many rebellious and disobedient people who come in to our fellowships. They serve money, they serve themselves, they serve the prince of this world. They cause divisions and they seek their own benefit and glory instead of the good of the church and the glory of Jesus Christ. Verses 10-11 say,

“For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. 11 They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.”

What they teach sounds right to the less mature and ignorant. The people in Crete were telling the church they had to follow the Law of Moses. That sounds like something God would want. But when we know the truth, when we know what the scriptures say then we know that it isn’t the case. We can admonish the one spreading the lies and protect the hearts of the unenlightened.

Rebuking the one spreading lies is not easy but it is important, not only for those who will be led astray but for the one we have to rebuke. They are sinful. Their flesh is in control of their hearts. The Cretans who came into the church to endorse legalism, sensuality, or other false paths followed their flesh rather than the Spirit. But God loved them just as deeply as anyone else and so He gave the mature Christian the duty of calling them out. Verses 12-14 read,

“One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth.,”

We want them to be sound in the faith. We want them to devote themselves to Christ, not laws and myths. We want them to be able to lead people to Jesus not to Hell.

Verses 15-16 read,

“To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.”

A Christian doesn’t have to be concerned with worrying about what meat to eat, what days he can work, or what words he may or may not say. He is saved by grace. He has the Spirit of God inside Him and He is being transformed to Christ’s image. He bears the fruit of the Spirit. But the unsaved person doesn’t believe that Jesus grace is enough. The whole world becomes sin and everything in it will corrupt him. He says he follows God but he really follows the law. His works reveal the truth about him. His life shows the futility of his endeavor.

Look at your life, the results of your work and it will show you where your heart abides. Do you do good works to try and earn God’s favor or do you do good works because God is with you and they are the outpouring of your heart? Our lives are our witness. Our lives are the proof of our beliefs.

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The Epistle of Jude Do You Have What it Takes to Contend for the Faith?

4/10/2015

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The Epistle of Jude

Believers we should be defending the truth, opposing the liars, the false prophets and false teachers, and asserting the Gospel. But so many of us get caught up in the fancy words, sprinkled with just enough  scripture or christianese that we don’t challenge the liars, doubt the truth, and even fall victim to their twisted beliefs.

Jude, the brother of James and Jesus wrote to the church to warn them about the heretics and the lies that were infiltrating the church. Verses 3-4 read,

“Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

If we don’t insist on the pure truth, who will? How many people will fall for the false teachers, who today often have television shows and attract hundreds of thousands to their sugary messages?

Or are you one of the people who maybe falling for the promises of the positive preachers? Do you know the Bible for yourself? Do you know Jesus for yourself? That is the best way to discern the truth from the lies. That is the way to fight back. The false teachers can’t win against the truth. It may be a long struggle, but you can’t give up, you can’t let more people follow them to destruction. All those who don’t confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe with their heart that God raised Him from the dead will burn eternally in Hell.

We have to know what the scriptures say, we have to know the Gospel we claim to believe. We can’t very well contend for the faith if we don’t know what our faith is. Verses 5-7 read,

“Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— 7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.”

What are some of the characteristics of the false teachers? Verse 8 describes them.

“Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones.”

We’ve seen those people, they seem so spiritual, but they depend too much on themselves. And they blaspheme, that is curse the glorious ones. The glorious ones are not only the angels, but the demons and Satan as well. Only God has a right to do that. We do not have a right to curse or rebuke them, that is God’s role. These people take God’s role into themselves, declaring visions and truths that come from their own mind and desire for pleasure, power and prosperity. They follow their fleshly and base desires, they live by whims and instincts. These are the ones declaring God’s new will to others all the time rather than proclaiming Jesus Christ. Verses 10-12 describe them like this,

“But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. 11 Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion. 12 These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted;”

The focus of their ministry is the ego, and the result of their ministry is their own gain. We have to oppose the lies and dark. We belong to Christ and we have to stand for truth, live nobly, and glorify Him always. Verses 17-23 encourage us,

“But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” 19 It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.”

We can’t just stand by and watch as they lead people down some path that leads to Hell. We have to strive for maturity, always more of Jesus and less of us, more of the Spirit and less of our flesh. We have to read the word and live the word and through our suffering be transformed into the image of Christ. We have to be able to discern the false from the true and stop them. Tell them the truth and give them the choice to accept or reject Christ.

Do you feel you aren’t strong enough to fall into the trap of sinning and flesh? Do you think you don’t have what it takes to oppose the wicked? You don’t have to be strong enough, you can’t oppose the wicked. But Jesus can. He gave you the Holy Spirit. Verses 24-25 read,

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”

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2 Peter 2 If You Know the Word Yourself, You Wont Fall for Lies.

4/8/2015

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2 Peter Chapter 2

It is very important for believers to read the Bible, to pray, and to pursue knowledge of God. Otherwise they will follow whatever sounds nice, even if it is in complete opposition to the Gospel. They can begin to believe the well-woven tales of liars who take parts of the Bible and present them with their strange logic. They appeal to emotions and fleshly desires. They are about feeling good and being positive. Peter exhorts the church to beware of those people. Verses 1-3 read,

“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”

The same demons who infested people in Noah’s day and in Sodom and Gomorrah are infesting them now to keep as many as possible from the truth. In Peter’s day, the false prophets and false teachers had to go into each church to spread their heretical doctrine. Today, they only have to appear on television. They still go into the churches, some even start their own churches. They look good. They seem so positive and pleasant with their big smiles and agreeable words. They can make people believe the lies they tell, because they sprinkle in enough scripture to make them think it is biblical. They offer freedom in prosperity, perfect health, and power. And desperate people searching for good news, seeking relief from their problems throw money at them and exalt the false teachers as their saviors.

We must know the Bible ourselves. We must read the word ourselves instead of only listening to what this preacher or that preacher says. A good preacher wants you to read it yourself, he wants us to question him about what he has taught. We are seeking God, not a preacher. In 1 Corinthians 15:34 Paul has some harsh words for people who don’t bother learning for themselves, who believe the false teachers who denied Jesus’ resurrection and brought other lies to them.

“Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.”

We must remain diligent in our pursuit of the Kingdom of God. We have to recognize truth and lies. We have to be assiduous in our godliness. Lot lived in Sodom for years. All around him people gave way to the most base of desires. Yet, he remained righteous. Imagine the derision he faced day after day as everyone in that city called him hater, Pious Pat, and evil. But he remained steadfast and never let their vile life become normal and acceptable to him. Verses 7-10 read,

“and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.”

The Lord brought Lot safely out of Sodom when he destroyed the city for its sin. The Lord has rescued us from the punishment of sin to the awesome hope of eternal life. Let that promise keep us persistent in following God instead of man. Allow the promise of our salvation to keep us diligent and deliberate in partaking of God’s nature instead of the flesh nature.

Peter gives a lengthy description of false teachers in verses 10-22 and I highly recommend you read it for yourself in case you recognize people that fit that description. Verses 14-15 read,

“They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! 15 Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,”

It is the unsteady soul who falls for the lies. Not only must we be careful about what we listen to and believe but we have to watch out for our brothers and sisters who are weaker, less mature, or going through trials that make them vulnerable to these vultures. Verses 18-19 say,

“For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.”

We’ve all seen brothers and sisters teetering on the edge. We must step in and be Jesus to them to keep them from following lies instead of Jesus. They will either be overcome by Jesus or overcome by false promises of pleasure. We can be the difference.

Once a person hears and understands the truth about Jesus, if she goes back to living as a slave to lies, her punishment is much worse than the one who never heard the Gospel. We can’t let that happen to her. Verses 20-21 say it like this.

“For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them”

Are you following a false teacher or Jesus? Do you know God for yourself or are you taking someone else’s word for who He is and what He has said? Is there a brother or sister who may fall victim to a false prophet? Pursue God. Pursue Truth.

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Ezekiel 22 We Need to Let Sin be Revealed, Not Covered Up.

3/8/2015

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Ezekiel Chapter 22

Israel’s sin had gotten so horrible that God could not keep letting it go for a future day. He had told them they would pay for their sin, but they had ignored Him. God called Jerusalem a bloody city and described it this way in verses 3-5,

“You shall say, Thus says the Lord God: A city that sheds blood in her midst, so that her time may come, and that makes idols to defile herself! 4 You have become guilty by the blood that you have shed, and defiled by the idols that you have made, and you have brought your days near, the appointed time of your years has come. Therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mockery to all the countries. 5 Those who are near and those who are far from you will mock you; your name is defiled; you are full of tumult.”

He said it was Israel’s own doing that was bringing judgment down sooner rather than later. He listed her sins for her so that she could see how really depraved she had become.

·         They had become bloodthirsty and power hungry. (Verse 6).

·         They not only didn’t care for the orphans and widows among them, they made more. (Verses 7 and 25).

·         They treated their parents with contempt, they extorted money from the sojourner. They robbed people. They took advantage of the poor, needy and weak. They put money and profit above everything else (Verses 7, 12, 27, 29).

·         They defiled the Sabbaths and despised God’s Holy things. They treated the sacred as common and the common as sacred, they committed violence and then acted without remorse and continued to “worship” as if their violence didn’t matter, they were even lewd in the places meant to be holy. (Verses 8, 9, 26,)

·         They committed sexual sins with their neighbor’s spouses, their spouses’ children, their children’s spouses, and their siblings. They had couldn’t restrain themselves long enough to wait for a woman to finish menstruating. (Verses 10, 11).

·         They spoke for God when God didn’t speak, they whitewashed their sins by pretending it was okay with God. (Verses 23 and 28).

God was angry. He was ready to pour that anger out on His people, not so they would see how angry He was, but so they would remember who He was, so they would be purified, cleansed, and restored. Verses 17-22 read,

“And the word of the Lord came to me: 18 “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me; all of them are bronze and tin and iron and lead in the furnace; they are dross of silver. 19 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you have all become dross, therefore, behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. 20 As one gathers silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin into a furnace, to blow the fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in my anger and in my wrath, and I will put you in and melt you. 21 I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted in the midst of it. 22 As silver is melted in a furnace, so you shall be melted in the midst of it, and you shall know that I am the Lord; I have poured out my wrath upon you.”

False prophets had lied to the people and led them to believe everything was hunky dory. But it wasn’t. Their sins were disgusting. They had been blinded to their own revolting wickedness and it had degenerated to a point which even the heathen nations around them thought they were sick.

Have we been blinded to our own corruption? Are we listening to false prophets with “positive” messages lead us down a wide path to destruction? Are we allowing people to walk down those paths away from the LORD?

Sin must be paid for. What kind of God would let evil and sin go unsettled? Sin is sin. What kind of God would make us guess which sins are okay and which are not? We are all sinners. Every single one of us has sinned. Every single one of us must pay for sin. And the price of sin is death. But God made a way! He sent His Son, Jesus. Jesus never sinned, not once. And because He lived perfectly, He didn’t owe His life. Instead, He gave it up freely to pay for the sins of anyone who would accept it.

We realize we are sinners and that we desperately need Jesus. We call on Him and He pays the price for our sin. All of it is forgiven, gone cleansed. What was once dross is now gone and we are left pure in God’s eyes. The Holy Spirit comes in seals us as forever belonging to God and works from that day forward transforming us to the perfect image of Christ.

But we have to see our sin to appreciate our desperate need. The popular teachers out there leading people to think they are just ducky and everything is copacetic are leading people to Hell. They don’t want to offend anyone by mentioning sin or Jesus. They are offending the LORD God!

Examine your own heart then. Ask the Spirit to examine it and to reveal your sin to you. Get off the wide positive whitewashed path and follow Jesus. The Lord looked for one man among Israel to rebuild them, and lead them back to Him, but couldn’t find one. So He poured used His wrath to purify them. Verses 30-31 read,

“And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none. 31 Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have returned their way upon their heads, declares the Lord God.”

You can be the person that reveals Jesus to people. He is standing in the breach. He and only He can save anyone from the fire.

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Ezekiel 14. God isn't a deck of tarot cards or a Magic 8 Ball.

2/28/2015

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Ezekiel Chapter 14

We can’t fake devotion to God. We might be able to fake it to the world and even to ourselves, but not to God. If there are idols in our hearts, we cannot expect to treat God as if there are not. When one cheats on her husband then goes home to be intimate with her spouse, she is a liar and an adulterer. She may fool her husband, but God will not be deceived. He knows our hearts. He sees what she does, even in the dark. We can’t turn to astrology, expanded consciousness, or other spiritual avenues and also turn to the LORD God. He is the One True Living God. He had some words for the people who practiced idolatry and yet still came to seek His advice. He would not allow them to consult Him as if He were a Zoltar Fortune Teller game or a Magic 8 Ball. Verses 6-8 read,

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations. 7 For any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel, who separates himself from me, taking his idols into his heart and putting the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to a prophet to consult me through him, I the Lord will answer him myself. 8 And I will set my face against that man; I will make him a sign and a byword and cut him off from the midst of my people, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

It isn’t good and happy news that these kind of idolaters receive. They will get what they asked for. The LORD will answer them personally. Not by giving in to inquiries, but by telling them who He is. He is a jealous God and He will not put up with idolatry.

It is not only the cheaters who must beware, it is the prophet to whom they turn. It can be tempting to give them the answers they seek or give them sugar-coated watered-down messages rather than “repent or be punished.” But the LORD doesn’t want or need His children to change His word. Verses 9-10 speak to the prophet who is deluded by the idolater.

“And if the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, the Lord, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. 10 And they shall bear their punishment—the punishment of the prophet and the punishment of the inquirer shall be alike”

To tell the idolater what she wants to hear is to lead her away from the truth instead of to the Lord. To let someone think that God approves of a melting pot of beliefs, where He holds the same weight as a charm bracelet is synonymous with teaching them to worship a god of their own making. Jesus is the way and the truth and the life. He is the only way to the Father. Allowing people to think God is cool with any other path is letting them walk down that path toward Hell.

We can’t dilute His message. We can’t let people think live and let live is okay. To live and let live is not only to live and let die but leading people to death. Tell them the truth and let them make the choice without our or God’s stamp of approval. What is the truth? God loves them and wants them to know Him, the real Him, not the god they’ve created. Verse 11 says it like this.

“that the house of Israel may no more go astray from me, nor defile themselves anymore with all their transgressions, but that they may be my people and I may be their God, declares the Lord God.”

A child will not stop behaving badly if she thinks her parents endorse her conduct. People will not stop sinning if they think the Lord sanctions it. It isn’t your job to make them feel good about themselves and their practices. It is your job to obey the LORD. It is your job to glorify Him and make disciples. God knows what He is doing. Some people need to suffer or struggle before they turn to God. Do not take that away from them. Verses 21-23 read,

“For thus says the Lord God: How much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous acts of judgment, sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast! 22 But behold, some survivors will be left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out; behold, when they come out to you, and you see their ways and their deeds, you will be consoled for the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, for all that I have brought upon it. 23 They will console you, when you see their ways and their deeds, and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, declares the Lord God.”

Glorify the Lord. Do not compromise. Do not allow idolatry into your life. If someone comes to you seeking counsel from the Lord, listen to what the Lord tells you and speak only what He tells you. You are not a psychic and God is not a pack of tarot cards. To offer them the advice they ask for is to be deceived and to minimize the Lord to a crystal ball. Just because they ask God, doesn’t mean they worship Him alone. Just because they come to you doesn’t mean you should offer your wisdom. Let them repent or let them find their answers in their horoscope.

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    Give to Salt & Light

    Donna Campbell

    As I read the Bible every day, I take what God teaches me, what He says, and write it out. I then share that with you. It gives me a deeper understanding of the Word and I hope that it will encourage you as it does me, to put your love and faith into action.

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