He is faithful God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.—1 Cor. 1:9 How is trust built? With anyone, whether it’s parents or friends or enemies or government or neighbors, trust is built or destroyed by relationship, and experience. It is the same with God.…
It will happen in these last days “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day (The Day of The Lord) shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”— 2 Thess. 2:3 (2 Thess 2:1-15) It seems that this event…
Have You Tested God? “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”—Luke 6: 38 First, I wanna say that this verse and all…
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John Chapter 3)
We must be born again, because our natural self has a corrupted nature which comes from Adam’s fall in the Garden.
We sin, because of this corrupted nature. (Book of Romans)
We are subject to Death because of this corrupted nature. (Book of Romans)
When we commit that first sin, like Adam. When we are tempted by Satan and fall, we also become slaves of the Enemy and destined for Hell.
This is why Jesus was subject to death, but not a slave to Satan or destined for Hell. Because He never sinned. His fleshly body was subject to death, like us, but His soul and Spirit was not corrupted by His own sin, because He never sinned. He was God in the flesh.
What is Hell?
Hell was created for Satan and His Angels, it is a holding place for evil; and all things filthy and corrupted.
God cannot allow that corruption into Paradise or eternity. Or else it will spread again and all of eternity will be as bad as this world, and this life. So, it must be washed, redeemed or saved to be allowed to make it in.
Remember
God destroyed the Earth with a Flood, and 8 souls survived.
And that Plague of Sin survived in them, and corrupted the Earth again.
It will be destroyed with fire next time.
And this is why we must be born again.
It washes our souls and spirits in the Blood of Jesus, to make us white as snow.
We still sin. We still have a corrupted nature in the flesh.
But, we have a living spirit.
We have a soul that is being renewed.
We have become a clean vessel where the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us.
Like Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
We are saved by Grace through faith. (Eph. 2)
We confess Jesus is our Lord. (Romans 10:9-10)
We ask God to save us and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us, and we get baptized as our first act of faith. (Acts 2:38)
Baptism is a picture of us dying to our old corrupted self, and rising again with Christ. We die to the flesh. We die to this world and the corruption. We die with Christ.
We are then made alive again in Him. (Rom. 6:11)
He is the living water. Whosoever shall drink of Him shall never thirst again. (John 4)
Our born again experience mirrors new birth.
A woman having a baby is in travail. She is hurting. She is having contractions. They get closer and closer together.
Likewise, we see our lives going out of control. Trouble here, trouble there, nothing seems to go right. We cannot fix it. Everything is wrong.
We are beaten down. Life just won’t work any more.
We don’t know what to do.
But, we hear His voice in the darkness. We know He calls us, and we turn to Him.
We ask Him to save us, and He does.
He will save you if you ask Him. He will bring you through your troubles and safely to the other side.
When we turn to Him, He saves us and we are born again. A new creature. No longer subject to Hell. No longer a slave of Lucifer. Clean forever in Christ.
The angels rejoice. Our family waiting for us in Paradise; those generations of the saved, rejoice also. ( Luke 15:10)
This is the process for all new life.
Likewise, the new creation of the heavens and the earth at His return must go through the birthing process in these last days.
Like a woman in travail, the troubles will get closer and closer together. It will get worse and worse. (1 Thess. 5:3)
Till the Lord bursts through the sky with his saints, at His glorious appearing.
We must be born again, to enter Paradise.
Just turn to Him and ask.
Like the thief on the cross. (Luke 23:40-43)
We are broken, corrupted and dangling above death and hell.
We cannot do right.
We need Him.
He is there suffering with you.
Just ask Him. (Acts 2:21)
Lord, please save me.
And let Him, do the work.
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois.
He rewards those who seek him. And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11 If a son shall…
So, we know the seasons. The Bible is 30% prophecy, as some have stated. But, when you consider that the whole thing is about Jesus Christ, and that all the stories and pictures speak of Him, His First Coming and Second Coming, I think its more like 100%. God has called all believers to be…
God works to build the Kingdom through us. James 2:14-26 In this passage. The apostle James, speaks of works being an aspect of our faith. It ends with the famous phrase “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” In the verses James shows that God commanded…
When mankind fell in the Garden we all became slaves to Satan and His fallen angels. We became corrupt and plagued by death, suffering and the desires of the flesh.
It was all part of Satan’s plan to become “As the most high.” (Isa. 14:12-14)
In order to be god, you must have worshipers. You must have followers. People willing to do anything for you.
When Satan took dominion of the Earth from Adam, he made all humans his slaves.
But, a god needs total control. These humans are all over the place listening to their own desires of the flesh or to the Spirit of the One True God.
It wasn’t hard for Satan to get his human slaves to start killing each other. It wasn’t hard to breed with them and create demi-god offspring who would rule in the flesh, while demons and fallen angels rule in the spirit. (Gen. 6:1-8)
It wasn’t hard to start building a global empire, ruled by giants and men of great reknown, and their offspring.
Till the One True God washed it all away in a Global Flood.
But, Satan’s dominion and claim remained. Physical death could not end it. The corrupted nature of man and the demonic influence continued.
It wasn’t hard to start getting humans to kill again after the Flood. It wasn’t hard to create fear, and start building empires. The human slaves. The Children of Satan, the demons and fallen angels, went back to work building a world fit for a god. A Kingdom for Lucifer, his angels and his offspring.
A global kingdom where Satan is the most high.
Where kings claiming to be of divine descent, with fallen angel blood running through their veins. Enslaving the masses; sending them to kill and die for the hidden master.
Then comes the Lord to save the world. But, it was easy for Satan to kill Him on that cross.
Victory!
But, the victory was quickly snatched away, like the keys of death and hell.
Satan and his angels ruling the world as gods, fell like lightening in the shadow of the Lord’s victory.
But, it was easy to get humans to kill each other again.
Killing to stop the new faith.
But it grew anyway.
The Lord used His saints to spread light in darkness and give the World, the Lord’s written Word.
It was still easy to kill more and more as the children and slaves of Satan followed the hidden master. Even killing each other in the name of the Lord.
It was easy for Satan to get his offspring to create multiple faiths and flood the world with it.
It was easy to take control of the money along with the kings. Satan would even help his enemy spread the faith. But, he would really be spreading his own faith, and control for his growing kingdom. Using the name of the Lord, to steal, kill and destroy in every nation on Earth. Using the name of the Lord to build the Kingdom of Lucifer. Snatching victory from defeat.
It was an easy thing to get his slaves, followers and children to spread and build that Empire as they worship money, more than they care for each other. It was easy to send them to new lands that Satan knew existed, from the foundation of the world. Before the Flood and cataclysms broke it apart.
It was easy to get men to kill and enslave each other. It was easy to get humans to desire money and make others work to build it. It was easy to get his children in power to pass laws allowing it. A few threats, a few greased palms, a few false doctrines, and philosophies.
To twist God’s Word into lies in order to condemn souls. To keep the Word from the masses. To kill any who translated it, or spread it.
It was easy to twist already corrupted souls, with highly educated minds.
To create a land of freedom, full of slaves. Physical and spiritual.
But, again the Lord moved in His people to create a document of freedom. A document that set men free from the bondage of kings, and oppressors.
But, did nothing for spiritual bondage. Where only Christ sets free.
Victory!
Till the Lord used the freedoms laid out in the document to spread His message of freedom in Jesus.
So, Satan set about to stop the Gospel.
To set about changing the document and using the freedoms to continue to build a kingdom for Lucifer and his children.
A global kingdom where Satan sits on the throne.
But those saints keep speaking and singing and working to build the Lord’s Kingdom; and people are flocking to them. They are setting people free and fighting to change the world and the hearts of men.
It was easy for Satan to infiltrate the movements and philosophies. It was easy to get his slaves and followers to fight against the evil that his own demons and children had created.
He has dominion after all. He is the god of this world after all. (2 Cor. 4:4)
And it would go further in corrupting the document that helps allow the message of the Lord to spread.
To stop the Gospel and build a Kingdom one must unite the slaves together.
What better way, than to get them to fight the slavery Satan created and to get them to hate each other and kill each other over it?
What better way, to truly unite a country to use for building a global empire, than to raise it up out of a devastating war?
A war to end their separation, and unite them, to build a Luciferian global kingdom.
What better way to create war, than to start a problem, then move the pieces around, and manipulate the slaves to kill each other.
What better way to build, than to destroy and create from the broken pieces a New World Order.
Now, that the American Civil war has happened and Satan has centralized power in that country. He can move forward to do the the same all over the world, war after war, until the whole world is united and worshiping Him as the most high god.
And if they won’t worship him in spirit and truth,
Then,
They will worship as slaves, who think they are free.
Nothing unites the people like war, money and fear.
And we are being centralized to be controlled in the New World Order Anti-Christ Kingdom of these last days.
Till the Lord comes.
That Rock, cut out without hands, to smash this false kingdom for eternity.
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois.
Why does God let us struggle? When we get saved, we might notice that there are things that change in us immediately. But, there are other things that do not. It’s like God saves us and removes some things but leaves other things in our lives for us to struggle with. I mean if God…
We are corrupt at the very core. What I am going to present to you today is something different. A different way to look at the world, and humanity. Something different than the legalism around us. As Christians we are taught and have come to understand a view of God, Scripture and the World based…
We are tempted to reject Him. When we get saved, we confess Jesus as our Lord, and believe in Him alone for salvation. We are called to Walk in the Spirit, and to abide in Him. We get great joy in the Lord. Prayers answered. Life changing experiences, and we see Him working to protect…
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”— Phil 4:6-7
As we walk with God, having a relationship with Him; we will grow in spirit. Our own selves will become less and He will become more. We realize our own weaknesses and lean on Him more and more.
This is the growth of our faith. We start to transition from flesh to spirit.
Notice in this verse the first phrase. “Be careful for nothing.”
In our flesh we have fear, doubt, worries and concerns. We see with our fleshly eyes and we are impacted by it. Like when Peter walked on water and took his eyes of Christ, because He was distracted by the wind and the waves.
In essence, it is a lack of trust in God. Because if we saw God standing next to us in awesome power, would we be concerned about anything? No. But, the enemy and our flesh distracts us and causes us to doubt or worry.
God has not given us a spirit of fear. It’s from the devil. (2 Tim 1:7)
God gives us power, love and a sound mind through the Holy Spirit.
Through Him we have access to the throne. He intercedes for us. He translates our prayer into the proper format for power. His love is in us. His truth and wisdom gives us a sound mind.
When we pray we trust Him. We put our faith in Him. We believe that He hears us and will respond. We believe it.
The next phrase says, “But in everything”, That means everything. There is nothing too small for God. There is nothing we need to hide from God, even if we could. We can trust Him.
We can boldly come to His throne in prayer.
Jesus said, “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”— (John 14:13-14)
We can believe Him. We can believe His Word.
We pray in His name, under His authority and righteousness. Not our own.
As we grow closer in relationship with Him. We learn His character and His will. We grow less concerned for frivolous things, and trying to put on a front.
So, our prayer takes on a different flavor. We pray what He desires, and we are happy with what He brings us.
Not saying that life is a bed of roses. But, we have God with us, and that is really all that matters in the end.
We pray and cry out to God. We make our requests, and we do it with thanksgiving.
Because if you thank God for what he is going to do in the future, you are manifesting faith in Him and His Word. We trust His promises, so we thank Him ahead of time. It’s the faith that fuels the prayer to the Lord. He responds to our faith.
This faith and thankfulness works to bring peace. Because we have to go back to the original consideration.
Do we really believe?
It’s not easy.
But, when we pray and trust God, and thank Him for what he is about to do, we are exercising faith in the Lord that He moves, and this knowledge brings us peace.
He brings us peace through His Holy Spirit.
That peace is an abiding peace.
I don’t want the devil to use what I’m saying as a tool to beat you. We will have concern in life. We will have fear. But, Jesus is with us and He has overcome. (John 16:33)
Don’t let the enemy think that because you have worries or concerns that God is not with you. Have faith and turn it around to wage war on the enemy, who seeks to distract you and keep you from serving and walking with the Lord.
Our sins are washed away in the Blood of Jesus, there is no reason to fear. God is with us, if you know Him. It is HIS peace. Not our peace. (John 14:27)
His peace, which defies all our fleshly understanding will keep us with Him forever.
And we praise Him, and thank Him. Because of who He is and what He has done, and what we know He will do, because He promises.
Not that we should expect anything from God. He is not required to do anything. But, His character and promises give us faith, that He will move. It is who He is, and when we know Him, we can see it.
Praise Jesus
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois.
It’s hard sometimes This time of year, around Christmas is a very hard time of year for many people. It is not a joyful festive time, no matter how much we try to dress it up with religious zeal, and bright lights. This is the time of year we often miss those who have gone…
A Look at Matthew 24 “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive…
It’s important to understand. In order to resist temptation, we must understand what is going on. If we miss an aspect of it, we cannot really resist it. We just shift it around or suffer through. “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with…
Paul the Apostle has caused trouble in the church ever since he first started out. He killed Christians. Then, was converted. Then, started preaching and spreading Christianity around the known world.
While doing this he made everybody mad.
Everybody.
He ticked off government leaders because he was spreading a religion they hated.
He ticked off religious leaders, both Jewish and Christian because he taught salvation by grace through faith. Not by works.
He preached Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
He was attacked and persecuted in many ways, although he never really seemed to have felt persecuted. He seems to have taken it as part of the job. He used it to further the Gospel.
He was imprisoned and died for Christ, which should settle any debate on his legitimacy as a believer, or saint, or Apostle.
But, in these modern times people still attack him.
They attack him over his teachings on many subjects, and because preachers often use Paul’s words instead of Christ’s words.
Let’s go back to the beginning and look at some things that never seems to get mentioned.
First, do you remember when Judas betrayed Jesus and later committed suicide? (Matt. 27:1-10)
The other apostles quoted a prophecy about Judas’s betrayal and removal as an apostle, and him being replaced. (Acts 1:16-27)
“For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.”
The Apostles chose by lot, Matthias; to be that replacement.
And then what? Crickets…..
Because the prophecy did not need man’s help. God Himself, fulfills prophecy.
And it was God himself who found a replacement for Judas and that was Paul.
He is an Apostle chosen by God, just like the others.
God chose him for a reason.
He was dedicated and determined in his efforts to destroy Christianity. He would be equally determined in spreading it.
Paul was a Pharisee. He was highly educated, and knew the Jewish teachings and what we might call the Old Testament.
Each Apostle had a unique gift and background that God used for His purposes. It’s the same with each of us.
You can see Paul’s battles, and know why God called him to do the work he was led to do. Peter could not have gone into a synagogue and debated with highly educated pharisees all over the world, on their level.
God wants all people saved. Jews and Gentiles, Rich and Poor, Upper class and lower Class. Educated People and Working People. Religious Leaders and Laymen. All People.
This requires different approaches to spreading the same message. Certain groups of people will never even listen to the Gospel, from a person of a different group. BUT…if someone from their own class, or social group speaks with them, they will at least listen.
Paul could speak to those people and the Holy Spirit could use him to convert some. Then, the folks in those classes and positions could help spread the Gospel further.
God is a master tactician.
The Gospel was articulated in the Greek language, which was the common language of the known world at the time. This helped it to spread.
Likewise, the Holy Spirit told the Apostles to focus on the west, not in Asia. (Acts 16:6)
Years later, we see the Bible being translated into languages the common folk can read, and we see the Gospel being spread globally by European explorers and conquerors.
Likewise, we see the enemy constantly trying to stop it or twist it or corrupt it.
Most of the history of the western world is the story of God working to spread the Gospel, while Satan works to destroy and corrupt it.
As far as God is concerned the battle is over and He’s just waiting for all the pieces to move around and finish the game in this world, in the flesh. In the fullness of time. He has no doubt about the outcome. It is finished.
The battle is between the Saints and the Enemy. We lose according to scripture, but God wins. Again, to show everyone, that it is not by man’s power, but by God’s. (Rev. 13:7, Dan.7:21-25)
So, back to Paul.
As you study the Word, and listen to the Holy Spirit as He teaches you, you will find that almost the entire New Testament can be found in the Old.
Paul’s letters make up a large part of the New Testament. And what you will discover is that Paul did not create something new. He did not change things at all.
He simply revealed the mystery that was already at work in the world and in the Old Testament. All started the moment Adam fell.
You can find virtually everything he said represented in the Old Testament.
Salvation by grace alone, through faith, not by works. Can be found in the old.
It can be found in Abraham, and Noah.
The Sacrifice of the lamb, can be found in the Exodus, in the Law and in the Festivals of celebration. The Holy days.
It’s all there.
Here’s the truth.
We often nit pick about words and translations and trying to get the best most accurate version of God’s Word.
But, the very stories themselves are imbued with the power of His truth. The simple stories scream His truth.
They can mis-translate and twist the Bible all they want to. But, the very stories themselves are truth. God can save a person and teach a person through the basic stories if that’s all there is. Because we are saved by Grace through Faith in Him and His promises.
Satan will have to destroy all of the Word. In order to hide the truth. Even then, the Truth dwells in the Saints, and their testimony of the great things God has done for them. (Rev.12:11)
Paul’s teachings are difficult. They are meat. Even the Apostle Peter, said so. (2 Peter 3:15-16)
They are something for us to wrestle with and chew on in our growth as Saints. We are supposed to keep the Word before our eyes. Like sheep chewing the cud. The Word is not supposed to be gulped like milk, but chewed like meat, as we grow.
So, do not cast Paul aside. Use what he says to grow. If something seems odd or wrong, then maybe that’s the Holy Spirit, trying to get you to study more, and find out what’s going on? You could be hearing false teaching from a pastor, or perhaps your own understanding needs adjusted.
Some of what Paul wrote flies in the face of what we are hearing from secular sources in the world around us.
Some of these worldly teachings are trying to infiltrate the Church and are succeeding in many ways. Paul’s teachings often stands in the way of these things, and causes conflict.
Perhaps the Holy Spirit gave Paul a prophecy of all the false teachings of these last days and Paul wrote things in order to combat that or slow it down.
Perhaps Paul did not know at all, but the Holy Spirit knew and led him to write things the Saints can use in these last days to stand against the corruptions.
When you read Paul, do not take it as Paul’s writings. It is actually the Holy Spirit who wrote the Word from beginning to end. So, when you try to understand a hard saying, you must look at it in the light of the whole Bible.
Then, pray about it and ask for wisdom. Ask for God to teach you. (James 1:5)
The Holy Spirit will lead you into ALL truth. He will tell you what HE was saying. (John 16:13)
And that’s all that matters.
This will freak some people out because they cannot abide with you or me following the Holy Spirit. They want us to follow their translation of the Bible, so they can beat us with it.
Understand that the Holy Spirit will not lead us to contradict the Word, or to act in a way that goes against the Fruit of the Spirit.
BUT…He also will not abide by false interpretations of scriptures or the actions of false brethren who likewise are not abiding by the Fruit of the Spirit as well.
Look at how Jesus and the Apostles behaved toward religious and secular leaders. They are our guide.
The days of persecution are coming and the Saints need to know how to act in the face of it. Look at how Saints have endured persecution throughout the ages.
Paul’s teachings are being used to divide the Church into Saints and The Apostate Church.
Let the Holy Spirit teach you. (1 John 2:27)
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois.
What does that look like? It’s so simple anyone can do it. That is how God designed it. I’m going to avoid magical theological words and just give it straight. As we go through life things happen to us. Good things and bad. We have excitement over good things. We celebrate victories and enjoy time…
A Deeper Meaning “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”—1 Tim. 6:10 People often misquote it as “money” is the root of all evil. But it’s not. Money is a tool. Like a…
What is it? Let us rightly divide 2 Thessalonians 2, and come to some conclusions about the near future. This book was written by the Apostle Paul. He is speaking of the last days, which we are in. I’m using the KJV. “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,…
There’s a verse in the Scriptures which says, “I die daily”. (1 Cor. 15:31)
It is a small quote, within the context of a larger concept, but it’s a powerful tool for life improvement and spiritual growth.
We often wake up in the middle of the night, or in the morning, full of anxiety. Our mind races after problems, troubles, worries, plans, goals, mistakes, and depression.
But, if every morning we make the simple act of “dying” a reality, then none of these things matter.
Let me explain. This is not real death, although, in a way it is. When we say ” I die to self today.” And we believe it and accept it, a transformation occurs in our mind.
When we announce to ourself. “I die to self today. I am going to live for God and others.” Our focus moves from ourself to God and others.
We then live that day focused on serving God and others.
How can you serve God and others?
You serve God by being a vessel for Him to do His work through, to save and help others.
Our will. Our selfishness. Our sin, prevents that.
So, where are your hurts at? What has God brought you through? Drug addiction? Health issues? Divorce? Job loss? Prison? Homelessness? Death of a loved one? Suicidal thoughts?
These things are an indication of where we can let God work through us to help others.
When we die daily, we open ourselves up to see the hurt in others. We are not looking at ourselves, but outwards.
By doing this, it also works to heal us of what we struggle with.
We are what we think about all day long.
If our thoughts are always on depression, trouble, suicide, drug use, fear, desire, loss or anything else that hurts us, then it becomes magnified, or can manifest into our lives even more.
Dying daily can get our head out of those things.
I am not saying it’s easy. But, if you make a habit of dying daily to self, and speaking positive things to yourself, it can make a huge difference in your life.
In Christian concepts, we turn to God and give ourselves to Him. By doing this we die with Jesus Christ, and are buried with Him, and rise from the dead with Him.
When we believe this, and put our faith in Christ, confessing that Jesus is the Lord, it cleanses us and we are reborn.
Think about it. When we die, nothing can hurt us. Nothing can be against us. Because we are dead.
Imagine the freedom that brings. All the pain, all the rules, and all the evil of this life does not really hurt us.
We are not of this world, and the suffering here ends in death.
Dying daily is a powerful tool for life improvement, it will transform you. Giving yourself to Christ will transform you in ways you can only hope for.
(1 Cor. 15:31)
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer poet and blogger from Southern Illinois.
He is there and will answer. We live our lives in this world, where we seem to have no control. Where we look every where for answers. Everything seems hard and we have sorrow, working our selves to death. We seek answers from gods, idols and wisemen. We seek answers from deep within ourselves. We…
Who really rules? Let’s talk about some conspiracy and spiritual truth for a moment. Because you must understand that there is only ONE conspiracy. And that’s the spiritual battle behind the scenes, that we all can see parts of, and have a feeling about, but cannot completely prove. The people who rule this world are…
It is a demon. Cast it out. Jesus said, “Fear Not” (Matt. 10:31) He said it many times. Actually, it’s a theme throughout scripture. Fear at its most basic level, is a lack of trust in God and His promises. That is a harsh saying, especially when we are dealing with anxiety. Because, often times…
The story goes, that a police wire tap expert named Jimmy Vaus had tapped the notorious LA gangster Mickey Cohen.
However Cohen discovered the tap, and instead of killing Jimmy Vaus he got Vaus to spy on the cops instead.
Eventually Vaus was caught and publicly shamed.
In the midst of this, Vaus went to a Billy Graham crusade and got saved. It was 1949.
Billy Graham talked with Vaus and got him to set up a meeting with the mobster Cohen.
Graham went to meet Mickey Cohen at his home in Brentwood and it started what became a public friendship between the two men.
Cohen even went to a Billy Graham crusade in New York.
The mobster said that he was “High” on the Christian way of life, in a 1957 TIME magazine article.
But it is not known if he converted from his Jewish religion to Christianity.
He continued with his mobster life, and was asked about repentance, by some Christian acquaintances; to which he is claimed to have asked an interesting question.
“Christian football players, Christian cowboys, Christian politicians; why not a Christian gangster?”
So, the question is,
Why not?
We are not asking about Mickey Cohen’s salvation. The question is about Positions of power, real repentance, and salvation.
Can a President be a Christian? They send people to kill and die. They enforce laws that are not always inline with Christ. They appoint people who are not believers. Etc.
Can a judge be a Christian? They send people to die in prison.
Can a soldier be a Christian? They are prepared to go and kill for questionable reasons.
Can a cop be a Christian? They arrest people and fight with people and kill people while enforcing laws that are not always in line with Christ.
Can a Football player, Boxer or MMA fighter be a Christian? They use violence to make money.
Can an insurance agent be a Christian? They sell faith in money, instead of God.
The question goes on and on.
Repentance means “to turn”
The Bible teaches that we turn to God, and He saves us through Jesus Christ. Then, He builds a relationship with us through His Holy Spirit, which makes the things of God more important than the things of the World. We then walk in this relationship. Growing in Him.
The scriptures also teach that God ordains people in positions of power. Which many Christian scholars have gone so far as to claim that this includes the boss of your job, and that God puts them in these positions and we are to obey them. There are different ways to interpret this, but we will go with the traditional view in this case.
So, is a mobster boss a “Power” ordained by God? You must realize that in some foreign countries the legitimate government is no different than gangsters. Some might say, it’s no different in America itself. That the police are just another gang.
If your employer is ordained as a power by God, then why not the local Mob boss?
If the judge and police chief are ordained by God, then why not the neighborhood mafioso who often do police type duties, by keeping things safe and dealing justice?
What about repentance? Do Presidents sin? Yes. Do Presidents send people to kill and die? Yes.
So, whats the difference between a “saved” President and a “saved” Mobster Boss?
The question is supposed to get you to see the nature of repentance, power and salvation.
We all need Jesus and we are all sinners saved by grace, through faith; not by works.
We let the Lord work in our lives and draw toward Him.
It’s not about how holy you look to other humans. It’s about you and God.
God will work on His children, and correct them as He sees fit.
A picture of us all The thief on the cross, spoken of in the Gospels of our Lord Jesus, stands as an extreme view of salvation in the eyes of some. The man who did what appears to be absolutely nothing, yet Jesus himself saved him declaring, “Today you shall be with me in…
Make sure. What does it mean to follow the real Jesus? Well, let’s look and see. Jesus’s ministry was a ministry of healing. This should tell us something about what we believe in regards to the Gospel and how we are to serve God. Because we want to be like Him. That is real godliness.…
You are never too far gone. In the books of Luke, Mark, and Matthew we see the story of the Gadarene Demoniac. (Mark 5:1-20, Luke 8:26-39, Matt. 8:28-34) He had an unclean spirit, which called itself “Legion” because there were many of the demons inhabiting this man. He lived in the tombs, crying out and…
I have seen tons of posts online arguing about whether we should be carnivores or herbivores. Whether we should be vegan or paleo.
And this is good, because what we consume is actually able to heal us or kill us. So, it’s important to try to get it right.
As far as I’m concerned, I think our creator. God All Mighty, might have some insight into the argument.
First we need to look at our creation and the nature of the Earth at creation. This matters. And you can read all of this in the first few chapters of Genesis, in the Bible.
God created humans in His image, after his likeness. I think this refers to two things. First, He created us a spiritual being. (God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and Truth)
When I say spirit. I do not mean a ghost or wispy thing.
I mean an eternal being, that lives forever.
We are also triune. Meaning that we have 3 parts. A body, a soul and a spirit.
Just like He is triune. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. He breathed his divine spark into our body. We are His.
Our body is designed to match the body He uses when He decides to take material form.
Our body is made similar to monkey’s and apes.
We did not evolve from them we were designed similar to them, but after God’s image.
When we look at monkey’s and apes we can see that they have certain teeth. We have teeth like them. Not like carnivores, or herbivores, or omnivores, but like frugivores. Eating fruits, nuts, and veggies.
That is how we were designed.
Now, at creation there was no death in the world. None. Everything ate plants.
Eating fruits, nuts, and veggies does not cause death. These things grow back, and you poop out seeds to procreate the plants. It’s a cycle of life, not death.
This is what Paradise was like and what it will be again.
Yes, in The Garden there was no death and everything ate plants. The dragon or dinosaur ate plants, and the lion ate plants. I realize that your science might reject this. But, the things we see today, are not the same as they were.
When mankind fell, death entered the world, along with fear and competition for survival.
This is when things started changing into Carnivore, Herbivore, Omnivore, etc. in order to survive.
Humans were kicked out of the Garden or Paradise and God told us to eat grains. This was needed for survival. We started growing crops. (The Agricultural Revolution?)
This is not a theological lesson of morality. It is just pointing out creation and how it applies to our current food situation.
So humans grew in number and things got bad on the Earth. The Bible is not clear on what exactly happened. There are theories from corrupted DNA to the sinfulness of man or both.
But, God decided to destroy the earth.
He saved Noah and his family through the destruction. Then, told Noah and His family that it was ok for them to eat meat.
Again, this was for survival. The conditions of the Earth after the Global Flood were so devastating that humans needed more than plants, especially during winters, which humans would encounter as they grew in number and spread out on the Earth.
Dairy in the scriptures is viewed as a treat. “Milk and Honey”. Not as a needed food option. And if you look at the world today, most countries worldwide do not drink milk after childhood. And no species on Earth is required to drink the milk of another species in order to survive. It’s not needed.
Only in rich countries do we drink milk or eat cheese on a regular basis. Dairy and the chemicals in our food are the reasons why we have obesity.
Ok, so what does this tell us? Well, it shows that the food pyramid is wrong. It was allegedly created by the Dairy Industry in order to sell dairy products.
Our main courses on our dinner plate should be fruits, veggies and nuts, followed by grains, then meat, with dairy on occasion. All of it organic. They are poisoning us with these chemicals.
So, the idea of eating meat 3 times a day is wrong. We don’t need that, and the factory farms raising meat is destroying the planet.
Even a reduction in meat consumption would be useful. Meatless Mondays. Would be a start.
And yes, you can get protein from plants.
So, that’s the truth of what the human diet should look like.
What sorts of damage and disease comes from eating the opposite of what God intended? What sorts of damage comes from the chemicals we consume in our food, drinks and hygiene products?
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois.
“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”—Phil. 2:12-13
There are those who enjoy using this verse as a tool to push a works based doctrine. They claim that works are required in our salvation. Works, are a sign of our faith, between you and God. Works do not save us. This can clearly be seen in the very next verse. It is God who does the work.
As James said, “Faith without works is dead.” Our works show that we believe. Show who? Are we trained apes that perform for people? No. It shows God and ourselves that we believe. It helps build our faith as we actively follow the Holy Spirit and do the things God calls us to do. Our faith grows and is alive as we see ourselves following God. (Jas. 2:24)
The fact is that we are saved by GRACE, not by faith or works. This is very important to understand. It is nothing we do. Even faith is a work, when compared to grace. Any work on our part rejects God’s Grace. If we think we are helping God or paying God back, or obeying Him because of grace, we are rejecting His grace. If I give you something, and you do something or pay for it, you have ruined my free gift. See? When you try to do something nice for someone and they demand that you let them pay you back, this is what we try to do with God and His Grace. When we do it, we are rejecting His free gift, and trying to save ourselves through our own righteousness.(Eph. 2:8-10, Rom. 11:6)
So what does it mean to work out our own salvation?
Well, first it means that it is each person’s responsibility to hear God’s call and turn to Him for salvation. It is also each persons responsibility to make sure they are really saved. Hence, the fear and trembling. (Romans 10:9-10)
We must realize that each of us are born with certain problems in our DNA. This is our corrupted nature from Adam. You can often see it in family traits. Things that are in our flesh and we struggle with. Sometimes, these are mixed with our environment as kids. I don’t want to call it sin, because it doesn’t start out as sin, until you sin in it, or because of it.
Take anger as an example. Some people are born, with quick tempers. But, it’s not a sin, until it causes you to sin. Then, you must deal with the consequences. Addiction is another example; people are born with a proclivity to addiction. They become addicts faster or easier. This is something that leads to more sin and struggle.
These are just a couple of examples. The point is that we are all born with these failings in our DNA, and we are raised in families or environments which impact us. These things lead us to grow up a certain way. It opens doors for the devil to influence our life. It creates who we are.
This is a product of our fallen world, our sin, and the demons who rule it. God does not make junk. But, this world does impact us. (2 Cor. 4:4)
Then, we meet Jesus.
We hear a sermon or a tract, or a friend tells us about Christ.
We are saved. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us. We are set free. Our sins are forever gone.
Then comes Monday morning and the world attacks us, along with the devil. We discover that we have power over some things in our lives, that we never had before. But, we also learn that there are still fleshly things we must struggle with.
As we walk with God in the Spirit we have things that will tempt our flesh. We have spiritual enemies seeking to devour us. We will fail. But, we are overcomers through Him. We will sin. But, we are forgiven and confess them to the Lord.
This walk is working out our own salvation, with God. We are saved by His grace. But, we walk in this world.
Let’s take two people. One is born into a nice Christian family. They have everything going for them and they get saved. Now take another person born in poverty, addicted to drugs, prison and all kinds of sin, and they get saved.
Both are saved. Both are equal. Both have problems. But, both did not start out in the same place.
Their journey with God is different. Not better or worse, but different. They have different struggles. They have different sins that they are impacted by. They have different demons.
They work out their own salvation on their own journey with God. They walk through different valleys and over different mountains with Him.
An addict who gets saved, struggles with that issue, while another believer might struggle with anger. Another might struggle with gossip, while another battles anxiety.
The devil attacks our flesh and tempts us any way he can to get our focus off of God, and serving Him. It’s a war. The devil wins by keeping us from sharing the Gospel, building the Kingdom, and bringing light into darkness.
All of this is working out our own salvation, within God’s Grace, as we walk with Him. It’s our sanctification through our relationship with Him.
Do not let the works based doctrines of some beat you down. Just turn to God and keep turning to Him. That is relationship, as we rely totally on Him. Not ourselves.
Praise Jesus.
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois.
The saints will be overcome. The scriptures are clear that the Anti-Christ will make war with the saints and overcome them. (Dan. 7:25, Rev. 13:7) I want to point out how this is likely to occur and how it is already started. I am not giving a prophecy here. I’m just pointing out some things.…
What is the truth? I want to start with the ultimate truth, then talk about the current times, and prophecy. If you want to know God’s will on any subject you can probably find it in the Garden at Creation. There was no evil or death present. Nothing killed anything else. The humans and animals…
God is with us “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” –Luke 12:32 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”— 2 Tim. 1:7 “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is…
It began at some point before time; when Lucifer decided to be “As the most high God.” (Isa. 14:12-20, Ezek. 28:1-19) He and an untold vast number of angels and spiritual beings of various sorts rebelled against God, becoming infected with Sin and fell.
The war had begun and Satan, driven mad by pride and the plague of Sin that had come upon him, wanted to be God. He started working to replace, mimic and steal God’s creation. He moved upon the humans that the Lord had created and led them to fall from God. Because of the infection of sin, we became corrupted and rebel as well.
He did this by promising them that “Ye shall be as gods”. He told them that God was hiding something from them, and that they could know what it is, and become gods in the process. That idea is what continues to fuel the New World Order Anti-Christ Kingdom. It is the idea that humans will evolve to become gods, and that we will create a world that will match our god status. (Gen. 3)
When mankind fell, Satan gained dominion over the Earth. He and those angels who follow him came to Earth to take physical possession of what is theirs. They took the women of the Cainite race, from the line of Cain. Those who had fallen prey to a deceptive global religion, which grew into a global empire that sucked all humans into it. This included the line of Seth who mingled with them. (Gen. 6)
This same thing is occurring today; an ideology that is really a religion that is helping to grow a system. While believers are drawn into it as well, and mingle with them.
God wiped out that former world wide system with a Global Flood. We can see evidence of this Flood, and the old empire today, in the giant structures around the world. But, the enemy immediately began re-building the system God had wiped out in the Flood. Satan and his fallen angels, led the entire world to build the Tower of Babel, which is another picture of what is going on today. A global system being built that opposes God. That Tower system was again destroyed by God; He does not want unity apart from Himself through Christ. The languages of humans became confused and they spread out globally to their own places, before a great cataclysm broke up the continents, and separated everyone. (Gen. 11, Gen. 10:25)
The Enemy again, began to build his system through his earthly minions. He led to the creation of more world empires, throughout the planet; Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, and many others throughout history. All of them working for the same goal, whether they knew it or not. They are all part of the same system. They were ruled by demons, and human royalty who worked on the New World Order till Christ came and broke their yoke of bondage on mankind in the spirit. (Dan. 2)
But after Christ, the enemy continued to spread global empires over and over again. He created religions and twisted human beliefs, over and over again, seeking to pull humanity together and keep them from God. Through secret societies, mystery schools, finances, corporations, religions, warfare, government, media, arts, education, intelligence communities, and deceptions of all kinds he has worked to create this system.
It continues to grow, and to gain more control, and pull people together while the whole world waits for a superman to come and save us. To save us from the evil we have created. To save us from what Satan has deceived us into bringing upon ourselves. So, that he can bring us the final solution. The final answer to all our problems, he created. It will be the final deception that leads to ultimate destruction; The Superman, The Anti-Christ and his world system. Understand that “Anti” does not mean against. It means “Instead of”. The Anti-Christ will appear to be a hero, saving the world.
The stage is set, the people are ready, and it’s coming soon. Only to be ultimately destroyed by the Lord Himself, at His glorious return. Even so, come Lord Jesus.
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Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois.
It’s important to know. Death on its most basic level means separation. It is not an end, as some suppose. The Bible teaches that we are triune, like God. We are made in His image. We have a body, a soul and a spirit. When God created everything He created it good. Evil was contained…
Are we prepared for His return? Matthew Chapter 25 is a chapter in the New Testament that describes what will happen when Christ returns. It states that He will separate the sheep from the goats. It appears that this judgment is not the Great White Throne judgment, where the lost are judged. This judgment is…
Always more. More, More, More. “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”— Heb.…
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