“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. 13:5-6
When you turn to the Lord, He saves you and is with you always. His Holy Spirit is in you.
“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”— 1 John 4:4
We do not need to be concerned with living to gather riches, or desiring to what others have or to be as they are. That is our flesh talking. That is demons whispering.
We can be happy with the things the Lord has provided us, because He is with us and will take care of us. There is nothing anyone can do to us. God will find a way. He will make a way where none exists.
God’s way is perfect, and He has perfect timing. Trust Him.
It’s not about looking good for mankind, with the silly notions of what is valuable.
The streets of Paradise are paved with gold. The true wealth are those things of the spirit. The people you lead to the Lord. The love you show. The people you help. The Kingdom you build, and the time spent with the Lord, learning of His ways.
The rest is chaff, useless waste, burned up in the fire.
God is with us. we have a relationship with Him and have no need to fear. Just “ask, and it shall be given unto you. Seek, and ye shall find. Knock and it shall be opened unto you.”— Matt. 7:7-11
James said “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”
God is with us and will never forsake us. He will not help us destroy ourselves. But, we can trust that He hears and will help us with whatever we need.
I have seen God answer so many prayers. He has taken care of me. When I remember the great things He has done in the past it reminds me that He is with me and will take care of me again. It builds faith.
“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
We thank God in our prayers because our faith leads us to believe He is with us and hears us and is moving. We trust His Word.
He is with me. We have a relationship.
And I am with Him.
I died with Him, and was buried to self, and the flesh, and this world. To be raised into new life with Him. Born again. (Rom. 6:4, John 3)
And I walk with Him in the Spirit, which is the relationship.
To hear on that last day, “Well done thy good and faithful servant.”— Matt. 25
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois.
We are justified in Christ There was only one law in the beginning. Just one. “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”–Gen. 2:17 People want to act like God is some eternal killjoy,…
Abide in the Lord We all face trouble in life. It is something we can all agree upon. No matter who you are, something bad will eventually come to cause you trouble. Something will break your heart. Something will break you down. Something will make you crazy, concerned or confused. When we look at the…
Satan’s Insanity If you’ve read the Bible, you know that we have a spiritual enemy. Satan fell sometime after creation. We do not know exactly when, but it was because he desired to be “like the most High”. (Isa. 14: 12-17) He wants to be God. This desire led to his fall and corruption. It…
When we are walking with the Lord. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, ……… Wait for it Wait let it sink in for a few minutes Pay attention to how much it bothers you to just rest in Christ Hold Hold Hold Ok ……who walk not after the…
The Spirit battles against the flesh This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye…
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.…
I recently came across a Facebook post talking about how libraries are free.
But, they are not free.
I’m not going to get into the fact that libraries are funded by taxes. So, we pay for them.
The focus of this has to do with the fact that a library requires you to have an ID, and an address. In order to get a library card.
Both of which costs money.
Both of which, you are required to have for virtually everything you need to be considered a real citizen.
Yes, a citizen. You can’t even vote without an address.
Now, understand that I am talking legally here. There are ways around things. I get it. But, we should not be required to lie and cheat in order to live.
So, let’s start with the ID, or Driver’s License.
You must show proof of who you are. They give you a list of documents they accept. Virtually all of which costs money to obtain.
For me, I usually provide Birth Certificate, and Social Security Card.
But, that’s not all you need. You also must prove your place of residency. That means you must have a piece of mail. And not just any mail, but some kind of bill. Because if you pay bills somewhere, it proves you live there. Apparently.
I have never figured out why your ID requires you to have an address. But, they do.
I assume it’s so the government can come and arrest you if they want. Which violates our right to be innocent till proven guilty. Our entire system is based upon holding everyone accountable for the crimes of a few. We have our rights stolen constantly because someone else broke a rule somewhere.
I was getting my driver’s license renewed, and getting the REAL ID, which requires even more information from your average free citizen. I was surprised there was no body cavity search.
Why did I get a REAL ID? Because they will not let you fly without one, and I have hopes and dreams of someday being able to be free to travel.
Anyway, I asked the folks behind the counter at the DMV, what would happen if I was homeless? They did not know. So, they asked the boss.
He said, “You’ll have to get an address from a shelter or a church, where you are staying or getting mail.”
And of course, if you move you have to get the address changed on your ID. It’s illegal not to.
So, basically we are no better off than registered sex offenders. They have to prove where they live and report when they move as well.
Ok, so let’s get back to the library.
After you get your ID, which you obviously have to pay for, and pay for some kind of address some where.
You can get your library card.
Then, like a sex offender you have to re-prove your ID and address every so often.
This is so that the Librarians can send out Task Force Delta, in order to kick down your door and retrieve that over due book, which you might be using as a coaster on your coffee table.
Which I understand. I totally refuse to loan out books. I keep my books in perfect condition, and hate how folks treat books.
I love the library. Librarians are great.
But, it is not free.
Unless all you do is go there and read books and magazines, while soaking up free AC or heat and free wifi. So, yes. In that sense it’s free.
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…
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…
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…
In my entire life, the worst things to come upon me, has come at the, hands of respectable people, who call themselves good.
It has not been, scary men, in dark shadows. It has not been, those people, across the sea. It has not been, the conman, stealing my soul.
It has been, men and their wives, who own businesses, and lands, and courts, and governments, and religions, too.
It has been petty tyrants, desiring to be kings, making life hard for those, just trying to get by.
It has been Leaders, who claim to stand, against evil men.
But, what about rulers, who destroy families with the stroke of a pen? What about those men?
Everyday it’s something new. Everyday, it’s some new rule, created for those who obey.
Everyday the fear mongers, work to sell a new law, to those, they will betray.
When will it end? When will our time be done? When will the rich man weep, while the worker has his fun? How long, till we all can rest? How long till we all can sit, and watch the sun set? How long till we all can live, that long lazy dream?
Will it be in my life time? Will it ever happen for me?
This poem is from the rebel poetry book “Against The Man” by Chris Bunton.
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
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…
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…
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…
In the dark days of Covid. When the pandemic was ramping up and no one really knew what to expect or how much division would come from it. People all over the world was told to stay home, in order to save lives.
Eventually some truths about the pandemic became apparent and the battle began to dial back some of the measures. But in the beginning, the whole world worked together to save lives.
It was at this time that some workers were deemed essential and others were not. Schools were shut down and kids had remote learning. Businesses who were able, also resorted to remote work for many employees. This helped businesses remain in operation and helped employees remain employed. Not every type of job can be remote. But, some can.
No one really knew where the world was headed. We hunkered down and watched “Tiger King”, while absorbing the latest reports. This time period revealed a lot of truth about work, and what is considered essential. It showed us how quickly nature can rebound once humans are out of the way.
But, it also revealed a level of oppression and pettiness hidden in the hearts of people. The willingness to report on others, for simple violations. The oppression of officials and businesses to create and enforce rules that made no real sense. The temptation for every door greeter to become a cop demanding that people don masks and sanitize.
We went from trying to save lives and caring for others to turning on each other. Businesses and remote work was much the same. At first, businesses were thankful workers could work from home and keep the business running. But, it didn’t take long for employers to turn oppressive and controlling.
Reports came out of employers demanding cameras in peoples homes. Demanding that people dress in business attire for Zoom meetings. Getting angry that someone did laundry while writing a report. How dare these peasants have a life!
Businesses started demanding technology to enable them to track the workers performance on home computers. Are they really working? Or are they taking care of a sick child on our dime? Are they checking on grandma or doing the work we pay them to do?
As the pandemic wound down, there came demands to open things up so workers and kids could go back to work or school. The call continued with reports of major companies warning that remote workers would be fired if they did not return by the end of some random date.
Even now, years after the pandemic when workers slaved away at home to help businesses stay alive, business owners are still turning on them and attacking them.
It all boils down to the 40 Hour Work Week Mentality.
An employer only values a worker based upon how many hours of hard labor the worker can put out, instead of the value of the job or work. Even salary employees are looked at based upon hours of work.
A remote worker is believed to be wasting time at home doing things other than work. But, yet employers have never felt bad about calling employees at home when they are not at work, or considering the amount of time, stress and money the employee spends preparing and commuting to work.
This falls back to how much the worker is doing per hour for the employer.
This 40 hour mentality can be seen in this example.
A man’s water is not working at his house and he cannot figure out why. He calls a plumber. The plumber shows up and makes a few turns with a wrench and the water flows again. It only took 5 minutes, to fix and the plumber charges $500 for the job. The man is mad because it only took 5 minutes.
He has a 40 hour mentality. He is mad because he feels a $500 job should take more time. But, the plumber charged for having the knowledge to know where to apply the wrench.
I’ve seen this mentality in action. I worked for a place who hired a blacktop company to redo our parking lot. They charged my employer a certain price for the job, and my employer said it was a good, fair price. But, when the manager saw some of the workers taking a break out of the blazing sun he got ticked off, that they were wasting time. They were within the time allotted in the contract and my employer was not paying their wages, but he still had a hissy fit because they took breaks instead of putting in full hours. He paid for the job. Not the hours, but he could not get past the 40 Hour mentality.
I have worked manual labor jobs my whole life and I have never had a job that required a full 40 hours to complete a week. There was always down time. Time that I had to figure out how to fill it. Pick up a broom and clean, is what they tell manual labor workers.
It is common knowledge that people milk the hours to get bigger paychecks.
My point is that the 40 hour work week is wrong and needs changed. It starts with changing the mentality. We need to pay what the job is worth regardless of how long it takes to do it.
I realize that the 40 hour week and getting paid based upon hours gives a simple means for calculating pay, and obeying the over-time laws. Probably in some jobs it is needed.
But, I believe the future is remote in work and schooling.
If work and schools went remote we could save millions in construction and building maintenance costs. We could save millions in trying to solve the traffic problems. We could save millions in health care by reducing stress. Not even mentioning the value it can bring to helping the environment.
But, because business owners feel that they cannot hover over employees while they work, making sure every second is spent on labor. Our society continues to sit in the past.
Our schools are designed to create good employees with the same 40 hour mentality. Be on time. Do your work. Take work home. Obey your boss…I mean teacher.
Changes need to be made to this system and the 40 hour mentality. Instead of thinking about work as an hourly thing. We need to consider what the job is actually worth regardless of time. Our society needs to start moving toward a more remote system, with all the benefits that can go with it. Instead of letting the bosses hold us in the past.
I think we are smart people. We can make changes to society that solves problems without letting oppression take over. More freedom is never a bad thing.
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,…
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…
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…
As we move further into these last days we need to make sure we are not following after false doctrines. We want our faith to be grounded in Jesus Christ and Him alone for salvation. We want to have a relationship with the Lord through the Holy Spirit. We want to be taught by the Spirit and Walk in the Spirit. Not led into deception.
Peter tells us.
“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not” —2 Peter 2
Paul also tells us that there will be false teachers in these last days. (1 Tim. 1: 1-15, 2 Tim 4:2-4, 2 Timothy 3:1-9)
Jesus says the deception will be so bad that even the elect (Saved) would be deceived if it was possible. (Matt. 24:24)
So, it’s important for us to have tools in our pocket to help us.
1. The Holy Spirit will teach us and lead us into all truth. If you are saved and listen to the Holy Spirit. He will impress upon you that something isn’t right. (John 16:13)
This doesn’t mean the teacher who speaks false things is not saved. A person can be saved and be in error on a subject. Just because we are saved doesn’t mean we have it all straight in our minds.
Pray and ask the Lord to show us what’s up. (1 John 2:27, James 1:5) We want to judge rightly and respond rightly. We want to be Spirit led, but we need to learn what that means. It takes time and a relationship with God to hear His voice. “My sheep know my voice” Do you know Him? (John 10:1-19)
Make sure your belief is right. Sometimes we get bent out of shape because of a teaching, but it’s our flesh not the Holy Spirit. If you cannot prove your point from the Word, using two or three verses of clear scripture, then you might be wrong.
Remember that not everything is a salvation issue. Some disagreements are not that important.
But, there are many things that do matter. You must learn to listen to the Holy Spirit, and know the Word of God. We do not know what we will face. But, when we know the truth, we can see the lie.
2. What does the teacher do with Jesus? We are talking about spiritual teachers here. Not the guy teaching you math.
The scriptures give us an easy way to determine false teachers.
They will not say that Jesus is THE Lord. They might admit he is God, but not confess Him as Lord.
It says that “No one can say Jesus is the Lord without the Holy Spirit and no believer will say anything bad about Jesus. (1 Cor 12:3)
If they do not have the Holy Spirit, then they are not saved.
It also says to test the spirits to see if they are of God. The test is whether they claim that Jesus came in the flesh. Basically, do they teach that Jesus is God, became human and died to save us, and rose from the dead. (1 John 4:1-6)
If they can’t say that Jesus is the Lord, they probably aren’t saved. If they do not know or accept that Jesus is God in the Flesh they are false.
So, you should pray to the Lord to lead you to a teacher He wants you to hear from.
Realize that the demons of hell know who Jesus is. But, they will not confess Him as Lord. They are in rebellion.
Realize that there are false teachers who aren’t saved, and false teachings or doctrines that can come from saved people.
They might teach 90% truth. But in this one area. They are a little off. Is it a salvation issue?
Rejecting Jesus as Lord is major. Believing in infant baptism, or a pre-trib rapture or some other doctrines is not. Understand the difference between salvation issues, and doctrinal differences. Rejecting Christ, is a salvation issue. Going trick or treating is not.
3. A works based doctrine.
Every religion on earth teaches some kind of works based doctrine. That humans need to do this or that in order to reach God and be saved.
But, in Christianity God Himself came down and did it all for us. It is finished. All we have to do is accept Him, then have a relationship with the Him; which He also does through sanctification and His Spirit.
Paul fought the works based doctrine his whole ministry. People want to add some work to salvation. To either obtain it or maintain it. This is false. Either Christ does it all or He has done none of it. It’s either totally grace or it’s not grace at all.
The demons of hell will gladly keep us struggling with worrying about our sin. Trying to do better while attacking others who disobey. They love nothing more than a bunch of pharisees who burn people at the stake of judgment.
You are saved by grace through faith. Let the Holy Spirit guide and work on you. Give others love, grace and mercy as well.
We are not saved by Works. (Eph. 2:8-10)
Our sin is forgiven, if we are saved. The works we do are for Kingdom building.
4. No tough times.
This one is difficult. Jesus said that in this world we will have tribulation. We will have times of trouble.
He promises to be with us through it. And there are things we can do to make those times better like prayer, faith, spiritual warfare, praise, thanks, abiding, dying to self, giving and serving.
There are things we can do to make it worse, like running from God, turning to fleshly remedies like booze, drugs and sex, turning to false beliefs, bitterness and anger, among other things.
In Jeremiah, God told Jeremiah that He was going to judge Israel His people.
Now let’s not focus on what they did. Let’s focus on the fact that God let tribulation fall on His people, and that it worked to cleanse the body and drive out those who did not know God.
Jeremiah taught that God was going to let the King of Babylon take over Israel. And if the people trusted Him, God would be with them.
The false teachers taught that God would not let them suffer tribulation. They taught that they were not going to face wrath. That God would deliver them, OUT OF TROUBLE. They stood in the pulpit and taught that God would deliver them from Great Tribulation.
Now, understand that this is a picture of the Last days. The king of Babylon is the Anti-Christ and Satan who will make war with the saints and overcome them. (Rev. 13:7, Daniel 7:25)
This is done to weed out the saved and unsaved. To cleanse the temple or body. He allows tribulation to come on His people. Even if it’s great tribulation, to weed out the tares. Remember Lot’s Wife.
Realize, that yes God delivers us from trouble. But, sometimes He allows trouble for a higher purpose.
Our response to both, is the same. Realize He is with us, trust Him, and draw closer to Him.
Realize that tribulation, even great tribulation is not God’s Wrath. God’s wrath is Hell and the Lake of Fire. God’s wrath is poured out in one day.
Understand that I am not saying that God kills babies or gives us cancer to teach us a lesson. Those things exist because of death, the fall, a corrupted world, and Satan. The enemy wants us to blame God for these things. That gets us to be angry at God and turn away from Him. It keeps us from praying and drawing close to God if we think he did it to us. That is Satan’s plan. To keep us away from God.
The solution is always the same, turn to God and draw closer to Him. We will learn from the trouble, and we can use it to help others.
5. Not building the kingdom.
Satan won’t build God’s Kingdom. A teacher of the Lord, should be teaching, preparing and sending the saints out to preach the Gospel, serve others and God, building the Kingdom. That’s our purpose as believers. To build the kingdom.
False teachers, will keep you in your pew singing pretty songs and scratching your itching ears with some new teaching. For what?
A true teacher teaches what the Holy Spirit leads them to teach. He readies the saints for the battle and growing the kingdom. We all have our part, in different ways, but we will be led to go and build the kingdom.
A church sitting in pews doing nothing is not a threat to the enemy.
In Matthew chapter 25, the Lord gives three parables on what it will look like when He returns. He doesn’t ask about their sins. He asks if they helped others. He asks if they used the talents He gave them. Christians are saved and forgiven, and are supposed to be kingdom building. If they are really saved.
Pray the Lord will help you to escape this deadness in your church. And show you what to do and where to go.
A teacher should confess Jesus is the Lord. They should teach the Gospel; that Jesus came in the Flesh. They should teach that salvation is through Christ alone, not works. They should also teach and lead the saints to build the Kingdom.
Always, turn to the Lord and He will direct you. When you notice a problem ask Him and be willing to step out in faith, to make changes or do things He calls us to do.
With technology we are surrounded by false teachings and teachers. It can travel the world. Fake pictures and videos edited. Media services telling us propaganda. Governments lying, corporations lying, preachers lying, and its everywhere.
Turn to God, and listen to Him. He is Truth. He is the way. Trust Him no matter what our flesh says. The enemy is everywhere, going about seeking whom he may devour.
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…
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.…
It uses the word charity, which can be described as love in action. (1 Cor. chapter 13)
But there is a charity, that is condescending. A charity that places one party in a position of superiority over another. This is not real charity or love.
Love does not think evil of someone. We take those thoughts captive and bring them under control and force ourselves to love.(1 Cor. 13:5, 2 Cor. 10:5)
This is not easy. It’s part of our battle between flesh and spirit. We fail, and we confess, and we move on. Praying for help and trying to do better next time.
But, what if we do not even realize we are doing wrong?
We give and we love, but we don’t see that we act like we are better than other people.
Do we think, “I’m able to help you because I obey the rules and you don’t. That’s why you’re in a sorry state.” when we help someone? Do we think they are poor or needy because God is punishing them? But, we are wealthy because we are good?
I can tell you from experience, that when I joined a church, I was given charity. People helped me and I felt that they loved me. I appreciate the help.
But, it quickly dissolved into the charity I described above. I was not a well churched person. I had a lot of faults.
“Well churched” is a term used for people who have gone to church enough to know all the little rules that the Bible says nothing about.” Things like manners, and etiquette and all of that.
I wasn’t knowledgeable of the little intricacies of church decorum. I was rough. I laughed at inappropriate things. I talked about inappropriate things. And the word spread that I was not a good enough Christian because of some sin I knew nothing about.
I had a background that was not Christian. I was not forgiven for it, by many.
So, people who had shone me charity and love started to back off. The people who always ran to shake my hand and pretend to be my friend quit.
You can tell when you no longer get invited to anything. When you become a second class citizen. When you’re not part of the “in” crowd and you’re never asked or nominated to serve or be a part of anything.
You’re not really one of them. And you have to wonder if you ever really was.
I’m not talking about Salvation. God calls us and accepts us and loves us and works on us and with us. He calls us friend.
But, sometimes his servants do not. They shake your hand, then betray you. They ask you about your views, then twist them and use them to destroy you later. Because being superior to you is more important to them, than actually loving you.
James speaks of this when he says ” My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?”—(Jas. 2:1-4)
How many people have been driven away from God, because of this fake charity in church? How many people have been treated like they don’t belong when they got saved and joined a church?
I know it has impacted my life.
To hear sermons on love, and then be treated like an outsider.
And there’s always excuses as to why it happens, or blame is laid on all kinds of things. But when this treatment happens over and over again, and not only to you, but to lots of other people. It becomes obvious that they do not really love you. You are not imagining it. They have placed you under their footstool to serve them. They have made you to be another number on Sunday morning, so they can think they are growing.
As believers, we are called to “judge ourselves lest we be judged with the world.” Not make excuses for feeling superior to other sinners. We are just saved. Not better.
So, what’s our answer to this?
Our answer is to overcome evil with Good. Sometimes things happen to us so we can do better and change things. We see fake Christians so we can understand what it looks like and avoid becoming one.
That sort of condescending charity is not from Jesus. It’s not from the Spirit. It’s fleshly. It’s man-made works. Anyone can do it.
If you decide to be a friend, then be a friend, or don’t even start. We are not required to be friends with everyone. But we ARE called to love them. If you choose to be friends, then don’t be backstabbing once you see the ugly in a person. Because YOU, have ugly too, and Jesus died for you anyway. God calls you friend despite your sin, if you really know Him.
These last days are moving along, and judgement is coming. Turn to God. Ask Him to show you your sin so you can confess it, and work on it. Do not find yourself as a virgin, without oil in their lamp because they never really knew Christ, and did not grow in faith with Him.
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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…
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