Good morning and welcome in everyone.  Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture from the book of Revelation.

Revelation 2:20-22  Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.  Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

Jezebel has become an example of a woman who professes spirituality but completely rebels against the teachings of Christ.  One thing God does not want us to put up with or allow is Jezebel leading people astray in the church.  She is the epitome of pride and arrogance, because she usurps over the authority of man, in the same way that the devil usurps over God.  God is a God of order, and man has authority over a woman in everything.  Just as a woman submits to her own husband in a marriage, all women are supposed to submit to the authority of man.  She was created for this purpose.  

1 Corinthians 11:7-9  For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.  For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.  Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.

Just as the Heavenly Father is the head authority over Jesus, men are the head authority over women.  Are there people who reject this? Certainly!  The world can live the way the world does, but when you enter into the church, we live by a whole different set of standards. If you went to a church and they don’t adhere to this, then you really were not in a church at all, but a den of wolves. Because I tell people the truth of scripture, I’ve received grief from people who claim to be Christian for the last 25 years. I’ve had people cast my name out as evil and even thrown out of churches. Some women do not like this exercise of control over them, but if they can’t submit themselves to their own husbands or the men of the church, they won’t submit themselves to Jesus and His Word.  He that is unfaithful in the least, is unfaithful in much.

1 Corinthians 11:3  But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

In the church, the Apostle Paul did not put up with women who were filled with a Jezebel spirit, but rebuked it.   

1 Timothy 2:11-14  Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.  But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.  For Adam was first formed, then Eve.  And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

For the last 200 years the heresy of women preachers has grown like a tumor in the Christian faith.  They are not supposed to be involved in teaching at all, whether it’s church doctrine, or other matters.  Years ago if a child wanted to learn something, a Godly mother would point them to the husband. Even if you watch old movies from the ’50s you will see this as a common occurrence in society. I had read a diary from 300 years ago of a daughter who wanted to go into teaching, and her God fearing parents tried to convince her otherwise, telling her that they would have to disown her if she was going to pursue it.  It is forbidden for a woman to speak and preach God’s Word, not only in the church, but in any capacity. Nuns have been doing this in the Catholic church for years on end, but there’s nothing Spiritual happening in the ones who chose them to do this. The road to Heaven is narrow isn’t it? The further you go into the teachings of scriptures, the narrower the path will become. A daughter of Abraham needs to be filled with kind and loving works towards the church and others in society, which require no preaching and teaching.  They are supposed to display kind loving deeds.  Teaching is a place of authority that has not been granted by God to women.  As I said, they do this in the world but once they step into the Church and the Christian Life they need to be converted, and reject this heresy. Most of you know I preach a lot on this issue because it is one of the greatest heresies of our time. I guess if your ship gets hit by a cannonball, you make sure that you plug the biggest hole first!

 1 Corinthians 14:34-37  Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.  And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.  What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?  If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.

Obviously, men of the church don’t have control over what goes on in the world, but inside the church, men need to take upon themselves the authority granted to them by God and not allow this to go on, because it is a commandment of the Lord Jesus, and it is offensive to Him.  If they are incapable of doing this, they are proving themselves to be unspiritual. Just as the devil seduced Eve in the garden of Eden, Jezebel seduces men to commit fornication, not only with herself but with others.  Fornication is not supposed to be named once in the church.    Fornication is to have sexual favors with another person, other than your spouse. She’s an adulteress, unfaithful and wicked.  God has given her space to turn back to Him with a penitent heart, renouncing those things that offend him, but she is so hardened by pride and rebellion that she adamantly refuses.  Like a child who refuses to obey their dad, punishment will happen, just as it happened to pharaoh.  The punishment that Jezebel will receive will come directly from the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Lord punished Miriam for speaking against Moses, a man that was a servant of God, and was kicked out of the camp for a week.

Numbers 12:10-11  And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.  And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned.

There are numerous examples of wonderful Godly women in the scriptures who were pleasantly meek and submissive being obedient to their husbands and to men.  God has a great purpose for women and they can accomplish great things, but on the other hand, Jezebel is an entirely different person.  She is unruly and arrogant, filled with the spiritual pride like capernum, professing to be a prophetess and spiritual, but wholeheartedly renounces the commands and teachings of Christ.

Matthew 11:23  And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell:…….

If these women reject biblical truth, they need to be reprimanded.  If they rebelliously refuse to comply, they should be expelled from the church, just as a disobedient child would be expelled from school for disobedient behavior.  This kind of woman wouldn’t last very long in the military but would be thrown out on her ear, probably proclaiming that the military was too controlling.  These are some of Jezebel’s favorite words.  Listen to what happened to her.

2 Kings 9:35-37  And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands.  Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel:

These Jezebel spirited women don’t love God, they just want to be in control over man, which is a right that has not been granted to them by God.  The fear of God will come upon them because the Lord is going to punish them, so remember that the next time you think of….

……Jezebel’s Folly

Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.

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Note: Any copies may be printed and freely distributed among those who have no internet service. There is no AI creative involvement in my writings, and must be left intact because they are very personal to me. These are not to be sold, and are made public only for the free benefit of Spiritual knowledge to those who are genuinely seeking the will of God.

Good morning and welcome in everyone.  Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.

In 1987 construction began in Pyongyang, North Korea on what would be the tallest hotel in the world.  After a few years the frame was finished, and it was supposed to open in 1989.  It is a 105 story 1,083 ft structure that dominates the city’s upper atmosphere, but because of finances, the project came to a grinding halt.  It is claimed to be the largest abandoned building in the world and people have dubbed it the hotel of Doom, and the Phantom Hotel. It has been reported that the building has no electricity, plumbing or anything else on the inside, and has never hosted a guest in 35 years.

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

This hotel is the epitome of not finishing what you started.

Luke 14:28-30  For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?  Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

When a person is baptized by submersion into the name of Jesus Christ, you rise up out of the water to begin a new life of service and obedience to God. There is no turning back when you become Christian, because the only thing behind you, is the sinful life from which you left. We are called to come out and be separate.  It’s one thing for an unbeliever or the ignorant to be involved with sin, but one of the most immoral and wicked things is when someone willfully and rebelliously chooses to reject God’s will. Instead of continually growing in the teachings of Christ, they renounce biblical truth. These are the most wicked people on the face of the Earth, and worthy of damnation.

Can you imagine giving your most precious gift to a friend, but then they choose to throw it right back in your face.  Would you ever offer it to them again? What would be the point?  They’ve already proved by their actions that they are undeserving of it.  God offers the greatest gifts that you could ever possess, the gift of his mercy and Grace; and the teachings of His Holy Word.  Those who turn away from them are unworthy of salvation.

Hebrews 6:4-8  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.  For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:  But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

Some people who profess to be Christian are going to fall away.  Instead of having a desire to continue to walk in goodness, righteousness and truth, they will abandon Christian teachings and choose to walk in evil, wickedness and lies.  They should have never become a Christian in the first place because they make a mockery of the faith.

2 Peter 2:20-22  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Once you become a Christian there is no turning around.  Obviously there will be some who do, but they will come short of eternal life.  We are cleansed of our past sins through the blood of Christ, but this group of people leave the faith and go right back to the sins that they once departed from.   They started to build their lives on the teachings of Christ, but never completed the tower, mocking God in their disobedient rebellion.

Hebrews 10:26-31  For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,  But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.  He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:  Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?  For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

God chose to save Lot’s family from Sodom and Gomorrah.  Lot’s wife is an example to anybody who is going to become a Christian, and then attempt to return to their past life.  After being picked to be rescued from the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah, she turned back, showing that she was unworthy of being saved, and was punished by God and died.

Luke 9:62  And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Esau’s life is symbolic of someone who would inherit eternal life but turned away from it.  He cried about it later, but he couldn’t find a place of forgiveness because of what he had done. 

Hebrews 12:16-17  Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.  For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

Judas did the same thing when he betrayed Christ, which led to his own demise.  Those who draw back from doing God’s will, He will have no pleasure in.

Hebrews 10:36-38  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.  For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

The Christian Life is a day by day process of continuing to lay the building blocks of faith, building a tower of faithfulness and obedience to God, and completing the course that God has set before us.  It’s about finishing what we have started and never turning back, unlike…..

…..The Hotel of Doom.

Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.

Note: Any copies may be printed and freely distributed among those who have no internet service. There is no AI creative involvement in my writings, and must be left intact because they are very personal to me. These are not to be sold, and are made public only for the free benefit of Spiritual knowledge to those who are genuinely seeking the will of God.

Do you have a dog, or a cat? Maybe you have something smaller, like a mouse or hamster, or something larger like a horse? Owning a pet requires that you are faithful in taking care of them, whether it is feeding and watering them, taking your dog out for a walk, washing them when they are dirty, taking them to the vet when they are hurt. You love your pets, and this is shown by the things that you do for them.

Love. If a feeling for someone or something is really love it will manifest itself through some kind of action towards them. As I just showed you, love for your pets will cause you to take care of them; how much more then should we show our love to others who we care about?

1 John 3:14-18 says,  “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”

There are many different examples of love in the Bible, but we do not need to look any further than our Lord Jesus Christ to understand what love is.

John 15:13  “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

That is exactly what Jesus did. He gave His life so that we could be saved. He saw our need for salvation, and filled it. He took the suffering upon Himself so that we wouldn’t have to. He took our heavy burdens, and made them light. He showed us how to love.

Jesus’ declaration of love for us was not just words, it was backed up by His deeds. People all the time say the words “I love you,” but do they really? Anyone can say those three words, but it is through an action that it is proven. John used the example of seeing a brother in need, saying, If you shut up your bowels of compassion, how can God’s love dwell inside of them? Are we not supposed to love others, just as Christ has loved us? Then prove it.

This was the question that Jesus asked Peter. Do you love me?

John 21:15-17  “So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.”

Unlike some who only say the words, Peter’s life was a living example of his love for Jesus. His love for the Lord led him from city to city, preaching everywhere he went. When he was put into prison for preaching, upon his release Peter immediately went right back at it. When he was commanded to stop teaching in the name of Jesus, Peter answered, We ought to obey God rather than men. It was Jesus who had commanded him to preach, and there was no one who was going to tell him otherwise.

In one of Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, he explained to them that while they might not have taken care of his needs when he was with them, the brethren from the church in Macedonia were filled with great love for him, and took care of whatever he was lacking. They saw his needs, and they filled it.

Love is so much more than the words. It is an action. Are you filled with the kind of action that shows others your love?

In Christ,

Andrew

In many cities they will have a certain weekend when the residents can take whatever you want to get rid of or throw away out to the curb by the street, and a large truck will drive through the streets picking it all up and hauling it away. Old toys, furniture, household appliances, even regular house garbage, can all be taken out to the curb and left. Within 48 hours everything that you set out will all be hauled away.

What you did was leave all of that junk behind. You “departed” from it, in a way, and this is what we need to do with our sins. Depart from them, and leave them on the curb.

2 Timothy 2:19  “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

Iniquity is defined as “deviation from what is right; wickedness, as well as the denial of the sovereignty of God.” In other words, sin. Sin is the act of doing what is wrong, and immoral according to the teachings of God’s word. Lying, stealing, murder, blasphemy, adultery-all these and more we need to leave behind, and separate ourselves from. 

As Christians, our purpose and goal in life should be to try to imitate the life of Jesus, and to follow His teachings. Jesus taught us how to be loving, kind, merciful, forgiving, and patient, both by His word and by the life that He lived. If we are going to “name the name of Christ” by calling ourselves Christians then we need to live up to that name, and depart from our sins.

This is what the Thessalonian church had done. In one of his letters to them, Paul commended them for the example they were setting for other believers of Christ.

1 Thessalonians 1:2-9  “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;

Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;

Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.

For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.

And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:

So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.

For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.

For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;”

While they were once idolators, the Thessalonian church had turned away from their idols to serve the one true God. They had departed from their sins, and the news of their faith was so widely known throughout the region that Paul didn’t have to tell anyone about how great their faith was.

To become a Christian requires that we make a change in our lives. Instead of continuing down the road of sin and wickedness, we need to make a turn off of it, and onto the path of Christ, walking in His steps. There is no sin in heaven, and if we want to be there ourselves we need to take out the trash, and leave it at the curb.

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in everyone.  Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.

Many years ago Andrew and my family were traveling around, visiting different flea markets.  We had rented a spot at one of them, and I was talking to people about the gospel and singing songs about Jesus.  There were numerous people who came up to express their appreciation for what we were doing.  After I finished talking, I began to sing another song, when a woman walked up to me.  She got within one inch of my face and started screaming at me, insomuch that she was spitting on my face, but I kept singing.  Later that day, the woman had complained to the organizers, and went so far as to have us kicked out of the flea market.  

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

Even though there were other musical groups who had performed that day, we were the only ones to receive such treatment. I hadn’t done anything to provoke this woman, but the things that she had heard certainly had an effect on her.

John 15:20  Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

To persecute means to treat someone with hostility and ill will, especially because of their religious beliefs. It’s to treat someone cruelly or unfairly, or to harass or punish in such a manner designed to injure, grieve, or afflict them. It’s causing them to suffer because of their faith.  When you take a stand for the teachings of scripture, you are going to end up entering into some type of persecution.  The reason why is that not everybody believes the truth of God’s Word, even some members of your own family.

Matthew 10:36  And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.

Another time, Andrew and I were walking on the streets of a Wisconsin town.  We were visiting with people, handing out flyers and talking about the Bible.  We met a group of people who professed to be Christian, so I began a discussion with them. One of the marks of spirituality is not allowing women to speak in the church or to teach God’s Word, so I asked him how he felt about this passage.  They got very upset, and one of them yelled at me that he knew a woman that could slam me into the ground!  I didn’t provoke him, I just asked him how he felt about the passage.

Luke 10:16  He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me. 

When people will not hear and accept the teachings of Jesus Christ, they hate both Jesus and the heavenly Father.  God loves and cares for us but God sent His only begotten Son into the world to bless us by turning each of us away from our iniquities. Those who refuse to accept His guidance found in scripture do not love God. Those who genuinely love God will desire to obey His Word, those who don’t will be anathema, or cursed to eternal fire.  It doesn’t matter if they profess to be Christian or not, what matters is the performance of God’s will, otherwise it’s just words.  Scriptural truth brings on hatred from the world.

John 15:18-19  If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

Being persecuted and harassed is part of the territory.  When you become a Christian, it is to be expected, because not everybody will believe in the truth as you do.  You become a punching bag, simply because they won’t receive what you are telling them.  They hate the messenger, because of the message that they bring.  These are wicked times that we live in, and you certainly won’t get persecuted for the truth if you don’t stand up for the truth. I think one of the greatest things you can do with your life is to lead people to scripture, so they can recover themselves out of the snares of the devil, but you will need to be prepared for a spiritual battle.  Just as Jesus was hated by the world, a true follower Christ will be also.

1 Peter 4:14  If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

Many of the disciples were hated simply because they stood up for the teachings of Christ.  Many people were irritated because of the things they were teaching, bringing on a response of ill will towards the disciples.  This happened numerous times to the Apostle Paul.

2 Timothy 3:10-11  But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,  Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

2 Timothy 4:14  Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:

We love our neighbor by loving them with the truth.  You also must remember that God’s Word is the sword of the Spirit.  If you were to put a sword into somebody else, what is going to be the result?   If you stick a knife in someone’s leg, they are going to get upset.  If you shot them in the foot, they would attempt some type of retaliation.  We are involved in a spiritual battle with the greatest weapon that you could ever have in your possession. It pierces deeper than any other; into the depths of the heart and soul. For those who reject scripture, this sword is going to hurt, because of which they will have a great desire to take it out on you.

Matthew 5:11-12  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

When you stand up for biblical truth some people are going to speak evil of it.  They will cast out your name as evil and call you a liar.  This is the same thing that they did to Jesus, because some claimed that he was deceiving the people.

2 Peter 2:2  And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

In the parable of the sower, it teaches that some will turn away from the Christian Life because they don’t want to be persecuted.  They don’t want to be hated by others.  They just want everybody to get along.  I have some news for you, persecution happens to those who believe and serve Christ.  I remember this every time I think about…..

….The Flea Market.

Let’s think about these things for right now.  We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

tlkjbc.com

Good morning and welcome in everyone.  Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.

Cape Horn on the southern tip of South America, has been described by some sailors as furious, with seas that are bigger and more ferocious than anything they have ever seen before.  There are rogue waves that can appear, reaching heights of approximately 100 ft high, capable of swamping and destroying a ship.  The Cape is pounded with destructively high winds, known as williwaw winds, which can strike a vessel with little or no warning.  A williwaw wind is a sudden unexpected blast of wind descending from a mountainous coast to the sea, catching sailors completely by surprise.  Because the passage is so narrow, the ships can be driven upon the rocks, or an iceberg.  Located off the South tip of Isla Hornos, this rocky island stands as a warning to all who are going to enter.  Many people believe that the horn is the most dangerous ship passage in the world, claiming at least 800 shipwrecks and 10,000 lives. 

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

Many sailors were terrified at the thought of having to go around cape Horn, but The Apostle Paul warned men about the terror of the Lord.  One of the most frightful terrors is knowing that God will not forgive you on Judgment Day if you are incapable of forgiving and reconciling with others.  If somebody has no forgiveness, they are not going to enter eternal life because they are still abiding in the state of sin.  It will be far beyond any terror that cape Horn can administer.  It will be the terror of damnation, when they are cast into an eternal lake of fire.  There will be much weeping and gnashing of teeth.   Because they chose to be unmerciful to others while here on Earth, God will show them no mercy at His judgment.

James 2:13. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

People ask God for forgiveness each day but some refuse to forgive others in the same manner.  They expect God to forgive them when they ask for it, yet when somebody else asks them for the same, they refuse to grant it to them.  Refusing to forgive the confessed faults and apologies of another, is to enter into territory with God that I would never want to be.

Matthew 18:21-35  Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?  Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.  And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.  But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.  The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.  Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.

But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.  And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.  And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.  So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.

Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:  Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?  And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.

So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

There are some heretical teachings found in modern forms of Christianity today, one of which is the philosophy that you can forgive someone in your heart and not have a reconciled relationship with them anymore.  That sounds ridiculous doesn’t it.  They want to claim with their mouth that they forgive others, yet their heart denies it, being filled with the blackness of grudge keeping and bitterness.  Scripture teaches that this would happen in the latter times. Because of people’s cold lack of mercy, it is becoming more prevalent day by day.  

The work of God is called the ministry of reconciliation, yet the devil doesn’t want reconciliation to happen.  He is completely opposed to it because he himself will not reconcile with God or with His teachings.  We are not ignorant of his devices.  The apostles were trying to bring the church together, keeping them in a close relationship with each other which happens through confession of faults and forgiveness.  If you refuse to reconcile with others who have asked for forgiveness, you are certainly not blessed by God, but rather, abiding in his wrath.

Matthew 5:7  Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Matthew 6:15  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Luke 15:18-25  I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,  And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.  And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.  And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.  But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:  And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:  For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

Notice that when the son apologized, the dad completely forgave him without holding any grudge afterwards.  They were completely reconciled to each other as if nothing wrong had even taken place in their past.  Refusing to reconcile with others only reveals deep-seated bitterness and resentment within a person’s heart.  God requires confession and forgiveness in the church. If you have asked for forgiveness and apologized, you have done your part.  The burden is no longer on you but it is on the unforgiving party.  If they continue to refuse to reconcile, they will remain in God’s wrath.

2 Corinthians 5:11  Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;…..

You obviously cannot forgive people who refuse to ask for it, but if they have asked for it, you must forgive and reconcile with them, otherwise God will not forgive you.  That is a terror that will be eternal, from which one will never escape.  Remember that the next time you think about….

… The Terror of The Horn  

Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.❤️

tlkjbc.com

We burn firewood to heat our home in our long, cold Minnesota winters, and something that always amazes me is how fast a fire can spread from just a tiny match. Provided that you load your stove with plenty of dry wood, the time that it takes to turn that tiny match flame into a full roaring fire is often just a minute or two. 

It can happen that fast, and for this reason the forestry departments will often place fire restrictions during the driest times of the year, in an effort to try to prevent large forest fires from developing. But that sometimes isn’t enough, as just a spark from the dragging chains on your trailer, or a lit cigarette can burst even the tiniest of dry leaves into flames, and those flames if left unchecked can soon develop into a very dangerous problem.

Which is exactly the same that can happen when it comes to the tongue, and the control of our speech. Words are powerful things; with a few words wars can start or stop, friendships can be made or broken. But to truly control one’s speech is an ability that no one on Earth can achieve, without the help of the Holy Spirit.

James 3:2-12  “For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.

Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.

Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:

But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?

Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.”

So many times I have read stories about people who had gotten themselves into trouble because they couldn’t keep themselves from speaking out when they should have been quiet. Or times when a person uses their speech in a injurious manner towards others in a fit of rage and anger. This use of speech does not help others, or seek to edify them, but it is used to try to hurt them or tear them down.

The tongue, if guided by the Holy Spirit, can be used to speak many great things. The tongue can be used to sing hymns and spiritual songs to the Lord as we praise Him for His many wonderful blessings. It can be used to preach God’s truth to others and used to speak many beautiful things, but this is only possible through the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit.

The Apostle Paul wrote that we need to be filled with sound speech, which means speech that is free from flaw, defect, or corruption. Instead, our speech needs to be used to edify others in love.

Titus 2:7-8  “In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,

Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.”

Ephesians 4:29  “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”

It takes the Holy Spirit to tame the tongue, as we cannot accomplish this by ourselves. Give the control of the reins of your tongue over to the Spirit and “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt…” Colossians 4:6.

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in everyone.  Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.

In 1618, about 13 miles south of London England, a local cowherd was walking his thirsty cattle.  There was a drought that summer, and he was trying to find somewhere to water his herd. After a period of time of searching, he finally stumbled upon a pool of water.  As thirsty as his animals were, his cattle turned their nose up at it, refusing to drink the water.  Upon tasting it, he found it to be extremely bitter.  It had bubbled up from an underground spring in a city named Epsom.  Henry Wicker had discovered a naturally occurring magnesium and sulfate mineral compound in the water, known as epsomite.  It has become more commonly called Epsom salts, named after the town in which it was discovered.

Since then, gardeners have used these salts to help their plants and flowers to grow.  Some people claim that magnesium is a main element in a plant’s enzymes.  The combination of these two ingredients helps a plant to draw more nutrients from the soil, and if they have more food, they will obviously grow better.  

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

Just as people use this salt to help their plants to grow, God gives us a spiritual compound to help us grow.  Grace and forgiveness.  

2 Peter 3:18  But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

Grace and forgiveness are like food and water for our soul.  There are times when we need a little sprinkle around our roots, but when we ask for it, He abundantly gives it to us.  God wants us to grow into Spiritual maturity.  He wants us to become fruitful and convert into the person He wants us to be, but like a plant trying to get through a drought, we need His help to survive.

Hebrews 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Grace is defined as unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification.  Forgiveness is completely unmerited because we don’t deserve it.  All of us are sinners who have come short of the glory of God, but even though we are sinful wretches, God reaches out to this world with a free gift for those who call upon the name of His Son, Jesus Christ.  Each of us were born through our mother’s womb into our earthly fleshy bodies, a body that is filled with sin and has a short shelf life.  It’s only lasts for a short period of time because it grows old and eventually decays and dies.  For those who desire it, God offers a gift of eternal life in paradise, but it requires being born again spiritually.  Unless we go through this spiritual rebirth, we cannot enter God’s kingdom.

John 3:3-7  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.  Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

Being born of water means to be baptized by submersion into the name of Jesus Christ.  We go underneath the water because it represents a water grave, a death to the old sinful person that we have been in our past.  Just like we were born through the fluid of your mother’s amniotic sac, we are reborn by God through a birth in the water of baptism.  This is the start of a new life.  At this moment, all of our past sins are expunged, as if we had never committed them in the first place, and because we have placed our faith in God’s Son Jesus,  He wipes our slate clean, and forgives us.

There’s a specific reason that a gardener puts Epsom salt on his plants.  It’s to help them grow into maturity.  God extends to us forgiveness through His son Jesus for that very reason, so we can undergo a transformation from the sinner that we used to be, into a saint.

Each New year’s Eve, people in their humanness attempt to turn over a new leaf.  In the world, people will attempt something one time and then fail, causing them to give up, but in the Christian Life, we can boldly come to the throne of grace in our time of need, so that if we do make a mistake, we can get back up and keep trying until we finally overcome and achieve success; the performance of God’s perfect will.

God gives us Grace so that we can be regenerated which means to be formed or created again; or spiritually reborn and converted.  The Apostle Paul is an example of a man who grew exceedingly in God’s grace, and was completely transformed from what he used to be, into an entirely new person.

1 Corinthians 15:10  But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Forgiveness is given for our sanctification.  Sanctification is the action or process of being freed from sin or purified. This happens through knowledge and belief in biblical truth.

John 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

It’s by faith in scriptural teachings that we are cleansed and freed from sin.

Ephesians 5:26-27  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

John 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Just like thirsty tomato plants, we want to thirst for scripture, reaching towards the Son so that we can grow up in our faith.

1 Peter 2:2 – As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

It is absolutely amazing how God’s grace can completely change people’s lives, giving us the ability to correct our course and take a new direction. Even while we were yet sinners, Jesus laid down his life for us at the cross, so that we could become born again and begin a new life.  We don’t want to receive God’s grace in vain, but use it as a springboard to launch us into a new avenue of faithful obedience and love for God.  

Like a new baby plant, God wants to begin growing a new person inside each of us by His Holy spirit.  He is sprinkling our roots with his mercy.  So when it comes down to spiritual growth, I say……

……. Pass the Salt.

Let’s think about these things for right now.  We can be found on your web browser by searching tlkjbc, where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms, or by getting our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com, or I suppose, you can find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods.  Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

tlkjbc.com

Good morning and welcome in everyone.  Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.

In Yosemite national Park there is a very interesting vertical rock formation that’s composed of a type of granite rock. It towers at more than 3,500 vertical feet and it’s been the source of many photographs and paintings over the years.  It doesn’t have a lot of cracks and it’s very difficult for rock climbers to ascend the face.  Since 1957, people have been climbing this mountain, beginning with an expedition led by an accomplished rock climber named Warren Harding.  It is certainly not for the fainthearted.  It’s considered by some to be one of the most difficult climbs in the world, in fact, some people have climbed all the way to the top without using any ropes at all.  

My wife and I have done a little rock climbing too.  There was one time that we even repelled down a whopping 30 foot rope!  I doubt if I would ever do it again though.  I prefer my feet on the ground. That old saying kept ringing in my head, “the higher you go, the further the fall.”

Rock climbing always reminds me of the Christian Life.

Like climbing a mountain, the devil wants to get a strong foothold in our lives. It only takes a few small steps of unconfessed sin to begin the slow climb up the mountainside of pride. This is why if you make a mistake in your Christian walk, you need to admit it quickly, confessing your faults to God and each other.  Refusing to do this will result in the hardening of the heart.  Each step of sin only takes you that much higher, elevating your mind in prideful impenitence.   Sin and pride are like two pedals on a bicycle. When you push one down, the other propels you further down the road.

Hebrews 3:13  But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

When you climb a mountain, you might get six feet off the ground, and then quickly abandon what you are doing by jumping back to the ground, but the higher you climb, the harder it is to let go.  As you climb, you tend not to look down and tell yourself, what am I doing? One sin leads to another, and the higher and higher you ascend.  When people get involved with sin, the heart becomes hardened with pride.  What was once warm, soft and loving, becomes cold, hard and cruel.

The disciples preached and warned the church daily about the dangers of sinful living.  As a parent, it seems like each day you are constantly warning your own children.  You might warn your child to keep away from the wood stove because they could get burned. You might rebuke them sharply, warning them to keep away from a dangerous highway.  The disciples were not negligent to continuously preach the truth to the church, so they wouldn’t get hurt, and led away by the lies of sin.

2 Peter 3:17-18  Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.  

The further one gets involved with sin, the more arrogant and proud the heart becomes.  Sin is like leaven in bread dough.  It only takes a little bit to begin the rising process of pride.  The more pride, the harder and more impenitent the heart becomes.

Hebrews 3:8  Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

Think about a lake as winter draws near.  That cold air begins to slowly cool the warm temperature of a lake, until it slowly begins to harden.  It begins with a small little film of ice on the top.  At that point, it can be easily broken through, but the colder and longer the weather remains, the thicker and thicker the ice becomes.  The same thing happens in the heart due to unrepented sin.  It’s an unwillingness to look in the mirror at what you have become.  A lake that was warm enough to enjoy a swim during the summer months, turns into something completely different in the winter; a cold, hard mass of ice.

Romans 2:5-8  But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

Who will render to every man according to his deeds:  To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey  unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,

Sin can be like a minnow trap.  It’s very easy to find your way in, but not so easy to get out. Sin can be like quicksand.  It only takes a few misplaced steps to begin to suck you right in.  

Sin is like a swimming beach.  It’s shallow near the shore, but eventually gets deeper until you hit the drop-off.  Sin is like a hornets nest.  It’s best left alone.  Sin is like canoeing down a gentle stream, but not seeing the upcoming waterfall.  Sin is like a perfect and strangely calm afternoon that suddenly turns into a raging and destructive tornado.

Sin deceives us, this is why it is so dangerous.  The best weapon against sin is daily exposure to the truth of God’s Word.  Those who refuse to believe and obey the truth, are setting themselves up for a long fall to the bottom.

Matthew 23:12  And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Proverbs 16:18  Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

Pride is a killer.  The more you have of it, the further you push away from God.  God is not mocked, and you will reap what you sow.  The Lord hates pride, this is why it’s best to humbly repent and get off the wall before you even begin that climb.

Proverbs 8:13  The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Pride from unconfessed sin, interrupts a seeking heart for God.

Psalms 10:4  The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

Proverbs 11:2  When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.

The harder the heart becomes, the less inclined it is to listen to God’s Word.  We are sanctified and purified from sin through belief and acceptance of scripture.  When a person begins down the path of sin, the harder it becomes to accept the truth of their own sinful condition. The more involved with sin you are, the more closed and dull of hearing your ears become. Sin is deceitful, wretched and self-destructive, because instead of reaching out to the God who loves us, it causes someone to turn away from Him. Just like a warm wood stove, the further you walk away from it, the colder you will become inside.

Hebrews 4:7  Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

I beg you all, keep away from sin.  Don’t be involved with it, or surround yourselves with others who impentently choose to live like that.  It only takes two steps to begin the climb that will only distance your heart from God.  For some reason I always think of this when I think of….

……El Capitan.

Let’s think about these things for right now, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow.  Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

Romans 12:9  “Let love be without dissimulation…

Have you ever been treated by someone in a way that you could tell that they really weren’t like? Have you ever felt that someone was only acting nice to you in order to use you or to obtain something from you?

Today, let’s start by defining two important words: what dissimulation means and what it means to be disingenuous.

Dissimulation is defined as the act of concealing the truth; hypocrisy or deception. To hide one’s feelings or intentions.

To be disingenuous means fake or deceptive; not frank or open.

Probably one of the most prominent examples in the Bible of this is Judas. Picked to be one of Jesus’ 12 disciples, Judas tried to act as though he loved the Lord. He tried to appear to others like he cared for others, but we all know what happened with Judas. In John 12, Mary Magdalene washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair. She also anointed His feet with an expensive ointment, and it was this act that caused Judas to begin to reveal his true intentions.

John 12:4-6  “Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him,

Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?

This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.”

We see where Judas’ true love was. It was not for the poor; he didn’t care about the poor. He clearly didn’t love Jesus, as we will read in just a moment. His love was for the thing that is the root of all evil-money. He may have tried to pretend to others that he really did care about helping poor people, but he didn’t.

It was the same thing that caused Judas to betray the Lord. Once again, his love was greater for 30 pieces of silver than Jesus Christ. 

Matthew 26:47-50  “And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.

Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.

And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.

And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.”

Look at how full of deceit and disingenuous Judas was. He even went up to Jesus to give Him a kiss, a sign of love and affection. But this was not what was in his heart. His love for money was far greater. He didn’t love the poor and he didn’t love Jesus, or else he would have never done the things that he did.

The Pharisees, as well, were filled up with this fake, hypocritical affection for Christ.

Matthew 22:15-21  “Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.

And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.

Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?

But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?

Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.

And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?

They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.”

Look at how they acted like they really cared about what Jesus was teaching. “We know that thou art true.” “You teach the way of God.” Right. If they really believed that then they would never have crucified Him. Their “love” for Him was truly filled with dissimulation.

Our love for others can never be like that. It needs to be pure, and true. It needs to be real, not fake. Our love needs to be that of Epaphroditus’ towards Paul. He loved Paul so much that he didn’t even regard his own life as he became very ill while serving Paul tirelessly.

Philippians 2:25-30  “Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellow soldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.

For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard that he had been sick.

For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

I sent him therefore the more carefully, that, when ye see him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful.

Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and hold such in reputation:

Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me.”

Let our love for each other be just like that. Without dissimilation.

In Christ,

Andrew

Just a note:

Andrew willfully lied to me on more than one occasion, and then purposely betrayed me a short while later. Although some of his writings are beneficial, he has nothing to do with this ministry any longer. I never could imagine doing something to him what he has done to me, but it only proves that he never really cared about me at all. Betrayal will normally come from those who you care about the most, and his actions are the proof of his betrayal of the Christian Life. Deceit such as this does not happen from somebody who claims to be in Christ, because they are the works of the devil.