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.

Can you imagine training for many years so that you could someday participate in the Olympics?  When that day finally came, you packed up your bags, took a plane, and showed up for the very first day of the competition.  When you finally got signed in, you noticed that something out of the ordinary was going on.  As you walked through the doors into the main arena, you showed your entrance pass to the guard and followed the long line for orientation.  There you saw a huge box on a pallet that each competitor was filing past.  As they did, they reached down inside and pulled out a gold medal for themselves.  With huge grins from ear to ear, they took their medals, dispersed, and left to go back home.

Not much of a competition is it,…. when you reward yourself!

What would be the point of actually competing in any competitive event if you received the reward before you even began?  What would be the point of training to compete for the event?  What would be the point of getting up early to workout?  What would be the point of pushing yourself further, and running an extra mile?  It wouldn’t be necessary to get in shape because you could just stay home, knowing that it didn’t really matter anyway, because you had already obtained the prize, and the gold metal was in hand.

There is been a concept known as “once saved always saved“, which has been interpreted by some to mean that you can live your life whatever way you want, because you are going to heaven anyway.  In that mindset what would be the point of amending your ways, to turn from sin, to confess faults, to lovingly submit to the will of God, to be filled with contrition and remorse for misdeeds, to reconcile with God and with others, to obey His purpose for you, and to walk in goodness, righteousness and truth? Why strive for these things in your life, if you truly believe in your own mind that you’re going to be in heaven regardless of anything that you do?  There would be no motivation to do what was right.

Jude 1:5-7  I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.  And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.  Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

Even though God reaches out to save us through his grace, salvation is not a locked up deal because we have not finished the race yet.  It requires effort on your part.  To award yourself the gold medal of salvation before even crossing the finish line is foolishness.  You simply set yourself up as your own judge and jury.  Those who attempt the Christian life will be judged by God’s Word.  A person can lose their salvation just as Esau did.  A person can lose their salvation just as Judas did. This is why the apostles were not negligent in warning the church about being led away with the error of the wicked..  

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.

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.

If salvation was secure, they wouldn’t have needed to warn them about the misuse of Gods grace, insomuch that it didn’t produce the results of righteous living.

2 Corinthians 6:1  We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

There are numerous other scriptures that show the error of believing the “once saved, always saved concept.  In the parable of the sower, (Mark 4:3) are examples of people who became Christian, but they didn’t last.  Their salvation was certainly not secure, because they chose to love other things more than Jesus. They didn’t endure in His teachings. Salvation depends on your reaction to the gospel of Christ and what you are going to do with His grace.  If salvation was secure, they wouldn’t have needed to warn them about those who turn away from biblical truth.  

2 Timothy 4:3-4  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Some people may award themselves a gold medal, while the truth is, if they rebelliously abide in a state of sin, they will receive a different reward.

2 Peter 2:13  And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness,…

Why did men of God warn the church? You warn people because of the possibility that they could get hurt.  They didn’t want them to jump off of the cliff of unbelief, into eternal damnation.  Remember that Jesus preached repent or perish, but many people don’t want to believe in eternal punishment as a reaction for their sinful living. They refuse to accept in damnation and hell fire as being a real place.  This is because they are probably heading that direction.  Its also heresy to believe that lie.  True salvation is about complete conversion.  Its a day by day process of submission to God’s will. Its a race.  Eternal life is the reward for such daily submission to His purpose, which would be completely inaccesable without the riches of His grace.

Philippians 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 9:24  Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

The word “may” implies that you haven’t received the prize yet. You haven’t crossed the finish line yet.  You haven’t heard the words “well done” yet.  You certainly may inherit the world that is coming, but it depends on your reaction to God’s grace.  It depends on your obedience and faithfulness to one who laid down his life for you at the cross.  We have precious promises in the Scriptures of entering into eternal life, but Christianity is about believing the promises insomuch that the very thought of being able to live eternally causes you to submit your life and your will completely to Christ.

When you say the words ” I believe in Jesus” you really must consider what you are saying.  You need to understand what the word believe truly means.  Many people will profess that they believe in Jesus, and if that statement is genuine and sincere, it will result in an obedient heart.  It results in the great desire to serve God and do his will.

We are saved by grace, but it’s through the narrow corridor of faith.  Genuine faith will ultimately result in submission and obedience to the will of God, contained in the teachings of scripture.  Eventually, we want to become people who don’t need to repent from dead works anymore because we are finally doing what is right in His presence. This is the high calling of God, Spiritual perfection.  Some people will begin to walk the Christian Life but then they get entangled with sinful living all over once again.  Many of them really believe that they are on their way to heaven, and that the eternally saved but will be in for a rude awakening.  They don’t want to be controlled by biblical teachings but rather make their own decisions about how they live their own life.  Instead of choosing holiness, they choose sin.  Remember that in the days of Noah there were obviously religious people and leaders. They were getting married and being given in marriage, but all of them were destroyed in the flood.

Once saved always saved?  Consider the following passage.

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 saved always saved goes against scriptural teachings on Hope.  Hope is about waiting patiently for something that you have not yet received.  If you award yourself with the prize, there is no need to hope of having it later.

Romans 8:24-25  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. 

Don’t deceive yourselves, or allow yourself to be deceived by others.  We are given the promise of eternal life, just like someone is given the promise of receiving a medal at the olympics.  It’s a prize that is waiting to be won, but it’s going to require effort on your part. It’s going to demand a steadfast heart.  You’re going to need to get up and get moving if you’re really going to win….

…..The Gold Medal.

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

We all start learning somewhere. This is something that I reference to often, but it is a good analogy. For most things that you learn, there is one single correct way or method, and the rest are incorrect. The simplest way I can explain it is this: When you learn how to add your numbers in kindergarten, you learn from your teacher that 1+1=2, 2+2=4, and so on. That is the correct way to learn addition.

But suppose that a young student in the class comes up with his own theory, or method, that differs from the one that the teacher taught. Instead of 1+1=2, this student believes that 1+1=3, and he tries to instruct everyone around him that this is the correct way to do addition, when in fact it is completely incorrect.

There is truth and there is fiction. You can learn many different things, but there will always be the correct way and the wrong way, and this seems kind of like a situation that Paul was overseeing in his letter to the Galatian church. It appears that there was someone who was telling the Galatians something different than what Paul had taught them. 

Galatians 1:6-12  “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.

For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

When Paul taught and wrote letters to the churches, the information that he was teaching them didn’t come from himself. He didn’t learn it from others, but he learned it straight from the Source–Jesus Himself.

We know that everything that Paul taught was given to him through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, just as everything in the Bible is Spirit-given. He taught people what they needed to hear, the truth. If someone was sinning, Paul was going to rebuke them and instruct them to live correctly. And it didn’t matter if the people didn’t want to hear it. He wasn’t a people pleaser, telling them what they wanted to hear that they can continue to live in their sin. Paul served Christ and it was Christ who gave him his calling to preach.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and if someone else teaches something that is not aligned with the teachings found therein, then it is false, it is a fabrication, and Paul said “let him be accursed.” “Accursed” means “doomed to destruction or misery; damnable.”

Some people will tell others whatever they want to hear to keep them happy, and will often twist or bend the true meaning of God’s Word. And you know who else tried to twist the scriptures? The devil.

Matthew 4:1-11  “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.”

In Matthew 4, during the temptation of Christ, the devil tried to use scripture to get Jesus to bend to his will. The devil clearly knew the scriptures, but he used it in an evil, incorrect way. Those who do the same by teaching things that are not found in the Holy Scriptures (and claiming that they are) will meet the same fate as the devil: eternal damnation.

This is why we need to study our Bibles daily, so that when we hear someone teaching things that are not truthful and accurate, and clearly are meant to deceive others, we will always know the truth. God will punish those who teach contrary to His word. We just need to keep reading our Bibles, and we will know the truth from fiction.

In Christ,

Andrew

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

John 14:15, 21, 23-24  If ye love me, keep my commandments.  He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.  Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.  He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.

Jesus taught in the scriptures that the two greatest commandments were to love God completely, and to love your neighbor as yourself.  Millions of people on the Earth will quickly claim that they love their neighbor and care about people in society, but that’s only one part of God’s equation for salvation.  In order to obtain eternal life, we must love and obey God’s only begotten Son Jesus.  The commandments are in order for a reason. If people choose to refuse to obey the first commandment it doesn’t matter how much they claim to love others.  We prove our love for God through obedience to His precious Son.

When your dad commands you to cut the lawn one summer day, and you complete the task later that afternoon, it pleases him.  When a wife completely obeys her husband and does everything she is told, she pleases him.  When we obey the commands and teachings of Christ, it pleases Jesus.  Our obedience to his teachings show how much that we truly love him. 

John 14:21  He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

When we love and obey His precious Son, the Father shines down His Love upon us.  God loves us by sending His Son into this world,  but His love abides and remains on those who believe and obey His son Jesus.  What Earthly dad among you is not going to get upset when their son is treated poorly by somebody else at school?  How do you think the creator of the universe feels when they treat His Son this way?  Those who don’t serve His Son faithfully are going to be rejected and punished eternally.  Love for Christ is to obey His commands and teachings.  Those who won’t, don’t truly love the Lord and will be anathema.

1 John 2:3-5  And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

If you were employed at any kind of job in the community, but refused to follow and obey the things that the owner commanded you to do, what do you think the end result is going to be?  Do you think he’s going to be jumping up and down with joy?  You’re not going to last very long because disobedience displeases him.  Your actions only reveal that you’re unreliable and undependable, and cannot do as you are told.  

The Christian Life is no different.  

To obtain eternal life we must show our love towards Jesus by obeying Him in everything.  Not everybody’s going to inherit eternal life, not even people who profess Christianity.  It comes down to doing the will of God rather than your own.  Christianity is more than just confession with your mouth, it’s true faith in your heart.  if you possess true faith I guarantee you it will result in obedience.  Anyone who says otherwise is a liar and a fraud.  To fulfill the first commandment is to love God and if you refuse to obey the commands of Christ you don’t love Him.  That’s foolishness, because you are neglecting your salvation and its requirements.

Matthew 21:28-32  But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.  He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.  And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.  Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.  For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.

The son who truly loved his father eventually did what his dad had commanded him to do. All of us have been disobedient, all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but through the riches of God’s grace, we are given the opportunity to turn around and do what is right.  You made a wrong turn, you took a wrong step, you went the wrong direction, but God grants us grace so that we can go back and do what we were supposed to be doing in the first place. God has certainly proved his love towards this entire world by sending His precious son to die as a propitiation for our misdeeds.  Now it is high time to prove our love towards Him by becoming faithful and obedient to His purpose for us.

Before I became a Christian I told my wife that there was no way that I would ever teach anything because I hated the profession and absolutely loathed it.  When I became a Christian 24 years ago, I realized that God wanted me to teach and preach His Son.  Andrew and my family have been with me as I preached at flea markets, shopping malls, unused Church buildings, daily in our own home, on the streets, community rooms, door to door, handing out Bibles and flyers, on reservations and in the city.  In order for me to be capable of doing these things, I had to deny myself and my hatred of teaching, and do the complete opposite thing.  

God calls us to a specific purpose, but it means going in the opposite direction.  It means going against your will and doing His will.  That is the proof that shows Jesus how much we love him.  Christianity is more than just words, you must prove it by your actions of obedience.  The first commandment is to love God wholeheartedly, and if you truly love Christ, you will keep His commandments.  This is how you can know if you are truly walking in the love of God.  Even Peter, who was already an apostle, did something that was wrong.  He denied knowing Christ.  Later on he felt extremely sorrowful for what he had done, and repented.  He explained to the Lord how much that he loved Him, but Jesus wanted to see the proof of his love, and commanded him to feed His sheep.  

Jesus wants to see our love by our faithful obedience.  Christianity is not about you, or what you can get out of your life, it’s about self denial.  It’s about obeying His will, rather than doing your own thing.  Those who can’t understand this are blinded by their own sin.  In that state they really don’t love God, they love themselves and the world more than Him.  God wants to see our love towards Him through faithful and obedient hearts, because when all is said and done…..

…..The Proof is in the Pudding

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

What is something that you used to like at one time, but then something happened and it made you not like that thing anymore?

As a young child I used to love to eat candy corn. I could take a handful and munch on them until they were gone and then I would go and get another handful. But years later (and still up to today) just the sight of candy corn makes me fell kind of “bleh.” I no longer like it anymore; it has become too sweet for my liking and I probably will never eat another candy corn again.

I can think of an example about some people who absolutely love swimming and doing things in the ocean, but something happened such as a shark attack or a near drowning experience, and because of that event something inside of them changed. From that point on, they no longer wanted to spend time in the water anymore. 

Some people have a great addiction to various things, cigarettes, alcohol, etc, but one day they put their foot down and tell themselves that they’ve smoked their last, or they’ve drank their last bottle. They used to enjoy those things previously, but something happened and caused them to not want them anymore. 

These examples are similar to a passage of scripture found in Hebrews 6, about how some people who have heard the things of God’s Word, and become Christians, that if those people should fall away from the faith of Christ and go back into the world, that it is impossible to bring them back to a state of repentance. 

Hebrews 6:4-6  “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.”

These people know God’s Word, and what is written inside. They know of Christ’s love for the world, and His desire to save them. They also know the single greatest command of Jesus, to love God and to love their neighbor. They have been “enlightened,” as it is written. Knowing the truth that is found in God’s Word, if a person makes the decision to forsake their lives as a Christian, then they truly are the people that Jesus spoke of in His parable of the sower. They are those who hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness, but then fall away.

Mark 4:13-17  “And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?

The sower soweth the word.

And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.

And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.”

Because of persecution they were offended. Because they let other things become more important, they forsake the way of Christ.

It really is a sad, sad thing. The gift of God’s Son is the greatest gift EVER, available to everyone! Jesus’ offer of forgiveness is free! Eternal life is free! But unbelievably there are people who have this gift “in their hands” so to speak, but they throw it away. Once you throw away Christ’s gift there will be no getting it back. Esau gave up his birthright-he didn’t get it back. It has been given to him to begin with because he was the firstborn, yet he gave it up, and then it was too late. 

I don’t know where the saying “once saved always saved” originated from but it is completely false. The life of a Christian is a daily profession, a one-way road that requires that a person stay on it to reach the end destination of the kingdom of heaven. We do not deviate from it, or alter the Bible to fit our lifestyle, and we certainly do not forsake it. Those who make the critical error of abandoning Christ can have no one to blame but themselves on Judgment Day, because they know how they should live, but they gave it up, and for that reason there is no place of repentance found for them. 

Never, never make this mistake. Never allow yourself to begin to doubt Christ, and His teachings. Never allow yourself to reach that point to where you give up your faith. 

In Christ,

Andrew

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

Mark 4:3-14  Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:  And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:  But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.  And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.  And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.  And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.  And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?

The sower soweth the word.

Farmers can relate with this parable because they plant a seed and it grows right out of the ground.  If you plant an apple seed you can get an apple tree when it’s matured. If you plant a tomato seed you can get a tomato plant when it’s matured. God’s Holy Word is an incorruptible spiritual seed that you plant deep inside a person’s heart by teaching and preaching scripture.

1 Peter 1:23 – Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Spiritual seed planting is a job that men of God are called to do, beginning with your wife and children and spreading out to communities and church goers, but there are things that can hinder spiritual maturity and growth in a person’s life.

Mark 4:15  And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.

Some people hear the word of God taught, but the devil steals it away, just like a bird stealing the sower’s seeds off of the ground.  The devil doesn’t want you in heaven, he wants to take you to hell with him. This is why he must be resisted in your heart.  When resisted, he will flee like the coward he is.  The devil will try numerous ways to prevent you from becoming faithfully obedient to Christ, and maturing into a perfect son or daughter.  The devil hates the truth of scripture so if there’s any way he can take it away from you, or lead you away from it, he will try it.  Just like a child needs to be fed milk to mature and learn how to walk on their own someday, Christians need the milk of God’s Word in their life, each and every day.  Like someone stealing candy from a baby, the devil will try to steal scripture out of your heart.  

Mark 4:16-17  And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;  And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.

There will be some who happily receive scripture but the problem is that they never develop a root.  If a plant doesn’t have a root, it cannot draw water and nutrients out of the ground to survive.  The end result will be the eventual death of the plant.  This group of people become Christians for a period of time, but then reject the faith.  I guarantee you that when someone becomes a Christian, everything’s not going to be honky-dory, take it from someone who knows.  You will have to go through persecutions, sufferings, and betrayal from people that you used to know, even at the hands of your own spouse and relatives. Christianity it’s not about everybody getting along, because Jesus didn’t come to send peace on the Earth but a sword.  It’s people’s negative response to biblical truth that brings on hatred from others who wholeheartedly reject it.  When a soldier goes into battle they have to expect that somewhere they will run into somebody who hates them and wants to do them harm.  Welcome to Christianity.  Shake the dust off and move on.

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.

Mark 4:18-19  And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,

And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

Have you ever had a green garden hose that was pumping water across the road, but when somebody parked on it with their car tire, it completely stopped the water from flowing? Our hearts need to be filled up each day, being watered by God’s Word, but there are things that can stop that flow of scripture into our hearts, just like a dam across a river, or shutting the faucet off on your kitchen sink.  Things in this world can become more important to you than seeking after God, things like jobs, relationships, and other worldly concerns that only take your eyes off Christ, and being in a close relationship with Him, seeking to be in His presense day by day. 

Mark 4:20  And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

In order to have a fruitful life, one must become faithful and obedient to scripture.  This is called “keeping the word”.  You are not just a hearer but an obedient doer of what it teaches.  If you are going to graduate from college someday, you need to obey the instructions of your teachers.  If you want to graduate into eternal life someday, you need to listen and obey the instruction of biblical truth, by which we are converted into what God wants us to become.  Jesus taught that in order to obtain Paradise we need to do the will of God and that requires obedience and not being distracted by the things of this world. 

So I ask you,… What gets in the way of your relationship with God?  It all comes down to…..

….Keeping Focused.

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

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 ask you a question.

Have you ever played sports?  Whether it’s tennis, baseball or basketball there are certain lines that are drawn that you must stay within if you truly want to win the game.   If the ball goes outside of those boundaries, they are considered out of bounds because the game is restricted to a specific area.

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

We have boundaries and restrictions that we need to follow if we’re going to obey Jesus Christ, one of which is the use of sexuality.

Colossians 3:5-6  Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:  For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

To participate in sexual favors between two consenting people is to engage in fornication.  These activities were created by God to be used within the marriage bond between a man and his wife.  It’s a reward for those who have chosen to tie the knot and become joined with each other in the flesh for the rest of their lives. In a marriage you’re no longer twain but you become one flesh, joined together through a sexual relationship.  In a marriage God teaches that the bed is undefiled.  Any sexual desire for things of this world can be fulfilled in a bedroom so that you can keep your spouse from committing fornication out in the world.

The sexual drive can be at times very powerful, but this is why your spouse is there.  They are there to gratify your physical needs.   I think in most cases, sexuality is a fairly small part of a marriage, I mean if you’re actually going to figure out how much time that you actually require each week to be satisfied.  The rest of the time is spent raising your family, working and supporting your wife and your children’s needs, and enjoying one another’s company. 

I have known many people in my life who got married, only to find out during their honeymoon, that their new wife had been abused repeatedly in their life, by friends, relatives and even their own dad.  When the new groom was excited to be with her on their first night, she had no desire for sexuality with him at all.  She really didn’t even want him to be near her.  As sad as a situation like this may be for her, and for many other women, you really don’t want to do this to somebody who wants to marry you.  If they truly love you, they will remain by your side as your friend.  Marriage goes a step beyond friendship; because it has to do with sexuality and fulfilling earthly desires.   When you enter into a Christian marriage, you enter into an agreement and responsibility to sexually satisfy your spouse.  This is why marriage was created, so that each of you could help each other avoid fornication or sexual desires.

When you cannot serve and satisfy your spouse in the bedroom, other things can happen.  In a marriage your body becomes the property of your spouse to be used for physical gratification in the bedroom.  To deny them this is to deny them conjugal rights, which is to sin against the commandments of Christ.  My council to any woman who has undergone any type of sexual abuse like this is to think about the man that you want to choose as your husband.  A man is expecting certain things when they get married, and as a Christian you’re going to need to be there for him. (And vice versa men) If you truly love him, it’s unfair to deny him the things that he was hoping to have for the rest of his life, especially springing it on him during a honeymoon. It’s a denial of why God created marriage in the first place.  I completely understand that certain women have been hurt in their past, and my heart truly grieves for them, but if you are going to choose to be married you must understand the expectations that are demanded of you, not only from your husband, but also from the teachings of Christ.  The hurt that you have experienced will only result in hurting your future husband, unless he is made aware of these things beforehand, and chooses to marry you regardless.

Some people claim that sexuality is inherently evil, but I have never believed that, because it is something that has been created by God.  The problem is that people have sexual relationships outside of the boundary of which it was meant to be used in, marriage.  Even a simple kiss can end up going in a direction that you should not go.  Certainly you may have met a handsome beau, or pretty girlfriend, but physical relationships need to wait until you decide to tie the knot with each other.  God will bless you for doing this.

Not everybody is the same, because some men such as the Apostle Paul chose to be a bachelor.   If you have no sexual desire, that’s a good thing, and there is no need to be married.  People can always remain friends.  If people are looking for children, there are plenty of them in the church, and in the world who need help, and that you could adopt spiritually.

Sexuality is a gift from God but is meant to be used within the boundary of marriage between a man and his wife.  Getting involved fornicating with others is not love, it’s lust, because it’s a desire of the flesh.  God hates fornication so much, that He will punish it.

Jude 1:7 – Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

He destroyed many people who were in the act of fornication.

1 Corinthians 10:8  Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

Fornicators will not inherit God’s kingdom.

1 Corinthians 6:9  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

1 Corinthians 6:18 – Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

Fornication is not love, it’s a work of the flesh and is the evidence of someone who obeys their carnal nature.

Galatians 5:19-21 – Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,..

Someone who professes to be a Christian and is involved with these deeds, you need to part ways with them.

1 Corinthians 5:9  I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:

It’s such a serious matter that it’s not supposed to be named even once among believers of Christ.

Ephesians 5:3  But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

Jezebel is a woman who professes spirituality but she is a fornicator.  God hates this sin.

Revelation 2:20-21  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.

Sexual sin is highly offensive to God, but I’m so thankful that he gives us away to avoid temptation, marriage.  Those who are going to make an attempt at living the Christian Life need to make sure that you steer clear of fornication and those who are involved with it, because it is an act that is clearly……

…….Out of Bounds.

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 everybody.  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.

When you enter an earthly courtroom, you are supposed to treat the judge with respect and honor, in fact, the Bible teaches us to honor all men in the exact same way.  In an Earthly courtroom if you treat a judge disrespectfully, you can be called into question and cited for contempt of court.  It’s no different if you disrespect your dad or a neighbor.  You can upset them in the same way that you upset an earthly judge.  One of my neighbors told me that I didn’t need to call him “sir” all the time, but I told him that I was commanded by Jesus to show honor to other men, and I call everybody sir, not just him.

Occasionally you will meet people who refuse to honor and respect others.  One of the symbols of complete disrespect was to “cock a snook”. If you did this openly to a judge in a courtroom, he would probably have thrown you in jail for the weekend.  Cocking a snook meant to put your thumb on your nose and wiggle your fingers out of complete disrespect for somebody who had authority over you.  In modern day terminology it would be referred to as thumbing the nose.  Nowadays it’s similar to extending the middle finger of your hand, or sticking out your tongue.  It’s a sign of contempt, derision, and disrespect of authority. Those who do these kinds of things are in a state of rebellion.  All places of authority in this world have been created by Jesus and for Him, including a dad over his wife and household. Although not everybody uses these places of authority in a just manner, they will all be held accountable to Jesus for their actions eventually.

There are some people who profess to be Christian who thumb their nose at the teachings of our Lord Jesus.  You must remember that God is not mocked.  You can stir up an Earthly judge to anger, who might throw you into jail for a season, but God can punish you in numerous other ways. He punished Pharaoh with plagues, pestilence and disease.  He can and will do the same today to those who mock Him, whether they profess to be Christian or not.  If they refuse to fear and respect Him, they will stand in contempt with God Almighty.

Galatians 6:7-8  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.  

Many people quickly profess that they are Christian and that they know Jesus, but the truth is that they deny everything that Jesus stands for.  They will cite ten verses in the bible that in their own mind prove that they will be in heaven, while they reject everything else that Christ taught and commanded. All this is lackadaisical Christianity.

Do you really believe that everybody who professes to be Christian is going to be in heaven? That’s ridiculous.  Imagine going to college to become a mechanic, but you only attend school for two days.  You learn how to change oil, but that was it. You claim to be a mechanic but when somebody shows up to have their motor rebuilt, you can’t do it. It’s like people who profess to be a Christian but it’s all talk and no action. Their disobedience to the teachings of our faith show us what they really are at heart.

Titus 1:16  They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

When somebody is abominable it means that they cause moral revulsion.  They are exceptionally loathsome, hateful, sinful, wicked and vile.  They are shockingly brutal and cruel.

Revelation 21:8  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

When somebody is disobedient it means that they refuse to obey rules or someone in authority.  If you are disobedient, you deliberately do not do what someone in authority tells you to do.  They completely refuse and neglect to obey.  They disregard rules and refuse to conform. You may have lived this way in the past, but not after you become a Christian.

Ephesians 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Ephesians 5:5-7  For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.  Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.  Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

God is going to punish disobedience.

Colossians 3:5-6  Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:  For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

1 Peter 2:7-8  Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,  And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

An example of a reprobate is a person who constantly abides in a state of sinfulness, absolutely refusing to come into compliance with scriptural truth because of a rebellious nature.  Remaining in this state will cause them to be abandoned to eternal damnation.

2 Timothy 3:8  Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

When you are defiant, it means to show contempt for someone who is an authority, causing them to rise up to anger.  You won’t get very far with an Earthly judge by treating them this way.  God is the authority of all authority and you certainly don’t want to treat Him disrespectfully, but rather be in complete subjection to His will, just as a wife to her husband.

Hebrews 12:9  Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

Disobedience is insubordination, rebelliousness, and unruliness.  The preachers were to warn the Church of this kind of behavior.

1 Thessalonians 5:14  Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly…..

Those who are unruly will not have a desire to submit and do God’s will.  In that state they will miss out on eternal life.

Matthew 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

To truly be a Christian is to desire to obey God, and to walk in His will, but there will be those who refuse to submit to the one who laid down His own life to free us from our sins.  Instead of lovingly serving Him, they will continue to rebel and abide in sin, treating God with contempt and choosing to….

…….Cock the Snook

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

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.

We live in one of the least populated counties in the entire state of Minnesota.  Sometimes on a weekend, on a quiet summer evening, we can hear the sound of gunfire out in the woods. I tend to perk up my ears and take notice when somebody completely unloads their entire clip in just a few seconds.  As fast as they possibly can, they pull that trigger and empty all of their ammo onto a target.

This always reminds me of the Christian Life.

The tongue can be a loaded gun, hurling a clipful of abusive, insulting and malicious language, except this time it’s aimed at a live target…….you!

Matthew 5:11  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you,…..

Revile means to attack someone with abusive language or criticize in an abusive or insulting manner.  Revile implies a scurrilous, abusive attack prompted by anger, hatred and malice toward the other person.  We are called to love one another, and hatred is the mark of the devil.  

John 15:18-20  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.  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.

Malice is the intention or desire to do evil; or the desire to do bad things to another person, such as hating someone and wanting to seek revenge.  Malice is intentionally performing a wrongful act with intention to harm or deprive another in an illegal or immoral way.  It’s the desire to cause pain, injury, or distress to another, and being deliberately mean.  Reviling a brother is external evidence of an inward hatred and bitterness towards them.

1 John 3:15  Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

1 John 4:20  If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

Timothy was commanded to rebuke the church sharply.  Jesus rebuked numerous religious leaders who got offended at His corrections.  To revile someone is completely different than a strong rebuke.  When you verbally attack someone, calling them names and saying mean things, this is what it means to revile.  Individuals who are arrogant will often look for ways to revile those that they view as beneath them.  When someone is reviled, people hate them intensely and show their hatred of them by unloading their abusive and expletive-laced language at them.  They misuse the tongue to malign others.  It’s not beneficial speech, and is only meant to hurt the other in an abusive manner.  The tongue of some people can be filled with poison like a snake, ready to strike and spill their hateful venom at others.

Romans 3:13-14  Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:  Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

Abusive language is speech that is prone to treat someone badly by using coarse, insulting words or other maltreatment.  Scurrilous is the use of vulgar and evil speech, containing obscenities, abuse, or slander directed at someone out of hatred for them.

A synonym is vituperate which means to criticize in a harsh and abusive manner, or to revile, vilify, defame, or mouth off about someone or use harsh or abusive wording.  It is truly hate speech.  To revile someone is an open desplay of the flesh, and it defiles the temple because it comes from inside of the heart.  

James 3:6  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.

Jesus was reviled and hated.

Matthew 27:39  And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,

Mark 15:32  Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.

Although the Lord Jesus was reviled and was treated with such verbal abuse, He didn’t return evil for evil.  God sees everything and Jesus committed Himself to Gods judgement.

1 Peter 2:23  Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:

The word “rail” is a very similar word which means to use harsh and abuse of language.  They railed on Christ Jesus too.

Mark 15:29  And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,

Luke 23:39  And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

1 Corinthians 5:11   But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer…

To keep company means to closely associate with someone, to be together often and associate habitually, sharing a close friendship.  Some synonyms are to chum around, consort, fraternize, or hang with each other.  Be careful who you hang out with because their anti-biblical beliefs and immoral behavior can rub off on you.  Those who rail on others are not consenting to wholesome words.

1 Timothy 6:3-4  If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;  He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,

So again, when somebody rails it means to use harsh or abusive language. Railing is telling somebody that you hate their stinking guts and you are a stupid idiot and a moron.  All this does is expose the state of somebody’s heart, completely void of divine love.  It’s speech that is not really meant to benefit the other person, but is used to hurt them intentionally.  The brethren in the church were capable of admonishing and rebuking each other if it needed to be done, but it was done in a manner to help them see the truth.  It wasn’t done out of hatred, but out of love for their souls.  

Rebukes always need to be done with the intent to help the other person. This is because you want them to correct what they’re doing.  When somebody rails on another it’s not meant for correctional purposes, it has to do with vindictive retribution through the use of hateful speech.  We are called to suffer in the Christian life so when someone does this to you, don’t return it back to them.  Vengeance belongeth to the Lord Jesus and He will avenge and repay.  You need not to do anything.

1 Peter 3:9  Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing……

If somebody wrongs you don’t wrong them back.  Even the archangel Michael didn’t rail against the devil.

Jude 1:9  Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

Lastly, to revlle somebody is to insult them.  Insult means to be insensitive, insolent, or rude to someone.  It’s to exalt yourself over another and speak in an obnoxious manner towards them.  An insult is an action or form of speech that is deliberately intended to be rude.  God’s blessings are coming when people revile you.

Foul and hateful language comes from a foul and hateful person, who has got you in their sights and is ready to do some…

….. Target Practice.

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

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 people have already filed their taxes this year, visiting an accountant or going to a tax preparer.  Have you ever noticed that when you enter a tax preparer’s office, they normally have many small cubicles with a desk and some chairs.  Sometimes they do the same thing at a college library.  These partitions are meant to separate or divide you from the person next to you.  When I was in elementary school we used to go to the gymnasium and the teacher would ask a few strong boys to go over to the wall and pull out a huge partition that made the entire gymnasium into two smaller ones. This was so the older children were separated from the younger ones.

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

The teachings of Christ are like a partition that divides a room in two.  It all comes down to what side of the partition that you are going to be on.

Luke 12:51  Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

Just as a knife can separate an apple into two parts, the Word of God is a spiritual sword that can divide friends, family, relatives, and neighbors.  Those who won’t accept scriptural truth, enter into conflict with others who wholeheartedly receive and trust it.  The source of division is God’s Word.  We can never turn away our ears from the truth, by rejecting what the Bible commands.  If you did, you would never have the desire to repent, to change, to confess or admit fault, or become converted. You can’t become a doer of God’s Word if you refuse to obey it.  How can you excel at a job if you refuse to obey the owner?  When you point people to scripture but they refuse to accept it through unbelief, it results in two contrary opinions.  One who believes what it says and one who doesn’t.  This causes division.  Those who turn from the truth will end up being separated forever from Christ and those who love and serve Him.

2 Timothy 4:3-4  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Division means to disagree with someone on a certain matter.  Disagreement means to be at variance, discord, or contention with others or a failure to agree on something.  It’s amazing to me that a common saying in the world today is “let’s agree to disagree.”  That may work in the world, but not in the church.  In the Christian church, we are supposed to be joined together perfectly in one mind and in one Spirit.

Philippians 1:27  Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

If somebody is struggling with biblical truth, or weak in their faith, they need to keep their opinions to themselves, and not to express these views or cause doubtful disputations with other people within the church because it can cause a break of unity, that they would be responsible for.  It can also cause fellowship issues with the under shepherds of the Lord, and can result in heretical expulsion.

The thing that brings unity and joins us all together in oneness within the church is our faith in scriptural teachings. When people hold different opinions, contrary from what the scriptures clearly teach, people are entering into a place of heresy. The teachings of the Bible is what our entire faith is based upon.  What happens generally in their own mind is that they refuse to accept the truth.  Because of that refusal they don’t want to admit fault.  What they do is justify themselves, rather than allow their heart to be convicted of the error of their ways, which would cause them to repent and confess their misdeeds.  It’s an impenitent heart that ultimately results in division and separation from others who truly believe in Christ.

The Apostle Paul did not want division in the church but to be united together under the same teachings. There will be those who leave the church and don’t return anymore because they reject scripture. They turn themselves into an anti-christ, who deny the truth.

1 John 2:18-19  Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.  They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

When you are part of a church group, joined with them through baptism and communion, there is not supposed to be divisions going on amongst the members, but Spiritual unity.

1 Corinthians 1:10-11  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.  For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

These things are not supposed to happen if everyone is joined together, striving for the faith of the gospel.  The Bible is our authority, and it’s teachings are like a sword that is forged in a fire. It’s unchangeable. It’s been sharpened and ready for battle.  The reasons why people become contentious is because of somebody’s disinclination to obey it, which creates division with others. Instead of allowing their hearts and minds to be judged by scripture, they set themselves up as their own judge and jury.  As their unbelief progresses, some of them begin to claim that the Bible is actually incorrect, or some of the people that God used were in the flesh when they wrote it.  They will go even further by trying to use scripture to justify their own heretical beliefs.  This creates division, not only from others, but with our blessed God.

Christianity is learning to say, I was wrong and God is right.  Anybody who truly is going to attempt to become a saint, needs to believe and accept the same things that the rest of the true church does.  The Bible is there to correct, rebuke, and admonish us, so that we can do the will of God.  When people don’t accept the truth, the only thing left for them is to believe a lie, which will ultimately result in…..

……The Great Divide

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

Do you have a dog? The term “man’s best friend” was given to dogs because of their loyal obedience and love for their owners. Highly trainable, dogs can learn many tricks and perform many tasks. 

One such special task that people use dogs for is to help lead blind people around. Called a seeing eye dog, the dog will help a visually impaired individual navigate their way around buildings and streets, leading them where they need to go.

In the early 1800’s, a St. Bernard named “Barry” was reported to have saved over 40 people from death as he found them and took them to safety.

Law enforcement also regularly uses the help of their canine friends in locating missing individuals, or to search for illegal substances. Because of their excellent sense of smell, dogs are a great help in search and rescue situations.

You see by all of these examples that a dog can be more than just a wild animal. They can be a friend when they love, help and obey their owner.

But even with all of the things that a dog can do for a human, there is Someone who has far surpassed anything that a dog could ever do in a billion lifetimes. Jesus is that Friend.

John 15:12-15  “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”

A friend is defined as a person other than a family member or spouse whose company one enjoys and towards whom one feels affection.

When we do the commands and wishes of Christ we are His friends. When we take the time to have a personal relationship with Him, through spending time in prayer, singing praises, and meditating on His teachings, we show Christ how much we love Him.

John 14:21  “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”

If you only have one friend, make sure that friend is Jesus, because He is a great friend to have. He is the greatest friend that we can have. He will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He died for us, and saved us from death, offering us forgiveness and eternal life. No dog can do that. 

Isn’t it incredible to know that the King of kings can be your personal friend? To know that any problem that you have, or any time you need to talk to Him, you can? Oh, what a friend we have in Jesus! Jesus is the true “man’s best friend.”

In Christ,

Andrew