Everywhere you go, you will find different people who have different views or opinions of what foods they deem are good, or acceptable, to eat. Some people have very strong opinions that people should not drink pop because of all the sugar and caffeine in it. Some people say that because no other adult creatures drink milk naturally that humans shouldn’t either. And then you will have even more people who have very strong opinions that fatty foods are very bad for your health.

Whatever a person’s opinion on the matter, food is just food and drink is just drink. God made them all and He saw that they were good. (Genesis 1:12) If someone doesn’t feel like they can eat a specific type of food, then don’t eat it, but do not judge other people in a negative way if they choose to eat those types of foods. (Colossians 2:16) Every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused. (1 Timothy 4:4) 

Jesus was teaching in Mark 7, and He was explaining to His disciples that there is nothing that can enter a man that can defile him, but it is those things that come out of a man that defile him.

Mark 7:14-23  “And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:

There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.

If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable.

And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;

Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?

And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.

For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”

You can take yourself and throw yourself into a mud pit, but that doesn’t affect how you are inside. It is from within that sin originates. People all the time become angry about firearms when they are misused and used to harm others, but a weapon is just a weapon. By itself it is not a sinful item, but it is when someone decides in their mind that they are going to use it to hurt or kill someone that it becomes a sin and defiles a man.

It really all originates from within a person’s mind. When someone decides to perform an action that is a sin, it all starts from within. One of the most damaging members of a person’s body is also one of the smallest: the tongue. The tongue is a part of our body that can be used for many great, wonderful things such as praying, preaching and singing to God, but it can also be used for many evil, harmful things.

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.”

Matthew 12:34-37  “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”

Because sin starts from within a person, we need to ensure that we fill our soul and minds with the spiritual things of God. We need to live pure lives, but this will not be possible if the the filth of sin resides in our minds. We need to clean out the trash that is sin, and expell it completely from us, because it is the inside that really matters. 

So remember, food, drink-they are all good because God had created them. Instead turn your focus to the inside.

In Christ,

Andrew

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 ask you a question.

How many people do you enjoy dinner with each night?  When a family sits down at the supper table, you have a group of people who are going to consume different sized portions as they eat.  A baby might only drink a bottle of milk, while their older brother and sister has a large serving of potatoes and meat.  The dad is a grown adult and may consume his meal quickly, asking his wife for a few extra servings, depending on how much is required for him to feel satisfied and full.

This reminds me of the Christian Life because each of us may necessitate different sized portions of Grace, depending on how much that we need.  Those of us who need more, God is capable of providing extra servings.  For some of us, it takes a lot more grace in order to become what He eventually wants us to be.  We may require second helpings.

Ephesians 4:7  But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

If your parents told you that they had a gift waiting for you, would you run home after school to go and get it?  God has one waiting for each of us, but what we need to do is approach Him to obtain it.  Forgiveness with God or others is something that we cannot earn, we simply need to give it or receive it as a gift.  God doesn’t expect us to swim across the Atlantic ocean or to walk on hot coals before He grants it.  He doesn’t expect us to to climb Mount Everest or suffer in the desert heat before He gives it.  When we confess our sins unto Him, He can forgive us and completely cleanse us from our faults. (1 John 1:9)  That sounds simple doesn’t it?  It is, that’s why the Bible refers to it as the simplicity of the gospel. He grants this precious gift so that we can be in a reconciled relationship with Him and others once again.  He gives it to us so that we can amend the poor choices and the wrong paths that we have taken.  He extends mercy to us so that we can turn from darkness to light and obediently walk according to His divine purpose and will.

The gift of Christ is Mercy, but there are many of us, like a meal at supper time, who require a lot more helpings than others.  We need a lot more mercy because of all the stupid things that we have done.  We need a lot more mercy because of the numerous wrong decisions that we have made.  We need a lot more mercy because of all of the foolish sins that we have committed.  We need a lot more mercy because like a wandering sheep, lost in the world, we have gone astray from the shepherd and bishop of our souls.

God extends to each of us a gift of forgiveness and mercy, but it comes in different sized portions.  The Apostle Paul was a man who received a lot of Grace.  His original name was Saul and he was a Jewish Pharisee.  Before he became a Christian, he was trying to destroy Christian churches and put believers in prison. (Acts 8:3, Gal 1:13) He consented to putting some of them to death. (Acts 26:10). At the time, he felt that he was blameless and sinless.  He felt he was perfect in the eyes of God, but eventually turned away from his self-righteousness.

Philippians 3:4-9  Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:  Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;  Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.  

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

The converted Jewish Pharisee needed a lot of helpings of grace to cover his past, which was given to him by Jesus Christ.  God had a purpose for Paul, and gave him the Grace that he needed to convert to the truth, and become what God wanted him to be.  The life of the Apostle Paul is a pattern to each of us, teaching us how long suffering and abundantly merciful our God truly is.  

1 Timothy 1:12-16  And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;  Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.  This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.  Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

Paul received such a huge portion of grace, that it resulted in huge works in His life.  Most of the new Testament that we have today was written by his hand.

1 Corinthians 15:9-10  For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.  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.

People in the church even recognized that God was working in his life.

Galatians 1:21-24  Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia; And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ: But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.  And they glorified God in me.

God is filled with abundant Mercy. (1 Peter 1:3)  

There is plenty of it available. (Psalms 86:5, Psalms 86:15, Psalms 103:8)  

Like the multitude of stars in the sky, are His abundant graces (Psalms 69:16)  

70 x 7 are His many mercies toward us. (1 Peter 4:10, Matthew 18:21-22)

God is rich in forgiveness.  (Ephesians 1:7, Ephesians 2:7)

The life of the Apostle Paul is evidence of what God can do with each of us when we accept the fact that we are sinners who need His Mercy.  No matter how much grace is required, God is capable of giving us extra portions so that we can get on the straight and narrow and do his will.

Some of us need more, some of us need less, but all of us need grace. 

Have you asked God for……

…….Second Helpings?

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

Did you ever wonder how an animal such as a wood frog could survive through a long, cold winter without dying? As winter sets in these frogs will go into a deep, deep hibernation and their bodies will begin to freeze. Over two-thirds of their body will freeze, as their heart, muscles, and breathing movement all completely stop. In fact, it is only a special fluid inside of them that prevents them from fully freezing and dying from the cold. Then, when spring comes and the temperature begins to rise, the frog will begin to thaw out, and in a sense, “come back to life.” They have have, in a way, been “quickened.”

If you “quicken” something, or if something “is quickened,” it means “to give life to; to animate, make alive, or revive.” Also, “to come back to life, or to receive life.”

We are all like that frozen frog, only instead of the cold that has the possibility of killing us, it is sin that has produced this death inside. Each and everyone of us are sinners. We all have sinned at least once in our life, and even just one of those sins is enough to start the death process inside. 

Now, while we are all sinners, there are two different types: sinners who have repented and gotten forgiveness from Jesus, and sinners who have not. That is what separates the two. Repentance and forgiveness. 

We have all been “frozen” because of sin, but if we want to make it through we need to have that special Thing inside of us. We need to Holy Spirit so that we can be made alive.

Ephesians 2:1-6  “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

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:

Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:”

True life is in Jesus, and when we have His Spirit inside of us we have life. Just before Jesus rose Lazarus up from the dead, He told Lazarus’ sister, Martha, that when one lives and believes in Him will never die, but will have life.

John 11:25-26  “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”

It is sin that kills us. It was sin that separated Adam and Eve from immortality, and caused their bodies to began to die. It is sin that kills a person spiritually as well. 

Sin will only lead to death, as “the wages of sin is death.” It is the reward for unrepentance. Jesus doesn’t want that for us. He wants to save us all from that death, and instead gve us life, but we need to go through Him first.

John 10:7-10  “Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.

I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

Eternal life sure sounds far better than eternal death, wouldn’t you agree? Just as that special fluid in those frogs saves them from death, we need Christ inside of us so that we can be saved from eternal death in hell. 

Romans 8:5-13  “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”

In Christ we have life. In Christ, we have been quickened.

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in everyone.  Today we were in a take a look at a passage of scripture but before we do that, I wanted you to think about something.

Imagine driving down the highway when you hear a siren behind you.  When you look in the rearview mirror, its a patrolman who wants you to pull your vehicle over to the side of the road. You quickly look down at your speedometer and realize that you are going 10 miles an hour over the posted speed limit.  When the officer approaches the vehicle, he asks you to step out of the car and then places you in handcuffs.  He puts you in the backseat of his vehicle and takes you to the nearest courtroom to stand before a judge.  

As you patiently wait in the lobby, the person in front of you just got sentenced to 5 years in jail for robbing a bank and is whisked off to jail to serve his sentence.  Your name is finally called and you enter the courtroom to stand before the judge.  He reads the court docket and then tells you that you are guilty of breaking the speed limit.  He looks you in the eye, and with a slam of his gavel says… ” 5 years in jail.”. Can you imagine an earthly courtroom where the sentencing guidelines were all the same for whatever crime was committed?  No matter what crime was committed, you were guilty of the exact same punishment that everybody else received.  

This reminds me of the Christian life.

At God’s final judgment it will be exactly that, the same punishment for each and every sin, no matter if it’s only one or many,  they will all reap the same reward, the lake of fire.

James 2:10-11  For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.  For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

One must remember that our God is a God of severity.  “Severe” means intense and extreme.  God loves us so intensely that He allowed His own son to suffer and die on the cross the way that He did, so that we could find forgiveness and be reconciled unto Himself.  When we look around, we can’t help but realize how much God cares for us because of the world and the universe that He created for our enjoyment.  But although he loves us dearly, He will punish people severely who reject His love and mercy.  He’s not lukewarm as men would count lukewarmness, but is a hot and consuming fire, not only in His intense love toward us, but also in His extreme punishment towards the impenitent and the unbelieving.

Romans 11:22  Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

The Lord Jesus Christ laid down His life, so that we could have mercy and be forgiven with God.  He is our Savior, sent by the heavenly Father to redeem us from our sinful condition.  He died for all of us on this earth, both Jews and gentiles alike.  Each of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God and there are none who are innocent in His sight.

Romans 3:9-12  What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.  They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

No one kept the old Testament law perfectly.  It was there to serve a specific purpose, so that all the world would be convicted of sin and become guilty in the sight of God.

Romans 3:19-20, 23  Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Each of us are just as guilty as a defendant in a courtroom in the eyes of God.  From the richest to the poorest, to those who are the highest in society to the lowest, everybody shares one thing in common, we are all guilty sinners who need God’s forgiveness, which is only available through faith in God’s only begotten Son Jesus Christ.  Without it, sinners are doomed to God’s eternal wrath.

Romans 5:12  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Ecclesiastes 7:20 – For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

To claim that you have never sinned is to call God a liar.

1 John 1:10  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

God wants to help us.  He wants people to repent and come to His son Jesus for forgiveness.  He is extremely merciful, but those who reject that offer will receive extreme punishment and will face His everlasting contempt.  Jesus is extremely meek and lowly in heart.  He is extremely humble and kind.  He is intensely loving and compassionate, but can also be filled with extreme wrath.

John 2:13-16  And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:  And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;  And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.

In this passage, you see the kindness and severity of God.  He threw over the tables and whipped the people.  Those who don’t love the heavenly Father as He does, provokes Him to extreme wrath.  In the days of Noah, everybody received the same punishment for their sins, no matter what sins they may have committed.  All of them were destroyed together in the flood.  In the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, everybody received the same punishment for their sins, no matter what sins they may have committed.   

All of them were destroyed together with fire and brimstone. Whether it’s one sin or many, whether it be adultery or murder, it’s all the same in the eyes of God, and the punishment will be the same for all, eternal lockup in the lake of fire. So, remember that, the next time that you get a …….

….Speeding Ticket.

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

For those who don’t know, Minnesota is one of the states that makes up part of the northern border of the United States. Being so far north, winter’s in Minnesota will set in early, and leave later than most of the rest of the country. Snow will often cover the ground for nearly half of the year in the northern part of the state, and those of us who live here know the importance of “waterproof” winter clothing, especially gloves. They certainly are a must-have item for children who spend hours outside playing in the snow. Give a child a regular pair of gloves and send them outside and they will soon reappear a short while later with cold, wet hands as a result of the wet snow that soaks all the way through the once-dry gloves.

But give them a pair of waterproof, or “water resistant” gloves and they will be able to play for hours, while keeping nice, warm, dry hands. Because of the plastic liner sewn into the gloves, the water is unable to make your hands wet. It is like a water shield. It resists water, and that is the topic here today. Resisting the devil.

James 4:7  “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

When you look up the word “resist” it is defined as “to withstand the actions of; to oppose.” The opposite would be to obey, or submit. And just another quick example but if someone is “resisting arrest” they are withstanding or fighting against a law officer’s authority to arrest them. They are not submitting to the officer.

As we learned from the Apostle James, we need to resist the devil. We need to withstand his temptations that he places in front of us, and not allow him to deceive us into sinning against God. The devil is referred to as a roaring lion that goes about seeking to destroy. He will try to destroy a person’s faith in Jesus through many different ways, attacking a person when and where they are the weakest.

1 Peter 5:8-10  “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”

We need to remain strong, and rock-solid in our faith. We need to be like a pair of those water-resistant gloves, and not allow any of the devil’s attacks to come through and damage our faith. We can do this by taking up the shield of faith. With it equipped, we will be able to deflect away all of the “fiery darts” that the devil throws our way.

Ephesians 6:16  “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”

Only a fool would go into a battle without some kind of armor or some way to protect themself. Prepare yourself today, and arm yourself with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, put on your spiritual armor so that you can resist the devil when the time comes, because when we resist the devil, he will flee from us.

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in.  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.

Why do some people attend a church?  For some it has nothing to do with achieving obedience to the teachings of Christ.   Many people attend church simply because it’s a large social gathering. They get to see a lot of their neighbors along with friends and relatives. It’s an opportunity to meet new people from the community or find somebody who you could date.  Some people show up to make business contacts or to sell somebody a new car.  When you sit in a church service somewhere, it would be very naïve to think that everyone is there because they are seeking biblical truth and sincerely believe in the gospel. That includes people in the pulpit.  Many have ulterior motives fueled by religious hypocrisy. For an example, look at many of the religious leaders of Jesus day.  

They appeared religious.

Matthew 23:5  But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

They talked religiously.

Matthew 6:5  And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

The gave religiously

Matthew 6:2  Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 

They fasted religiously

Matthew 6:16  Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

They pretended to be righteous.

Luke 20:20 And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.

They wouldn’t accept what Christ taught.

John 8:37 I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

They called him a liar.

John 7:12  And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people.

They called him a winebibber

Matthew 11:18-19  For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.  The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.

Many of the same people lead churches today.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Led by false prophets.

Matthew 7:15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

And geedy false shepherds

Isaiah 56:11 Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.

Who allow women to teach God’s Word

1 Timothy 2:12  But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

Revelation 2:20  Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach…..

Who allow women to publically speak during a church gathering

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.

Who are liars 

1 John 2:4  He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Who reject biblical truth for worldly concepts and philosophy.

Colossians 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

These people are filled with the true meaning of hypocrisy.  They attend a church gathering and claim to be Christian but the rest of the week they live as a heathen, without any desire to conform or become obedient to what Christ taught. Not everybody’s going to be in heaven, not even some who claim to be a Christian.  It all comes down to doing the will of God because those who reject that are going to come up short.  

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.

Some people have reduced the Christian Life to saying Lord, Lord but yet they don’t want to do any of the things that our Lord commands.

Luke 6:46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

So why do they do it?  Ulterior motives.  To appear religious on the exterior without any desire to serve Christ obediently on the inside.  The Christian Life requires effort on your part, it’s called obedience.  Without it you’re only lying to yourself and remaining in that state will cause one to miss out on Paradise.  

James 1:22  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

The Bible says what it means and means what it says. These are the teachings and commands of the Lord Jesus Christ and to fight against them is to ultimately fight against Him.  Numerous false forms of Christianity preach a false Jesus because it’s not the true Jesus found in Scripture.     A preacher is only a messenger who is telling you what God’s Word teaches us to do, but if you are going to resist scripture, you are essentially fighting against Christ.  These are His commands and teachings and to violate them is to violate your love towards Him which carries with it extreme punishment from God.

1 Corinthians 16:22  If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.

I’ve always said it before, but just because somebody might sin or make a mistake in their Christian walk, doesn’t make them a hypocrite.  We all have our own faults, but God gives us grace so that we can try again to overcome and walk in His perfect will.  Sometimes it takes a lot of grace, 70×7 to eventually become what God wants us to be, but that doesn’t necessarily make you a hypocrite.

Hypocrisy is pretending to be a Christian on the exterior, but completely and willfully walking against the truth of God’s Word through a hardened heart, impenitence, and unbelief on the inside.  A hypocrite is somebody who professes spirituality but they reject the teachings and commands of Jesus.  They claim to love the Lord but completely deny him by refusing to come into compliance with what he taught.

Many people who profess to be Christian really shouldn’t, because of their hypocrisy and unbiblical lifestyle, they lead people astray from the true Christ.  Some people might wear a t-shirt with a verse or it, or even wear a cross around their neck while the truth is on the inside they have no desire to become obedient to the faith that they profess.  They want to believe that they will be in heaven (which I think most of the world wholeheartedly wants to believe), but without conversion to what Christ taught, they aren’t going to make it.

Matthew 18:3  And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

If there’s no attempt at obedience there’s no love for God at all.  If there’s no attempt to comply and obey, faith is non-existent.  People may claim to believe, but faith is evidenced by an obedient heart towards His purpose and will.  

Many people might be able to fool the world but you cannot fool God.  When Andrew was a very young child he told me, “God sees everything.” How true!  Nothing is hidden from Him and He can see right inside the heart to all of those……

…….Ulterior Motives.

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♥️

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.

The winter Olympics just recently ended at the time of this writing. I watched as athletes from all over the world completed for their country. They will train constantly, trying to get their body into the best possible condition. That is the goal of each athlete: to perform the absolute best that they can, with the goal of acheiving the gold medal.

That is the attitude that we as Christians need to have when it comes to our faith. We need to strive to be the best that we can for God. We need to strive for perfection.

As I was writing this example about the Olympics, I remembered a conversation between two men, one a younger man and the other a bit older. The younger man obviously held the older man in high respect, because he said, “I hope someday I can be as good as you.” To which the older man replied, “Don’t be me. Be better than me.” The older gentleman wanted him to be the best that he could. Not to stop at the bar that the older man had set, but to push even farther, exceeding everything that he had ever done. To be the best ever.

Too many people only do the least amount that they have to, without pushing themselves to their full potential. They do just enough to pass, and then quit. But the Apostle Paul did not have this kind of attitude. He never thought himself to be perfect, but strove towards the bar that Christ had set.

Philippians 3:12-14  “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Do you see how Paul lived his life? Paul forgot all of those things that he had accomplished and attained, and instead continued to push himself to do even more. To continue to become even better, and to serve God to the best of his ability. When Paul went somewhere and started a church, he didn’t stop there. He went somewhere else, found some new believers for Christ, and did it all over again. He had a gift and he used it to the full extent.

You know, it is usually just after someone falls just short of doing something completely flawless that they look back and ask themselves, “Why couldn’t I have just pushed myself a little more?” Or “Why didn’t I just try a little harder?” 

We have one shot at life on the Earth. One shot to show the Lord how much you love Him.

Don’t settle for “good enough.” Don’t settle for a silver. Go for the gold! 

In Christ,

Andrew

Good Morning and welcome in. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture from the book of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 3:20  Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD.

A woman who claims to be a Christian is under the headship and authority of her husband until his death frees her from his law, (Rom 7:2) and to depart from him is insubordination. It’s wilful defiance of authority and refusal to obey the orders of both Christ and her husband.  When she separates she’s in a state of desertion.  In the military this means to remain absent from your unit or place of duty with the intent to remain away from you permanently, which can carry with it numerous punishments.  Jesus is the highest authority of all, and to wilfully reject His commands will ultimately result in the death penalty eternally.

The Christian life is learning to lovingly serve and obey Jesus.  You cannot claim to be a Christian or even claim to love Jesus if you’re seriously not going to attempt to do His will. (Matt 7:21) When a wife departs from her husband she is in a state of rebellion against God.  She has no authority to do this in the eyes of God, but is required to submit to her husband, whether he is a believer or an unbeliever.  When she departs she sins not only against her husband, but ultimately Christ Jesus.  Those who aid her in her departure, are partakers of her sins. if my daughter ever left her husband and came home to me with her children I will take her right back to her husband otherwise I would be sinning against Jesus and the man of the house.

When people think of commandments they usually only think of the ten commandments in the Old Testament, but there are numerous commands in the New Testament that need to be obeyed.  When we faithfully obey, we prove our love for Jesus.  To truly be a Christian, one must be a follower of Jesus which means to obey the things that He taught and commanded.

John 14:23-24  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.

An obedient heart is evidence of our love towards him.  The Apostle John loved the Lord dearly and teaches that those who are not going to keep His commandments are liars.

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.

When a woman departs from her husband she commits treachery against him.  Treachery is a betrayal of allegiance to somebody.  In that one act, she shows her disloyalty and treachery against Christ because ultimately it is His commandment she is wilfully violating.   

1 Corinthians 7:10-11 And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.

God hates when a woman departs from her husband, insomuch that He calls it treachery.  It’s not her husband she is ultimately betraying, it’s Him.  Not only does she usurp over her husband, but over Christ Himself.  When the Apostle Peter usurped, Jesus referred to him as the devil. (Mark 8:33)  Judas treacherously betrayed and departed from Jesus and the apostles, completely abandoning and walking off on them all.  (John 18:5)

It’s one thing for a complete unbeliever to depart from a marriage but it’s completely different if you are a part of the church and have had communion and been baptized into the faith.  For an unbeliever to do this they are ignorant of the truth, but a woman who professes to be a Christian and does this is purposely going against the will of Christ.  Without repentance and reconciliation, divine consequences for her actions will surely follow.

When a wife departs from her husband there are numerous other sins that can happen because of her behavior.  In a Christian marriage your body becomes the property of your spouse.  (1 Corinthians 7:4-5) When a wife departs from her husband she’s not only denying him conjugal rights but denying the Royal law of Christ, to love one another. (James 2:8, 1 John 4:8, John 13:35)   Marriage in the world is a temporal earthly union through earthly law, but a marriage in the Christian realm is a spiritual union through God’s law, which is meant to be kept intact permanently, until death do your part.  With that being said, does that mean all women will stay by there husbands side? No, but in that state they reside in a perpetual state of sin because it is outside the purvue of the Christian Life.

Paul advises women to remain unmarried so that they can recover themselves out of the snare of the devil and be reconciled to their husband. (2 Timothy 2:26)  If he is a Christian, he is also a brother in the faith and God commands to be reconciled to a brother. (Matthew 5:23-24) Refusing to do these things is open rebellion against God which God hates. (1 Samuel 15:23)  Obey your husband in everything and do as you are told and instructed because he is your authority.  You will find favor in the sight of God because of it.  (Ephesians 5:22-24)  It doesn’t matter the wrongs other people may commit, or even the things that we have to suffer while we are here, what matters most is if you are doing the will of God from your heart.  Therein lies salvation. (1 John 2:17)

A marriage is very similar to the church (Ephesians 5:32), because it is an institution where there needs to be confession, forgiveness and reconciliation.  The thing that makes a marriage last is a love for the teachings of Jesus Christ.  Both husband and wife may make mistakes along the way in their walk together, but in a marriage you both need to be capable of showing these qualities to one another because they are the qualities of our Lord Jesus Christ. Some of the very best of friends in high school don’t have perfect relationships either but it is these three qualities that ensure a lasting friendship.  

Even in the church a brother might sin against another brother, but it is true charity that covers a multitude of sin. We are commanded to be forgiving because we understand we are sinners who all need the grace of God. Without his grace, we would never be able to get to the point in our life where we didn’t need to repent. Without his grace we would never be able to change and become something new and better.  Without his grace, we could never have the opportunity to eventually become pleasing unto him.

In the Christian Life, divorce is forbidden because you are putting asunder what God has brought together.  If the wife separates, she needs to return to her husband quickly, otherwise there will be consequences with God.  

Revelation 2:16  Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

How is it possible that a woman who professes Christianity as her faith can instruct her girls to love their husband when she herself has left her own? Some women who claim to follow Christ actually encourage there daughters to separate and divorce there husbands.  This is not Christianity, its religious hypocrisy.  It’s the spirit of Jezebel.

Each day, God is watching to see who is going to do His will.  I beg women everywhere, commanding you in the name of Christ, do not separate from your husband, for the sake of Christ and for your own salvation. If there are children involved, and you don’t care about your husband, or even doing the will of God, do it for the sake of the children.  Eternal life is not a locked up deal because we need to convert and do the will of God.  Turn back to the Lord and do works meet for repentance.  The first work begins by going back home and returning to the, …….

……Man of the house.

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♥️

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.

Over the years we have hauled in many old, broken down, and wrecked vehicles to the scrapyard for recycling. These vehicles were ones that were unusable because of their condition and as such we’re good mostly for their weight in metal. After we brought a vehicle in, it would then be sent to a plant or other scrapyard where it would be melted down, and turned into brand new metal which then could, eventually, be used to make a completely brand new vehicle. Something that was “dead” and broken could be turned into something completely new.

And that is what Paul was writing about to the Corinthian church. The flesh and blood which are our bodies are “not fit” for the kingdom of heaven. Why? Because our flesh and blood are corruptible things. Our bones break and get old, our hair falls out, our skin ages and becomes wrinkly. Our bodies die and decay because they are corruptible, as is everything else on the Earth. 

1 Corinthians 15:50-57  “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Because heaven is a perfect place, free of corruptible things, we are going to need a new body someday when we go to be with the Lord. Our bodies are going to be taken to the scrapyard, so to speak, and we are going to be given a new one. A spiritual one that does not get old, get sick, or decay. An immortal one that is far superior to the ones we have now.

You cannot take an old, beat up, wrecked junker and park it in a car lot, and expect it to fetch the full price of a brand new car. It’s junk! The only thing that it is good for is to be thrown away, melted down and turned into something new. So think of our new heavenly bodies like this: the scrapyard is the Earth, and the new car lot is heaven. You are not going to be able to bring your old body with you to heaven because heaven is a pure, perfect place. It is a place free of corruption. That is why when we hear the trumpet sound the arrival of Christ in the heavens, “in the twinkling of an eye” our bodies will be changed from the corruptible into incorruption. They will be something completely brand new.

Doesn’t that sound absolutely amazing?! Just think, all of the people who have bad backs, or suffer from other bodily diseases; all of those aches and pains will be gone in heaven. It would almost be like a one hundred year old person being put back into their body when they were a child once again, but even better than that!

In heaven, death will no longer have a hold on us in our new bodies. Jesus defeated death, so that we could live eternally. In Christ, we live.

Isaiah 25:8  “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.”

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in.  Today we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture from 2 Timothy.

2 Timothy 2:3-4 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

In Earthly armies when a soldier goes off to war, they cannot be concerned about what’s going on back home.  This is because they need to keep their head in the game and concentrate on the battle in front of them.  How can you win a battle if you’re constantly thinking about other things?  They need to be capable of turning off everything else in their mind, like shutting off a light switch, so that they can focus completely on the next firefight. 

The soldier of God is loaded with firepower; it’s the fire of the Holy Spirit.  

Hebrews 1:7  And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.

God chooses certain men as soldiers to fight the battle of faith, called by God to preach His Word in season or out of season.

2 Timothy 4:2  Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

Many soldiers will try to find the best weapon possible for a battle, but the most powerful one that you could ever possess is the Word of God.  It is filled with spiritual firepower to knock down the greatest of enemies, and defeat the strongest of foes.  It took down a pharaoh, it took down Goliath and it will take down anybody who dares to fight against it.

Hebrews 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

When an archer went into battle they needed a lot of arrows so they would make sure that their quiver was full and prepared beforehand.  When a modern soldier goes into battle they prepare by casting bullets and filling their clips, guns and weapons so that they are ready for the next fight.  Who goes into a battle without ammunition?  Soldiers for Christ need to be prepared, cocked and ready.  We need to be prepared for battle every moment of the day but in order to do this we must be loaded with ammunition.  Our ammunition is God’s Holy Word.  It is the most powerful ammunition in the world because it pierces the soul.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Our hearts and our minds need to be like a munitions cache, completely filled up with scripture so you are capable of discerning the truth from all the lies in the world.  The more scripture that you have inside of your heart the more prepared for battle that you will be.  This is a spiritual battle and we need to wear spiritual armor, completely protected against anything that can come against us.  The devil is like a roaring lion, an enemy that wants to devour and destroy your faith in Christ.  We must become a part of the resistance, taking a stand and fighting against him with the weapons of God.  Like a cowering dog he will flee and lick his wounds when facing God’s sword.

Ephesians 6:11-17  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.   Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

As a young soldier, Timothy was commanded to fight the good fight.

1 Timothy 1:18 – This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;

1 Timothy 6:12  Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

The Apostle Paul was a veteran soldier who traveled all over the world fighting Spiritual battles wherever he went.  If God is for us, who can be against us?  What battle is there that we cannot win?

Romans 8:31-32  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the 

faith:

Like a military soldier wants to obey and please their commanding officer, the soldier of God wants to please and do the will of God.  It requires following orders.  Men of God are commanded to preach His Word.  

Titus 1:3  But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;

Acts 10:42-43  And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

There’s a battle that is raging in the world today between God’s truth and the lies of the devil.  Some of them are double agents who appear to be on your side but the truth is they are an enemy, a wolf in sheep’s clothing.  We have to pick up the greatest weapon in our arsenal, the holy scriptures and be to quarters. To arms!  

The devil is fighting a battle that I guarantee you he is going to lose.  He’s going down, caught up in a losing battle and he knows it.  The road that lays ahead for a soldier of Christ is eternal life, a heavenly crown and an everlasting kingdom that cannot be moved.

It’s time for battle.  The soldier of God is carrying heavy ordnance, the sword of the Lord and he is ready, prepared and loaded for the next…..

….. fire fight.

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

tlkjbc.wordpress.com