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

James 2:1-6

My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.  For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:  Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?  

Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?  But ye have despised the poor…….

In this passage, the Apostle begins by teaching us that there were certain people in the church who were treating others differently just because of their social standing.  They showed respect to those who had money, treating them very well, but then they despised the poor. The Lord Jesus taught that we are not supposed to judge by appearance, but this is exactly what was going on among them.

John 7:24 – Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

1 Samuel 16:7 – But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

When you respect somebody it means to feel or show honor or esteem for them.  Human nature has a desire to show respect to those who have wealth, while the poor are looked down upon and even hated by the world.

Proverbs 14:20  The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends.

Proverbs 19:4  Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour.

What they were doing was showing partiality in the church based on someone’s income and wealth.  Partiality is unfair bias in favor of one thing or person compared with another and showing favoritism.  It’s treating somebody worse than another simply because of the cleanliness of their clothes, or the inexpensive wedding ring on their finger.  This happens all the time in the world, but it’s not supposed to be going on in the church.  The Apostle refers to these kinds of things as evil thoughts.

God has chosen the poor of this world rich in faith.

Luke 6:20 – And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.

Voluntarily choosing to live a life of poverty while here upon the Earth brings a lot of opportunity to seek after the things of God. This is what the apostles did when they left their earthly jobs.  This is what Moses did when he walked off on all the treasures and the riches of Egypt.  Instead of seeking after earthly treasures, we can focus our attention on seeking after spiritual ones instead.  Instead of being filled with earthly riches we can become rich in faith.

Matt 19:21-24 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.  

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

The Lord Jesus wanted this man to follow him, but the problem was, he loved his possessions more.  His love of money and possessions caused him to lament at the thought of letting them go, even to help those who were less fortunate.  This is why the love of money is the root of all evil.  

1 Tim 6:6-10 But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

The love of money is like a snare that slowly chokes a person’s relationship with God and His Holy Word.  

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.

There are many people who look 40 years down the road at retirement some day, instead of looking at today.  When you are content with your food and your clothes you don’t have to look that far down the road.  It’s the covetous desire in a person’s heart for earthly gain that blinds them from spiritual truth and a God seeking heart.

Luke 12:13-15 And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.  And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

Covetous is defined as having an inordinate desire or a craving for wealth or possessions.  Each of us were born into this world with nothing and that’s the way that we will leave.  Instead of focusing on wealth and riches, we need to be content with our food and clothes.  God took the Israelites out into the desert and provided the simple things that they needed.  It’s the rapacious desire for more that takes our eyes off God and His Word.  The disciples willingly became poor so that they would have more time available to preach God’s Word to the people.  They were giving the church the abundance of their spiritual riches and knowledge in Christ.

2 Corinthians 6:10 – As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the greatest example who left everything behind in heaven and became poor physically so that we could grow spiritually.

2 Cor 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

So remember, it is those who are physically poor and needy in this world that God fills up with Spiritual treasures and faith.  You can’t love both God and mammon.  Whatever you seek after is what you will be filled up with, whether its a big house and a large bank account, or the true riches that extend into eternity itself… found in our Lord Jesus Christ and His Word.

It all comes down to your decision.  Do you want to be rich?…..

……Rich in faith?

Let’s think about those things for today and Lord willing we can talk some more tomorrow. Till then, bye-bye everybody.❤️

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1 Thessalonians 5:19  Quench not the Spirit.

When a fire breaks out and begins to burn a building, it needs to be put out so that it doesn’t spread to other surrounding structures in the area.

In the hottest and dryest times of the year in the United States, forest fires can become a very serious problem. Just a small spark can start the tinder dry grass or leaves on fire and within a matter of minutes the fire can spread from just a small flame into a raging enferno, resulting in thousands of acres of forest and homes being burnt down.

To combat these fires, people can use several different types of tools or vehicles to put a fire out: planes can carry hundreds of gallons collected from a nearby lake to drop onto the flames, fire engines can spray water from hydrants over a great distance to put them out, all the way down to a simple fire extinguisher. Whatever is used, the main goal is to completely extinguish the flames.

If someone is doing the work of God, we don’t want to be a hindrance or impediment to them. We don’t want to “put the fire out” by discouraging them from doing what is good. It is a praiseworthy thing when someone gives themselves in the service of the Lord, and we don’t want to be that person who hinders the furtherance of the gospel.

In Mark 9, Jesus had a conversation with His disciples about this very subject. The disciples had just gotten through telling the Lord about how they had seen someone casting devils out in the name of the Lord, but they had discouraged him from doing it.

Mark 9:38-40  “And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.

But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.

For he that is not against us is on our part.”

Instead, we need to commend and support those doing the work of God, whatever their works are. We need to let the fires of the holy spirit spread, instead of putting them out. Edify, and build up those are doing these wonderful things for the Lord.

Quenching the spirit is like sticking your leg out to trip someone just as they are about to win and cross a finish line in a race. Don’t be that person. 

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in. Today we are going to take a look at some scripture from the book of Acts but before we do that, I wanted to ask you a question.

How many of you have taken care of a little infant?  They are absolutely adorable but they really can’t do much for themselves can they?  We need to feed them, clothe them, and of course change their poopy diapers!  From time to time they need to take a bath occasionally, but they need our assistance to get clean.  We need to help them to do something that they cannot do for themselves, we need to give them a baby bath so that they can have their dirt washed away.

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

This is the same thing that God wants to do for each of us, but just like an infant we cannot do it ourselves.  We may be adults physically but spiritually we are little children who need God’s help.  So what God does is being a precious loving Father, He gives us a bath Himself, except this bath cleans the inside of our hearts.  He wants to wash away all of our past iniquity, all of the dirt of our sins, cleansing both our conscience and our minds through our act of faith in His Son Jesus.  That act of faith is being baptized into Christs name.  

When we believe the truth about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins and being raised from the grave for our salvation, we can be baptized into His name through submersion in water.    Scriptures teach us that at that moment, all of our past sins before that point are completely washed away and forgiven by God.  The word remission means to pardon sin or the forgiveness of an offense.  When you pardon someone it means to forgive them and to release them completely without further punishment or resentment.

Acts 22:16  And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Hebrews 10:22 – Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

People take a bath or a shower to wash away the dirt that has accumulated on the exterior of their body.  Being water baptized into the name of Jesus Christ completely washes us from all of our past sins in our consciences.

1 Corinthians 6:11 – And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Acts 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

The act of being baptized into the name of Jesus is a physical act of faith on your part.  There were numerous people who were completely healed by Jesus and forgiven for their sins when they came to Him in faith.  Jesus saw their faith. Faith is definitely something that you can see!

Mark 2:1-12  And again he entered into Capernaum, after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.

And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.  And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.  And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.  But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,  Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?  And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?

Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?  But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)  I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.  And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.

It’s clear in the scriptures that God cares for this world so much that He laid down his own life for our forgiveness.  In order to reconcile us unto Himself, He paid the sin debt that we owed by dying on the cross for us.  

John 3:16-17  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Even before any of us had gone through a change in our lives, the Lord granted us complete forgiveness for our sins.  

1 Peter 3:21 – The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

Just like a little infant needs a parent to wash them at the beginning of their life, we all needed the same at the beginning of the Christian life.

Romans 5:8 – But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

All of us are sinners and there are none righteous in this world, no not one.  To obtain forgiveness and complete remission for our sins with God, He wants us to place our faith and trust in his only begotten Son Jesus.  This is why He was sent, to redeem us and save us from our sinful condition.  He is the Lamb of God, whose blood was shed for this entire world.

1 John 4:9-10 – In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Acts 10:43 …..through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

Rom 3:25  Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.

So again, the word remission means to pardon sin or the forgiveness of an offense.  Forgiveness is to pardon and to waive any negative feeling or desire for punishment, retribution, or compensation.

Acts 13:38  Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:

So I want you to remember today that in order to inherit eternal life someday, we must have our sins washed away and be cleansed.  We need to become new spiritual children and that requires sitting in… 

……God’s Baby Bathtub.

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

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Galatians 1:10-12  “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.”

If someone is trying to “get in the good graces” of another person, how might they go about it? They may compliment them on their appearance, using flattery to get what they want. They might agree with everything that the other person says, regardless of whether they actually believe it or it is actually true, all done in order to obtain something from them eventually. 

But Paul didn’t use flattery when preaching to people. He preached the truth that people needed to hear; commending those who were doing God’s will correctly and rebuking and admonishing those who needed to change some things. 

That’s a huge problem in some churches today, they have people who are actively sinning, but they don’t address that issue. They are not preaching the truth to them, that they need to leave those sins behind and change. 

Some people only preach to receive a paycheck, not because they really believe it. So they skip over certain parts of the scriptures that will cause other people to be upset with them. They desire the praise of men. They don’t want to “create any waves,” so they tell others that their actions are fine, and don’t need to change.

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

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.”

This happens all the time today in many different denominations. In the past century, homosexuality has gone from being widely condemned even by the world, to being accepted in what are supposed to be “Christian” churches. They have even gotten to the point to where they are ordaining openly homosexual people to teach the scriptures! This is a practice completely against the Bible, yet it is being taught by some that it is acceptable

But why? Why are these groups not warning people that they need to turn from their sins, such as homosexuality, but instead embrace it? Well, you would sure offend and upset those who call themselves Christians who are living like this, wouldn’t you? They might even leave their current group to go and find a different one that tells them that they are not sinning by living like this. Less people in the pews=less potential money in the offering plate. 

Instead of telling people the truth that they need to hear, they “tickle” their ears, telling them what they want just to keep the money coming into the plate. 

Correction is an important part of becoming a Christian, because through it we can become a better, stronger, more complete child of God.

Paul made it abundantly clear that he wasn’t preaching to acquire money or possessions for himself. He didn’t preach the gospel seeking praise or admiration from others. He preached the truth that he had learned through the revelation from Christ, and told everyone everywhere about Jesus free of charge.

1 Thessalonians 2:3-9  “For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile:

But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.

For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness:

Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.

But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:

So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.

For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.”

He preached the truth to people whether they wanted to hear it or not. He didn’t tickle their ears, ignoring their sin by giving them false assurances that they were doing God’s will when they actually weren’t.

Jesus used some firm words with the Pharisees because they were claiming to be following the commandments of God, and appeared outwardly to be holy and righteous, but their works denied Him.

What matters is that a person needs to listen to and do the word of God without question. It means what is says and says what it means, there are not multiple versions of the scriptures where it means different things. Sin is sin, and no matter how much some people don’t want to hear it we all need to turn from our sins if we want to enter into eternal rest someday.

In Christ,

Andrew

Ephesians 5:11-13 “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 

For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.”

What would you do if you saw someone doing something wrong or illegal? If you went to the grocery store and you saw someone pointing a gun at a cashier demanding money, what would your response be? Would you go up along side of that person and begin demanding money as well, or would you stay away from them?

What if that person happened to be your best friend, and was doing this; how would you react? Would you be strong enough to tell them that what they were doing was wrong, and that they shouldn’t be doing it?

When it comes to the holy scriptures, a person’s actions come down to two outcomes: either it is right according to God’s word, or it isn’t. It is either good or it is evil, it is right or it is wrong. Put simply, “unfruitful works of darkness” is sin. If it does not agree with what we read in the Bible, it is sin, and Paul wrote to have no fellowship with it.

Fellowship as used in this passage means “to make feel welcome by showing friendship or building a cordial relationship; to associate with.”

When we gather together to sing, praise the Lord, and learn from His word, we often refer to it as “fellowship” because we are all gathered together in harmony and love as children of the Lord. We “associate” with each other in a friendly relationship because we are united under the Holy Spirit.

“Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” Philippians 2:2

We are commanded to love one another, our neighbor as ourself. But this command does not mean that we should join others who sin and do evil. Instead, Paul teaches us that we are to reprove them.

Reprove means “to express disapproval; to criticise, rebuke or reprimand.”

Sin is a disease, which if it starts in a group and is left untreated and unchecked by the teachings of the word of God can spread throughout a congregation. It needs to be condemned and rebuked so that it stops and so that others realize the error of those actions.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

This is why Paul wrote to some churches to warn them of any issues that they needed to correct. He loved them, and wanted them to be walking in the truth of the gospel. He was like a dad to them, begetting them through the word of God, feeding them the scriptures and helping them to grow stronger. Occasionally, just like an actual child, they would have something that needed to be addressed, and changed in their lives so that they would be continuing to be doing God’s word.

Paul didn’t want the church to be displeasing to God, which is why he warned them to not be a part of the works of darkness, but to keep separate from them and criticize it.

“Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.” 1 Timothy 5:20

Keep yourselves free from sin.

In Christ,

Andrew

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

Many years ago my wife and I were shopping at a garage sale and I found an antique dining room table for about 20 bucks.  It was in pretty tough shape but I figured I might be able to sand it down and completely refinish it.  It took about a month but I finally restored it to its original condition, and it served us well as our kitchen table for many years.  One year I bought a really beat up old fishing boat.  I knew that this project was going to take a lot of work in order to make it look nice again, but my wife and I spent the summer fixing it up.  She made new seat covers, I made a new transom, we completely painted the boat and fixed all the wood seats.  When it was finally restored, the man I purchased it from could not believe that it was his old boat.  I can’t count all the fish we caught in it.  Some of my relatives have spent lots of time restoring antique vehicles and when they were done with them they looked like they had just rolled off the assembly line.

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

Whenever you restore something, you bring it back to its former condition.  When genuine forgiveness happens, it always will result in reconciliation and restoration between the parties involved.  To begin with today, we are going to focus on the full forgiveness and restoration of the prodigal son.

Luke 15:11-32  And he said, A certain man had two sons:  And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.  And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.  And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.  And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.  And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,  And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

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

Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to  the house, he heard musick and dancing.  And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.  And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.  And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.  And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:  But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.  And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.  It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

I want you to look at the events and how they took place in this passage today. 

First of all the prodigal son got involved with sin which put a strain on the relationship he had with his dad.  He finally realized his faults and came to his senses and returned back home to apologize.  When he confessed his faults, his dad completely forgave him right on the spot.  Because the dad completely forgave him from his heart, they picked up right where they had left off in their previous relationship.  They were completely reconciled and were together once again.  With forgiveness is restoration.  To restore means to bring back to a previous condition or state, to re-establish or restore harmony among those were at variance.  Instead of punishing the son or making him pay off the debt so he could return the money, he simply forgave him and restored him to sonship once again.  He ceased feeling any resentment, and completely forgot about the past like it had never even happened.

I’ve always felt that the story of the prodigal consists of all of the elements of the Christian Life.  Each of us are sinners who have come short of the glory of God, but if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. When God forgives, our sins and iniquities are no longer remembered by Him, and He completely restores us into a relationship with Himself by His grace.

Gal 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 

If you’ve ever taken a wrong turn on the highway, in order to get back on the right road you need to return back to where you went the wrong direction.  This is what the prodigal son did.  He returned home to the place where it all began. But even though there was lost time spent going the wrong way, he made the choice to do what was right and apologize.  That’s all it took for complete reconciliation and restoration to take place.  As a Christian we are called to the ministry of reconciliation.  When Peter denied Christ, Jesus completely restored him to Apostleship.  When the humble publican cried out to God for mercy, God forgave him.  Paul reconciled Onesimus back to Philemon, so that their relationship in the past could be restored to what it was before.  God wants relationships to be restored within the church, but it requires the elements contained in the parable of the prodigal son.  God does not make it difficult for us to obtain forgiveness.  A simple confession of fault,……to forgive and completely waive any negative feelings towards the offending party, which will result in reconciliation and a restoring of the former relationship that you have with each other.

God gives us grace so that we can fix things and restore them to what they were in the past, kind of like…

…Our Kitchen Table.

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.  Today I want to take a look at a passage of scripture from the book of Matthew but before we do that, I wanted to ask you a question.

What was your age the first time that you began to learn in school?

Many of us begin our schooling when we are very young.  We learn how to read and write and as we grow older we begin to read textbooks and study the history of the human race.  As we sit in a class we listen to an instructor who is there to answer questions and to give us knowledge of things that we didn’t really know before.  What they do as a teacher is pass on the information that they have learned and give it to you. It’s very similar to the Christian faith that has been handed down by the apostles and disciples of the Lord for thousands of years.

Preach means publicly proclaim or teach a religious message or belief, or to earnestly advocate a belief or course of action.  It means to expound, explain, and make known.

Jesus called men to follow Him, and to preach, just as He preached.  

Matt 4:18-20  And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.  And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.  And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

When you go off to school, a guidance counselor might try to point you in a direction in your life where there is a great need in society for workers.  They may advise you to get involved with computers or another career where there is a great opportunity for employment.  I believe the greatest need is to have more men preaching God’s Word, and it’s truly a vocation where the laborers are few.

Matt 9:35-38  And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.  But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.  Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few;  Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest.

Can you imagine being a farmer who’s got a very large harvest that needs to be brought in but there are not enough people to help?  Or sometimes a person shows up to work for a while but eventually quits and then goes home.

Luke 9:59-62 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.  Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.  And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

It’s interesting that the greatest need in society today is the profession in which the workers are few and far between. I really don’t believe that there is anything greater that a man can do with his life than to help others learn about Christ and His forgiveness.  You don’t have to be a professionally trained speaker, because the Lord used a group of simple fishermen.  You don’t need to be a gifted writer or communicator, just possess a willing heart.

1 Corinthians 2:1-8 – And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

Life is so short on this Earth, like a wisp of smoke, but God is a never-ending flame.  The things that we seek after in this world are temporary, but God is eternal.  When you preach Jesus, souls can be won unto everlasting life.  While fruit eventually decays here on the Earth, the fruit that His laborers pick will last forever.

John 4:35-36  Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.  And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

Can you imagine going to a college course to learn a subject, but there was no teacher at the front of the classroom?  Can you envision going to the local Vo-Tech to be trained how to become a mechanic but there was no instructor?  Somebody needs to preach the gospel so that people have the opportunity to believe the truth in Christ.

Rom 10:14-17  How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?  And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!  But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

In order for people to place their faith and trust in Jesus, somebody needs to preach the gospel to them, which is exactly what the Apostle Paul did with his life.  

1 For 15:1-11 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;  By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.  

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:  And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:  After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.  After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.  And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.  

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.  Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.

No matter which way people in this world may try to direct the path of your life, please remember that there is a vocation where the laborers are few.  It’s a job where the benefits are forever and eternal.  It’s the most important job that one could ever have.  We just need to listen to the Lord Jesus from our hearts, because He truly is….

…..our Guidance Counselor.

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

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

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

Do you have a moment in your life that was so terrible, sad, or heartbreaking that you have tried to forget it completely? Or maybe you had a traumatic experience of being in some kind of an accident which was so awful that you have tried so hard to completely erase it from your mind, that you never think on it anymore.

Some people have had certain addictions to alcohol or drugs which have completely ruined their lives, but they overcame those personal problems and become clean. Several years go by and they remain clean and free from those addictions. Why would they go back to doing that kind of lifestyle once more?

When you become a Christian, it is like scratching off and redeeming a code off of a gift card. If you choose to throw that card away without using that code, you will not be able to get it again. It is gone forever. Being a Christian is a lifelong commitment, which when you start you need to continue on until the end. There can be no going back to the ways of the world, because if one does, there is no return. 

“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.” Hebrews 6:4-6

When you take a shower and clean yourself off, why would you want to go right back outside and throw dirt all over yourself?

In Genesis 19, before the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, the Lord sent angels in to warn Lot and his family to save them from that destruction. But what happened to Lot’s wife as they were leaving the cities? She looked back after being expressly warned not to, and she turned into “a pillar of salt.” They had just been saved from the sin and death behind them, but she didn’t listen.

We may have times in our life when we experience trouble overcoming certain temptations or other issues in our life, but through these trials of our faith we can learn patience and come out even stronger in the end.

When we become a Christian, we have “put to death the old man” which is our former carnal natures, and have been reborn in the Spirit. The old man is gone, forgotten, and left behind. We have become “a new creature.”

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

So you see, if someone who has tasted the love and forgiveness of Jesus decides to return back to their old lives of sin once again, they are returning to a dead man, in whom there is no hope of attaining eternal salvation.

We have been washed in the blood of Christ. Why would you want to go back to the filth of sin once again? If someone throws away the gift that they have been given, then they are unworthy of the kingdom of God.

Through Christ we are saved, through faith. Because of His love for us He died so that we can go to Heaven. Don’t throw away that gift, and never look back.

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 Ephesians, but before we do that I wanted to tell you a story.

When we moved up to Northern Minnesota, I built a small cabin in the woods for my family so that we could come out from the world and live inexpensively on the things that God provided us day by day.  When my two oldest children began to walk around, my wife and I realized that the siblings were going to need a little more room to play and grow up in, so we added on a larger edition.

Whenever we work on a home improvement project, we are attempting to make it better than what it was in the past.  Such are each of us in the church.   Sometimes to improve a home you have to use a crowbar to rip out things that need to be replaced, but although the house looks in disarray for a while, the new walls can be put up,… painted, and all the rubbish removed and cleaned up.  The end result of the project is something better than what it was before.

The church is a place filled with sinners who need home improvements done upon their hearts.  Each of us is like a home that God is remodeling and He wants each of us to build up one another in the faith.  Edification is defined as to instruct or improve someone morally or intellectually or, to instruct and improve especially in moral and religious knowledge.  When we use our speech, we want to use it in a constructive manner, or in a way that is going to build another person up in their faith so as to help them become better.

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

When someone uses corrupt communication, they use their speech in a way that is morally wrong.  Instead of using it in a helpful manner, they use it to destroy someone else, or bring them down in the eyes of others. As we’ve talked about recently, corrupt communication is to speak evil about others and is seen through gossip, tattling, being a busybody or whisperer, talebearing, speaking ill, and backbiting.

This is called evil speaking because it is evil.  It is speech that is not meant to help others but to harm them.  It’s motivated by a malicious heart.  They use their tongue to malign others, to speak unfavorably about them, badmouth, and drag them through the mud.  It is truly evil and harmful in nature and influence.  It’s a sin, just like murder.  Listen to what Jesus taught about the usage of words.

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.

The Apostle James teaches that the tongue is full of deadly poison.

James 3:5-8 – Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!  And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:  But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

God has granted us life, and if you want to enjoy it, you must watch what comes out of your mouth.  Is it something that is meant to educate someone in the truth, or is it simply poison?

1 Peter 3:10 – For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile

Pro 21:23 Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.

Jesus had some very strong rebukes for the religious leaders of his day, but He loved them very much.  He wants all men to come to a place of repentance and call upon his name so that they can be forgiven for their sins but sometimes in order to help somebody from the error of their way, it requires being able to rebuke them sharply.  This is what the Apostle Paul taught to Timothy.  When you remodel and do home improvements, it sometimes requires a crowbar of Truth.  

1 Corinthians 14:12  Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.

2 Corinthians 12:19 Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you? we speak before God in Christ: but we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying.

The Apostle Paul loved the church very much and they were very dear to his heart, but at times they needed strong rebukes and corrections to keep them on the straight path.  

1 Timothy 1:4  Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.

The Apostle reminded the brothers that when they gathered together, everything needed to be done for the purpose of building others up in their faith.  

1 Corinthians 14:26  How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.

Men of God are doing home improvements each day inside of the church to help others to become better.

Eph 4:11-16  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:  

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 – Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

So when you think of the word edification, I want you to think of building something better than it was in the past.  The church is a place of spiritual growth, and it is very beneficial to all of us when we edify one another because from time to time, each of us may require…..

…..Home Improvement

Let’s think about those things for today and Lord willing, we will talk some more tomorrow. Till then, bye-bye everybody. ❤️

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

Good morning and welcome in. Today we’re going to look at a passage of scripture but before we do that I wanted to ask you a question.

How many of you have gotten ready to go to the laundromat and separated your clothes?  Many people will separate bright colors from the whites, or a mechanic might divide his greasy work clothes from the rest of the family’s daily clothing.   The word divide actually means to split or to separate into two or more parts. For example, the Atlantic ocean divides the United States from Europe.  A wall in your home divides two rooms from each other.  A river that runs through a community divides the city into two separate sections.

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

The teachings of God’s Holy Word brings about the same kind of division.  If we think about the river as being God’s Holy Word, some people are on one side of the river, while the rest are on the other.  When two people are in a state of division they don’t hold the same beliefs.  In Christianity, division happens because of the acceptance or the rejection of biblical truth.

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

First of all Jesus teaches that He didn’t come to give peace on Earth. Peace is freedom from disturbance; tranquility or a state of mutual harmony between people or groups, especially in personal relations.  It’s freedom from quarrels and disagreement and having harmonious relations with others. As Jesus preached the gospel, there were numerous people who were completely divided against him.  There were some who went so far as to stir up the people against Him.  Jesus preached the truth, but not everybody accepts the truth.  It is biblical truth that divides people into separate groups

One time I was at a shopping mall and had the opportunity to talk about the gospel to a seated crowd.  It seemed that everyone was happy and fine as they sat in their chairs, but as soon as I began to discuss what Jesus had done for us at the cross, talking about his mercy and forgiveness, half of the seated group of people stood up and walked out of the mall.  This division happened that day because of the truth of scripture.

Luke 6:22-23 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.  Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

When someone decides to become a Christian they are going to accept biblical truth.  They begin to separate from the world and its philosophies.  The friends and close relationships that you had at one time begin to turn away from you and even persecute you.  They don’t believe the things that you do as a result of your new faith in Jesus.  This is going to happen because God’s Word will divide the heart, like a knife through butter.   If everybody speaks well about you, you really have to ask yourself if you really take a stand for the truth.

Luke 6:26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

Some of the closest relationships that you have growing up are your own family members.  When you become a Christian you need to be ready to accept the fact that persecution and suffering will arise even from them.  We care about them deeply and their eternal salvation, as the Apostle Paul did for his fellow Israelites, but it’s the rejection of the truth in Christ that causes this division.  

Matthew 10:34-36 – Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.

Luke 12:52-53 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.  The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

So you see, division begins here upon the Earth and someday there will be eternal separation.

Matt 25:31-33  When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:  And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

The preaching of the truth of God’s Word is going to bring about one of two responses. Either somebody will believe it with all their heart and have a desire to do what it says or they will reject it. It’s the teachings of Holy Scripture that divides this world into two separate groups, believers and unbelievers.  Even though you may have blood relatives who don’t share your faith, we can inherit new ones.  In the church we have new brothers and sisters through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Mark 10:29-30  And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.

When we become a Christian, God calls us to come out and to be separate.  Other people who are still living in the world do not accept the things that we believe, and we are supposed to join together with others who share our faith, united under the Word of God.

2 For 6:14-18  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?  And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

To truly be separate means to be apart from the rest, not connected, and not too attached to anything else. It makes sense that people who live in the world follow the teachings and philosophies of the world whereas those who follow Christ, follow Him and are united together under biblical truth.  We join together with others who call on His name out of a pure heart. So when you choose the Christian life, division is going to happen. This is one of the reasons that Jesus came. Each of us needs to eventually decide, so I ask you a simple question today. Which side of the river are you on?

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.♥️