“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10

There are times in our life that we run into situations where we cannot do something by ourselves. Sometimes we cannot fulfill a certain expectation or complete a task without additional assistance.

If someone wants to nail two boards together, what is one of the things which they need to find first? A hammer, of course. Because, unless your hands are made of iron, you will need a hammer to pound those nails through the wood. You need a tool to help you to do your task.

You go to a lumberyard and purchase an entire load of construction lumber to build a new home. How do you plan to get it all home after you have stacked it all onto a trailer? You can’t pull the entire loaded trailer all the miles back home by hand; by yourself, you aren’t strong enough, but with the help of a vehicle you can pull that trailer home.

As Christians, we seek to walk the narrow road of holiness. Each day we should seek to live a life of charity towards others. We need to “lay aside” any weight and sin that besets us (Heb. 12:1) and resist the temptations that fall into our path. Sometimes these temptations can be a very difficult obstacle to climb. By ourselves, we are not strong enough to overcome them, but through the help of the Holy Spirit of God we can overcome.

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” John 15:5

We can’t do it alone. If a temptation or a sin starts to pull us off the narrow path, we need to call out for help. We need the help of Someone stronger than ourselves so we can keep our paths straight. But we need to ask the Lord for help.

“If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” John 14:14

The natural disposition or tendency of a person without Christ will to try to do things by themselves. They don’t want to ask for help, because they want to believe that they can do it all on their own. But we can’t get to Heaven on our own. We cannot earn salvation. We cannot earn forgiveness. Those are gifts from God, and if an individual wants to receive them they need to do something: they need to ask for His help. They need to ask Him for forgiveness and mercy, and to commit their lives to Him.

“Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” Psalms 37:5

When you call out to the Lord for grace, beware that you don’t misuse that grace. God’s grace and forgiveness is not to be used as a crutch to fall back on while you intentionally sin. If we call ourselves Christians, then we need to live according to Christ’s teachings; with the knowledge that if we do fall short and sin that we have that grace available, but we should never abuse His forgiveness.

“We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 

(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)” 2 Corinthians 6:2

It takes meekness and humility to call out for help. We cannot save ourselves. Call unto the Lord, take His hand, and let Him lead you into the kingdom.

“The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.” Psalms 34:17

In Christ,

Andrew

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

Have you ever chosen a direction in your life that really felt like it was the right course to be on, but in all actuality, it was the complete wrong path to take?

Imagine that you are driving down the highway and you really believe in your heart that you are going the right way but the truth is that just a few miles down the road you are going to run off a cliff into a ravine.  Up until that point, everything felt great in your life.  You had a good paying job, a nice car, and lots of friends to hang out with. You were carefree and had no concerns about anything, but then all of a sudden, it was all over.

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

Prov 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Many people are on this very same highway today.  When they look around, there are numerous other people who are on the very same road with them.  With so many people heading the same direction, it only enforces in their mind that they are going the right way, but the truth is it only leads to destruction.  

Matt 7:13-14  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Throughout the centuries there have been many examples of people who chose to follow this wide road, completely deceived and caught up with the cares and the treasures of this world.  Instead of choosing the way of Christ Jesus, they choose the way of the world instead.  Instead of following the path of forgiveness, reconciliation, and faith towards God, they follow the teachings and philosophies of the world.  At a quick glance, the people on this path sure seem to be filled with love and cheerfulness.  They are convinced in their own mind that they are on the right highway because it feels so good to them, while in all actuality, they are heading the wrong direction.  If they continue to follow that course it will only lead to the ravine.

Luke 17:26-29  And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.  They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.  Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;  But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

In these examples people didn’t even see what was coming.  They were on the path that led to destruction.  Many people who are on this wide road claim to be filled with peace but it is not Divine peace.  It is not the eternal peace that is found through the blood of Jesus Christ.

1 Thess 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

You see, when people are on the wide road, they are completely deceiving themselves.  They feel like it’s right while the truth is it’s wrong.  They feel that everybody else is doing it so I can do it too.  They begin to walk on that road of sinfulness and rebellion against the Lord Jesus yet at the same time feel like they are blameless.

Proverbs 30:12 – There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

I’ve always liked the saying that God allows u-turns.  On many streets in larger cities they don’t allow them, but Jesus does.  He gives us the opportunity right now to take the off-ramp so that we can get off that wide road of worldly living.  It requires coming out and being separate from the world.  It requires a complete change of direction and course in your life.  It requires following a path that very few people are on, but it is a path that will take you somewhere that no other path will.  It leads to eternal life and immortality.

John 14:6 – Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Have you ever tried to give somebody directions, but they decided to turn a deaf ear and go their own way?  This is one of the problems with being on the wide road, because those who are on it feel like they are going in the right direction.  Instead of following the path of truth found in the Holy scriptures, they follow a road of lies, being deceived themselves and deceiving others.  

God wants all of us to get off that wide road but it requires faith.  God wants to save each of us but we must make the effort to turn that wheel at the next off-ramp.  No matter how convincing that worldly road might seem, we must trust Jesus.  God really does not want anybody to perish but that all would come to repentance.  We must trust that the way of Christ is the right way.  God sent him to the Earth for this very purpose so that we wouldn’t perish in our sins.

John 3:16 – 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.

Sadly there are going to be many who refuse to accept the truth in Christ.  Some will actually feel like they are on their way to eternal life, but they won’t be able to enter because they chose the wrong road while they were here upon the Earth.

Luke 13:24 – Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

Remember, God does not want this, He wants you to follow the narrow path of His Son Jesus.  We cannot drive on two roads at the same time. We must exit one and get onto another.  Such is the entrance into the Christian Life.  One must abandon the wide road because it leads to death and destruction.  God wants to give us life.

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

People on the wide road are blinded because of their own sins and asJesus taught,

….. if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

Today is the day to get off the road that everybody else is following.  Today is the day to follow the path of Jesus Christ.  Today is the day of salvation. Following the wide road will only lead to one destination,….

…….The Ravine.

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

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.

“For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 

And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:” 1 Corinthians 1:26-28

Have you ever made something, or seen something made by someone else, by taking things that normally would be deemed “useless” by most people? Things that don’t appear to have any inherent value, or unimportant?

During the process of grinding wheat into flour, the outer coat of the seed, called “bran,” was often thrown away years ago, or it was burned or composted to get rid of it. Today, bran is used as a nutricious ingredient in human food, as well as feed for animals. What was at one time viewed as something useless, is now an important food source.

In a way it is also similar to someone who picks up a “shell” of an old vehicle, sitting out in a field. Just the body; no motor, no axels, no seats. Just the body. By itself, it is little more than scrap metal, but if someone decides to put in the time and effort to collect all of the parts to fully restore it into a working automobile, it can become something great once again.

This is what God does. He takes people who the world would view as unimportant, or foolish, and uses them for His purpose. The things which the world despises, God calls to be His servants.

The apostles Peter, Andrew, John and James were these such men. They were fishermen, catching fish in nets in the Sea of Galilee. A rather simple profession, wouldn’t you say? They weren’t lawyers, or priests high up in the Judaic faith. They were plain, simple men, but they were who Jesus chose to be His disciples.

John the Baptist was another such man used by God. Preaching the coming of the Messiah, John preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. He was called by God to be a messenger before the Lord, pointing them to Christ. As Jesus said in Matthew 11, people said that John had a devil because he “came neither eating or drinking.” They thought John strange because he chose to live on locusts and wild honey. He wore clothes of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle. A simple man. And this is who God used; a man who dedicated his life to the ministry of the Lord.

That is something the the world has a difficult time understanding. Companies search for employees that have the best resumé. They look for the brightest and the best to join their workforce. But not God. God uses the people that the world looks down on and despises. God takes the lowly and meek, and lifts them up. Jesus prayed to the Father in Matthew 11:25,

“I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.”

It is the poor of the world who God has chosen to be rich in faith. It is those who the world despises that He uses. He turns something from nothing into something great. He turns sinners into saints.

In Christ,

Andrew

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 

As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 

Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35-39

I loved to play “war” with ants and spiders as a kid. I would find a large glass jar or bucket and head over to the side of our house where it was dark and shady, and search for the spider webs. To catch one of these large spiders, I would find an ant or other small insect and toss it into the spider’s web, and wait. As soon as the spider came out to wrap up it’s new victim, I would quickly take a small twig and knock the spider into my bucket. 

After collecting my “champion,” I would head over to the nearby anthill to acquire enemies to fight. Just a quick poke of my stick into the anthill and immediately 5 or 6 ants would begin to climb onto this new threat. Quickly moving my stick over my bucket, I would shake the ants off and into the arena. Within seconds, the “war” had begun.

Because of the spider’s great size and strength, the ants had little time to live. They would run up to attack the spider, only to get immediately killed with a quick plunge of the spider’s fangs. The ants tried, but they were incredibly overmatched.

The account of David and Goliath greatly shows our Lord’s power. As a mighty man of war, the Philistine Goliath challenged Israel to send out a champion to fight him. Standing over 9 feet tall, Goliath must have been a terrifying sight to the Israelite army. No one would step forward to challenge him, until young David came one day to bring his brothers some food. Upon learning that no one would go and fight, David told the king that that day the Lord would deliver Goliath into his hand. David was not afraid; God had delivered him from many dangerous beasts before, and David knew that God would be on his side once again when he fought Goliath. With God at his side, David knew he couldn’t lose. With a single stone from a sling and the Lord God at his side, David conquered Goliath.

Conquer means “to defeat (as in combat); to subjugate; to overcome; to gain, win, or obtain by effort.”  

This present day, there is a constant war raging on: the war between good and evil. The devil is always fighting against the Lord and His servants, trying to do anything that he can to try to stop God’s Word from reaching people’s hearts. 

I believe that we are indeed in the end times right now. The wickedness out in the world is only going to become worse and worse, as more people refuse to turn to Christ. But for those a part of the army of God, we can remain strong. Persecutions may come, we may be hated because we believe in Jesus, we may even be killed for our faith in Christ, but we don’t need to be afraid. 

Jesus was persecuted, and as His followers we can expect the same. They may be able to kill our body, but they can’t kill our soul. The love of Christ fills us with strength and there is no one that can take that away from us. 

“So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” Hebrews 13:6

There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. Nothing! The devil may try to make us fall, as he did with Job, but just like Job, we need to remain stedfast in the faith.

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31

Through Him we are more than conquerors. Christ is on our side!

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in. Today we’re going to take a look at a passage of scripture from 1st Timothy but before we do that I wanted to ask you a question.

How many times have you woke up in the morning only to find that you’re leg is completely asleep?  It’s numb from any feeling and you can hardly stand up.  How many of you have come in from outside on a cold day and when you removed your gloves and you couldn’t feel your fingertips.  

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

Did you know that the conscience can become just as numb?  This happens to certain people who completely walk off on the church and the teachings of the Christian faith. Instead of feeling bad when they do something wrong to God or others, they simply don’t care anymore.  

1 Tim 4:1-2 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

Sometimes when we burn ourselves very deeply we can lose the sensations in our nerve endings.  We don’t feel anything in that area anymore.  It’s like burning a piece of meat on the grill.  The conscience is the moral faculty inside of us that helps us distinguish between what’s right and what’s wrong.  People with a seared conscience really have no feelings when they do something wrong to others.  They don’t feel remorse or contrition.  They don’t feel sorry or sad.  Instead of continuing to believe the truth in Christ, they completely turn away from it and believe lies instead.  Just as a ship that gets off course and crashes into the rocks, people will shipwreck their conscience because they turn away from the true faith.

1 Timothy 1:19 – Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:

They completely go the opposite direction and make themselves into a reprobate. 

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

When you depart something it means to go away from or to leave, or to turn away from and retreat. There will be those who were Christian at one time in their lives but then they decided to turn away from what Jesus and the disciples taught. When you depart it means to deviate from an accepted, prescribed or traditional course of action.  Christians are supposed to earnestly contend for the faith that was once given unto the saints.  There is only one God, one baptism, and one faith.  We need to believe in our Lord Jesus and the Holy Scriptures with a sincere heart in order to enter into eternal life someday. Instead of listening to scripture, this group will choose to listen and pay attention to false teachers who will lead them astray from the truth into apostasy.

Romans 16:18 – For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

Ephesians 4:14 – 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;

Those who turn away from Christ will be punished by God.

2 Thessalonians 1:8 – In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

When people depart from the teachings of the Christian faith it is a direct result of an evil heart of unbelief.  Instead of accepting biblical truth they completely reject it unto themselves.  

Heb 3:12-13 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

In the Christian Life we are saved by grace but it is through faith.  When you possess biblical faith, you will have a strong belief and trust in God, along with firm convictions from the teachings of the Holy scriptures. In order to eventually inherit eternal life, we must believe what God’s Word teaches us. Genuine faith is going to result in an active desire in the heart to do God’s will and to become pleasing to Him.

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

This verse teaches us how very important it is to have faith because without it we can never please God.  This is why unbelief is such a grave sin. How many parents have rewarded their children because they got good grades at school? God is the greatest rewarder that there is. He rewards those who seek him. Some who professed Christianity at one point in their life will turn away from the truth of God’s word and listen to ear tickling false teachers who lead them away from Christ.

2 Peter 2:19-22. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Just like Lot’s wife who rejected salvation by attempting to return to the city that she had left, some will walk off on the Christian life, and return to the world from which they left.  The only result of taking that path is one of pain, sorrow and suffering.  Life will be far worse for them than before they first became a believer.  Instead of turning from sin, they will go the complete opposite way.

Rom 1:21-32 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Christianity is like driving a car on a narrow street in Europe that is so narrow that you cannot turn around. There is only one way to heaven, it’s through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. He has the words of eternal life, to whom shall we go?  Before someone is going to attempt the Christian Life they must understand one very important thing.  There is no turning back.

No turning back.

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

“Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.” Hebrews 2:1

How many times have you been sitting at a table eating supper or maybe just sitting on the couch in your living room, when someone asked you, “Hey, anyone there? Did you hear what I just said?” 

You might have been deep in thought, and while maybe you were aware that there was someone speaking, you didn’t actually hear what they were saying. The words didn’t “register” in your mind because you weren’t really paying attention.

Something similar used to happen to me when I read books. I would be reading a page, when I would start to think about something else. A minute later, my eyes will have moved several paragraphs down the page of the book, but I would not remember anything that was written, because I was thinking about something else. 

Maybe you have heard the saying, “In one ear and out the other.” Meaning, someone can hear something, but immediately forget what was just spoken. They could be directly in front of you as you speak, but because their mind is “somewhere else” they didn’t retain anything you said.

This cannot happen when we gather ourselves together to learn from the Word of God. When we sit down to learn, we need to be attentive and alert. Our minds need to be present. We need to not only hear with our ears, but with our heart as well.

For the sake of another example, in the summertime we might have a long stretch of time with no rain, and the ground becomes very dry and dusty. Then a stray rain cloud might float by and drop some rain for a few minutes, and then go away and the sun comes back out again. Any moisture from the rain does not sink into the earth, but almost immediately evaporates as the sun dries it all away once again.

When we read or hear the Word of God, we need to pay close attention and let it sink into our hearts so that we remember it. We need to “give the more earnest heed,” and listen from our hearts.

Of course, being a true Christian is more than just hearing what is taught; we need to DO it.

“But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.” Luke 11:28

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 

For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 

For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 

But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” James 1:22-25

Some people can sit in a pew every Sunday, they can read their Bible everyday, but unless they soak up the Word into their hearts, and do it, then all their religion is vain.

Don’t be like these people. The information found in the Holy Scriptures is the greatest thing that anyone can ever learn, because between the covers of the King James Bible lies the key to eternal life. If you want to use that key, you need to open up the ears of your heart and let those words of life sink in deep.

Are your ears open?

In Christ,

Andrew

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

Matt 5:23-24

23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

If this verse was taught in today’s modern church groups, some of them would go bankrupt.  The reason why is because the main goal of many heretical religious bodies is the desire to keep people in the church and in the pews in order to collect more gifts of money in the offering plates.  They are more concerned about greedy financial gain than they are about scriptural truth.  If they actually preached that you have to reconcile with a brother who is upset with you, many in the church would probably get up and leave. They leave because of their own pride and unwillingness to truly forgive the way that God does.  Not reconciling with a wronged brother is a heretical belief because it goes against the command of Christ in our study passage.  

2 Pet 2:1-3

1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

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

3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

Many have turned certain churches into a money making scheme, just as the religious leaders were doing in the temple.  Jesus was extremely upset about this.

John 2:13-16

13 And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:

15 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;

16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.

Just because a building has a cross out front doesn’t mean that they actually believe in the one who died for them, or the things that he taught.  The love of money is the root of all evil and this doesn’t change simply because somebody wears a robe or speaks from a pulpit.  It’s better off to be completely broke but knowing that you preached the truth of scripture to others.

Imagine going to a pastor in a church somewhere and offering them a gift for their services but instead of receiving the gift, he first asks you if there is a brother in your life who is upset about something that you have done to them. He then asks you if you have apologized to them and reconciled your relationship with them.  He asks if you have completely restored and re-entered the relationship that you had with them in the past before you offended them.   Many would say, I’m not going to do that, and go join another church group where reconciliation with others is not required. Reconciliation it’s not optional in the church, it is mandatory with God.  There are numerous false teachers who preach the false gospel of non-reconciliation. This goes in complete contravention to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Without reconciliation you are simply usurping His command in our passage today, and choosing to disobey Him.  

If you apologize and seek reconciliation with your heart, and truly desire to return to your past relationship, but someone refuses to forgive you, then they themselves will not be forgiven by God.

If I personally need to apologize to someone, I do it many times and also in the presence of others so that every word can be established.  Not only do others see your attempt when you apologize, but God does as well.  God sees everything.  God desires reconciliation in the church. Reconciliation is the restart of the former relationship that you had with someone.  

Ps 51:16-17

For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

For example, a woman who has been baptized into the Christian faith and leaves her husband goes against the commands of Christ.  Her first sin is separating from him.  Each day that passes by, she remains in a state of sin.  She must seek reconciliation and return to Him so that past events can be forgiven and forgotten. She must willfully place herself under his headship.   If she will not attempt to reconcile, she’s only rejecting the commandments of Christ.  If this is the case, she’s not walking in a state of grace.

Some people feel that they can contribute to a church and in some way they can buy off God with gifts so that they don’t have to apologize and reconcile with an offended brother. They refuse to admit that they have done the wrong thing and own up to their own faults. This is caused by pride. What’s the old saying, kiss and make-up?  God doesn’t want gifts until reconciliation happens because it is far more important to Him.

2 Corinthians 5:18-21 – And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

Reconciliation is a ministry that God has given to everybody within the church.  Reconciliation is the reason why Jesus died on the cross.  With outstretched arms he reaches out to the world with one hand and to God the Father with the other so that our relationship with Him can be completely restored.   Before reconciliation can happen you must first confess faults to God or a brother that you have wronged. You must apologize and seek reconciliation with them.  

Colossians 1:20-23

20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

There are many forgiving brothers in the church who have been wounded by others, and the worst part is many people won’t even make the effort to apologize to them.  How can someone profess to be a Christian and treat a brother this way?  It only reveals the cold and bitter state of their heart.  True reconciliation begins when someone seeks reconciliation by apologizing and confessing their faults to those whom they have wronged, and the offended party grants a complete pardon for their sins.

Ephesians 4:32 – And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

The prodigal Son returned home because he was seeking reconciliation with his dad for the things he had done wrong . We seek reconciliation with God when we confess our sins to Him.  To seek reconciliation with a brother is to apologize to him so that he can forgive you and you can rejoin the former relationship that you had with him.  The offended brother also needs to forgive and forget.  

It’s time for both of you to kiss and make-up.

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

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

Have you ever tried to do something but you messed it up so badly that you needed to completely throw it all away or redo something and start completely all over again?

One time a while ago, I had a rather delicate electronic device that needed to be cleaned. It had collected a bunch of dust inside of it which caused it to overheat after just a short while of using it. I tried to suck out as much dust as I could by using a vacuum cleaner, but it wasn’t enough. The only fix was to take the entire device apart and manually clean each piece with a cloth.

After locating my screwdrivers, I began to disassemble the device piece by piece. I probably removed about 50 or 60 tiny screws in the entire thing, as I slowly took apart each component and set them aside. After I had cleaned each and every piece, it was time to put them all back together again. Like a puzzle, I re-fit every screw and computer chip-board back into place. 

I had nearly everything back together again, when I noticed that I had forgotten to attach a wire. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I was just a few screws away from completely reassembling this electronic appliance, but I couldn’t plug in that one single wire because I had covered up it’s port with a different part. I had forgotten to plug it in, and the only way for me to fix my mistake was to completely take apart everything once again and only then was I able to connect that wire.

I had to completely start over again.

Jesus teaches us that unless we are born again, we cannot see the kingdom of God. We need to take everything that we think we know, and throw it away, and begin to re-learn everything once again. We need to “start over” once again.

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3

To do something “again” means to bring back to an original starting point, or to do something once more.

When someone is born, they begin their lives as babies with no knowledge of anything. They have no knowledge at that moment of what is right or wrong; they really don’t know much of anything at all. Their mind is like a blank page, waiting to be written.

As that baby grows and turns from a child into an adult, they constantly learn, acquiring knowledge and opinions about things. They learn how to solve problems using what they know. Slowly their blank page begins to fill as the years go by.

But once we become believers, we will realize that not everything that we have learned is correct or right according to what God’s Word teaches. We might have been taught that drunkenness is perfectly fine, but when we read the Bible we learn the truth, that it is a sin.

Once we make that step to become a Christian, we need to completely start over. We need to be reborn in the Spirit of God. To do this, one has to become like a little child once again and learn the ways of Christ.

“At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? 

And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 

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. 

Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:1-4

Have you ever planted some kind of seed before? If you have then you know that the seed that you put into the ground looks completely different than the plant that will emerge a couple of weeks later. Planting that seed is similar to baptism, which represents the death of a person’s life of sin, and the beginning of a new life in Christ. When they go under the water, they are burying their old self, and are raised back up to start their new life in Jesus. They have been “renewed” in Christ.

“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 

And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 

And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Ephesians 4:22-24

It is time for a change. It is time to forget the teachings of the world, and learn Christ. It is time to become like a child once again, in Jesus. 

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture from 1st Peter.

Out in the world each day there are many people who work at a store somewhere. Sometimes when they are recognized as a hard worker they are offered the job of becoming an assistant manager. If they take it, their duties will be to learn what the manager does such as watching over the items in the store, and doing the books so that they can pay the employees. Eventually someday, they can become a manager of their own store, and then train an assistant of their own.  A manager is someone who has been entrusted to watch over the belongings of somebody else.  This is exactly like the Christian Life.  We have been entrusted with God’s forgiveness.

A steward is a manager or a caretaker.  When we receive forgiveness and grace from the Lord Jesus Christ, we are freed from the penalty of our sins.  His mercy is planted deep inside of our hearts and our minds like a possession that a manager would place in a retail store.  When people apologize to one another in the church and they seek Mercy, we can supply the thing that they need, forgiveness.  God has supplied us with a portion of his grace so that we can give it to each other in their time of need.

1 Pet 4:10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

In this passage he speaks about the gift. Notice that this word is singular and not plural.  The Apostle is focusing specifically about one gift in this verse, the gift of God’s forgiveness.

We talked a lot this past few weeks about forgiveness in the church, but we must always remember that when somebody apologizes that we need to forgive others and reconcile with them.  Reconciling has to do with burying the hatchet as they would say.  Through Christ, we can be reconciled again with God.  Forgiveness is about completely forgiving the offender as God forgives each of us when we confess our faults and apologize to him in our prayers.

When we receive the gift, it’s about receiving forgiveness from God.

Ephesians 2:8 – For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.

2 Corinthians 9:15 – Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

Forgiveness is something that we see and learn through the life of Jesus Christ.  When we come looking for forgiveness from Him, He grants it to us. 

Have you ever went up to your dad before and asked him for something?  Maybe you asked him for a new baseball glove or football so that you could play with your friends.  The next day your dad came home with the item that you requested. He freely gave it to you.  But here’s a question for you.

Later on in your life when you grow up and perhaps have a family of your own, would you do the same thing for your children?  If your child approached you one day and asked you for a football or baseball glove, would you go and get them one?  

This is very similar to the Christian Life.  God loves and cares for this world very much and wants all men to come to a place of repentance.  He wants us to have a relationship with him once again.  When we come humbly before his throne, we can receive that which we are looking for.  He grants us the free gift of his Mercy, and we need to be good stewards with what he has given us.  We must be merciful and forgiving with each other, with the understanding of how much mercy and forgiveness that God grants to us when we come looking for it.

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

After receiving forgiveness from God, He expects you to take what you have been given from Him and give it freely to others who are in need. 

Minister actually means to attend to the needs of someone, and to provide and give help.  God helps us by forgiving us in our time of need and this is the way we need to treat one another. 

Instead of grudge keeping and bitterness we need to realize that we make mistakes too and let the past go. The scriptures teach that none are righteous no not one.  With that in mind, the only way we can enter into heaven is by accepting God’s forgiveness that is available through his son Jesus Christ.  When you forgive and reconcile with people who have wronged you, it is a direct result of divine charity and an understanding of what the Lord Jesus has done for you.

Ephesians 4:32 – And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

The carnal nature does not want to forgive others, they want them to suffer.  They want to punish those who have wronged them.  Can you imagine if this was the way that God treated us? Can you imagine crying out to our merciful God and Him looking the other way?  When people cried out for mercy from Jesus His ears perked up.  He hears the contrite penitent heart who comes to Him seeking mercy, and forgives them.  Is this the same way that you treat others when they apologize to you and ask for forgiveness, or do you build a wall inside of your heart, built with the rocks of bitterness and upon the foundation of the unmerciful?

Matthew 6:14-15 – For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:   But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Scripture teaches us that if we forgive others the way Christ forgives us, we shall be forgiven.

Luke 6:37 – Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

If somebody has approached you and asked forgiveness you must forgive them and release them of the offense, not just for their sake but for your own salvation. True forgiveness will result in the restoration of the relationship that you had with the other party in the past.

Mark 11:25 – And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

Some people make more mistakes than others but you cannot withhold forgiveness from others after they have apologized.  If somebody is having a problem with something in the church, instead of holding a grudge against them, why don’t you help them and be part of the solution?

Luke 17:3-4 – Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.  And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

Everybody in the church is dealing with different problems in their life.  None of us are better than the other.  What we need to learn to do in the church is to not be a stumbling block, and to help people with the issues that they are struggling with. 

Just like a child who is having problems, a parent needs to learn to redirect them and point them towards a purpose.  To guide them in the right direction.  This is the Christian life.  God is our helper and we need to help each other.  God gives us the grace to grow and supplies us with a lot of forgiveness in order to fill in the holes of failure in each of our lives.  

Colossians 3:12-13 – Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

The scriptures give us great and precious promises of God’s mercy.  His forgiveness gives us great hope that He is going to complete the thing that He started within our hearts.  Imagine giving that same hope and grace to others and the change that can result because of it. 

Have you apologized to God and asked for forgiveness? You do it every single day when you pray the Lord’s prayer.  When somebody asks you to forgive them, do you treat them the same way that you want God to treat you?

Matthew 6:14 – For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

Remember today that if you’ve been forgiven with God you’re supposed to minister that same forgiveness to others when they need it from you. That is truly being a good steward of the riches of God’s grace that He has given to you.  Freely you have received, and freely give to others.

As an assistant manager, we watch what the manager does so that we can follow his lead. Have you become management material yet? Have you learned to forgive?

Let’s think about these things for today and Lord willing I’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye-bye everybody.❤️

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

“And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;

And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.” 1 Thessalonians 5:12,13

When you went to someone to learn something from them, how did you treat them? When your teacher in school taught you how to add two numbers together, did you disregard their help, or did you respect their knowledge and authority by paying close attention?

Did you value the time that they spent trying to help you become smarter, and hold them in a higher place of esteem?

The word esteem means “to set a high value on; to regard with respect or reverence.”

The Bible teaches us that those who labor in the Lord, and teach it, that we are supposed to set them in a place of high respect, and honor. In fact, Paul took it even a little bit farther, saying that they should be counted worthy of “double honour.”

“Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.” 1 Timothy 5:17

Out of all of the occupations in the world, there is one that matters far more than the others, and that is the spreading of God’s word. Certainly we need people such as farmers to raise animals and crops to eat, but preaching the Word of God and ministering to others is the greatest thing that we can do, because while the food that a farmer raises will only last a short while, the fruit of a preacher will last forever.

John the Baptist. Peter. James. John. Paul. All of these men dedicated their lives to the Lord, and His teachings. They preached the Word to people everywhere they went, faithfully continuing in the steps of Christ. The apostles of Christ started churches and wrote many letters helping others to grow stronger in their faith in Jesus. They were laborers of the Lord, helping to “grow” new believers for Jesus. Even today, after all of these years, their works are still read and continue to convert people to Christ. These men of God need to be held in a place of honor and esteem.

In 1 Timothy 4, Paul exhorted Timothy to use his gift to help build up others in the faith. Paul also didn’t want others to view Timothy in a disrespectful way just because he was a young man. Timothy was a laborer for the Lord, doing the greatest calling that he could, and that dedication deserved honor and respect.

“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12

Whether it is your dad who reads the scriptures to you, or your pastor in your church, note those who labour for the Lord. Hold them in a place of high esteem, and honor. Show them your love and appreciation for their time spent helping others to grow in our faith.

In Christ,

Andrew