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

When I was a young child living at home many years ago, I was always surrounded by mechanical things out in the garage. On the workbench there would be a small motor that was completely taken apart, or sometimes even a larger car block that’d been stripped down to almost nothing.  All the parts were sitting neatly on newspaper.  

A few weeks would go by and I would watch as the parts would slowly disappear from the bench, as they went back into their rightful place inside their motors.  After being filled up with some oil and a little gas, they were started up on their engine stands and roared back to life.

There are so many intricate parts and pieces inside a motor, it has always amazed me that they can be put back together to run in harmony with each other.  It’s done so by following the manual.  It reminds me of the Christian life.  Those motors have many different parts but they function as one unit together. When that engine finally runs again, it’s almost like it has a single mind of its own.

Unity is the state of being united or joined as a whole. It’s the state of being in full agreement and harmony with each other.  Agreement is the situation in which people have the same opinion.  What unites us in the church together is our Lord Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Holy Scriptures. We are obligated to believe together, as one body, the truth of God’s word.  Some people have just become a Christian and know very little about the Bible, but this is the reason why God gave us certain men in each of our lives, to help us to be built up in our faith and grow into God’s calling and purpose for us.  Like someone would perfect a recital piece that was eventually to be played at a concert, each day we are to be perfected in our faith.

Eph 4:11-15

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:

Our doctrine is the teachings of the King James Bible.  How can people find where they’re going if they all have different versions of a map?  How can children sit in a history class and learn things in unity if they all have different history books from different companies, but this is exactly what some people to in the church do, with the influence of all kinds of different versions of the Bible.  Sometimes I had wondered why there are so many different versions until I had read that the Bible is the biggest selling book in history.  

For unity to happen in the church we all use this Bible because then there is no room for discrepancies or disagreements.  Many people who are professing Christianity have been influenced by numerous false teachings and philosophies in the world. Each of us must fight to retain the one truth faith that is found in the teachings of this book.

Jude 33 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

Rather than division and fighting within the church, there is supposed to be perfect unity. Does your hand argue with your foot? Does your leg argue with your arm?  They are both joined together in one body and work in union with each other joined by the same mind.

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

The Apostle didn’t want us to be lead of course by false uniblical teachings. We don’t want to be immature like a small child who can be easily led astray, but strong in the Christian faith, filled with knowledge and discernment.  The devil can appear as an angel of light and is actively trying to influence and decieve those within a church body to resist biblical truth.  

Titus 1:9-11  Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake.

We must be united in faith together.

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

1 Peter 3:8 – Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:

In the church we are supposed to have one mind together joined by doctrinal truth.  The Apostles didn’t want any kind of division. The church is like a baseball team that is striving together to win the pennant.  We are striving together for the unity of our faith. Consider these verses.

1 Corinthians 1:10 – Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

2 Corinthians 13:11 – Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

Ephesians 4:3 – Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Psalms 133:1 –  Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

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

Just like a motor on the workbench, early Christians were of one heart and one soul.

Acts 4:32 – And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.

1 Corinthians 12:12-13 – For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

That motor can run together again but we all need to be on the same page together, we must be using the same manual.

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

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

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

What’s the very first thing that you do each and every morning?  I’m guessing that most of you don’t rise out of bed and walk out to your car and put the key in the ignition and leave immediately for work. For example lots of people would still be in their pajamas.  You would first need to change into your daily clothes.  Even before that you might get into the bathtub, take a shower or brush your teeth.  Many of you would have a good breakfast before leaving for work.  

What’s the first thing that you do at school before sitting down at your desk? You would probably go to your locker first and put your jacket, boots, and mittens away.  You would grab certain items that you needed for class such as a pencil, notebook or your backpack full of textbooks.

If you are going to prepare a meal for your family what is the first thing that you do?  You might wash out some pans and utensils that you are going to need.  You would have to find the ingredients and the instructions in the recipe and cook the meal before eventually serving it to the family.

So, each of us in our daily routines have things that we place first in order to complete the task at hand.  This is very similar to the Christian Life.  

Before attempting to love others, we must first love God. Just like we put things first in our normal daily routines, God must be our first and greatest love. The Commandments are in an order for a reason. 

You may have a friend that you care about but if they approached you and asked you to do something that is biblically wrong placing God first in your life will prevent you from doing that. In the Christian life you can love nothing more than God because He is on the very top of the list, and ultimately we prove our love to him by becoming obedient to his will.

All over the world today there are a lot of people who profess to love one another. They sing songs about love on the radio.  The concept of love is actually taught by a lot of different false religions including philosophers and doctors, but the Christian faith teaches us that love for God has to be above all others on this earth.  Love for Him has to be greater than any other interpersonal relationships that you may have, including relatives, children or a wife.  If you do not love God more than anything else in this world your heart can be let away from serving him and speaking the truth the others.

Matt 22:36-40  Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

I believe that if we truly love God with all of our heart we are going to stand up for biblical truth. We do this not only to show our God how much we love Him, but for the salvation of those who need to be converted.

The world’s concept of love and the divine love that is found in the Holy scriptures are two different things. The scriptures teach us how to love God and to do those things that please him, rather than pleasing the world.  

Deuteronomy 10:12 – And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

If we truly love God more than anybody else we are going to have a desire to obey and do his will. Moses wanted to obey God’s will and his life went in a completely different direction.  Look at all the activities that resulted in the life of the Apostle Paul after he was converted. He placed God first and foremost in his life and look at all the things that happened because of it.

Most of you already know this but I told my wife early in our marriage that I would never be involved with teaching.  At that point in my life I absolutely loathed it.  There are a few things I really hated back then and teaching was on the top of a very short list.  

When I took a dive underwater and got baptized into the Christian faith, my life went through a radical change. Over the next few years I realized that to be a disciple of Jesus Christ I needed to be able teach others about the faith, including my own wife and family who God had placed directly in my charge for Spiritual growth.

Love is a very powerful feeling, and before placed on anything else in our lives, it needs to be placed first on God.  If God is the most important love of your life, I know that He will bless you.  

We learn how to love others when we obey God and keep his commands but once again he needs to be first.  True love for God results in keeping his commands.

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

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

1 John 5:2-5 – By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God.

I’ve always felt that the Christian Life is like a bicycle tire with numerous different spokes.  The spokes represents friends, relatives and activities.  God has to remain in the center of that wheel.  He must be our greatest love, because without that, everything falls apart. 

Deuteronomy 4:29 – But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

1 Chronicles 16:11 – Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.

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

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

Good morning and welcome in. Today we are going to take a look at some passages of scripture and discuss fasting.

Matt 6:16-18 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

How many of you like getting rewarded? A reward is to make a gift of something to someone in recognition of their services, efforts, or achievements.  God wants to reward us when we fast.

There are many different ways to fast that we are going to explore in the scriptures today. Fasting is a personal thing between you and God.  You have to decide what you’re going to give up and the amount of time that you’re going to do it for.  This is between you and God to show him how much you love him and an answer to prayer.  Let’s take a look at some biblical examples.  Daniel fasted certain items.

Daniel 10:2-3  In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.

Daniel 1:8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

The Apostle Paul and the sailors fasted for two weeks to be delivered from their sinking ship.

Acts 27 33-37 And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing. Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.  And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat. Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat. And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen.

The Ninevites prayed and fasted.

Jonah 3:1-10

And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

When people came out to see and listen to Jesus, they fasted 3 days.

Matt 15:29-32 And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there.

And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them:

Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.

Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.

They fasted in Antioch.

Acts 13:1-4 13 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.

Personal marriage relationships could be abstained from in order for a couple to fast and pray.

1 Cor 7:3-5 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.

The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.

Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

Esther and the Jews prayed and fasted.

Esther 4:16 Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

God desires us to chasten our souls with prayers and fasting. 

Joel 2:12 – Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

Ezra 8:21-23 – Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.

Nehemiah 1:4 – And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

Whatever it is that you choose to give up for a period of time, fasting is meant to bring us into a closer relationship with God. We know that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 

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

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” 1 Timothy 2:5

One. If you have one of something, you don’t have several. It’s singular. Just one.

If you have one cat, you don’t have two, or three, or ten. Just one. If you are driving down a “one-way” road, the direction of the traffic goes just one way; everyone goes in the same direction. One way.

There is one God. Only one. Not multiple, as other false religions teach. And in order for someone to be forgiven for their sins, they need Someone Who can plead to God the Father for our forgiveness. They need a “go-between.” The need a mediator.

A mediator is someone who negotiates between parties seeking mutual agreement. Well, Jesus is the mediator between us and God the Father. Not only that, He is the only One who can mediate for us to the Father. It is only through Jesus that we can be saved; there is no other way.

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

It is just like a castle, surrounded on all sides by a great wall. Inside that castle sits the king, and as most people know, you cannot just walk through the castle doors and march right up to the king. 

The same would apply to the White House in the United States, where the President resides. The White House is surrounded by fences and gates and many armored guards, inside and out. If someone tried to enter into the White House grounds on their own, they would be immediately arrested. But, for example, if that person was accompanied by someone who the President knows and trusts, then they would be led right in and allowed entrance.

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

That is why, when the apostle Paul was in Athens and he saw how much the city was given to idolatry to the worship of false gods, when he saw an altar made for “THE UNKNOWN GOD,” he expounded to them the truth of the gospel and preached Christ to them. The Athenians were caught up in worshipping all of those other “gods” but he showed them the one and only true God.

Most of the religions on the Earth believe in life after death. They believe that after their bodies die on the Earth that they will be in some sort of paradise, or heaven. But unless these people turn to Christ, and go through Him for salvation, they will not be able to enter in. All of the wood, stone, metal idols that they worship won’t grant them salvation or eternal life. People in those false religions might pray to these idols, but idols don’t hear. They don’t speak. They are nothing but wood, stone and metal. True salvation lies in the One true God and His Son, Jesus.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 

But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 

To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 

And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 

And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. 

This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.

Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 

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

I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” John 10:1-9

Through Christ we are saved, and He is the only way.

In Christ,

Andrew

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

In the summertime when the temperature starts to warm up our family likes to do a lot of four wheeling. There are numerous trails close to our home that we can access.  We pack up all the children along with snacks and drinks and off into the woods we go.  We make sure to bring some large cups in order to pick some berries on the way. We may even come across some tasty wild mushrooms.  

There was one time that we decided to take a break and have a picnic. We came across a nice rolling area of green grass that was as large as a couple of football fields.  We parked the four-wheelers and grabbed the coolers and snacked on our lunch as we watched some of the children play with a frisbee that they had brought on the trip.

As the children were running around they came up to me and asked me a question. What are these white things sticking out of the ground?  They were referring to a few PVC pipes that came up out of the ground approximately 3 ft high.  I explained to them that they were vents. For what they asked?  The children didn’t realize that as we sat on that grassy mound, not too far underneath our feet was the old city dump that had been completely buried and completely hidden from view.

When we hide something it means that we put it or keep it out of sight and conceal it from the notice of others.  In our Christian faith, this is what God does for us through his grace and forgiveness.  Instead of exposing the garbage dump of our sins to others, he simply covers them all up, and hides His face completely from them.

Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Psalm 51:9

To hide means to put or keep out of sight and conceal from the view or notice of others. 

Each of us in this world, whether we want to admit it or not, have all sinned in the eyes of God.   Everybody has since the beginning of time.   All of us have come short of the glory of God at one time or another because the Bible concludes that there are none righteous, no not one.  But just like each member of the community brings a bag of trash to the dump, to eventually be covered up and buried, all of us need to bring the bag of sins inside of our hearts to the  Lord Jesus Christ: to be forgiven, forgotten, and buried forever.

How many times when you were a child can you remember having a completely filthy room. You knew it was a mess but when your mother wanted to access it in order to put your clean clothes away, you stood by your door and asked her not to look inside.  Maybe she was sweet enough to put a blindfold over her eyes as she put your clothes away.

God hides his eyes from the mess of our iniquities when we confess them to him from our hearts.

Noah was a man who found grace in the sight of God.  Because of his great faith in God he built a giant ark to save his family and the animals from the great flood.  The grace that was extended to Noah from God, his children were all partakers of.  If it wasn’t for Noahs favor in God’s sight, his own family would have been lost in the flood.  We learn from the flood that Noah understood how forgiving and merciful our God is.  But this is a lesson that one of his sons hadn’t learned yet.

Genesis 9:18-27 

And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.

19 These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.

20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:

21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.

22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.

23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.

24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.

25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.

26 And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

The scriptures teach us that Noah was one of the most faithful men in the scriptures.  He was completely blessed by God but had too much to drink one day.  He overdid it and went to bed completely uncovered.  

Here’s a man that God chose to save all the animals off of the planet and to deliver his family from the great deluge. Instead of having respect for that and understanding his own faults, the son chose to expose it to his family rather than cover it all up.  He became a faultfinder of the man God had placed as an authority in His life. 

How would you feel if you made a mistake and someone decided to go out and tell everybody else about it?  I bet you would be just as upset as Noah was.  Not only would you be committing the sin of being a busy body but you would be involved with gossip as well weather it’s true or not.

Instead of taking a good look at their own sins, people want to take a look and expose the sins of others. I think it makes them feel better than others as they become puffed up with the pride of self righteousness. Even the Lord Jesus taught that people needed to pull the plank out of their own eye before attempting to pull the mote out of their brothers eye.  In the parable of the proud Pharisee, he could only see the faults of his neighbor rather than taking a look inside the coldness of his own sinful heart.  

God wants to conceal our sins and completely blot them out.

Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; Colossians 2:14

If Noahs son had truly believed in the forgiveness and mercy of God, he would have realized that the only reason why he was saved from the flood was because of God’s grace.  God covered up his sin for Noah’s sake which is the same thing he should have done for his own dad.  That show loves. God wants to conceal our sins and completely blot them out.

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Psalm 51:1

Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O LORD. Psalm 25:7

Are you speaking evil about others or are you following the way of Christ and covering up the sins of another because the truth is, real charity covers a multitude of sin.

Herein lies the meaning of mercy.

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

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

How will your life be remembered by others once you die? What things will show your faith in Jesus?

Many times when someone dies, at their funeral, friends and family with gather together and they will “reminisce” or recall specific memories about that person’s life. Family trips, weddings, and other special moments that stand out. Things that that person had done.

Sometimes when someone does something very incredible, a statue is made of them to honor them, and as a reminder to others who see it of that achievement. In the United States, there are several statues and memorials dedicated to soldiers who have served their country in the military. These memorials are there for others to see the bravery and service that these people gave in the defense of their country. 

Our faith in Jesus, if it is truly faith, will lead us to do something with it that others can see working in our lives. A memorial, of sorts, that others can see and hopefully inspire them to do as well. Just as we look back through all of the apostle’s writings, all of which show their faith, we should desire to live our lives in the hope that someone else will see our faith and the works that it causes us to do for the name of Christ.

“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 

Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” James 2:17,18

Paul is no longer living here on the earth, but his faith in Jesus caused him to be filled with all kinds of actions and works, visible to us all even today, through his writings and teachings to the churches. His writings are the memorial of his faith, and Paul is someone who we can all look to as an example of faith. His faith was an active one, and his works are still read everyday throughout the world. 

That is what we NEED to have, an active faith. A faith that “gets up” and does something. A faith that doesn’t allow the covers of their Bible to collect dust. A faith that is alive inside of us, a light in the dark and visible to all. 

The incredible feat of building the ark, for example. An amazing display of faith by Noah. He was warned by the Lord that the earth would be destroyed by a flood and was commanded to build the ark to save himself and his family. It was faith in God that caused him to build that huge ship. And it wasn’t just a weekend project. It took a hundred years to build! Year after year, working on that ark. Why? Because he had faith in God, and it was evident by his works.

When the Israelites walked around the walls of Jericho, that was an act of faith in God, because it was what God told them to do. They didn’t just pull up a chair, and sit and do nothing. It was faith that caused them to walk around those walls, until they fell down.

When someone views us, we don’t want them to see us as a normal person. No, we need to be something completely different, someone who stands out. We want them to see Christ inside us, working through us in everything that we do, and we can do that through our works of faith.

Someone could say that they are a great baker, but unless they actually produce something absolutely delicious, it is not proven; how could someone truly know that they really are one?

“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” James 2:26

How will you be remembered? When you die and go before the Lord, how will your life be replayed? Will your faith be alive and evident in your actions, or will it be dead?

What will be the memorial of your faith?”

In Christ,

Andrew

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

When we moved out to our little home in the woods 20 years ago, we began to burn wood for heat and cooking. When we first started out, Andrew and I used an ax for splitting everything. It’s a really good workout hand splitting wood.  One day, one of our elderly neighbors was wondering if we could help them out by splitting a big load of wood for them. Andrew and I went over there for 3 days and cut and split a semi load of wood for them. When we were all done, they said that they had a present for us. In one of their garages they had an old gas splitter that they said they hadn’t used for years, that they freely gave to us. Andrew and I got it fixed up with a different motor for really cheap and for 15 years has run like a top. I can’t even begin to count how many cords that we have split with that machine. Whenever I split wood I watch as the splitter divides the log into two pieces. One part goes to the left and the other falls to the right. Instead of being one piece, the log has now become divided.

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

Jesus didn’t come to bring peace but to divide, but in the church, we are all supposed to be joined together under His teachings. Sometimes just one person in the church can sow discord. They can split the unity that we share as a body and bring it into division. It happens because of their own rebellion against the truth of God’s Word. God truly hates the sin of splitting up the church, but this is what the devil has been doing for centuries, trying to lead people away from the truth in Christ, and to believe a lie instead. He led Eve astray in the garden, and he continues to lead men away from serving the will of God. 

Proverbs 6:16-19  These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:  A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,  A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

The Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross as a propitiation for our sins but remember that before he did that, he threw over tables in the temple and made a scourge that he used on people with whom he was extremely upset with. Our God is a loving God who is merciful and compassionate but he is also a God to be feared and respected. God really hates when people get involved breaking up a church group. The only one they please by doing so is the devil. Remember the devil wants power and authority, but he has not been granted that authority. It’s the same if a wife usurps over her husband, or if a private usurps over his general in the military. The devil thrives and lusts for control, but he himself has not been granted it.

To sow discord means to plant infighting and distrust in the hearts of church members. Like I said, this is what the devil did to Eve when he tried to convince her to distrust God and His command in the garden of Eden. The devil doesn’t want people to trust and believe in God, and tries to lead them away from Biblical truth and from serving God.

Granted we are all sinners who can come boldly to the throne of grace in time of need, but God supplies us with His grace so that we can get back on the narrow path and do His will from our hearts. On the other hand, the devil does not want anybody to follow God or do His will at all. This is because he hates God and is filled with pride. The devil wants to be in charge and in control. The devil is a usurper who shortly before the return of Jesus will attempt to usurp over everything that is called God. To usurp means to seize or to hold an office, place, functions or powers by force or without the right to do so.  For example, Jesus teaches that a woman is not to usurp over her husband’s authority. She is supposed to obey her husband in everything. A wife who rejects this command not only rejects the commands of Jesus, but is influenced and deceived by the devil just as Eve was in the garden.  Even today the devil is trying to split up relationships. The devil wants to split up the church, led by his false Apostles and false prophets. He is actively trying to get people to go against scripture and try to get people to follow his pernicious ways. Getting involved with dividing a church group is an abomination to God.

I’ve taught my family for 20 years that if we make a mistake on our walk with God, He gives us the grace that we need in order to get back up, but one thing that we can never do is deny what the scriptures clearly teach. The scriptures are there to correct us and show us that we are going the wrong way. If people don’t believe what it says they cannot correct themselves, and therefore abide in their sins.  In the church we are united through the teachings of Jesus Christ. In the church over many years there are very close relationships that develop over time. If someone decides to turn away from their faith, they may decide to sow discord with others in the church in order to get them to leave too. This is an especially grievous sin in the eyes of God because this is what the devil did to some of the angels who were serving God in heaven. What he did is sowed discord between the angels so they would leave with him.

Haven’t you ever had that happen when you were going to school? Maybe you had a group of friends that you hung around with all the time and then one of them decides that they don’t want to be your friend anymore and tries to turn all of the rest of your close friends against you. That is what satan does. Remember Judas betrayed Christ which is exactly what the devil did to God. Again, this is such an evil sin that it is called an abomination to God. An abomination is something regarded with extreme disgust or hatred.

God doesn’t want division in the church but unity and oneness of mind. A house that’s divided against itself cannot stand. God has a great anger for someone who causes a split and division within a church group. This is too scary for me to even contemplate. Because these people are deceived by the devil this is what you were supposed to do with them.

Romans 16:17-18 – Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

Because they are walking contrary to biblical truth, they decide to cause a division in the church. Completely avoid them because God will deal with them in his due time.

1 Corinthians 1:10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

The devil doesn’t want you to join together in the same mind through service and obedience to the will of God, and tries to lead people away from scriptural truth. Sowing discord in this manner is one of the most wicked sins found in Scripture that is caused by pride.

Ephesians 4:3-6 – Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 

Brethren in the church are members who have been baptized and had Holy Communion together. They sincerely believe in the process of sanctification and submission to God’s purpose.

Ps 133:1  Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

Divide mean to break into parts or to keep apart.

Prov 6:14 Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.

We are supposed to be united through the teachings of God’s Holy Spirit which is found written in the pages of the King James Bible.

Ephesians 4:3-6 KJV. Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

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

1 Peter 3:8 – Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:

1 Cor 12:25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

A religious schism occurs when a single religious body divides and becomes two separate religious bodies. I guarantee you that you don’t want to be involved in dividing a church, because when someone does so, they are not serving Christ but the desires of the devil. He doesn’t want you to serve and obey God. He wants to steal the sheep and consume them in lies. The devil divided Eve from obedience to God. He continues to try to divide people in the church from obedience to God. In the end he will usurp over everything that is called God. But the elect of God are not deceived because we are joined together according to the truth of scripture. And in one mind and one spirit we can never be divided! I’m reminded of that every time that we begin…..

……Splitting Wood

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. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture but before we do that I wanted to tell you a story.

When I was very young I used to wait outside by our garage for the school bus to pick me up.  We lived about 20 miles from town and on most occasions, our family was the first to get on our rural schoolbus.  It seems like me and everybody else wanted to be in the backseat.  It was an especially fun place to be because we had a huge frost bump in the wintertime on the highway on the way to town and if we hit it really fast we would go flying into the air and almost hit our head on the ceiling.  It was like an early morning carnival ride.  The problem was that when the high schoolers got on the bus they would kick us little kids out of our seats. The normal arguments with each other would quickly follow such as “we were here first” or ” take a hike rug rats” 

I think everyone has probably argued with somebody else at one point in their life.  Children argue with their siblings at the supper table or in the playground but within the church we are supposed to be united together under the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ and the disciples.  We are joined in agreement together by biblical truth. Although some may argue about the little things in life, we can never argue or have disagreements about what the Scriptures clearly teach. Ultimately God wants us to become obedient, and those who resist God’s will become contentious because they are at war with God in their own mind.  If they continue down that course, they will eventually be punished by God.

But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath. (Rom 2:8)

Contention is an argument, contest, debate, strife, or struggle.  To argue is to disagree, or discuss opposing and differing viewpoints. In the Christian Church we don’t discuss opposing and differing viewpoints of God’s Word because His Word is truth. That would be akin to giving the devil a soapbox to stand on in order to present his faithless and unbiblical arguments to the church. There are people who might be weak in the faith within the church but if they are having trouble accepting biblical truth they need to keep it to themselves until God reveals it in their hearts.

Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. Romans 14:1

To dispute means to argue in opposition to something, or on opposite sides; and have controversy in words.  To be contentious in the church shows that people are fighting against scripture. We are supposed to accept scripture. To fight against it is only to fight against God’s word which liveth and abideth forever.

2 Cor 1:11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

Many times I think about a family who is gathered together at the Thanksgiving table.  The peaceful meal that you just enjoyed can quickly turn into nasty contention when people start to discuss politcs after supper. There is hostile opposition and disagreement because of peoples with differing opinions.  Within the church, we are all supposed to be of the same opinion. We are supposed to be joined together in the same mind and in the same judgement.  In the Christian faith we do not argue against scripture because if you did, you would be fighting against Gods will and the Holy Spirit.  The Bible was written by men but God spoke to their hearts the things that he wanted them to say to the people.

For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (2 Peter 1:21)

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (2 Timothy 3:16)

Why do you think for so many years that people have tried to alter and change the teachings of Holy scripture? The reason why they do it, is because they want to feel like they are going to heaven but they don’t want to obey in their heart the things that it says. They find it easier to change the wording in the Bible then to change their own lives and become converted to what it teaches. 

For example, if women don’t want to submit and obey men who are their authority, the tendency for them is to seek other women who are the same mind as are. Many times they will commission a woman to do a different version of the Bible.  If they can’t find one, they will find a non-spiritual man who is truly a feminist in his heart to do the version.

One time my wife and I we’re shopping at a dollar store down by Milaca Mn when she came across a pile of bibles that we had never seen before. She looked at some of the passages and then gave it to me and said..” you need to check this out.”  Because I had educated her in the Scriptures the last 20 years, the passages that she had opened up to were not even close to what the Bible clearly teaches.  They were so far away from scripture that you might as well have been reading a fictional book from the library.  The saddest thing is that they were printed with the title, the Holy Bible.

Thousands of years ago people would burn their old magical books when they became a Christian but here were some false bibles that were worthy of being thrown into the same burn barrel with them.

But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. Titus 3:9

It only shows vanity in a person’s life when they are contentious wth the teachings of the men that God used to produce the Bible we have today.  When you avoid something it means you keep away from it.  If the wood stove is really hot, you want to keep away from it so you don’t get burned.  When you give the Holy Scriptures to somebody and they have no desire to do what it says, it’s because they are fighting against it in their own mind.  I have found out in 20 years that’s its better not to argue with these people because they are so deceived in their own heart that they will completely resist and fight against God’s will.  If they continue in this contentious attitude towards scriptural truth, all they have to look forward to a judgement day is God’s indignation and wrath.  

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

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

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

When you were a child did any of you stick your fingers in your ears because you didn’t want to listen to what somebody else was saying?  I get up early in the morning and many times if I’m going to take a short siesta during the day and there is a lot of talking and noise in the house, I simply put in a pair of earplugs when I lay down. During certain times there is a great need not to listen to others.

How many of you have had someone attempt to convince you to do something that you knew in your heart was absolutely wrong according to what you had been taught from scripture?

Did you plug you ears? You might not have had a pair of ear plugs to put in right at that moment but in those situations it’s best just to turn around and walk the other way. 

Today the devil is seducing people in an exerted effort to get the flock of God to listen to him rather than God.  He’s a usurper who wants to kick God off of his throne.  

He can appear as a minister of light while the truth is, he’s the son of darkness and 

a wolf in sheep’s clothing.  The devil’s purpose is to turn you away from biblical truth and from becoming obedient to Christ. In the garden of Eden the devil wanted Eve to listen to him rather than God.  She was seduced by him and completely believed what he said and utterly went against God’s commands. She also led her husband astray, which is the reason why a man is not suppose to listen to a wife over God.  God is mans authority while man is woman’s authority.  This is another reason why women are not to usurp over a man because when they do they are deceived by the devil. 

1 Tim 4:1 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…..

This passage is meant for people who at one time professed Christianity and we’re trying to do the will of God from their hearts, but later on turned from biblical faith and slid back into the world.  They are like Esau.  The person that you knew then is not the person you know now.  Lots wife turned away from her own husband in an attempt to return back into the world from which she had left. She turned into a pillar of salt as an example for all those who reject their faith as they have been taught.  What’s that old song say,… no turning back…. no turning back.

To depart from the faith means to deviate from what you have been instructed from scripture. It means to fail to conform and to leave the past behind.  Many people today are involved with heretical and false forms of Christianity. I’m not saying this so you think I’m some kind of righteous person but the truth is there are numerous people who profess Christianity who do not believe scripture anymore.  That’s absolutely incredible. There’s no fear of God before their eyes. Instead of accepting what scripture clearly says, they argue and fight with it.  

Did you know that approximately one third of the Earth’s population professes to practice Christianity as their faith? Jesus taught that before his return it would be as the days of Noah. This is a scripture that teaches us about a great falling away from the true Christian faith shortly before the return of Christ. I guarantee it’s not going to get better but a whole lot worse.  How many people were saved in the days of Noah? People were getting married and buying and selling but eventually they were destroyed in the flood.  Todays false forms of unbiblical Christianity are just a precursor for the arrival of the end time anti-christ.  Instead of remaining faithful to biblical truth they will resist it and go in the complete opposite direction.  They don’t want to adhere to the faith that was once given to the saints but rather maintain a very liberal Christianity. I call it feel good Christianity. They want to feel like they’re going to heaven, but wholeheartedly reject the commands and instructions that the God of heaven and earth gives us.  Remember Jesus taught why call me Lord Lord and do not the things that I say?  Remember that God is not mocked.

Once again I ask you, who are you listening to? Are you judging simply by appearances? Do you judge someone because they are in a high pulpit and a flowing robe or are you listening to Christ Jesus and the apostles? Are you listening to the teachings of scripture or somebody else who appears as an angel of light but is only there to seduce you and lead you away from the truth. You may need some spiritual earplugs.

Education in the scripture can help us to not be deceived. Most of us have been educated that 2 plus 2 equals 4.  If someone came up to you tomorrow and told you 2 plus 2 equals 6, do you really think that you agree with them? I highly doubt it because you’ve been educated in the truth of simple mathematical equations.  If somebody tried to convince you tomorrow that the earth was flat would you believe them? Obviously in this day in age we know that it is round. Someone might teach that the world is flat but we would know that isn’t true.  The more biblical knowledge we have, the more we can discern between truth and fiction. Discernment is truly a gift from God. Discernment is listed as one of these gifts in scripture.

1 Cor 12:10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues.

God’s Word gives us discernment and helps us to not be deceived and seduced by false teachings and to recognize right from wrong.

Heb 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Discernment is the ability to perceive differences that exist. It’s the ability to distinguish and have good judgement.  Even at a very young age we are taught the differences in shapes.  We probably all learned that you cannot put a square peg in a round hole because they are different shapes.  As far as scripture goes, the devil will attempt to instruct you that the things that you’ve learned are wrong. This is what a seducing spirit does, they try to lead you away from biblical truth.

Many years ago someone asked me a question about Christianity.  He was professing to be a Christian and asked about evolution and science that went in complete contravention to the teachings of Jesus. I told him that the Scriptures teach us to reject opposition of science.  If science goes against the teachings of Jesus, you are suppose to completely reject it.  I asked him who he was going to listen to, Jesus Christ or a scientist?  

The apostle Paul was born and raised in Judaism but instead of listening to the those who he had originally received instruction from, he began to listen to Jesus Christ and the teachings of our faith.  Truly to become a faithful follower of Jesus we each have to decide who we are going to listen to.  The Apostle was so concerned about the churches not being led astray from the truth that he would send Timothy to check to see if their faith was still intact.

Christians have to be completely filled up with scriptural teaching so that we can discern between all the philosophy and anti Christian teachings that are so prevalent in the world today.  A small child can be easily deceived and led astray from the truth. This is no different than those in the Christian Church. God wants us to become adults spiritually and to be able to discern the difference between what He wants us to do, and what the world decides we should do. It all comes down to who you are going to listen to, Jesus or the world.

Don’t be deceived by others who themselves have been seduced and turned away from the truth of the Christian faith.  They have made their choice, and it’s time to make yours. Who are you going to listen to today?  Will you believe fact or fiction?

Lets think about those things for right now and Lord willing I’ll talk to some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

Who would the world view as a very wise, smart person? Maybe a college professor, or maybe a doctor, or a scientist. Sometimes on certain game shows on television a person will go on an incredible stretch of games, winning game after game because of their knowledge of the world. 

A person can spend an entire lifetime, studying, going to college, acquiring knowledge about various subjects to try to become the greatest lawyer or doctor to ever walk the earth, but all of the knowledge in the world that could be attained pales in comparison to how wise our God is. A drop of water in the ocean.

One thing we can know for certain: God is never wrong. Everything that He does has a purpose. In His divine wisdom He created the entire universe and everything in it that we can see today, as well as those things which we cannot see. 

Just look at the delicate positioning of the earth from the sun. A little bit closer or farther from the sun would have incredible consequences. Too close and the world would be too hot, and too far away and it would be far too cold. And you have the other planets in our solar system. The planet Jupiter acts as a barrier or shield that deflects away certain harmful gases and asteroids away from the Earth. Could something like this “just happen”? God, in His infinite wisdom, knew all of this, and created it all in six days. Six days! I can hardly finish reading a novel in six days, yet our wonderful Creator did it all in that amount of time.

Man will say, There is absolutely no way at all that the entire universe was created by a divine being, it’s just not possible! While that just shows exactly how foolish they really are.

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

They really are deceiving themself, if someone thinks that they know all that there is to know about everything. Man at his wisest looks like a fool compared to God. If we really want to begin to learn something, we need to admit to ourselves that we don’t know everything.

“Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.” 1 Corinthians 3:18

There is no way that we could even come close to understanding everything that God knows, but when we have His Spirit inside of us, we can have at least a little part of that wisdom inside of us. Through the Spirit, we can understand the word of God and His teachings.

“For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 2:6

Our God is awesome God! Filled with all wisdom and knowledge, there is none like Him!

“Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.” Isaiah 40:28

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out!” Romans 11:33

In Christ,

Andrew