“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” Romans 8:13

When someone today thinks of the word “mortify,” they usually think of it when someone is deeply embarrassed about something, but mortify when used in the Bible means “to kill, to nullify, to deaden, neutralize; to discipline one’s body, appetites, etc. by suppressing desires, or to practice abstinence on.”

Paul wrote a few examples in Colossians of some things that a Christian needs to deaden off in their life.

“Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:” Colossians 3:5

Fornication is sexual relationships between two people who are not married. Several times throughout the New Testament it warns to keep free from fornication. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:19 that the body of a Christian is the temple of the Holy Ghost, and that we need to flee fornication.

“Inordinate” affection would be affection for something that is inappropriate, or wrong. I would classify the sin of homosexuality under inordinate affection, because it is not how God created humans to be. Who did God create in the beginning? Adam, a man, and because God saw that Adam needed a helper, He created Eve, a woman, for him. How are babies born? Because of a man and a woman. That is the order that God created, for a man and a woman to come together to bring forth children. Not homosexuality.

“Concupiscence” is a strong, ardent sexual desire or lust. “Evil concupiscence” would mean a sexual desire that is not ordained by God, i.e, marriage between a man and woman. Homosexuality I should think would also fall under this.

“Covetousness” is the immoderate desire for the possession of something, or greed. The desire for something that you do not possess. Covetousness, depending on the situation, can lead to several other sins. It could lead to theft, it could lead to fighting, and several other things. 

“For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:” Colossians 3:6

If someone continues to live in this state of sin, without repenting, they will face wrath of God. God hates sin, and, while He is greatly merciful, He will punish those who continue to abuse His mercy and forgiveness.

Think of it as a small baby or toddler, in the arms of their parent. Without realizing or meaning to do it, they might smack or slap their parent’s face with their fist. Realizing that they are just a baby, the parent would probably ignore it, and gently tell them “no” but if the slapping continues, slowly the mom or dad will become more agitated, until it reached a point to where the child needs to be disciplined.

“In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.” Colossians 3:7

We all are sinners, born into sin. We inherited it. All have sinned, the Bible teaches. Before we read or heard the Scriptures, we didn’t know what sin was. We didn’t know that lying was sinful. Or that covetousness upset the Lord. But know that we do know this, we need to deaden off those sins. 

“But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.” Colossians 3:8

It is alright to be angry, as we read in Ephesians 4:26. Jesus Himself was angry with those who were selling in the temple. The anger written about here is the anger that leads to sin. Wrath is great anger, so I will include it here as well.

“Malice” is “the intention to harm or deprive in an illegal or immoral way, or to take pleasure in another’s misfortune.” It is the wanting to see someone harmed. Put simply, it is not love.

“Blasphemy” is “irreverence toward something considered sacred,” which in Christianity, is our Lord and His word. When the soldiers mocked Jesus before His crucifixtion, that was blasphemy. To attribute the works of God to the devil, as the Pharisees did in Matthew 12:24, that is blasphemy. Any irreverence toward the Father, the Son, or the Holy Ghost is blasphemy, and have no place in the life of a Christian.

Filthy communication is talking in a manner that is inappropriate, and wicked. Saying things that shouldn’t be said.

“Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;” Colossians 3:9

Lying is a sin, used to cover up one’s mistakes or faults. Instead of lying, speak the truth in love. In the church we need to admit our sins so we can be forgiven, not try to hide them. Lying also is deceitful, and not love. That is how we used to live before we came to Christ, but now we are His servants, living in love toward each other.

“And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:” Colossians 3:10

The old man is gone. Buried and in the ground, so to speak. We have been raised up a new man by the Holy Spirit, and have started our new life of love toward our God. 

Deaden off those sins, and begin anew in Christ.

In Christ,

Andrew

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

Many years ago I used to have a friend that worked at a car dealership. He spent a lot of time with the public selling cars because he was a salesman for the company. Many times when you’re in sales you get a percentage of the price of the item that you sell. You work on commission. When you sell a new vehicle for $20,000 you can beef up the sale by adding extras that the customer might want. The customer might want a bigger motor, leather seats, special rims and tires and one of the best stereo systems that money can buy. After all is said and done it can bring the price of the vehicle up quite a few thousand dollars. They actually are items that are not needed that some people just purchase for show. They want a vehicle that’s loaded up with all the bells and whistles.

1 Tim 2: 9-11

⁹ In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;

¹⁰ But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.

The true Christian woman is going to be more concerned about doing good deeds and works that spending a lot of time doing her makeup and hair. Instead of being so focused on exterior things she will be focused on matters of the heart and activities of love.

When we speak about bells and whistles, these items are features that are useful or decorative but they are not essential. They are unneeded frills. When something is loaded with bells and whistles it has extra features that are added for show rather than function. They are fancy additions or features. Think about a brand new motorbike loaded with all kinds of extras but it really doesn’t move any faster through traffic jams in big cities.

There’s are many women today who are loaded up with bells and whistles. The truth is It all leads down the road of vanity and excessive pride because they are more concerned about appearances.

Modest apparel is wearing clothing that does not draw attention to yourself. Obviously people do this out in the world every day but it’s not supposed to happen for a woman who’s professing faith in Jesus Christ. If a woman is walking down the street turning men’s heads it’s doubtful that she’s dressed modestly. Modest dress is not exposing lots of skin like you would see at a beach nowadays. It’s one thing to wear certain things in the privacy of your own home but it’s a completely different thing to do it out in public. Most Christian husbands would probably be offended by that behavior because she’s openly displaying her sexuality to the world rather than to her husband at home. Millions of other Christians believe the exact same thing that I do. The Lord God does not like this display of pride and vanity from a woman in public. It upsets him greatly. Remember God hates pride.

Isaiah 3:16-24

¹⁶ Moreover the Lord saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:

¹⁷ Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover their secret parts.

¹⁸ In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,

¹⁹ The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,

²⁰ The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings,

²¹ The rings, and nose jewels,

²² The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,

²³ The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.

²⁴ And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.

There are many women today who profess Christianity that actually believe that men are going to take notice of them because of the necklace and earrings and the costly clothing that they wear. These things have nothing to do with the features of the face and especially the kindness and faithfulness of a woman’s heart. These are the things that the true sons of Abraham are looking for. It’s more than just the exterior but it’s an inner beauty that is filled with love and mercy.

1 Peter 3:3-5 whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands.

A meek and quiet woman who obeys and submits to their husband is filled up with bells and whistles inside of her heart.

Titus 2:3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

Instead of being so focused on the vanity of looks and outward appearances, the Christian woman needs to focus on the virtues of love and obedience towards her husband. No clothes or makeup that you could ever purchase will ever compare to the virtuous heart of a woman.

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

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

Good morning and welcome in today. 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.

When I was in the sixth grade I used to spend some time with a neighbor boy who lived a few houses down the road from where I grew up. We used to ride bike together play hide and seek in the woods with other friends.

One day when I went over to his house he was pulling a mini bike out of his garage. He fired it up and drove up and down the road a few times as I watched. It sure looked like a lot of fun and I wanted to try it because I’d never been on a mini bike before.

He pulled up next to me and I jumped on it to take it for a ride to the end of the road. It was a blast, and it really went fast. I was almost to the stop sign to turn around and come back home when my parents drove by in the opposite direction and saw me riding the neighbors mini bike. I was pretty worried cuz I thought I was going to get in trouble when I got home.

For a few moments I turned my head backwards to see if they had stopped but right at that moment the mini bike hit a big rock and popped a wheelie. I slid off the back seat of the Mini Bike and both knees hit the ground at about 20 miles per hour. The hard Gravel Road ripped through my jeans and tore the skin right off my knees. It ripped the skin so deep that to this day I have no sensation in my knee caps. They are numb to any feeling.

This event in my life reminds me of the Christian Life. Just like my knees are dead to any feeling, we want to deaden off the sinful desires in our lives caused by the human nature.

Romans 8:12-13

¹² Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

¹³ For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

Just like my knees, mortification means to deaden so that you don’t have any feeling or desire for those things in your life anymore. It’s also defined as to subdue or bring into subjection, as the bodily appetites by abstinence and to destroy the strength vitality or functioning of.

Abstain means to refrain deliberately and often with an effort of self-denial from an action or a practice. We need to be capable of doing this so that sin doesn’t get a hold of us.

Romans 6:12-14

¹² Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

¹³ Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

¹⁴ For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Don’t let sin control your life but rather allow the Lord Jesus to rule your hearts and your minds.

When you deaden something it means that you don’t have any feeling.

For example, at a dentist if they’re going to extract one of your teeth they might give you a shot of novocaine to completely deaden the nerve endings so that you don’t feel anything.

Part of the christian life deals with deadening off the sinful desires of the human nature.

Romans 6:11

¹¹ Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

How many of you have a flashlight at home? Have you ever noticed after months of use it slowly starts to lose its power as the batteries die? In the exact same way, sin needs to lose power in our lives and die off so that the light of righteousness can shine in our hearts each day.

When something is dead it means incapable of being stirred emotionally or intellectually, unresponsive and no longer having interest relevance or significance.

Col 3:5 “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:”

Mortification is to deaden off wrong desires and urges so that we can do what is right.

Instead of doing what’s wrong we focus on doing what’s right. Instead of doing evil we choose the good. Instead of hate, we choose to love. Instead of pleasing ourselves we choose to please God. Instead of lying we choose to speak the truth. Instead of fornication we choose to live in a faithful marriage. Instead of pride we choose humility.

Just like I have no feeling in my knees from the mini bike incident, we don’t want to have any feelings for the way that we used to live anymore but to turn away from the desires of the sinful nature.

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

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

Good morning and welcome in today. 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.

It’s getting the time of year up here in northern Minnesota when the weather is starting to cool down and each of us need to prepare for winter. For twenty years we have always burned wood in our home. I really enjoy wood heat because it is really warm and soothes your bones.

When Andrew and I decide to get our firewood for the winter we have a method that we follow before we go out to cut wood. We have to mix a gallon of gas with oil. We bring in two chains so I can sharpen them on the grinder. We file down the depth gauges on the chains. We oil the sprocket on the bar and put one of the chains back on a chainsaw. We make sure we have a chainsaw tool and bar oil available for the trip. We make sure that the trailer is ready to go and the lights are functioning properly. When those things are completed we are ready to go cut some firewood for the winter.

Many of us have a method to doing something in our lives but there is also a method in the scriptures to obtain forgiveness with God and others. A method is a particular procedure for accomplishing or approaching something.

The first step on the road to forgiveness is to accept fault for the things that you’ve done wrong to others or to God. It’s accepting the fact that you have sinned. The Apostle Paul readily admitted that he was the chief of sinners not only in his own life but publicly in the scriptures. The first step of forgiveness is understanding that we’ve done the wrong thing and being convicted in our hearts and our minds.

The next step toward forgiveness is to confess faults to God or other people who are upset with what you have done to them. Look at the example of Josephs brethren.

Genesis 50:17-18 – So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.

Notice in this passage that they simply needed to ask for forgiveness and apologize to Joseph for what had happened and after they admitted fault, he forgave them completely. When the prodigal Son returned home, his dad didn’t need anything else but a confession to forgive him. After that he didn’t hold anything against him, and completely reconciled with him.

1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

Repent means feel or express sincere regret or remorse about one’s wrongdoing or sin. to feel sorry, self-reproachful, or contrite for past conduct;

If you can’t apologize and make up with somebody who is upset with you, God does not even want your gift at the altar until you take care of the issue.

This is one of the main issues in false forms of Christianity today. People like to throw all kinds of money in the offering plate but they refuse to apologize to others that they have wronged. God demands reconciliation first before any gift is presented to a church. If you cannot reconcile with others you are turning away from everything that Christ died and stands for.

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.

The third step of forgiveness rests on the offended party. If they profess Christianity they are to forgive you in the same way Christ has forgiven them for their sins.

Eph 4:32

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

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.

Forgiveness with God is conditional, because if you can’t forgive others when they apologize, you yourself will not be forgiven by God.

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.

Matthew 18:21-22– Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is very merciful and forgiving with us on this Earth. If you cannot forgive the way that God forgives us, God is not going to forgive you at the judgement.

Matt 18:23-35

Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.

But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.

So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. 

Whether you have sinned against God or others, you must be capable of feeling sorry in your heart for what has happened and expressing an apology to them. Without that, true forgiveness cannot take place. True forgiveness will result in reconciliation between the parties involved. Following Gods method results in complete reconcilliation.

Thank the Lord Jesus Christ for reconciling us unto himself.

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

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” Matthew 6:9-13

Today we are going to study the Lord’s prayer, and what it means when we pray it. Let’s get right into it.

“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.”

The word “hallowed” means “consecrated or sanctified; sacred; holy.” Right at the beginning of our prayer to the Father, we acknowledge His holiness and authority over ourselves. 

When a person comes before a king here on the Earth, how do they address the king? They might say “my lord” or “your honor” or simply “my king.” It shows their humility and respect for him, and they honor the king for his authority over his kingdom. 

When we pray, we worship Him because He is our holy, perfect Creator. We use our prayers to thank the Lord, or talk to or praise Him, and then other times we might use prayer to ask Him for help and guidance, as I will talk about in a little bit.

“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

The “will” in “thy will be done” means “someone’s independant faculty of choice, or the ability to be able to exercise one’s choice or intention.” Also, “someone’s orders or commands.”

When we pray “thy will be done,” it means that we will be obedient to whatever is His command and wish, and that everything that happens is according to God’s will, whether we understand it or not. God is Almighty, and all-knowing, and everything is done according to His purpose.

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

A “debt,” as used in this scripture, means “a fault, or sin.” 

When we come before God in prayer, we ask Him humbly and meekly to forgive us of our sins, mistakes and shortcomings. We ask that He would take them away, and cleanse us from those impurities.

Likewise, we understand that if we want to be forgiven, that we need to forgive those who have sinned, injured, hurt, or harmed us. Several places in the scriptures warn us to be forgiving, as we have been forgiven, because if we deny forgiveness to others who ask for it, we ourselves will not be forgiven. In Matthew 6, Jesus says,

“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.” Matthew 6:14-15

Asking for forgiveness shows that a person realizes that they have errd and sinned, and they want to be made “right” again. 

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Temptation is “an inducement or enticement to do something,” and when used in the scriptures it applies to being enticed to do something wrong, sinful, or immoral.

And “deliver” means “to free, set free, or disburden from something.” 

I have written down a few examples for this. Do you remember when the Hebrews had been led out of Egypt by Moses, and how they had been trapped by the edge of the Red Sea by Pharaoh’s army? What prevented Pharaoh from reaching the Hebrews? First, a pillar of cloud (Exodus 14:19) separated the Egyptian army from the Hebrews, and then the Lord parted the Red Sea for His people to cross. God delivered them from evil.

Another example is found in the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Because they refused to fall down and worship the image that the king had made, the king commanded that they were to be thrown into a fiery furnace, and destroyed.

But these three men of God knew that if it was His will that He could deliver them from any evil that could come.

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 

But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” Daniel 3:16-18

I am sure you already know what happened. Even though they were thrown into the furnace, no harm came to them, and not one hair on them was singed. The Lord God protected them, and delivered them from evil.

One last example, we have David and Goliath. To condense this example, what had happened was that the Philistines were at war with the Israelites, and they brought our their champion to challenge a man of Israel to fight him. Because Goliath was a giant, there was no one who would fight for Israel, as they were all afraid. 

But when David heard this, he had faith in God, that He would protect him. I don’t know how old David was at the time, but he was described as a “youth.” At first, King Saul did not want David to go and fight Goliath, but David explained to him how the Lord had delivered him before, and that he knew the Lord would deliver him once again.

“David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.” 1 Samuel 17:37

Armed with a sling and stones, and the Lord God on his side, David defeated Goliath, and was delivered from evil.

“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen”

Give praise to God for all his graces and mercies. Sing your praises to Him for His great love and compassion to us sinners, until we go to be with Him for eternity.

Amen.

In Christ,

Andrew

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 little story.

Many years ago our family took a trip to go camping. We’ve always enjoyed camping and getting out in the wilderness to enjoy the nature that God created. One day we decided to go for a walk through a wooded forest trail on a bluff by some rolling hills.

I can still remember that morning because it was beautiful out. As we slowly walked on the foot trail I noticed something underneath a large red pine tree. I couldn’t tell exactly what it was so I went over to explore. Sitting under that tree was one of the biggest snakes that I’ve ever seen in my life.

At the time I didn’t know what kind of snake it was but it was huge. I didn’t know if it was a rattlesnake or poisonous and I made sure not to get too close.

I had happened to come upon a bull snake, more commonly called a gopher snake or pine snake. These snakes are the largest in Minnesota and average about five to 8 feet in length.

Just like a rattlesnake, when I approached this bull snake it coiled up and rapidly vibrated its tail and made an incredibly loud hissing sound. It was so loud that I was shocked. Apparently there is no other snake in Minnesota that can hiss as loudly as a bull snake.

Just like a snake who hisses loudly and is on the attack, people do the very same thing with their tongues when they visciously speak evil of other people.

James 3:8 – But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

People can use speech to edify and build other people up, or to hiss at them and tear them down.

James 4:11-12 – Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

When you speak evil of somebody else it means to denigrate them.

Denigrate means to attack the reputation of, or to defame and denigrate one’s opponents. To denigrate is to say bad things whether true or false about a person.

Denigrate means to attack the character or reputation of, to speak ill of and defame someone.

When you speak evil of somebody else it also means to disparage them.

When you disparage somebody else it is to insult them in a way that makes you feel superior to them or look down on them. Disparaging speech is to say unpleasant things about someone that show you have no respect for them.

When you speak evil about somebody else you malign them. If you malign someone it means that you bad-mouth them.

Titus 3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

Have you ever had somebody spread gossip about you and things in your private life? Things that you had entrusted to a friend but instead they betrayed you and went and told everybody else? A Christian doesnt do those things.

James 1:26 – If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.

Ephesians 4:31 – Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

When you put something away from you it means you don’t do it anymore. Instead of using our tongues to hurt other people in the church, you are supposed to lift others up through the grace of Christ.

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

We turn away from Evil speaking in the church knowing that Jesus forgives us of our sins. He helps us by dying for us at the cross so that we can have redemption and remission of sins. For a lack of better words some people judge others just because they’re on a power trip.

1 Peter 2:1

Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,

If someone is professing Christianity as their faith they need to get rid of evil speaking about others in their life, otherwise they will eat the fruit of their wickedness.

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Remember that whatever comes out of the mouth comes from the heart.

Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

Please consider the following verses.

Pro 13:3 He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.

Pro 11:13 A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.

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

Instead of hissing like a treacherous dangerous snake and using our speech to hurt other people, we must learn to lift others up and to edify them in their time of need.

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

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

“Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 

Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” 1 Corinthians 4:1-2

To understand our verses today, there are a few words that I am going to define from the dictionary.

A “minister” is “a servant; a subordinate; an officer or assistant of inferior rank; hence, an agent, an instrument.”

A “steward” is “a person who manages the property or affairs for a person or entity.”

There is one occupation that I can think of that sums up the words minister and steward, and that would be a butler. A butler is a servant and a steward, taking care of the needs of their employer, watching over the house and property, doing whatever is required of them.

And the last word, “faithful,” means “loyal; adhering firmly to person or cause. Having faith.

Reliable; worthy of trust.”

What are some examples of things that are faithful? One that comes to mind immediately for me are sports fans. A faithful/loyal fan will cheer for “their” team and no others. Whether the team has a great season or a bad one, a loyal sports fan will always root for their team.

Jesus told a parable about three servants who had received money from their lord, to use while he was away. “Occupy till I come,” he told them. He wanted them to use the money and make more with it. 

To each servant he gave a different amount. The first servant had received 10 pounds. Through trading, that servant gained another 10 pounds beside the original 10, so he now had 20. 

The second servant received 5 pounds. He also took his 5 pounds and traded with them, and doubled it as well, so he now had 10 pounds.

The third servant received one pound. But unlike his fellow servants, he did not use his money to earn more, but instead he put his pound into a napkin, and did nothing with it.

Eventually the lord of the servants came back from his journey. Calling his servants to him, he inquired of each of them how they had done with the pounds they had received. The first servant reported how he had done, and the lord commended him, and rewarded him for his faithfulness. The second servant likewise was commended and rewarded for faithful use of his lord’s money. 

But when the third servant was questioned, the lord became very upset with him, because he had done nothing with what he was given. He was not a faithful steward (servant). Because of his unfaithfulness, that servant was not given a reward.

Which was like what Paul wrote about in the verse today. As ministers and stewards of Christ, we need to be faithful with the things which we have been given. We have been given the word of God. 

More valuable than everything else combined, God’s word contains the information that we need to receive the reward of eternal life. And being faithful stewards of His word means that we keep it, and do it. Like the verse that says to be doers of the word, and not hearers only.

Someone who hears God’s word, but doesn’t do it is exactly the same as that servant who did nothing with his pound. Unprofitable, unfruitful, and unfaithful.

We have been given a treasure map that leads to the Kingdom. It is up to you if you are going to be a faithful servant of Christ, and follow it.

In Christ,

Andrew

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

Are you the kind of person who watches sports? Maybe you watch baseball or football on the weekend. In a lot of these sports competitions they have umpires who make judgment calls based according to the rules and regulations of the game.

A lot of things have changed in the past few years because now they have cameras and instant playback. If one of the teams decides to refute the play, they can go to the instant replay and take a look at it. There are numerous occasions when an umpire called a base runner out when he was actually safe. The Judgment call that he made was actually wrong.

There have been even instances where people have been put in prison but released later because they found out that they never committed the crime at all. The same thing happened to Joseph who was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife.

Think about the Lord Jesus Christ, who created this entire world and everything we see. He didn’t do anything wrong to anybody, but they judged God falsely and put Him on a cross to be crucified in Jerusalem.

The Lord Jesus warns about standing in judgement over others.

Matt 7:1-5

1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.

² For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

³ And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

⁴ Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

⁵ Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

There are people who like to stand in judgment over others while the truth is, they have numerous problems themselves. All of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. In order to help people with sin issues, you first need to cleanse your own life of sin. This means you first need to judge yourself before others.

2 Cor 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?⁶ But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.

A reprobate is a wretch. The Apostle wanted the church people to really take a sincere look inside their hearts to see if they truly believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:31 – For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

God’s Holy Word teaches us the right path to take. Although we have forgiveness and Grace in the church, we have to first accept the truth that we are going the wrong way.

Rom 2:1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.

When you stand in judgement over others you condemn yourself because the truth is we’re all equally guilty sinners in the eyes of God. None are righteous, no not one.

James 2:10-13 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

¹¹ For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

¹² So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

¹³ For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

Rom 14:10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Naught means to slight, to disregard or despise.

James 4:11-12

Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

When we come together to partake of Holy Communion, each of us need to take a look inside our hearts and confess our faults to God. We need to judge ourselves if we are truly walking in the Christian faith.

1 Cor 11:28

But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

Instead of judging one another we need to help one another in the church and lift them up.

Romans 14:13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.

Remember in the New Testament we are no longer under the law, but under grace. Be merciful and forgiving with one another.

James 2:12-13 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

I’d rather be judged by God’s forgiveness and mercy, wouldn’t you?

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

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

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

Many years ago when I was a senior in high school I had a class that I was miserably failing. I really needed to complete the course in order to graduate that year. As far as I can remember I had four F’s and a couple d’s. The teacher explained to me that it was going to be very difficult to pass his course unless I did really well on the final exam. I had approximately three weeks to prepare for the test and I slowly began to cram as much information from that class into my little brain that was possible.

I had some close friends at the school who I used to hang around with. Instead of having conversations about what we were doing that weekend, they were constantly quizzing me with questions about my class. It seemed like it was never ending. I lived and breathed political science for 3 weeks, memorizing dates and events in history.

There are many people who have taught that repetition is a good teacher and that is exactly what I did for three weeks. Over and over and over my friends quizzed me tested me and encouraged me. It didn’t matter where I was, in a car, or on a boat, in the lunchroom or at home my brain was completely bombarded with questions to spur my memory.

The big day had come, and I sat down in my desk to take the final exam. In about 4 hours we had completed our testing. The next day the final exams were posted on the door of the classroom. Miraculously I had achieved an A-.

This has always reminded me of the Christian Life. In order to do God’s will we have to remember the things that we have been taught from God’s holy word. This is why the apostles and disciples of the Lord constantly preached so that they would bring the church into remembrance so that they wouldn’t forget.

1 Cor 15:1-2

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

² By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

Memory is the faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information. Memory is something remembered from the past or a recollection.

As I already said, repetition is a good teacher. When we come to the church to hear the word of God preached we certainly may have heard it already many times before, but when we hear it again it refreshes our memory. Preaching of God’s word and exhortations must happen daily, for this is what the Lord did each day.

Heb 3:12-13

¹² Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

¹³ But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

A lack of Biblical teaching each day can result in forgetfulness. You can forget what you’re supposed to be doing and you can forget the will of God. This is why we need constant exposure to the teachings of Christ.

James 1:22-24

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

²³ 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:

²⁴ For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

Imagine if I had completely forgotten the things that I learned in three weeks, I would have flunked the course. You don’t want to flunk out on eternal life, but pass with flying colors. It’s the Holy Ghost in Spirit-filled men of God that brings us into remembrance of the ways of Christ.

John 14:26 – But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

This is exactly what Timothy was doing for the church. He was helping them to remember the truth of scripture.

1 Cor 4:17 For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.

It’s the responsibility of a minister in the church to bring people to remembrance by the preaching of Christ’s Holy Word.

1 Tim 4:6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.

The Apostle Paul was constantly bringing Timothy into remembrance.

2 Tim 1:6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.

2 Tim 2:14 Of these things put [them] in remembrance, charging [them] before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, [but] to the subverting of the hearers.

Even though the church knew the teachings of Christ, Peter constantly reminded them over and over by preaching.

2 Peter 1:12-13

¹² Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.

¹³ Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;

2 Peter 3:1 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in [both] which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:

It’s a very good thing to study the scriptures daily just as I studied for my test in high school. Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people.

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

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

Many years ago, we had a stray cat that was hanging out around the house, bothering our own cats, so we decided to try to capture it. Because we didn’t have a normal live trap, we decided to improvise with a wheelbarrow. We flipped the wheelbarrow upsidedown and placed a stick under one edge of the bucket, propping it up. Attached to the stick we had a string which we led through the sliding glass door. Placing some kind of bait under the wheelbarrow, we watched and waited. 

Not soon after, the cat appeared, and strode up to the bait. With a quick pull of the string, the wheelbarrow dropped to the ground, trapping the stray cat inside. At that moment, the cat became our “prisoner.” We found some kind of box or crate and transfered the cat into that so we could relocate it somewhere else. 

We drove about 20 miles away and found a nice spot to set it free. After being trapped in it’s box, it couldn’t wait to be set free from it’s confinement, and as soon as we opened the box, out the cat ran, a furry blur as it ran away. (Somehow, though, it did manage to find it’s way back to our house about two weeks later).

Before Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt, the Hebrew people were in bondage (slavery), forced to make bricks and build Pharaoh’s statues and cities. They couldn’t do the things that they wanted because they were not “free.” They were slaves, confined to Egypt.

After all of the plagues had come upon Egypt, and after Pharaoh’s army was lost in the Red Sea, they became freed from that bondage. No longer slaves, they were a free people. 

That is what Jesus has done for us. He sets us free from our sins. Like the cat that we had trapped, we are all trapped in our sins, slaves to it.

Jesus was talking to some Jews in John 8, and explained to them that if someone commits sin, then they are servants of sin, and in bondage to it, but that if they believed in Him continued in His, He would set them free.

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 

Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 

And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:31-36

“Free” means “to set at liberty; release; rid of that which confines, limits, embarrasses, or oppresses.”

Imagine for a moment that everyone was a helium-filled balloon, each balloon attached to a string and tied down so they won’t float away.  The string represents sin, and it holds each balloon back from floating up into the sky. The balloons are forced to stay on the ground because of the string, but if someone comes up and takes a scissor and cuts those strings, it will be free to fly up into the air. They will be “free.”

We are freed from the bondage of our sins though Christ. Through His act of love on the cross, He takes away our sins, and sets us free. No longer a slave to sin, we now can rise up to be with Him in Heaven someday.

“Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” 2 Corinthians 3:17

The forgiveness that is found in Christ is the only way to be released from your sins. Don’t let yourself be a servant to sin any longer; come and get set free!

In Christ,

Andrew