The Chicken Run

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at some scripture from Matthew Chapter 5 but before we do that I wanted to tell you a little story.

Many years ago I started getting chickens so we could have fresh eggs in the morning for the family. I thought it would be something really good for the family to eat. I had never done it before so I had to learn on the job. I started out with a flock of about 30 chickens and we used to buy corn and oats and mix it all together in a bucket. We would go outside and let the chickens run in the yard. We started to sprinkle all that corn on the ground by our feet and immediately they would surround you. There were so many at your feet it felt like you were going to fall over at times .

I remember coming home from the grocery store one day and as I pulled up in the driveway I saw my son coming up by the stairway. He didn’t have any food in his hand but as he walked down the road to the pickup, all of those chickens were practically single file behind him. It was really neat to see. Jesus taught people to come follow me and I will make you Fishers of Men. To truly become a follower of somebody else you need to have the quality of meekness. If we’re going to obey and submit to God’s will in the scriptures you got to be meek.

Matthew 5:5 – Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

When somebody is meek they are submissive. If you are meek you are going to have the quality of being obedient. It teaches us in the Holy scriptures that Moses was the meekest of all men and look at how God blessed him and used him.

Numbers 12:3 – (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)

Moses humbled himself under the mighty hand of God and had a great desire to please God and to do his will. If you do have the quality of being meek you will be very submissive. To become a follower of anyone, you have to become meek and submissive. Somebody who is meek is overly compliant and very yielding and tame. The word docile is a very good synonym because it means to accept anothers control or instruction. As we spoke about the other day it means to be submissive.

Think about all the kids that go to school each day and you have certain children in the classroom who are very easily taught because they are a submissive and docile pupil. They are truly wonderful children to work with. They are easily led and managed.

Out at our home one year somebody brought us a dog that they couldn’t take care of. It was already a few years old but it was almost completely untrainable. It was completely wild and rebellious and no matter how you tried to help that animal, it just would not listen. Eventually we had to give it away to somebody else. The lab that we have today is the true meaning of docile. She is very quiet and submissive. You can speak very softly to her and she will do whatever she is told. Somebody who is docile is easily taught and handled.

Think about some children riding home on a school bus but on the way they cannot be controlled in the back of the bus. The bus driver pulls over and makes them sit in the front seat so he can keep an eye on them. A docile person is completely opposite. They are very easily handled and that is what meekness is. That is the quality that Moses was filled with. Meekness is being ready and willing to accept being controlled by an authority.

Some other synonyms are manageable and compliant. It’s being submissive and teachable ready to accept instruction and direction; yielding to control or supervision direction and management.

Have any of you ever ran a business before? Maybe you had a few employees. Which ones were your best employees? Wasn’t it the ones who readily did the things that they were told by you to do? Were the best employees the ones who didn’t argue and fight with you?

Someone who is meek is overly compliant. When somebody is compliant they are inclined to agree with others and to obey rules especially to an excessive degree. They’re ready to obey and willing and eager to please.

You see, all these qualities are intermingled with the word meekness. I use Moses as an example today because it teaches us that he was the meekest of all men. God likes and blesses meekness. Moses was very very obedient. When you are compliant, it means that you yield and bend to the wish and will of another. In order to become a follower of what Jesus taught that’s a quality that we need. We need to become meek in our hearts.

How can anybody follow anything without submission and a meek heart, whether it’s a pet, a child at school or someone who professes to be a follower of Christ?

Another definition is to yield oneself and to be tame. What kind of pet would you really like, a mild mannered one or a wild one? Would you like it to obey you when you teach it each day? Would you prefer if it rebelled against you? Think about that. What do you do with a dog who will not obey and doesn’t listen who is completely unmanageable and wild? They have to be kept in a kennel or tied up.

There are great blessings that come through obedience and a meek heart. Think about the freedom somebody can have when we do or told.

Like I have said before, a child who isn’t going to listen in the classroom is going to end up getting sent to the detention office or else if serious enough of an infraction, they can be removed from school.

Meekness is a very great quality for a person to possess. We want to be meek submit to the teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and listen to the things that are taught to us in the church. We need to accept them wholeheartedly and obey them. If we make a mistake along the way we want to confess it and get forgiven for it and move on. God allows u-turns. A U-turn is a correction just like taking a different course in an airplane.

Matthew 5:5 – Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Matthew 11:29 – Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Remember that the Lord Jesus is absolutely perfect. He has always done the will of His Heavenly Father. Following the lord Jesus requires that we are meek before him.

Psalms 25:9 – The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.

1 Peter 3:4 – 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.

Meekness is being easily taught and instructed. It’s being submissive.

As a parent don’t you find it frustrating, sometimes even grevious when you’re trying to help a child but they don’t want to listen to what you’re showing them. You’re trying to show them an easier way to do something because you care about them but they do not want to submit to what you tell them. That is the opposite of meekness.

Submissive means being ready to conform to the authority or will of others meekly and obediently. Just as a parent should want to guide you on a better path, God’s way is the best way.

Another definition is inclined or ready to submit or yield to the authority of another unresistingly or humbly obedient.

In order to follow something or the teachings of scripture, you have to be meek. You have to be submissive and yield yourself to the control of somebody else. Jesus laid down his own life for us at the cross and loves and cares for us deeply. Just knowing the fact that he shed his blood so that we could be forgiven with God should cause a person to walk in humility and meekness toward him.

Becoming a follower of Jesus is about self denial. It is about doing God’s will rather than your own. Not everybody who claims to know Jesus is going to enter into heaven someday. It’s prepared for those who do the will of the Father in heaven. Heaven is a prepared place for people who have prepared themselves here upon the Earth.

John 10:27 – My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

even the apostle wanted people to come follow after him because he was a genuine follower of Jesus Christ. He was trying to guide them into the truth in Christ. Remember Abraham was called the friend of God.

John 15:14 – Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

What makes a person submit to the teachings of Christ? What makes someone become a follower of the Christian faith? What causes somebody to do the will of God rather than their own? It is a direct result of meekness in the heart.

Look at the example of a meek woman in the following passage of scripture.

Luke 10:38-42

38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.

40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Remember, blessed are the meek. Each of us need a meek obedient heart if we’re going to grow in the Christian faith. We are going to need spiritual food from God’s Word. We need to seek after it, just like our hungry birds out on….

…….The Chicken Run.

Let’s think about these things for right now.  We can be found on your web browser by searching tlkjbc, or by going to hipcast, buzzsprout or amazon, or by getting our entire podcast feed directly at tlkjbc.com, or I suppose, you can find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods.  Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

tlkjbc.com

The Daycare

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

1 Peter 5:5-7 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

First of all, humility begins with submission. That’s very important to remember so I will say it once again. True humility begins with submission. When you submit, it means to accept or yield to a superior force or to the authority or will of another person. When you yield, it means you give way and submit to anothers urging and persuasion. In the Christian faith we want a yield ourselves to the teachings of Jesus Christ. It’s a matter of yielding to His authority.

Submission truly is a great quality to possess because it is the first step towards the path of humility. Without submission there is no humility. There are people in the church who educated you, taught you, instructed you baptized, and gave you Holy Communion. The Apostle taught that he had begotten them through the gospel.

Hebrews 13:17 – Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

To obey and to submit shows that you have the quality of humility. Think of Peter, James Paul and the other Apostles of the Lord who were helping the church to grow in their faith day by day. They were instructing them and teaching them in order to save their souls. The church is a place of spiritual instruction.

Many of you have had to babysit family at one time or another. Some of you might have worked at a daycare or yet even others at a school watching children who have been placed in your charge.

When kids start getting involved with things that they shouldn’t be doing, what is the response that you might have towards them? You should correct them, rebuke them and lead them on the right path. That is the responsibility that you have been placed in charge with.

Think about two children playing on the playground but then they start to get into a fight. The teacher comes up and tries to prevent it all from happening correcting and disciplining them.

This happens each day in society and out in the world. Even more so it happens in the church. The church is a place of correction. We can come boldly to the throne of grace when we need it but the scriptures correct us guide us and lead us on the correct path that we are to take in this life.

The apostles were preaching God’s Word to the church and wanted the church to obey the things that they were teaching them. A person can either submit to what they’re being taught or they can fight against it and resist. The causes a lot of grief in the instructor. It’s detrimental to your eternal salvation when you resist and turn away from the truth.

Ephesians 5:21 – Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Our God is a God of authority. He wants children to the obey their parents, especially their dad who is the head of the household. God wants a wife to obey her husband in everything. These are all examples of the quality of humility in a person’s life. I have always succeeded at the many jobs I’ve had when I just did what I was told.

Look at the following example of submission.

Luke 18:9-14

9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Notice that this entire parable was meant for people who thought that they were righteous in and of themselves. They hated others. If you despise somebody, you truly hate them in your heart. The end of the Commandment is love out of a pure heart.

Look at the way that the apostles love us by preaching God’s Word to us. True love ultimately cares for the soul and salvation of the other person that’s your preaching and teaching.

The Pharisee really felt that he was better than other people. The real s we are all sinners worthy of the exact same punishment. None are righteous no not one. He had numerous religious things in his life that made him feel better then other people.

Look at the humility of the publican. He confessed his faults to God and apologized in God’s presence asking for forgiveness. He simply said, God be merciful to me a sinner.

There were people who were crying out to Jesus as he passed by saying, thou Son of David be merciful to me. They were crying out for forgiveness and God wants to forgive us but it requires humility. Some people have not because they ask not.

Pride is such a dangerous thing because it makes you feel better than everybody else. The truth is that we are all the same. I’ve said it for 20 years but there are only two people on the face of this Earth, a sinner and a forgiven sinner.

James 4:10 – Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Matt 23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

When I think about this topic I think about the lives of Moses and Pharaoh. The harder and harder and harder that Pharaoh resisted the work of God Moses was a part of, the lower and lower and lower he was brought down. It was God’s work that was happening through Moses obedient heart. Think about the great miracle that God performed when Moses was backed up against the Red Sea. God saved Moses and the Israelites and did battle for them.

Think about it for a moment, even though God performed this great miracle in the eyes of the Egyptian Army they still decided to chase after Moses and the Israelites. Ultimately they were destroyed. All they were doing was fighting against God. Pharaoh was completely abased. The battle Belongs to the Lord.

Proverbs 22:4 – By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.

It is God who protected and delivered Moses and the Israelites. Before honor is humility, and true humility is to be in subjection to your authority.

Ephesians 5:24 – Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

Ephesians 5:22 – Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

In the military there are many different levels of authority. They are supposed to be in subject one to another depending on who your direct authority might be. Remember, God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble.

It was the Publican who humbled himsef under the things of God and he went down to his house forgiven and justified. It was Moses who turned away from the things of this world and went and lived out in a desert place. Later on he was used by God for his purposes. It was Noah who kept away from the world and spent a lot of his life building a ship to save his own family. He believed in God. These are all examples of what happens when a person is humble before God. They are examples not only a faith, but the results of submission to Gods will and purpose.

Forgiveness is available to everyone but sadly not everybody is going to apologize for their misdeeds. Although God wants to save everyone, it’s the pride in a person’s life and their inability to admit their own faults that brings a person’s downfall. It’s like the saying that I’ve always remembered, ” some people’s greatest enemy is themselves…”

True humility is understanding that we are not perfect. We each have our own faults and mistakes, but humility will recognize those things and then yield themselves do God’s Will and purpose. Christianity is to submit to God’s Will and purpose rather than your own.

John 3:30 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

His purpose and will in our lives must be greater than our own.

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

Be clothed with humility. Where like a jacket for everybody to see. Be humble so that God can lift you up.

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

The Checkout Counter

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

Has there ever been a time in your life when you went to the grocery store to purchase something that you wanted as a special treat for the day?Maybe you wanted a candy bar or a bottle of pop. Possibly you were in the mood for a really good pizza and a bag of chips. The question I have is this…., have you ever gone up to the register and then you take a look in your wallet only to realize you don’t have enough money to pay for the things that you want? You’ve come up short.

There are many different religions in the world today who are all attempting to get to Heaven someday. The truth is that many don’t realize that they don’t have enough to get there on their own.

Romans 3:23-24

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

The Scriptures teach us that all have sinned. The word all means the whole, entire total amount, quantity, or extent of something. If the children ate all of the taco rolls, there wouldn’t be a single one left. Some synonyms for the word “all” means everybody, every single one, one in all, each one, the whole world, or the entirety.

Many people feel that someday, they’re going to be able to be in heaven because they’ve done a lot of good works and deeds while here upon the Earth. The truth of the matter is that all of us have sinned. It’s the sin issue that keeps us out of heaven. We’ve all made mistakes in our lives and done something wrong at one time or another. None of us have what it takes in our human capacity to be able to inherit the kingdom of heaven. We have all come short of the glory of God, there’s not enough in the wallet, there’s not enough in your purse, we just don’t have enough to get there.

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

A sinner is somebody who does what’s wrong. Everybody in the entire world is a sinner in the eyes of God. Each of us have done something wrong during our life or in our past. The Apostle Paul, whom God used to write a lot of the New Testament that we have today, referred to himself as the chief of sinners. He was an apostle, but he accepted this fact in his own life.

This is one reason why in the church, we have holy communion and we confess our faults and sins to God and each other. We forgive everybody because each of us has our own weaknesses. It’s love that covers a multitude of sins.

Romans 3:9 – What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;

How can a person get forgiven with God when they won’t admit the simple fact that what they have done is wrong? How can you get forgiven by others when you can’t confess fault? The truth is that you can’t. In that impenitent mindset you’re in a continual state of sin. I think about the proud Pharisee and the humble publican in the scriptures. The Pharisee felt that he was really righteous in his own heart and mind while the truth was he was a sinner like everybody else. That’s why when people make mistakes or sin and have faults, you want to be forgiving and to help one another.

Can you imagine seeing a child fall off a bike and when he cries out for help nobody bothers to help him get back up.

God is our helper. He reaches out to each of us to lift us up out of the filth of our sinful condition. The problem is it’s hard to help people when they think that they are perfect.

The entire purpose of the Old Testament law was to teach us that we are all sinners in dire need of God’s assistance and Grace. Nobody ever kept it perfectly, except Jesus.

Because all of us have sinned, this was one of the reasons for the sacrificial system in the Old Testament.

It teaches us that the only way that we can get to heaven is through the mercy and the Forgiveness found in Christ Jesus. We just do not have enough in the wallet to get there on our own. The reason being is our own sinful condition.

Romans 3:19 – Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

Imagine hearing that verdict at judgement day, guilty, guilty, guilty. How are you going to escape that Judgment of guilt? No one can because we have all sinned in the eyes of God and there is none righteous no not one.

The Pharisee had placed himself in an ivory Tower before God, while the truth is he was just as wicked as everybody else. That’s why those who don’t show Mercy will be treated without Mercy come judgment day before Christ.

The only way to inherit eternal life is through God’s mercy. Mercy is greater than judgment, because it can cover up judgment. Sure, it’s very easy in the flesh to be able to pass judgment on other people, but the truth is, when the day is done, and you take a look in the mirror, that person you see is just a big a sinner as everybody else in this world.

God wants to extend to us His grace and mercy and forgiveness. First of all, we have to admit the fact that we’ve sinned and admit in our own hearts and minds that we have come short of the glory of God. The first step in Christianity is to be able to look inside your own heart and mind and realize that you don’t have what it takes to get you to heaven on your own.

Each of us are like a person who fell off a ship and is swimming out on the ocean, all by ourself. We know that we can’t survive without some kind of assistance, or help. No matter how hard we kick or we try we can only survive for a certain amount of time in the water. Eventually somebody shows up and throws you a rope and a life ring. Jesus reaches out to save each of us from the death of our sinful condition so that we can be together with Him forever in eternity. Our God is a forgiving God.

Whether you’re a mother or dad, a policeman or state patrolman, a sheriff or a judge, we all will need God’s mercy to get to heaven someday. We must be capable of showing mercy, because without it God will show you no mercy when it comes to His judgement.

There is a place for judgement but there is also a place for mercy. Mercy is greater than judgement my friends.

I have always liked to play a game called Spades. When you have the trump card you’re capable of defeating everything else. God’s forgiveness is our trump card, because true forgiveness can overcome all sin. True mercy can overcome all judgment. All we have to do is accept the fact that all of us have sinned, and receive the mercy that God has waiting for each of us. God is a merciful forgiving God.

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

When you are justified, it means to be declared or made righteous in the sight of God.

Because the Scriptures teach us that all of us have sinned, each of us need to come to Christ Jesus and get forgiven for our misdeeds. He wants to forgive us so that we can be righteous in his sight. Each of us have things that we have done wrong.

We all have a list of deeds that we shouldn’t have done in our lives, but through Christ Jesus and His grace, he completely expunges our past misdeeds. At that point, we become righteous not because of what we have done, but because of what he has done throgh His free gift of grace.

We’ve all come up short at the cash register, but it is because of what Jesus did at the cross that makes up the difference.

Forgiveness with God is something that you cannot earn. We cannot work off our own sin debt. Nothing can change that fact. We are in bondage to our sinful condition, completely enslaved. No matter how hard you try, you can’t free yourself. There is someone who can free us all. He has the keys to freedom. It’s our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Eph 1:6-7

6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Redemption, is the action of being saved from sin, from error, or from evil. Redemption is the action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for a payment or clearing a debt. Jesus took our sin debt when he died for us at the cross. We become his purchased possession, because we are bought and paid for, through His precious blood that he shed.

Rom 5:9

Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Notice he speaks about being justified by His blood. This is why it’s so important to partake of Holy Communion regularly. It’s by Holy Communion, our sins are washed away.

Ephesians 1:6-7 – To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Next time you walk through the checkout and you don’t have enough money to pay for the things that you want to purchase, just remember that each of us have come short of the glory of God. We don’t have enough to get there on our own, but somebody else is willing to pay our bill, and His name is Jesus Christ.

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

Fountain of Youth

Today out in the world, some people are completely obsessed with trying to extend or prolong their life. They will spend countless hours exercising and toning their body, trying to be as physically healthy and fit as they can. They go on “special” diets that claim to offer health benefits to make you live longer and feel younger. They cut fats, sugars and carbs out of their diet, all in an attempt to live longer. 

People trying to extend or reverse aging is nothing new. For hundreds of years, explorers have sailed across the oceans and traversed across continents trying to find something called the “Fountain of Youth.” It was believed that this fountain could cure sickness and disease and even reverse the process of aging. 

In John 4, Jesus came into a town of Samaria. Being weary from His journey, Jesus sat down by the well and rested. As He sat there, a woman came to draw up some water, and Jesus asked her for some water. 

The woman seemed puzzled, because Jesus was a Jew, and the Jews were not to have any dealings with the Samaritans. 

Jesus told the woman of Samaria that if she knew who it was who asked her for water that she would ask of Him, and that He would give her living water.

Not understanding what Jesus meant, she asked, “Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?” (vs.11)

Jesus explained to the woman that whoever drank water of this well would eventually thirst again, but the water that He offered would be a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (vs. 14)

The water Jesus offers is everlasting life. Later, in John 7, Jesus was at a feast, and on the last day of that feast Jesus stood up and said, 

“If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:37,38)

In the book of Jeremiah, the prophet describes the Lord as “the fountain of living waters.”

“O Lord, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters.” (Jeremiah 17:13)

When we have Holy Communion, what does the bread and wine represent? The bread is the body of Christ, and the wine is His blood. And because the life of something is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11), when we partake is the blood of Christ, we have that life in us. Through Communion, we can have everlasting life, and live forever with Him someday.

“Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me, and I in him.” John 6:53-56

I have found the fountain of youth, and it isn’t found in a medicinal elixir, tonic, or anywhere else on earth. If someone is going to try to find a way to live forever on this earth, I’m afraid they will be disappointed, because our bodies will eventually die. No amount of exercise and dieting will stop the inevitable demise of the shell that is our human body. But I have found Someone who can help you to live forever, and His name is Jesus Christ.

In Christ,

Andre

Cutting the Lawn

Good morning and welcome in today. Today, we’re gonna take a look at some scripture from the book of John, but before we do that, I wanted to ask you a question.

Are you the kind of person who really likes to obey? Think about coming home after school one day, and your dad telling you that he wants you to cut the lawn before supper. Would you be the kind of person who would jump at the opportunity to please him and do the things that he asks you to do?

Imagine showing up at the dinner table and your dad asking you if you got the lawn cut, to which you responded,……no. How do you think that would make him feel? Would it make him happy or sad? I’ve talked about this for many, many years, but real love results in obedience.

Imagine having a boss at a job somewhere who tells you that he’s going to take an hour lunch break. He gives you a couple things that you need to get done while he’s gone. When he shows up and doesn’t see anything completed, how do you think that makes him feel? Does it make him happy or sad? When you obey other people who are your authority, it shows that you love them. Think of one more example.

Imagine that you are downtown. You’re just getting into your car, and a police officer comes up to you and asks you to roll down your window. He gives you a command telling you that you need to get your vehicle out of the area right away because of some serious issues that are going on. But instead of doing what you’re told, you decide to sit there and watch what’s happening. How does that make the officer feel? Does it make him joyful? or upset?

When you obey people in authority, it shows love. Ultimately, if we profess to be Christians, we show our love for God by obeying the teachings of his only begotten Son Jesus. If you’re going to disobey his precious son, how do you think that makes God feel?

John 14:21 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.

When we speak of the word “commandment” many people only think about the Ten Commandments from the Old Testament in Judaism but there are many Commandments found in the New Testament that God wants us to follow and obey. A commandment is defined as a Divine rule. It’s a rule that needs to be observed and obeyed. There are numerous commandments in the New Testament.

E.g., Jesus commanded His disciples to preach the gospel, to baptize, to heal, to do good works, to keep the commands and ordinances of the church, and many others.

Following what the scriptures teach and doing God’s Will from our heart shows God how much we love him. When you obey somebody, it means to comply with their commands, direction, or their request. It also means to submit to the authority of another. If you obey somebody it means that you carry out the instructions given by a commander.

Disobedience is to simply refuse to obey and a result of neglecting to obey the things that you are told or expected to do. To obey Jesus Christ and the things that He teaches us is to show Him that we love him, and that we care about Him.

.John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me:

Keeping commandments simply means to do what you’re told. How many parents out there are really pleased when their children obey and do what you commanded them to do? The reaction is happiness and joy! Well, God is exactly the same way. When we obey His Son Jesus, God is filled with joy, and love toward us.

1 John 5:2-3

2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

This verse teaches us that if you truly have the love of God in your heart, you’re going to do God’s will.

Remember that the scriptures are a giant book of love. God’s Word teaches us how to love God and each other perfectly. God’s way is a better way for us. Look at the results when people live in hatred malice and envy out in the world. When we serve God lovingly the end result is going to be far better than the things that they deal with living in the flesh out in the world.

Rebelling against God is like the sin of witchcraft. God absolutely hates it. I guarantee that no good will come out of rebellion whether it’s a child who rebels against a parent or wife who rebels against her husband. True love for those who are in authority will result in obedience.

Matt 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Jesus Christ has to be our greatest love. The relationship that we have with Him has got to be far greater than any other relationship that you have here on the earth. Remember that Solomon, loved his wives so much, that he started getting involved burning incense to strange gods and this upset the Lord.

Remember that Jesus commanded to love God with all your heart, soul and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself. The truth is that love for God has to be first and foremost. The commandments are put in an order for a reason. There are people who are going to claim that they have loved their neighbor and done all kinds of nice deeds at the judgment. What’s going to happen is that they will be rejected because they never truly loved Christ and had a desire to obey him in their hearts.

For twenty years I’ve told my wife that I love her but I love somebody else more. I tell her she’s my number 2. I’ve always told her that I will love Jesus more than her and that will never change. She can bear witness to this because I have told her that for years.

Jesus has to be our greatest love over everybody else. This is so that you will become obedient to what He teaches us in His Word.

To show him our love, we need to be obedient to what he says. Love is more than lip service but results in obedience. Imagine having a child at home who tells a parent I love you all the time but when they’re asked to do so something, they tell their parent to take a hike. That’s being deceived, it’s just words.

1 John 2:3-5

3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

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

5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

The love for Christ is perfected in our hearts when we obey and keep his Word. Really, when you think about it, who is the most disobedient and rebellious person there is? It’s the devil who rebelled against God. There are so many people today who actually profess that God is their father. They truly profess that they are Christians, while the truth is true Christianity is love and obedience towards Christ and what he taught.

John 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

There were certain people who would not listen to Jesus and the things that he taught them. Those same people are present today in society but the worst part is many of them profess to be Christian.

John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me:….

John 15:10  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

Someday, people are going to be cast into a lake of fire. They will enter into eternal punishment because they choose to reject their God who cares for them. Those who don’t love the Lord are going to be anathema. A dad loves and cares for his own children but when they fight and rebell against him, without repentance punishment is coming.

I want to make sure you understand that punishment is not God’s first choice. There is abundant grace available for each of us if we simply admit the fact that we are wrong. God gives us Grace so that we can become obedient to Him.

Those who reject obedience and choose not to live in love towards God eventually are going to be punished. Remember God is over every authority in the entire world. That’s who people will be dealing with when they fight against Him and the things that is precious Son taught and gave His life for.

John 21:15-17

15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

Jesus gave Peter three commands to preach to the sheep of God, which is what he did.

Love is more than words, love is obedience. I’ve taught that for 20 years and the people who have heard me or read me can testify about that if they want. Love is more than words. It’s learning to listen, and to obey and to do what you are told. Those who are capable of doing this will find a much easier path in life to walk on.

I think that’s where I’m gonna stop for right now. But Lord willing, I’ll talk to you some more tommorrow. Till then bye Bye, everybody.♥️

tlkjbcwordpress.com.

The Salad Dressing

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at some scripture from 2 Cor, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.

When I was a child in the kitchen, I used to have a little job that I needed to do. I was in charge of making dressing for our salads. We used to have a premade bottle that you would put the powdered ingredients into, followed by the oil and the water. I would shake it and shake it and shake it till it was all mixed up real good. I finally would put it on the kitchen table for supper.

When we finally got around for supper, I would notice that even though I had shaken and stirred everything up real good, everything had separated in the dressing. All of the powdered ingredients were on the bottom and all of the water was in the middle, and the oil was floating on the top! No matter how much I shook that bottle up, it was only a matter of time until all the ingredients would separate. The word separate means to cause to move, or be apart.

2 Cor 6:17-18

17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

The Lord teaches us that in order for us to be received by him, we first have to be capable of coming out and being separate. God wants to be a father unto us, but we need to separate ourselves from the world and its ways. Separate means viewed as a unit apart or, by itself. It’s very important to hear that again. Separate means viewed as a unit apart or by itself.

Think of a couple things that are separate in our world today. I think of the North Pole. It’s completely separate and all by itself. How about a tiny little island in the middle of the Pacific, completely isolated, and separate. Just like these places, God wants us to be separate from the world. Separate means to move, to divide, to break into parts or to keep apart. When you are divided, it means you are in two separate groups or parts.

When I think about division, I think about the Laurentian divide. I live up here in Northern Minnesota and there is a place here known as the Northern Divide. It separates the watershed of streams that flow north to the artic ocean from the watershed of streams that flow south through the Great Lakes and finally into the Atlantic Ocean. The laurentian divide is a cause of division when it comes to water.

Luke 12:51-53

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

52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.

53 The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

In the Christian church division happens because of your beliefs and your faith in the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Scripture teaches us to come out from among them and be separate saith the LORD

Rev 18:4 4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

If you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, you will need to learn about how to come out from the world and be separate.

Jer 51:6 6 Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence.

The doctrine of separation is a belief among a few Christian groups that the members of the church should keep away or be separate from those who are of the world. They are not supposed to be associated in some kind of fellowship with people who are still living in the world who haven’t accepted Christ as their Savior.

Imagine talking to your parents one night at the supper table and telling them that someone from school asked you to rob bank with them. It doesn’t sound like a good thing to do does it. Your parents, if they are God fearing people will tell you to keep away from that person. That’s called being separate from the world. Keeping separate from the ways of the world honors God.

Remember, the Scriptures teach us that the gospel of peace needs to be preached to the world. Those who accept it are going to be converted and begin a life in the church. Those who don’t, you are supposed to keep separate from. It has to do with a personal decision to follow or not follow Jesus Christ.

Remember that Sodom and Gomorrah was going to be destroyed. Lot explained this to his family and chose to leave the city. Although he made the decision to separate from the world and all of the things that vexed his soul day by day, it was his wife who wanted to return to the big city. She just couldn’t let it go in her heart. Instead of turning away from the world, she decided to turn around and attempt to go back and was turned into a pillar of salt.

I’m sure Job was heartbroken, losing the woman that he loved. She loved the world more than her own husband.

Matt 25:32-33

31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

When you are separate from others, it means the act of separating or severing and disconnecting certain relationships from your life. Remember that God did not want divisions in the church. He wants us to be joined together perfectly in the same mind in the same judgment. He wants us to believe the exact same things from the teachings of Holy Scriptures. He wants us to be forgiving. He wants us to be able to admit fault and confess our sins. The church is not supposed to be a place of division. The separation we are talking about today, is from people who are living in the world without Christ. At the end, the Lord is going to separate the sheep from the goats. When we willingly choose to separate from the world, it shows God that we have chosen him over the things of this place. In that act, He promises that He will be a father unto us and that we shall be his sons and daughters.

Christianity is about becoming a follower of Jesus Christ, rather than becoming a follower of the world and its ways. While Jesus was here upon the earth, there were people who followed him, and there were others who didn’t.

In a past study, I mentioned one time when I was speaking at a mall in front of a fairly large group of people. When I began to talk about Jesus Christ and how He had died on the cross for our sins, half of the room got up right at that moment, and left. I presented them with the gospel of Christ but instead of receiving the gospel, some turned away from it and left.

Remember that Abraham kept away from the world. He lived a fairly solitary life. Noah kept away from the world and spent most of his life building a boat that would save his family from the flood. Moses kept away from the world, turning his back on the things of Egypt, to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

Being separate from the world and its ways, is not a bad thing. God commands it. It’s a good thing. This world tags people who are reclusive because of their Christian beliefs as weird and even having mental problems. I find that very interesting because for many years I have worked with handicapped people who dealt with mental issues but they themselves eventually recieved and believed in the truth of Christ.

Moses definitely had a quiet life being with his family out in the desert, as did Abraham and Noah. They chose to stay away from all the hustle bustle and sin of this world. The Lord teaches us to walk the narrow road, instead of the wide road that leads to destruction. It’s a quiet path, and there are not many people who are on it. That’s not a bad thing, but truly it is the better way to go.

Think about how many people each day have to separate mail into certain piles at a Post Office. Certain mail has to stay in their city, but a lot of the mail has to go somewhere else. To separate means to set or keep apart or to make a distinction between. Another synonym says to block off and to segregate or to become isolated. Segregated means to set apart from the rest, or from each other, to isolate, or to divide. It means to be independent.

When a person decides to become a follower of Jesus Christ, and you truly love him with your heart, you will want to obey Him. You are gonna have the desire to separate, to segregate, to divide, and be away from the things of this world.

I’m not alone in this belief because there are numerous groups of Christianity who have done this very same thing for years on end. It’s a choice that nobody can make for you. If you choose that you love Christ, and you truly want to inherit the promise when He says, I will be a father unto you and you shall be my sons and daughter said the Lord Almighty, then you need to come out from among them and be separate.

As the apostle taught, be not partakers of her plagues. Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed. Do you think it was a good thing to come out and be separate from that city and the things that were going on in it? Lot’s wife was incapable of doing that, and she was punished accordingly.

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

Follow the Leader

Many years ago, my family and I went hiking on a mountain. We were told that it would take a certain amount of time to climb so we started our climb earlier in the day so that we could be back down before nightfall. Packed with granola bars and water bottles we began our ascent. Up and up we went, until we finally reached the summit. However, our climb to the top took longer than we had anticipated and we knew that we had only a little time to rest before we had to make our way back down. 

The sky slowly got dimmer and darker as we neared nightfall, but we were still on our journey back down to the bottom. Eventually it became completely dark, and we could barely see the trail in front of us. With no flashlight, our rapid descent down the mountain became a slow shuffle as we struggled to see the trail. Thankfully, we met another group of hikers who took the precaution to bring a flashlight. Together we all followed the person with the light and we eventually made it back down to our vehicles.

The world is a dark place, filled with dangers and traps. There are many sins and temptations that need to be navigated around and avoided. Without Christ, we don’t have the Light to see where we are going. We struggle in the dark, in our sins and misdeeds. Without Christ we cannot get to Heaven.

In order to get there, we need to find that Someone Who has the Light. Jesus. Jesus is the Light of the world. When we follow Him, we no longer walk in the darkness of sin, but we can walk in the light.

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12

If somone is going to follow something, it means “to engage in as a calling or way of life; to pursue; to be or act in accordance with; to accept as authority.”

With lakes everywhere one goes in Minnesota, a common sight in the spring is a mother duck with several young ducklings following closely in a line behind her. Those little ducklings follow their mother everywhere she goes. 

Most of us have played the game “Simon says” or “Follow the leader” as a child. The object of the game is to follow and copy what the leader does and says. When they tell you to touch your toes, you touch your toes. When they say, “Jump two times,” you jump two times. In the game, they are the leader, and you follow what they say to do.

Jesus is our Leader. It is Him that we all need to follow. It is Him that we need to copy and duplicate. Jesus teaches to love one another. So what do we need to do? Love our neighbor as ourself. Love others as Jesus has loved us. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. That is what Jesus did and teaches us to do as well.

Following someone requires that a person does the will of someone else. Where they go, you go. What they do, you do. Not what you want to do, but what they do or want you to do.

We follow Jesus, and what He did and taught. We deny ourselves the things that we want to do and do His will.

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” Matthew 16:24

“And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” Mark 8:34

Being a Christian is a daily way of life. Not one day on, one day off. We don’t live for Christ one day, and then the next do what we want. Day after day after day we follow His words. Each day, we serve Christ.

“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23

The life of a Christian is centered around our Leader, Jesus Christ. Follow Him, and God will reward you.

“If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.” John 12:26

Are you ready to follow?

In Christ,

Andrew

Equality in the Church

“But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality: 

As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.” 2 Corinthians 8:14-15

Equality is when things are all the same in size, quantity, degree, or value.

Equality can be shown by using a balance scale, which is a scale with two arms, one on each side.

If someone was trying to weigh a tomato for example, they would take the tomato and place it on one side of the scale, and then they would take some weights or something that they knew the weight of and place it on the other side, until both sides were level and equal. 

In baseball, there are nine players on each team that play on the field. You have a pitcher, catcher, 1st, 2nd, 3rd baseman, shortstop, and a left, center, and right fielder. Well say for example that one team decides that they are going to go and put 15 players out on the field instead of the normal 9? What do you think would happen? The umpires would come out and tell the manager of that team to take off those extra players until they are back even again with the other team. 

In American football, this happens often. Sometimes when players get rotated in and out of the game to take a rest, occasionally a player will forget to come off of the field and that team will get penalized for having 12 men on the field, instead of the normal 11. Both teams need to be equal in the number of players on each side.

Well in the church, equality is also something that is required. And I’m not talking about the equality like men and women have the same roles in the church, because the Bible is very clear that men have certain roles that are reserved for them, and then there are the roles that the women have. The equality we are talking about has to do with: someone in the church has 10 working cars, and another person doesn’t have 1. When someone has an abundance of something and they see someone in need and they have the ability to help them, it is the Christian thing to do to help those in need.

Maybe someone in the church has a few different homes and aren’t currently using all of them, and another person just had their home burn down and needs a place to stay. What the person who has an abundance needs to do is help others.

It teaches us in Romans 2 that God is no respecter of persons, meaning that He doesn’t treat anyone any different than anyone else. Whether someone is rich or poor, black or white, He treats everyone the same. We are all sinners, and God gives each and every one of us the gift of salvation found in Christ Jesus. No one is excluded from this free gift, it is available to all.

In the parable of the workers in Matthew 20, everyone received the same wages for their labor. In this parable, those who worked the entire day received a penny, and those who worked for just the one hour received each one of them a penny. 

“Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.” Matthew 20:12

The Jews had the word of God long before the Gentiles, but when Jesus came He extended His grace and mercy and now offers salvation to everyone. Everyone now can be saved, not just the Jews.

No one is better than another, no one receives special treatment. We are all equal in the sight of God.

In Christ,

Andrew

Nothing is Hid from God

“For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.” Mark 4:22

Like most children, when I was younger I often had a messy bedroom. Laundry unfolded and lying over chairs. Books and toys scattered like a minefield across the floor, legos waiting to be stepped on. I of course would evetually get them all picked up sometime, but more often than not my room was messy. 

I can recall a few times when I was told to go and clean my room. One of these times I looked at all of the mess that I had made and began contemplating where to begin to clean it up and where to put everything. It was then that an idea sprang into my head. Closing the door to make sure no one could see, I got down on my hands and knees and shoved everything under my bed. 

Confident that everything was completely hidden under my bed, I went and told my parents that I was done and my room was clean. At first glance my parents saw that the floor was spotless, but I guess they must have wondered how I had cleaned my room so fast, because what they did next suprised me. They knelt down on the floor… and looked under my bed, discovering my secret. Needless to say they made me dig it all out and pick it up properly.

Just like I tried to hid my toys and mess, some people will try to hid their sins. They might not think that anyone is watching, they might try to act like they haven’t sinned, but there is always One who sees everything. God sees everything that everyone does, and there is nothing that is hid from Him. 

Remember the old cartoons where someone is sweeping the floor with a broom and when they find a rug they look around to see if anyone is watching, and then they sweep it all under the rug? Some people try to do that with their sins. They try to sweep them under the rug and cover them up. Well eventually, one day, those sins will be discovered. 

“Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after. 

Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid.” 1 Timothy 5:24-25

God sees everything that you do, in the secret and in the open. Nothing is hid from Him, and there is nothing that He is unaware of. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees because they were trying to appear outwardly that they were righteous, but inside they were filled with uncleanness. 

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.” Matthew 23:27

Do what is right all the time. Not only when it is convenient, or when you feel like it, but all the time. Everything will be revealed at Judgement Day, whether someone did good with their life or bad. Make sure that yours is filled with good.

“Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.” Psalm 44:21

In Christ,

Andrew

True Greatness

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we are going to take a look at the following passage of scripture.

Matt 18:1-4 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

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

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

Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus teaches his disciples that true greatness is to become humble before him just like the little child did in His example. True greatness starts with humility before God.

We talked a little bit about conversion the other day but I want to discuss it for a little while again because Jesus teaches that it’s a requirement to enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Conversion is a process of changing or causing something to change from one form to another. I think about the many conversion vans that I’ve owned in my life. They take a normal van and convert it into a small RV for traveling. Think about how a person will completely alter the interior of that vehicle and change it into something liveable. Someone is involved doing that change on that van. They are transforming it into something different.

The truth is that God wants to do a work on us and change our lives into something new and better. In order to undergo that process, we have to be humble before Him like the little child. We need to submit to the things that He teaches us in the scriptures so that He can change us from a sinner into a saint. God wants to change that old person that we used to be.

He does this first of all through His grace and mercy, followed by our daily submission and humility towards the things that he teaches in his scriptures. When we allow him to mold us and shape us we can start to undergo that change.

Conversion is the fact of changing one’s religion or beliefs. Christianity is about changing opinions that we have held throughout our lives and then following the teachings of Christ. It’s a process in which somebody changes over to a new belief.

Think about solar power for a moment. When I was a child I was fascinated with solar cells. They take the suns energy and change it into heat and electricity. I think I was about 10 years old when I got my very first solar cell. Christianity is taking the power of God’s only begotten son and allowing him to convert our minds. God’s Holy Word is that solar cell that converts us into what God wants us to become. In order to do that, we have to submit and humble ourselves before him daily.

Mark 10:14-16

14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.

16 And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.

People begin to accept Christianity at different stages in their life. Some people have known the holy scriptures since their birth. Some people go through a conversion when they’re 25 or 30 years old. There are yet some that don’t even get converted till after 60 or 70. In order for all of us to go through that change, we all have to become children once again.

This process of becoming a child all over again is spoken of by Jesus in the following passage of scripture.

John 3:1-7

There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

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

4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

This passage is about being reborn as a child once again in our hearts and in our minds. In this world each of us were born through a mother and her amniotic sack. We were born through her fluid. Christians undergo a new birth and that is what baptism is all about. We are baptized through the fluid of water and submersed. The difference is that this time we do it in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are reborn through him in the spirit.

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

Baptism is a very first step because it’s beginning a new life and becoming a child all over again and being reborn.

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

Baptism is the very first step into the Christian Life. It is not the end but rather, the very beginning. Baptism is similar to going the first mile in the marathon but you have yet to complete the next 25 miles in order to make it to the finish line.

Christianity is about a daily walk with God. It is about daily submission to His will. It’s a process that he is taking us through, like a caterpillar who is eventually able to fly. If we are going to make the decision to become a Christian we need to become like a child in our hearts and our minds once again.

As children growing up in this world, we listen to the things that we were taught and we listen closely and receive them. As a child each of us learn the ways of this world. Christianity is about learning the ways of another world. It’s about being taught of the things of the Kingdom of Heaven. When we truly become a Christian in our Hearts we are supposed to submit to the things that we are being taught. We are supposed to do it with a humble and a submissive heart. I’m sure for a lot of people it’s going to go against everything that you were taught in the past, but it will be for your Eternal benefit.

1 Pet 2:2 2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

A little child needs milk in order to survive so it can grow up and become stronger and mature. This is why you want to come to the church and listen to the teachings of scripture so that we can do it it and eventually become the people that God is changing us into. I really don’t believe this is a difficult concept to understand.

Each day people go off to college for 4 to 8 years and sometimes even longer to become something different than they were in the past. They may become a doctor or a lawyer or even a County Sheriff. Through education they become something that is different than what they used to be.

God wants to change us. The church is like a Spiritual college that helps us to reform and to change the ways that we used to live so we can let our lights shine through goodness righteousness and Truth while here upon this Earth. The path of true greatness begins with Christ and eventually leads to eternal life. The thing that we need to do is learn to listen.

Think about a little child who listens to their parent when they warn them. They listen to the things that there are told when they are very young. No matter how old physically each of us may be, we have to become a child all over once again so that we can hear God’s Will and purpose for each of us.

Matthew 13:15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Notice how the Lord teaches here about understanding with the heart. This is a result of true Faith towards Him. Our heart has to break before God. It has to open up and you have to allow Christ inside. He is the door of our salvation. We have to receive the things that he wants to give us. In order to do that our hearts need to crack and be contrite before him and humble as a child. Let’s talk a little bit about this word humility.

The greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven are those who humble themselves before God like a little child.

Humility is an attitude in your heart and your mind of submitting and surrendering to God’s will to be done both here while here upon the Earth as it is in heaven. If we are going to walk in humility with God, we have to remind ourselves that we are not in the lead, we are followers. We do not follow our own path and desires but rather the path of Christ and what he wants us to become.

True humility before God is going to result in submitting to the teachings of scripture. Jesus did the will of the heavenly Father perfectly and never ever in his life made a mistake. He’s God’s only begotten son. He leads each of us on that path that leads to eternal life.

Matthew 23:12 12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

When you lift yourself over the teachings of Jesus Christ you will be abased. That is the truth. God is Not mocked. If we come to Him in humility He can forgive us. When we convert and submit to His way and His teachings it can eventually result in being lifted up in glory with Him.

1 Pet 5:6-7

6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

God wants to lift us up. God wants to put us on the road of true greatness but before that happens we first must be humble before him.

I have always taught my family that God is a rewarder. God will and can lift you up but it begins with humility as a child before him. The first thing you need to do is get down and submit to his desires before he can raise you up to the place he wants you to be.

This is an important lesson today that I want us all to think about. Lord willing we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow till then bye-bye everybody.♥️

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