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

The word all means “the whole amount, quantity, or extent of; the entirety of something.” If someone ate all of the cookies, it means every one. The whole batch. Or when someone is plays 10 games of cards and wins all of them, then they did not lose even 1. They didn’t win 8 or 9, they won each and every game, all 10.

The word “inspiration” means “the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.” Interestingly, it can also mean “a breathing in, as of air into the lungs; inhaling.” When God created Adam from the dust of the earth, what did He do?

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7

When God breathed “the breath of life” into Adam, he became a living person. Well do you remember what happened in John 20:22? Talking about Jesus, it says, “And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.”

So when it says that all scripture is given by inspiration of God, it means that every verse in the Bible is completely correct and filled with the Holy Spirit. Not half of it, or 95 %. All of it. 

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” John 17:17

For example, before someone takes the witness stand in a courtroom, they are sworn in. It usually goes something like, “Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”

What that means is that what they are about to speak after that point will be (or supposed to be) completely true; there is no falseness in what they speak. All of the words that they say are accurate.

When Jesus said, “Thy word is truth,” He means just that. There is no falseness anywhere in God’s teachings. The entirety of the scriptures is truthful and completely factual.

Now going to the second part of the verse where it says, “…and is profitable for doctrine for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

Profitable means “beneficial or useful; helpful” or you can gain something from it. You could say that someone who is studying to become a carpenter will “profit” from learning from another more experienced carpenter. They don’t know all of the tricks or tips of how to build something easier or better yet, but if they go to learn from someone who is better at carpentry than them, then they will profit from learning that information.The Word of God is beneficial and useful for instructing ourselves and others about the teachings of God. It helps to show others the errors of their ways, and when someone reads or hears it, it can help them to become a better person for Christ.

There are some who try to take away parts of the scripture that they don’t like or want to obey. Why do you think so many churches that support homosexuality or allow women to preach have so many people in them? Because they don’t want to obey parts of the Bible that they don’t like. So what do they do? They go out and find someone who tells them that what they are doing is ok and they don’t need to change their ways. 

These people need to study their Bible and realize that these kinds of things do not belong in the Church. The world might do what is wrong, but as Christians, we need to look to the scriptures and learn from them so that we know and understand what is right and wrong. 

When we have a question about our faith, were do we look? We look to God’s scriptures. The Bible has all of the information that we need to know about how to get to Heaven. 

If someone is going to take a trip or vacation to another state, how do they know which roads to take to get to their destination? They look at a map, or use the maps on their phone. Well, whenever we need information about our faith and how to get to Heaven we look at the Bible.

The Bible is the most published book in history. If you don’t have one yet, go out and get a King James Bible and start reading: the words written inside can save your soul!

In Christ,

Andrew

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

1 Pet 3:8-9

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

⁹ Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

He teaches us to be all of one mind. In the church we need to be of one heart and one mind. There may be twenty or thirty members coming to the church but we need to be united as one. I usually like to think about it as a baseball team.

On a baseball team, you have a picture and a catcher, outfielders, a first baseman second baseman so on and so forth. All have different positions on that team, but they are all of one mind together they are united together for the same cause and purpose, to try to win the next game. Being of one mind is very similar to that because you join together in the same cause and for the same purpose.

Of one mind also means to be in agreement with each other. Agreement means to have harmony of opinion or feelings. It’s defined as a unity of opinion. Unity is to be joined together as one.

The thing that joins us together in the church are the teachings of the Holy scriptures. We each want to be United in our purpose for Christ. And our hearts need to be intertwined with each other in love.

Col 2:2

“That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love,

When we are united, it means to be of one mind . We are all going in the same direction together as a group.

Rom 15:5-6.

⁵ Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:

6 That ye may with one mind [and] one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Remember he teaches one mind.

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

That is a verse that teaches complete Unity and Oneness of spirit.

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

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

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

The Apostle Peter speaks about having compassion one of another. Compassion is sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. It’s a feeling of wanting to help somebody who is in trouble. The last definition says compassion literally means to suffer together.

It means that when you are confronted with somebody else’s suffering you feel motivated to help them and relieve that suffering.

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

That’s what it means to be compassionate with others. Verse 8 says love is brethren be pitiful be courteous.

Brothers in a home growing up share a closer relationship with other people in the world, even our neighbors. The reason why is because you are practically with them every day and all the time. That is a relationship we are supposed to share with brethren in the church. We need to be very close like that.

As we grew up on the earth we had earthly relationships with blood relatives but in the church we become family through the blood of Christ Jesus. We become a part of the family of God. Love one another as brethren in the church and be pitiful as God is pitiful.

Pitiful is a synonym for compassionate. Somebody who feels pity is very merciful. Remember, our God is a God of Mercy. He wants us to show that same mercy to each other. Merciful people treat others with kindness and forgiveness.

Somebody who is courteous is kind and respectful and considerate in their manner. Somebody who is courteous says please and thank you. It’s also marked by respect and consideration of other people. They Show good manners.

Verse 9 teaches…..

Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

Render means to return something. If someone does bad and evil to you, you don’t return it back to them. Evil is something that is immoral and wicked. It’s going against the things that Christ taught in the scriptures. It’s wrongdoing. It’s something that brings sorrow or distress or calamity. It is something that is very bad and harmful.

Remember two wrongs don’t make a right. If somebody’s going to do something wrong to you don’t return the wrong back to them.

Romans 12:21 – Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

In high-school you might have a friend get upset with you and make up all kinds of lies about you. You certainly don’t want to return lies about them. You always want to do what’s good and right no matter how much suffering that people put you through. Evil is the complete opposite of doing what’s loving, good and right.

Rom 12:17

¹⁷ Recompense to no man evil for evil.

1 Thess 5:15

¹⁵ See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

Pro 20:22

²² Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee.

Pro 17:13 warns that….

¹³ Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.

Matt 5:39

³⁹ But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Matt 5:44

⁴⁴ But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

When you bless it means you are doing something good to someone else.

The Apostle teaches..

….not rendering railing for railing.

When you rail on somebody else it means it’s really not beneficial to the situation at hand. For example a parent may get so upset with their child that they call them all kinds of names. That does nothing for the child at all. Don’t confuse railing with open rebuke which is commanded in Scripture.

A rebuke can be very stern or a very sharp censure directed towards somebody because of their behavior.

To rail on someone else does not benefit them, it’s just a way to get back at them. It’s like speaking evil of somebody else. They say all kinds of bad and evil things about you, so in retaliation, you return it.

Railing is using foul language toward somebody else that serves no purpose of correcting the other person’s sin or faults.

Imagine two kids are out on the playground and one of them hurts the other. One says….I hate your stinking guts. The other child shouts back and calls them a stinky brain.

That is railing for railing. It serves no purpose but to disparage the other person. It’s meant more to insult than it is to correct.

Another example is to imagine a child playing next to a busy highway and he starts to wander out on the pavement. His dad yells and screams at him to get off of the highway because there’s a semi that’s approaching.

That is not railing at somebody. Sometimes you can get the loudest with people who you care about the most.

⁹ Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

God blesses us with his kindness through his grace and mercy found in Christ Jesus. When we admit our faults, He forgives us for our sins. That’s the way that we want to be with each other in the church. We want to love one another in the truth.

When people fight against the truth and cast out your name as evil: when they speaking lies about you, don’t return the evil to them. Because God loves us and cares for us, we want to show others that same love to others.

Luke 6 27-28

But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

Think about those things for today and Lord willing we will talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then bye-bye everybody.

Progf.a584

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at some scripture from James 2:10-13

¹⁰ 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.

The Apostle teaches today that if we were to keep the entire law but yet make one small offense, we are guilty of it all. That means if you don’t commit adultery but if you kill somebody you are a transgressor of the law. You are just as guilty as everybody else. That’s why we want to be merciful and forgiving with each other because God is merciful with us.

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.

In the general carnal nature, it’s very easy for people to look down on others. The Pharisee thought that he was very righteous but didn’t recognize the fact that he was just as big of a sinner as the Publican was.

If you sin one little time, you are just as guilty as the rest. Some people just want to believe that they are a better person than others. The beginning of true humility before God is understanding that we are not perfect. Each of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Even in the Old Testament the priest would have to bring in blood not only for the congregation, but for himself and sins that he may have committed. God wants us to be merciful as he is merciful. The Bible teaches us that we can come boldly to the throne of grace.

Mercy is kindness that is shown to somebody else and being of a forgiving nature when they confess their faults. Mercy is compassion and forgiveness that is shown to somebody who it is within one’s power to punish or to harm.

Think about going into a courtroom somewhere where an offender asks for leniency and begs for mercy from a judge. The judge shows them mercy and compassion even though they have the ability to sentence them and punish them. That is the way God wants us to be with each other in the church. Everybody on the face of this earth are sinners and worthy of being punished by God, but He shows us compassion.

Mercy is compassion or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender or an enemy. It’s to have compassion or pity.

Once again everybody is a sinner. Everybody in the church is a sinner. Ministers and pastors are sinners. We all have come short of the glory of God. Obviously that doesn’t mean that we want to live in sin anymore or constantly repent from dead works, but rather become faithful and obedient to Christ who died on the cross to take our sins away.

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

The Liberty that is spoken of here is grace and forgiveness. The Old Testament was referred to as the ministration of condemnation. In the New Testament we have freedom from sin through forgiveness. Liberty In this passage means the quality or state of being forgiven by God. Liberty in the world is defined as freedom from control. That’s not the freedom and liberty we’re speaking of in this passage.

The Liberty that we are speaking about in the scriptures today means complete remission for our sins so that that we can serve him acceptably.

We’re supposed to speak and do as those that will be judged by the law of Liberty. That means God forgives you and you want to be forgiving with others. That is the law by which we will be judged. God completely forgives us and washes our sins away through his precious blood. That is the law of Liberty.

Liberty is not Rebellion against what He taught, it is freedom and forgiveness for our sins so that we can become faithful unto him in all things.

Because you are now under the law of liberty and forgiveness in the New Testament you need to show that forgiveness to other people. If you’re incapable of doing that, God is not going to show them any mercy at all.

Judgement happens when we look at the scriptures and realize the error of our way. We are supposed to judge ourselves. We have to admit our sins to God so that we can have them washed away.

The teachings of Christ show us to treat others the same way that you would want to be treated. You want to be forgiven by God? You need to be forgiving with others when they apologize. God completely forgives us and doesn’t even remember our past.

Luke 6:36

Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

Be forgiving with others as He is.

Matthew 5:7

Blessed [are] the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Matthew 9:13

But go ye and learn what [that] meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice

Many people found it easier to simply bring a sacrifice so yhat they wouldn’t have to be merciful to others. There are people just like this in certain churches today.

They bring money or an offering unto God but they keep things in their hearts against others. They refuse to forgive and be reconciled with others. God wants us to be merciful.

Hebrews 4:16

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

Imagine having a large room in your house and whenever you open up the door, it’s filled up inside with Grace and forgiveness. You can access that room anytime you wish. Grace has been given to us so that we can grow. Grace helps us to change and become better people when we confess our sins. We don’t want to receive God’s grace in vain but use it to grow.

1st Peter 1:3

Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…

I’ve said it many times but the entrance into the Christian faith is by first admitting that you’re a sinner and confessing your sins to God. Because that is the first step to Christianity, you would think that people would be merciful and forgiving with others, but that is not always the case. God is going to punish those things.

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.

Forbearance is withholding punishment that is actually due to a person. Forbearance is being forgiving with others.

Luke 6:37

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

Lamentations 3:22

 [It is of] the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

Look at how much God loves and cares for us. Even while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. The son continues to rise on everybody in the morning. Our God is good to all.

We learned today that there’s the Old Testament law which is called the ministration of condemnation, and the New Testament law which is called the law of Liberty.

There’s judgement and then there is mercy. If you show judgment without any kind of mercy at all, God’s not going to show mercy to you.

Someone who shows mercy is being lenient, compassionate and graceful.

James 5:11

Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

Jesus died at the cross so that we could be forgiven for our sins. Are you being forgiving with others?

Think about that for today and Lord willing we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye-bye everybody.

Prog# e585

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we are going to take a look at some scripture from 2 Thess 2.

2 Thess 2:13

¹³ But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

Every time my son and I go to the grocery store, we walk by the fresh vegetable section. I really enjoy fresh jalapenos so my son will pick out a few for me. To choose something means to select something.

In the scriptures, being chosen means that somebody is the choice of divine favor. They are referred to as the elect of God.

The church people in today’s lesson we’re believing the same things that Paul believed. He knew in his heart that they were chosen.

1st Peter 2:9

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;

Before we had a relationship with God, we were living in sin. We have forgiveness and mercy for our past so that we can change and walk in his light. That is the calling for a Christian.

John 15:16

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Jeremiah 1:5

Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Many people in the world today don’t believe that a person is ordained of God unless they go to a church somewhere or go through some kind of program at a college somewhere. God ordains a true prophet while they are still in the womb!

The Apostle Paul was called by God not by man. Worldly ordination is just a bunch of paperwork and plaques on the wall. God ordains and chooses people into his service even before they were born.

Some people will only listen if they see a plaque on the wall. This is different from those who are called by God. Who ordained Moses? Who ordained the apostles? God chooses certain people from the womb to lead his people. No paperwork, no plaques on the walls, no Divinity School, no College training. God chose some fishermen as apostles, rather than professionally trained religious people.

When you choose something it means that you pick it out and select it. The word salvation means deliverance from sin and its consequences. This happens through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Salvation is deliverance from the power and the effects of sin. Salvation is preservation from destruction and failure. It is deliverance from danger and difficulty.

Salvation happens through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. These are two aspects that we really need to understand because they prove that you are the chosen of God.

God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Salvation is the direct result of these two issues. If you go through something, it means to continue until the completion of the process

Take for example, if you drive through a construction site. You are driving down the road but then you approach the section where there’s construction for the next 10 miles. You have to go through the construction site in order to get to the other side. That is the same with our salvation. We need to become sanctified.

God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: These are important concepts that we need to understand. Let’s start with sanctification of the spirit.

Sanctification has to do with purifying. It has two do with being freed from our sins. When we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. When this happens we are sanctified. We are freed from our sinful condition and we become righteous in the sight of God.

In order to be purified from our sinful condition, we have to believe that Jesus is the way the truth and the life. We have to believe the truth of what the Bible teaches. We have to accept the truth that we are sinners and we have come short of the glory of God. We have to come to God as we are and admit our faults so that we can be forgiven for our sins. We are purified through his grace.

Each morning people get up and go take a shower. They want to wash all that dirt and filth off of them that has accumulated. When they towel off in the bathroom, they feel clean on the exterior. God wants to cleanse our hearts on the interior.

No matter how many showers or baths that you may take, it will not wash away the sinfulness that is inside of each of us. Only God can do that. It happens through God’s forgiveness and mercy in Christ Jesus. We need to admit the truth of what we really are. We are just a bunch of sinners.

…..God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

Somebody who is sanctified is set apart for God’s special use and purpose. Remember, when we believe the truth of God’s Word, God changes us. It is the truth that sets us free. It happens from exposure to the teachings of Holy Scripture. The truth causes us to change into what God wants us to be.

The truth is that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The truth is that we need to come to Christ Jesus to get forgiven for our sins. The truth is that we need to wash away our sins in the blood of the Lamb through Holy Communion. The truth is that we need to believe the scriptures. Believing the truth has to happen in a person’s life in order to become sanctified.

For example, imagine being on an airplane and somebody tells you that you need to put on a parachute if you are going to jump out of the plane. You can either believe what they tell you or not. If you don’t believe what they tell you, you are going to get killed!

Its like the teachings of scripture. We have to believe what it says because it results in sanctification and salvation in our lives. Ultimately we are being Sanctified by the truth.

John 17:17 sanctify them through thy truth Thy word is truth

If you really don’t believe what the scriptures teach, how will you ever be sanctified? It’s the holy scriptures that convicts us of our faults. It’s the scriptures that teach us that we are going the wrong way and that we need to correct ourselves. It is the scriptures that admonish, encourage, rebukes and leads us in the right direction. The scriptures are a map that lead us on the path to heaven.

Just like a map that you would pull out to find your way on Earth, the scriptures are a map that lead us on the way to heaven.

If you looked at a map, would you believe what the map said? Would you believe it so much that you followed it to your destination? Do you believe in the teachings of the scriptures that much? If required to become sanctified.

Imagine driving through a town somewhere and stopping at the local gas station to ask them where a good fishing hole was. Would you believe them? If people can believe directions to a fishing hole, then they should be able to believe the truth that is found in the scriptures. It is a spiritual map that leads us to Salvation.

……God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

Belief means that you accept a statement as true. It’s having trust or faith and confidence in someone or something. Belief is a state of conviction or acceptance that certain things are true or real. That is what the Thessalonian church had in their hearts. If you can’t believe what is true and accept what is true then the only thing that is left is believing a lie.

Jesus is the truth. The things that he taught are truth. We need to accept the truth because ultimately it leads to conversion and repentance.

God wants to change us but in order to do that we must believe the things that he wrote to us. We need to believe in the map that he gave us so that we can find our way back home.

Think about those things for today and that’s where I’m going to stop for right now. Lord willing, we will talk some more tomorrow. Till then, bye-bye everybody.

 Women Preaching is Wrong, and Here’s Why 

When we are young children, our minds are easily impressionable and swayed by everything we are told. When I was a young child, I actually believed that when you called someone on the telephone that you could reach through the receiver and physically “transport” yourself to the person on the other end. I saw it on a cartoon and I just thought that it was possible. 

Maybe a more common thing is when parents or other adults teach their children that Santa Claus is a real person. Many children send letters to a fictitious man in a red suit, and they truly believe that they are writing to an actual person. They believe this lie because someone else told them that Santa is real. As adults, we know this is nothing more than a fairy tale.

Like children, women’s minds are weaker and are easier to be swayed by false teachings. God created woman to be a helper, not to preach the gospel to others. That is the man’s job.

In the beginning, who did God create first? Man or woman? Man. God made a woman to help who? Man. (Genesis 2:18) Who did the serpent go and tempt in the Garden of Eden? The woman, because the woman is the weaker vessel. Adam wasn’t deceived, but the woman was. (1 Tim 2:14) And when Eve gave the fruit to Adam, then started the downfall of man.

Some women preachers try to find a way around the scriptures that specifically teach and command that women are to keep silence in the church and that they are in no way to preach/teach, period, including the Word of God. This also includes Sunday School.

“Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law.” 1 Corinthians 14:34

One of the most common excuses used to try to justify women preaching is when Mary Magdalene went to Jesus’ tomb. When they got to the tomb, they saw an angel, who told them that Jesus was risen fromt the dead and that He was going to Galilee. While they were on their way to tell the disciples this news, Jesus appeared to them, and what did Jesus tell them?

“Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.” Matthew 28:10

Where in this verse did Jesus say, “Go out and preach.” I sure don’t see it. Jesus told them to tell His disciples that they would see Him in Galilee. That’s just the same as if I was walking down the street, and I saw the President of the United States, and he told me to tell my family that he would be eating at the Taco Bell at 3 o’clock. Jesus only told them to deliver a message, not to preach, and this is where many women preachers try to twist the scripture to make it say what they want it to say. The Bible will not contradict itself. The Word of God is completely perfect and without flaw. The passage in Matthew 28 does not contradict what Paul wrote in 1 Timothy.

“Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” 1 Timothy 2:11-14  

Look around you at a large portion of the “churches” today. How many of them have women either teaching in the pulpit or are teaching a Sunday School class? They try to tell you that times have changed since the time that the Scriptures were written 2000 years ago, and that in today’s world it is now acceptable. They might claim that God told them to preach, so that is what they are going to do. Uh, no, He most certainly did not.

The world is changing, that’s for sure, and it’s changing into something increasingly more wicked everyday. But you know one thing that doesn’t change? God’s Word. The word of God means the same today as the day it was written. If someone is going to claim that certain parts of the Bible were only meant for a certain church at that time, then they could try to do that with the entire Bible. 

I have even hear some women claim that if you say that women are not supposed to teach or preach that you are sexist! Did Jesus pick any women to be His apostles and spread the Word? NO! That is because it is reserved for men.

Everyone has a role that they need to fill as a follower of Christ. Does the president of a company make a 16 year old kid trying to make a few bucks for the weekend a manager of multi-million dollar store? Of course not. That position is reserved for someone with experience. The position of teaching and preaching is reserved for men. Period. And while some women may not like it, that’s what the Bible teaches, and that is the way it is. I may think that I would want the sky to be green, but you know what? the sky is blue, and that’s the way that God made it. God made men to be preachers, teachers, and leaders, and the women to help the men, take care and guide the house and children. 

Those who try to justify women preaching say things like, “times have changed, and that doesn’t apply to churches today.” The Bible does not change. The Bible isn’t printed with disppearing ink so that you can write what you want back in. The Word of God stays the same.

Look at what has happened in just the past 80 years. Since WWII, the number of women in the workforce has has gone from around 20%, to nearly half of all jobs now being occupied by women. No longer are women staying home and taking care of the kids and home; now they send their kids off to a stranger at a school or daycare to watch over them while they do what? Go out and make money. I will save most of this for another study, but the things that they teach in public schools today are completely un-Christian, and if a woman loves her children, she should stay home and watch over them and show them by her example what a Christian woman does. 

Remember when I wrote that children are easily impressionable? What do you think will happen if a young girl sees her mother preaching in a church? She will think that this is acceptable and right according to the scriptures. Because her mom did it, it must be okay, right? Each generation that passes on will continue to get farther and farther away from the truth of God’s word if this continues, and sadly, it will continue, because many (not all, of course) women have been taught by their mothers that they can be in places of leadership. 

You know, there actually is one place in the Bible that tells what women can teach. 

“That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,” Titus 2:4

Any mention of spiritual scripture there? Nope. They can teach the young women to love their husbands and their children, and to be sober. Nothing there about preaching to others.

Look what has happened in the Episcopal “church.” Just a few hundred years ago, sodomy (homosexuality) was a crime punishable by death in many countries, as well as being forbidden in the Bible. Now we are in the 21st century. The Episcopal “church” now marries homosexuals and even ordains them as priests and bishops into their “church.” This is supposed to be a Christian church, but they openly reject the scripture. Not only do they marry homosexuals, but they also ordain women into bishops. And this is just the Episcopalians. Lutheran “churches” also do many of these same things.

What happens to all of these young children who grow up in these denominations? Their minds become corrupted because of the sin that they are exposed to, until they believe that lie, and when they grow up and have children of their own, that lie is passed down again. It truly is sad that they don’t believe what is writtten in the Bible.

“If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 14:37

When men in the church see a woman speaking or preaching during a church service, they need to stand up for what is right, and openly condemn that practice. Unfortunately, in many places that claim to be a church, the men have become weak in their faith. They don’t want to get up and take a stand for what is good and right. When they see a woman preaching, they don’t want to raise any waves and correct un-biblical issues. When the Apostle Paul saw or heard of things that needed to be corrected, He let the people know, first more gently, but if the issue continued then he would be more stern if needed.

Women need to subject themselves to their husbands and his authority, or if they are unmarried to the authority that God has given to the man.

“Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.” Ephesians 5:22-24

It is time for the men sitting in the pews to wake up. When they see something that is wrong according to the Scripture, whether a woman speaking during the service or some other thing, they need to stand up for the faith. And the women need to learn in silence. They need to obey the role that God made for them, and not try to exalt themselves over men. Need I remind you that the New Testament was written by men? If a woman is going to try to go around or twist a scripture to try to say what they want it to, then they are exalting themselves over what Jesus and His apostles wrote and commanded. Think on these words.

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we are going to take look at some scripture from 1st Samuel chapter 15, but before we do that, I wanted to ask you a question.

Have you ever rebelled against someone who was an authority in your life? It may have happened when you were very young when you rebelled against your parents. Rebellion is an act of open resistance to an established ruler. It is the action or process of resisting authority, control or convention. In the flesh, people do not want to be controlled. They don’t want people instructing them what to do. Why do you think in the high school they have detention? Why do you think they hate the person who is serving them with the detention? What I find amazing is that if people go find a job somewhere, they will generally listen to their boss and do what they tell them to do. But when it comes to a parent or somebody who is their direct authority, a lot of times they will resist them.

Rebellion is opposition to those who are in authority or dominance. It’s to defy them. If you are going to resist somebody else, you are going to withstand or strive against them. You will whole heartedly oppose them and fight against their authority. In order to become a Christian, we have to be filled with submission. Submission is an antonym for resistance. If you submit to somebody else, you will listen to what they tell you to do. Throughout all of the scriptures we are taught to submit and to obey. We are supposed to obey those that have the rule over us. Children are supposed to obey their dad. A wife is supposed to obey her husband. The church is supposed to obey the teachings of Jesus Christ. Resistance does not want to obey Christ. Rebellion is not pleasing unto God. As a parent, think about having some children at home but when you tell them to do something, they resist your authority. As a parent, how does that make you feel? When you resist authority it means to resist forcefully in opposition, to oppose, repel or withstand.

2 Tim 3:8-9 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as their’s also was.

God hates Rebellion. God is a God of authority and order.

1 Samuel 15:23 – For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry.

A rebellious spirit doesn’t desire to come into compliance with the teachings of Jesus Christ. They would first have to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God. Those who are involved with rebellion are in an active war, fighting against God. Those who are rebellious do not want to do God’s will. They don’t want to obey Christ and it is as the sin of witchcraft. Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses and so do these also resist the truth. Truth is found in the teachings of Holy Scripture. After all, Jesus is the way the truth and the life. If you are seeking after truth, you want to go to the things that are found in the Bible.

Sadly, there will be those who will rebel against the teachings of Holy Scripture. Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses. Moses spake the truth to the people. Moses was a prophet of God. There were people who were among them who were resisting the things that he told them. Scripture refers to them of men of corrupt minds. Corrupt means behaving in a bad or improper way. It means doing something that is wrong or things that are morally bad. Somebody who is corrupt, is in a state of being that they want to obey their own sinful desires rather than somebody else. The act of rebellion is open resistance to somebody who has authority over you. It is an action or process of resisting authority, control or somebody that you need to submit to.

Rebellion is very similar to the word mutiny. A mutiny, is a group rebellion against authority. Mutiny happens when the underlings overthrow the captain of a ship. Mutity is rebellion against the proper authority, especially by soldiers or sailors against their officers. It’s the refusal to obey a person who is an authority in their life There are all kinds of mutinies going on in the world today. Children commit mutiny against their parents. They rebel against the instruction of their dad. They also fight against the teachings of Jesus Christ. A wife can be involved with a marital mutiny when she rejects the instructions and commands of her own husband. God hates this sin.

1 Samuel 15:23 – For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry.

Rebelling against those who are your authority is so bad….

Pro 17:11 An evil man seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.

Here are a few synonyms for the word Rebellion. Anarchy, confusion, disorder, insubordination, insurrection, lawlessness, mutiny, revolt, riot and sedition. These are things that God hates. God is going to punish those involved these kinds of issues. The Bible teaches that God is not mocked. People who live like this are going to have the same issues returned upon themselves. Haven’t you ever heard the saying what goes around comes around? Anarchy is a state of disorder or non-recognition of authority.

As I’ve taught for 20 years in our home, the dad is the authority in the home. He is the commander of the ship. He is the captain of the boat. Underneath him is his wife as a lieutenant. Children underneath are all the shipmates. The children are not supposed to rebel against the mother or the dad, neither is the wife supposed to rebel against her husband, otherwise you have a marital mutiny. Numerous people in society today don’t like control. They don’t like listening to authority. When you become a Christian, you need to turn away from that rebellion. You need to submit yourselves fully to the teachings of Jesus Christ and those who are over you in the Lord. God is a God of order.

Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

Many people don’t understand what it means to be ordained. Did you know that a dad is ordained by God? God has chosen him as an authority over his wife and his children. God has ordained the man of the house to preach God’s Word to his family and children. Its the place that God has placed him in. You do not want to resist a dad because rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. Stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Somebody who is stubborn has or shows no change in one’s attitude or position on something. Somebody who is stubborn is very difficult. They refuse to change their opinion or their course of action. They’re completely unyielding and mulish.

Many of our children grew up on goat milk. I had a goat named Tyra who was very stubborn and very difficult to milk. She had a very rebellious streak in her. I provided her with food and drink and a place for her to stay and the milk that she provided was given to my children. In all of this, she continued to rebel against me. It got so bad that when I milked her she would kick me. I’m sure a lot of dairy farmers would tell you the same thing. Rebellion is a fight against those who are an authority.

How many of you has a dog come up to you each day and bite you in the leg? How many teenagers resist their dad and attempt to throw a punch at him? Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. Somebody who is stubborn behaves in a stubborn way and wants to do what they want to do and is very unwilling to listen to an authority in their life. Rebellion happens when somebody makes themselves their own god. They want to do what they want to do rather than what Christ wants them to do. Somebody who is stubborn is resistant and difficult and fights against what they are told to do.

Ps 81:11 ¹¹ But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.

Pro 29:1 He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

Rom 2:5 “But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;”

Someone who is filled with rebellion is not going to submit to the teachings of Christ. They will completely oppose and fight against Him. Without repentance they will enter into eternal damnation.

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

tlkjbc.com

2 Cor 5:18-20

¹⁸ And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

¹⁹ To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

²⁰ Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

Good morning and welcome in today. Today, we are going to take a look at some scripture from Romans chapter 3. Before we do that I had a question for you.

What kind of cookies do you like? For 30 years my favorite ones are chocolate oatmeal drop cookies. The only problem is that when I come down to eat a few, the whole family seems to go through them very quickly. They eat every single one of those cookies up until they’re all gone and there’s nothing left but an empty bucket.

The word all means the entire amount.

Imagine coming over and borrowing some gas and I give you everything that I have. All is the entire amount or quantity.

How many people on the earth breathe oxygen? All of us.

How many people on the Earth eat food? All of us.

The scripture that we are going to talk about today applies to everybody on the face of the Earth.

Roman’s 3:23-24

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

When you come short of the glory of God, it means to fail to reach the goal or the standard. You’re trying to attain something, but you just can’t get there. Eternal life is something that we cannot attain on our own. We need God’s assistance to get there. This is why he sent his son Jesus Christ into the world. Jesus died on the cross for our sins so that we could get forgiven for our misdeeds. We can come boldly to his throne of grace in time of need.

In the Old Testament when somebody sinned or made a mistake, they would offer a sacrifice unto God. Jesus Christ is the Lamb that God sent as a sacrifice for us. Jesus is the perfect sacrifice.

All of us have sinned and we cannot attain eternal life without coming to God through Christ Jesus.

Many years ago I remember a young child trying to learn how to ride his bicycle. He tried and tried and tried to keep his balance but kept falling over. Weeks went by but no matter how much effort and trying that he did, he continued to fall over again and again.

Finally the dad after seeing all of the sons effort and discouragement went to the store and bought something for his bicycle,… a set of training wheels. He took 10 minutes and attached them to the back of the bicycle and it wasn’t but a few moments later that the boy was riding down the road all by himself completely unassisted. He achieved what he wanted to do, it just required a little help. As he rode through the driveway he was grinning from ear-to-ear. What seemed to be impossible for him at the time, became possible for him with a little help. We all need assistance in this life in order to achieve the things that God is calling us todo.

God extends grace and mercy to us. The wages of sin is death. The Lord Jesus taught certain jews that if they didn’t believe in him, they were going to die in their sins. For us to obtain salvation someday, we have to get forgiven, otherwise we carry our own sins to Judgment Day. Sin will be punished.

In our general carnal nature each of us have great difficulty admitting fault. That is what the holy scriptures are there for, to show us the error of our way. God sent his son Jesus to help us from our sinful condition.

Even though Adam and Eve were separated from Paradise because of the fall In the Garden of Eden, God sent Christ to redeem us. Each of us need to come to the realization in our own lives that we are sinners.

Paul refer to himself as the chief of sinners, yet he was helping people to grow in their faith. Sinners help sinners in the church to accept the truth and receive God’s grace. God is changing and molding us into what he wants us to become.

Think about a classical composer. Each day they are working on a new piece of music and it changes from day to day. It changes so much that by the time they are finished with their piece, it doesn’t sound much like it was when they originally started on it. That is what God is doing with us in the church. Years may have passed by in your life but you are not the same person that you were in the past. Like a piece of pottery, God keeps changing us. We hear the teachings of the Holy scriptures and are trying to apply them to our daily lives.

Look at the changes that a butterfly has gone through in their short life. They don’t look anything like what they started out as. Our God is a God of change. He changes things.

Look at the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Look at the difference in the seasons that God created. Look how God changes the weather. It’s sunny in the morning but then he decides to have it rain in the afternoon.

To change means to make somebody or something different. It means to alter or to modify something.

Think about how many people might go to a high school reunion 25 years after they graduated. They walk around the reunion and people don’t even recognize them. They are completely different than what they were in the past. They are not the same person anymore.

God wants to change each of us into something different, it all begins with the acceptance of a simple truth,…. I’m a sinner. The fiirst step in Christianity is being able to admit that.

Those who claim that they have never sinned are only lying to themselves.

Remember, Paul was a Jewish Pharisee at one time in his life and accepted the fact that he needed to come to Christ.

Have you ever done any remodeling in your home? For 20 years you’ve been looking at the same walls and staring at the same paint, but you really want to change things up.

You finally begin to paint and change the wallpaper. You paint the ceiling and change the color of the carpet. You purchase different furniture.

You change and alter the design of the kitchen and the bedrooms. The house undergoes so many changes during your remodeling project, that people who come over don’t even recognize it. That’s what God wants to do in each of our Lives but it doesn’t happen overnight.

Living in the woods, I’ve learned that trees take many many years to grow. They don’t mature overnight. They begin as a small seedling, just a few inches off the ground but through the years they grow and grow and grow into maturity.

In order for us to grow in the church it requires that we are fed with nourishment. If everybody was perfect at day one, there would be no reason to keep preaching God’s Word. Through God’s grace we continue to grow day by day in order to become God wants us to be. We are striving for perfection but it doesn’t happen overnight for us either.

I was reading about one of the slowest flowering plants. It’s called a giant bromeliad that grows in the Bolivian Mountain somewhere. I read that the flower cluster emerges after about 80 to 150 years in that plants life. God created that plant, but it takes awhile to bloom.

God doesn’t want us to continue repenting from dead works but to grow into maturity. God gives us Grace, like having training wheels to help us to ride down the road until we eventually learn to do it on our own.

Through God’s mercy, he makes us righteous in his sight. He expunges our past and completely forgets about it all. He helps us to ride that bike even though at the moment we are incapable of doing it by ourself. Without his grace we’re like children who keep falling down over and over again. No matter how hard we try, we still come short of the glory of God.

Verse 24 says,… being justified freely by his grace.

When you are justified it means to be declared or made righteous in the sight of God. That’s what happens when God forgives us of our sins. It’s called faith righteousness. He makes us righteous through his mercy.

Imagine asking your mom at breakfast that you would like some more pancakes. She brings out a stack of them and says how many do you want? Then she freely gives you as many as you desire! This is like Grace in the church. It is freely given to us by God.

Redemption simply means saving or being saved from sin, error and evil.

Jesus took our sins at the cross and suffered death, which was the punishment for our sins. He is the righteous one who died for the unrighteous.

So you see, because of our own sinfulness we could not attain salvation. We were all born into the death of our sins because of what happened in Paradise. But through Christ Jesus there is life through His grace and mercy. We want to show that same mercy and forgiveness to others. If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Read the story about The Prodigal Son. His dad completely forgave him when he returned and reconciled with him. That’s how God wants us to treat each other in a church because each of us are sinners. There are none righteous no not one.

Speak and do as those that will be judged by the law of Liberty. The law of Liberty is forgiveness and freedom from our sins.

God careth for you. We need to begin that walk on the path of redemption by admitting the truth that we are each sinners. When you believe the truth, it will set you free.

That’s where I’m going to stop right now but Lord willing we’ll talk to some more tomorrow. Till then, bye-bye everybody.

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

The word forgive means “to cease to feel resentment against an offender; to pardon one’s enemies; to stop blaming or being mad at someone for something that person has done.”

It is our sins that keep us out of Heaven. And unless we get forgiven for our sins, we cannot receive eternal life. Jesus died for our sins, so that no longer do we need to offer up sacrifices for our sins, we merely need to come forward and say, I repent, please forgive me, and turn away from misdeeds. Jesus’ forgiveness is completely free to all those who come forward and confess their sins and repent.

There are many false teachings online that claim that when someone sins and repents, that you don’t need to be reconciled with that person again. This is completely false.

The word “reconcile” means “to restore friendly relations between; cause to coexist in harmony.”

Say for example, two children are playing with some toys at one of their houses. They have been best friends for years, and play with each other often. But one day one of the children breaks their friend’s favorite toy. Feeling sad and remorseful, they tell their friend that they are sorry and ask for forgiveness. Now, if the other friend tells them that they forgive them, but they don’t want to play with them anymore, did they really forgive them? No, they didn’t. If they truly forgave them then they would continue to play with them, and forget about what happened.

So, what if when we come forward and repent for our sins, and ask for forgiveness, but God told us, “Ok, I’ll forgive you, but I don’t want you to be with me in Heaven. I’m still upset for what you have done.”

But that is not what God does. God forgives our sins, and remembers them no more. He forgives us so that we can become reconciled back to Him. It is by this that we know that forgiveness and reconciliation go together and are inseparable.

Now as I said earlier, it is sin that keeps us all out of Heaven. In order to be reconciled back to God, we need to confess our sins and repent. When we do this, God will forgive us.

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

If we couldn’t attain salvation when we repent of our sins and get forgiven, then why would we need forgiveness in the first place? If, once we confess and repent from our sins and are forgiven, weren’t able to be reconciled with God in Heaven someday, why would we need to turn away from our sins?

We are supposed to be reconciled back to God, as Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians.

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20

If someone refuses to forgive someone else for their sins or misdeeds, then they should have no expectation that God will forgive them when they come forward for forgiveness when they sin.

“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

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

I encourage you to read Matthew 18:21-35. In this passage it shows us what happens when we don’t forgive someone who repents. They might sin against you several times in a day, but you need to be forgiving with them, because that is what Jesus shows us. Obviously we do not want to sin, but we are not perfect creatures. No one on earth is perfect. We try to perfect our lives everyday, but we are all the same: sinners. Some have sinned more than others, but we are all the same: sinners who need forgiveness.

If someone refuses to forgive another person who comes forward and repents, not only are they not showing love to the person repenting and coming forward for forgiveness, but they are also not showing Jesus and His apostles love by refusing to obey the commands they left for us in the Bible.

“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” Colossians 3:13

Do you love Jesus? Then do what He commands: be forgiving with each other.

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we are going to take a look at some scripture from 1 cor 1 but before we do that,…

When I was in elementary school, I can remember going into the gymnasium at about 11 in the morning, and there were a couple classes that had to share the gymnasium because they both had gym at the same time.

What they would do is open up these big huge doors in the gym and pulled out these huge dividers that stretched all the way across the width of the gym.

As they pulled them out, you’d hear a clunk clunk clunk, until eventually the gym was divided into two sections.

When you divide something it means to be separated into parts. In the elementary school it was being separated into different classes and categories by our age. Did you know that the Apostle Paul who was one of the leaders of the Christian Church did not want any divisions to happen. He did not want people to be divided into separate parts.

Divide means to disagree or to cause to disagree with each other. The Apostle wanted us all to be joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. He wanted us all to believe the exact same things together from the holy scriptures.

It was such a concern for him that he taught…..

1 Corinthians 1:10-13 – Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and [that] there be no divisions among you; but [that] ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

In the church we are all supposed to be joined together under the teachings of the Holy scriptures. Although some of us might make a mistake along the way we can come boldly to the throne of grace in time of need and get forgiven for it but we all have to be joined together in the truth. We all have to accept the same teachings of Christ together.

There are many different versions of football in the world today. They share common elements, but they are definitely not all alike. There’s rugby, American Football, jorky ball, cycleball, roller soccer, swamp football, blind football, freestyle football, Zorb football, etc. I think hopefully you get the point.

There are many different versions of this game. In the Christian church there are not supposed to be numerous different versions of Christianity. That is why you see many different denominations all over the world today. After the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven there was one Church. It was the church that he started with the Apostle Peter.

How many different denominations are out in the world today? I read that estimations show that there are more than 200 Christian denominations and splinter groups in the US. Many of these denominations begin because they won’t accept the truth of the Christian faith.

What they do, is splinter off and then start their own group somewhere else.

For example, if they don’t accept that women are not supposed to preach and teach in the church, they simply leave and go start up a group somewhere else where they can. Even though they’re involved with heresy, and teaching things that go against Christ, they still start up their own church group. the Apostle Paul did not want these kinds of divisions.

1 Corinthians 1:10-13 – Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and [that] there be no divisions among you;….

Now the Apostle says “…in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.” That’s very serious because he’s teaching that this is a command of Christ to speak the same things.

I’ve taught for 20 years that you might make a mistake or commit a sin in the Christian life but you can come boldly to the throne of grace in time of need. One thing that you can never ever do is deny the teachings of what the Bible says because it is the truth. The scriptures teach that all men are liars. In order to become converted, we must believe the truth in Christ. We have to accept wholeheartedly that the Bible is true and that we are in error. If we cannot do that we’re never going to be converted to the truth. We will simply be deceived and believe a lie.

Why do people divide and leave the church? It’s because they don’t want to change and accept the truth. They want to live their life the way they want to live at. They don’t want to have to be under certain restrictions or controlled by the teachings of the Bible. They don’t want to have to listen to those who are over them in the Lord who are meekly trying to instruct them in the way of Christ.

What they do is they rebel. In order to make themselves feel like they are going to happen, they start up a church somewhere where they allow all kinds of rebellious behavior and heresies that go completely against the teachings of Christ

As I have said before many times, people want to feel like they’re going to heaven but they turn away from the author of life and eternal salvation Jesus Christ and the things that he taught us to obey. There’s a way that seems right unto a man, what’s the way lead to death.

The road to salvation became to hard for Lot’s wife so what she did is turn around and go back to Sodom and Gomorrah. She died. She was turned into a pillar of salt, an example to people who reject the teachings of Jesus Christ. They will die in their sins.

1 Corinthians 1:10-13 – Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing,….

Same means identical and not different. Have you seen identical twins before? They look exactly the same. Same means that someone or something are exactly alike.

He teaches to speak the same thing which means not different. It means to be exactly similar. It’s not supposed to be changed. That’s what’s going on with the version of Christianity in the world today

They have changed it into something that it is not. People are preaching a false Christ and a false Christianity. They are not His teachings anymore.

One other meaning says same means a person or thing which is equal or identical to another. For example, think of some earrings that a woman might wear. They’re identical on both sides. If you were to walk up to a mirror in the morning and take a look, you and the reflection in the mirror are identical. They are exactly the same.

2000 years ago when you went into a church and you met someone and then you went to another church somewhere else, both the people that you had met we’re identical in the teachings of the Christian faith. That is what the apostles wanted. Even though churches can be separated by great distances, we are all joined together in the same spirit of biblical truth.

Think about making chocolate chip cookies at home. You make a recipe and then place them on the cookie sheet together to cook. They all come out tasting exactly alike. They may not look identical on the exterior but when you taste them they are all the same. They all came from the same recipe. That’s just like Christianity. We come from a recipe of the teachings of the Holy scriptures.

Again, there are all kinds of different denominations today who truly have left the truth of Jesus Christ. They need to believe the truth again.

The Apostle says to speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you. Notice he says NO division. No means no! How many times have your parents told you that?

A division means a disagreement between two or more groups. You cannot turn away from what the scriptures clearly teach. He wanted them to be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. The thing that joins us together in the church are the teachings of Christ.

When you join it means to put into a close association or relationship. In the world one might join clubs such as an athletic club, a book club or even a yachting Club. These people are joined together under things that they like and believe in. They are joined together through a common interest in something. In the church we are joined together in the teachings of Christ. When you join it means to put or to bring together or to unite.

Think about the church as a large train that’s heading down the tracks. Each of us are joined together to a large locomotive. The locomotive is the teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Each of us are following these teachings and keeping on the narrow track ahead of us. The thing that joins us together is our faith in what he taught. God doesn’t want us to be divided but joined in truth. This was a great concern to the apostle.

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

Avoid them and keep away from them. They don’t want to accept biblical truth anymore and then turn away from it. They cause a split and a rift in the church because they don’t want to do God’s will. If they are going to cause division in the church group, you better take note of them because what they’re doing is they’re fighting against God. Avoid means don’t have anything to do with them.

To cause divisions, means that they are the reason why separation happens. We need to believe in everything that is taught in the Holy scriptures and to take note of those who are leading the sheep astray.

I think that’s where I’m going to stop for right now but Lord willing we’ll talk to some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.