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

2 Pet 3:3-9

³ Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

⁴ And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

⁵ For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

⁶ Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

⁷ But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

⁸ But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

⁹ The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

let’s begin this morning by looking at this word scoff. He teaches that there will be scoffers walking after their own lusts. To scoff means to treat something with contemptuous disregard. People will be manifesting this feeling towards the teachings of scripture.

Contemptuous means that they feel or express deep hatred or disapproval. It’s feeling or showing contempt.

Because they are walking after their own lusts, they are actually believing a lie. They do not want to turn their ears to the truth, but desire to walk after their own sinful living. The Bible teaches something, but they reject it. Jesus says it, but they will not listen. The reason why is because they love their sins more then Jesus.

To scorn is to treat with contemptuous disregard. In the church we have the teachings of Christ. This group of people have turned away from those teachings and pay no attention to them. What they do is completely ignore them.

Remember, Jesus was very upset insomuch that he threw over tables and made a scourge when he went into the temple. He cared for the Jews so much that he died on the cross so that they could have forgiveness for their sins. The problem was that there were numerous people who would not listening to what he was preaching. He was teaching the things of God’s Heavenly Kingdom and they were treating him with scorn. What they were trying to do is figure out a way to get him. Disregard is the action or state of disregarding or ignoring something.

There are a lot of things that we can ignore in this world, but the people who we are talking about today, ignore the scriptures. They ignore the promises of God. They ignore what Christ clearly teaches. Instead of becoming faithfully obedient to him, they simply paid no attention. That’s what’s going to happen. They are going to turn their ears away from the truth and be turned unto fables.

They deliberately pay no attention to the things that they have been taught from God’s Word. Sometimes the word disregard is used to mean neglect, implying that something important is not being taken care of.

The Apostle taught Timothy not to neglect his faith. If you neglect something it means that you really don’t care about it. Have you ever seen an abandoned building in a town somewhere that’s been there for a hundred years and nobody’s bothered to take care of it? It’s slowly starts to fall apart and decay. Neglect means to fail to pay attention to something or to not do enough to properly care for it. So again, he’s warning about people here who are going to neglect their faith.

³ Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,…

A scoffer is somebody who treats something with contempt. They show scornful disapproval. Why are they doing it in our passage today? Because they don’t want to believe the truth of scripture anymore. They choose to walk after their own lusts.

The lust that we are speaking of here is a longing desire or eagerness to possess something that you shouldn’t have. People can lust after riches, money, possession and Gain.

It’s generally defined as a strong desire for something. Instead of walking in the truth, these people are going to walk after their own lusts.

⁴ And saying, Where is the promise of his coming?

Even in that statement, you can see that they were not believing the truth about Jesus’s return. They weren’t believing any judgment later.

…..for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

So again, they were rejecting the truth that Jesus is going to return.

⁵ For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

⁶ Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

The Apostle teaches that they are willfully ignorant. If you are ignorant, it means that you lack knowledge, information or awareness about a particular thing. Now, if somebody has preached the scriptures to you for many years, you are no longer ignorant, because you know what the Bible says.

Somebody who is willfully ignorant decides that they want to forget about everything that they’ve been taught. Willful ignorance is defined as when people believe that the things that they have learned are false. That’s what I’m saying, instead of believing the truth as they’ve been taught they will start to believe a lie.

Willfully ignorant refers to those who lack the information or facts because they choose to forget them.

So he is speaking about people today who know the truth, they have been educated in the truth, but they turn away from it. They are scoffers who choose to forget the things that they have learned. They become forgetful hearers willfully. They really don’t believe in the Judgment that’s coming. There’s no fear of God before their eyes.

⁷ But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

⁸ But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

⁹ The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

The reason why Jesus hasn’t returned yet, is not because He is slack, but He wants more people to turn to Him in faith. He wants more people to come to him and get forgiven by him. He wants more people to believe in His message of love and truth. Slack means a spell of inactivity or laziness. Our Lord is not slack. Look at the world and the universe He created! The Lord is long-suffering which means he shows great patience towards this sinful world. Long suffering means to be patient and endure lasting offense or hardship that people do towards you.

Someone who is long suffering puts up with a lot of trouble and unhappiness. Look at that the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ. He cares for this world so much that he laid down his own life at the cross to cover our sins, but yet people hated him. God doesn’t want anybody to perish. He wants everybody to come to repentance.

Repentance is a surrendering of your heart and your mind to God as your sovereign. Instead of believing a lie you begin believing God’s truth. Instead of believing what’s wrong, you start to believe what’s right. Instead of walking In the flesh, you begin to walk in the spirit. That is what repentance is, and the first step is to believe in the one who died on the cross for you. It’s coming boldly to the throne of grace in time of need.

True repentance begins with an apology of what you have done wrong. It’s saying, you are right God and I was wrong. That change in our hearts and our minds leads to a changed life when you are filled with faith.

Just remember that the scoffers spoken about in our passage today know what the Bible teaches, it’s just that they choose to turn away from it and act like there’s not going to be any judgment later on for what they do.

Instead of admitting and confessing their faults, they choose to willingly forget what they have been taught.

God doesn’t want anybody to perish, but we have to acknowledge God’s truth.

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

If someone works on cars and fixes them properly, what are they? They are a mechanic. If someone plows a field, sows, waters, and reaps it, what are they? They are a farmer. Their works and what they produce show what they are.

Now, if someone claims to be a mechanic, but when you get your car back from the shop and it doesn’t run, are they truly a mechanic? They might have a fancy shop with all of the tools, but if they can’t and don’t fix your car, then they are not what they claim to be. 

Someone who follows and obeys the teachings of Christ are what? They are Christians, and you will know they are Christians by the way they live and if they are obedient to the Bible.

“Christian” definition: “a person who believes in Jesus Christ and follows His teachings.”

But what about those who say that they are a Christian, but the things that they do don’t agree with the things that are written in the Bible?

We need to beware of those who claim to be followers of Christ, but their works show something different. They might try to seem like they are a Christian, but their works deny His teachings. When Jesus says to be forgiving with each other, but they don’t or won’t forgive someone who repents and asks to be forgiven, are they really a follower of Christ? Jesus Himself commands that we forgive others, just as God forgives us. (Matthew 6:12,15, Matthew 18:21-22). 

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 

A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 

Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Matthew 7:15-20

When Jesus teaches to love your neighbor, but someone doesn’t, are they really a Christian? Their works prove otherwise. 

“They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” Titus 1:16

The apostle Paul’s works were evident in his life and all the things that he did. He started many churches all over the place, and wrote a large portion of the New Testament. When he was a Pharisee, he used to persecute Christians, and when he became a Christian himself, he went through persecution as well. Paul didn’t just claim to be a Christian-he was one and his works proved it.

Just because someone claims to be something doesn’t make them that. Someone can claim to be a lawyer and have a plaque on the wall but if they don’t know the law, they really aren’t a lawyer. If you closed your eyes and grabbed a piece of fruit from a bowl, opened them, and saw an apple in your hand, you know that it came from an apple tree. Just the same, when you see someone’s works, and they don’t line up with the teachings of the Bible, you know that they are not a Christian. If they continuously refuse to and will not obey a command or teaching found in the Bible, then their works prove that they are not a Christian.

Let your fruits be known to all men. Let everyone see the way that you live and know that you are a Christian. 

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to look at some scripture from Matthew chapter 5. We’re going to talk about how God commands reconciliation in the church.

Matt 5:23-24

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

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

Before you bring an offering to the church or put money in the offering plate or offering bag, and you remember that somebody is upset with you or that they have something against you because you have wronged them, you are supposed to go make up with them first before you bring your gift.

We’re going to talk about reconciliation today.

The word reconciliation means to restore relationships between people. Reconciliation is ultimately the end of estrangement caused by original sin between God and humanity. When somebody is estranged, it means you are no longer close or affectionate to somebody else. You are alienated.

When you are estranged from a wife or a husband, you are no longer living with each other. Estrangement means a loss of former closeness and affection for each other. The closest relationship that I think you’re going to have on this Earth is with your spouse because you are married to them and you become one flesh with each other. A marriage is not something that your mother can share, or your dad, your siblings, or other relatives.

Marriage is referred to as holy matrimony. When you get married, the two of you belong to each other. It’s the closest relationship that you’re going to have while here upon the Earth. The truth is that God does not want estrangement, with Him, or between us in a marriage or in the church.

The truth is that God wants reconciliation. The reason why I say that is because that’s what He does for us through Christ Jesus and his Mercy. It’s referred to as a Ministry of reconciliation. We are no longer a estranged from God, but we are reconciled unto him. We are in a renewed relationship with Him while in the past we were at enmity with him.

This is why it’s so important to be reconciled with other people in the church whom you have wronged. The only way that is going to happen is if you sincerely make up with them and if they truly forgive you from their heart.

One of the dictionaries that I have says that estranged means the loss of affection or a turning away from somebody else. When a couple separates we often refer to them as being estranged. As a Christian we are no longer estranged from God. We are brought back to Him through what Jesus did for us at the cross. That’s why Christ demands that we be reconciled with others whom we have wronged in the church. We are all sinners who have wronged God, but yet Christ reconciles us to God through His mercy. That’s why you have to be merciful with others or He will not be merciful with you.

He demands reconciliation to others before you bring him a gift in the church. If you can’t do that, how can you really claim Christianity as your faith? Reconciliation is everything that Christ stands for! If you cannot reconcile with others, forgiveness never really happened in your heart.

Some synonyms for the word estranged means to alienate, to divorce or to separate. Estrangement is something that God does not want to happen in the church or in marriages. If you really believe that, you are believing a lie. God desires is reconciliation.

I think reconciliation happens when you realize that you’re just a big a sinner as everybody else. Knowing how much God has forgiven us, you learn to be forgiving and patient with others faults. You learn how to forgive others from your heart. That is the heart of Christ.

reconciliation requires that you’re capable of saying I’m sorry in admitting fault. It also requires that a person forgives as Christ has forgiven them. True forgiveness will forget the past and it’s events has God forgets our past and cast them behind his back. That’s why reconciliation is so important to God.

A lot of people can’t do that in the church because even after people apologize, they still harbor feelings of resentment and bitterness. They simply do not want to forget the past and reconcile. That is a false gospel that is being preached in the world today. It’s being said there’s no need to reconcile with others that you have wronged. That goes completely contrary to what Christ taught.

You have to realize, that 1 sin in your life is enough to have your cast away from God’s presence in the Kingdom of Heaven. When God forgives us, He doesn’t hold any resentment or bitterness towards us. What happens is we begin a new relationship with Him. It happens through the kindness of his grace and forgiveness. When you forgive others, reconciliation must happen. If it doesn’t, it’s just a false form of Grace.

The Lord teaches,…

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

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

Before you even bring an offering to the church, you are supposed to first be reconciled to a brother whom you have wronged.

When something is first, it means coming before all others in time or order. It means the earliest. It is formost in position, rank or importance. Reconciliation is first in importance to God with others that you have wronged. He wants us to be friends. He wants us to have relationships with each other again. He wants us to forgive each other. He wants us to forget the past mistakes that we have made.

Christianity is based on the cross of Christ who died for our sins. If you don’t understand reconciliation and forgiveness you are missing the entirety of Christianity.

Another dictionary says first means coming before all others in time or order. It is the earliest thing to do. It is the most important thing and preceding all others. With that in mind, how do you think the Lord Jesus Christ feels about reconciliation? He says first be reconciled to thy brother.

Reconciliation is rejoining the relationship that you had with somebody in the past. It’s like something never happened that had kept you apart. Reconciliation is the process of bringing people back together and to be in a friendly relationship once again.

There are many examples of this in the Holy scriptures.

Luke 15:11-32

The Lord Jesus teaches a parable about the Prodigal Son who left home and wasted all of his inheritance that had been given to him by his dad.

Later on he admitted his thoughts to his dad. This is what we’re supposed to do.

1 John 1:9

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

Confession is a part of reconciliation.

The son told his dad that he was no longer worthy to be called his son. Immediately when he admitted that, the father reconciled the son to himself and completely forgave him.

If the father hadn’t reconciled with the son, they would never have had dinner together, or had a celebration together with him. Those things are called reconciliation.

In the parable of the Prodigal Son you can see confession, admission of fault, forgiveness, and Reconciliation. Anybody who cannot see these things happening are missing the entirety of the Christian faith.

The prodigal sons brother was angry, unforgiving and unmerciful.

If you study the story of Joseph you will understand about reconciliation. The book of Philemon in the scriptures is also about reconciliation. The Apostle Paul knew that there was a change in the slave’s heart and Paul was a part of that reconciliation process. It’s bringing two people together after they’ve been estranged.

Reconciliation can happen after you admit the truth of the wrongs that you have committed, when you admit the truth of how you’ve hurt somebody else, and when you apologize to them sincerely.

They also have to forgive you and admit their own faults back to you and apologize. It can be a two-fold project.

The truth is, reconciliation is taking a look back at the moment in your life when you were both friends and in a happy relationship, things were going great, and then start from that point in your life and find out what went wrong and work it out.

You need to work on forgiving each other and apologizing for what happened. The prodigal son left home, took his inheritance and walked off on his dad. That was the point in which he had turned away to do his own thing. Later on through reconciliation he came right back to the point that he had left.

Reconciliation is so important to God that he demands that you do it first before you even bring an offering unto Him in the church. He doesn’t want your money. He doesn’t want your possessions. He does not want your gifts. He wants people to kiss and make up with each other. He wants people to forgive and reconcile. He wants people to forgive the past as he does.

A Christian professes to be in a reconciled relationship with God the Father. How can you profess Christianity, but not be reconciled to a brother you have wronged? How can you be reconciled without true forgiveness? How can you be reconciled without Mercy in your heart? Without reconcilliation there is nothing left but a bitter, resentful, hardhearted person.

Ephesians 4:32

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

If if somebody confesses and says I’m sorry for what I did and you can’t forgive them, God is not going to forgive you. God does not dangle forgiveness in front of us like that. He freely forgives.

Corinthians 5:18

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

People who do not understand reconciliation really do not understand forgiveness or the ministry that God gave the apostles.

Romans 5:10

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Colossians 1:20

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

Luke 17:3-4

³ Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.

⁴ And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

Repentance or confessing your sins to God is simply to admit that you were wrong and in error by what you did. God doesn’t demand a changed life before he forgives you, otherwise salvation would be by works instead of by His grace.

Our verse teaches us today that you are supposed to be reconciled to a brother first before bringing God a gift. Maybe you have a lot of money and want to do something good with what you have, but God requires that you first be reconciled to a brother in the church. God wants us to be merciful as He is merciful.

Hosea 6:6

For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Matthew 9:13

But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Psalm 40:6

Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.

God wants us to be merciful. That is what leads to reconciliation. God i

Doesn’t want anybody to perish, but that all come to repentance.

2nd Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Psalm 51:16

For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

God ultimately wants us to love one another and to be forgiving with each other. He wants us to reconcile with each other again, as He does with us. He does not want estrangement, He wants us to show mercy to each other, forgetting what’s behind.

Without these things in the Christian life, you are missing the entire Christian faith.

How difficult does God make it for you when you say the Lord’s Prayer and ask him to forgive you of your tresspasses? After all it’s the Lord’s prayer that he taught his disciples.

How difficult do you make it for other people? If you do not forgive you are not going to be forgiven by God. If you cannot kiss and make-up then you’re missing the truth of what Jesus taught.

God does not want a gift from you unless you can love others from your heart and makeup and forgive. After all, this is what he does for us.

Think on those things for today and Lord willing we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow.. till then bye-bye everybody.

Imagine a child walking down the road pulling a wagon behind him, slowly collecting rocks. Bit by bit he collects more and more, and the wagon gets heavier and heavier to pull. He might have started out with one or two rocks, but eventually he gets to a point where it is completely full. He tries to pull it farther down the road but it is just too heavy to go any farther. Without help, there is no way that the young man could haul them home. So then the child goes back home and asks his dad for help. His dad then comes with a pickup truck and takes those rocks and puts them into the back of the truck bed, and the son jumps into the passenger seat. The dad just took all of that burden and made it easier for his son. 

That is what Jesus did for us. Instead of having to struggle under the Law, the pages and pages of them that we would have to do, Jesus comes and takes it all away. Just like the young child, we cannot get to Heaven on our own through the Law. We need help, and it is found in Jesus.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

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. 

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

In life, there is always a hard way to do things, and an easy way. Someone can dig a basement with shove and take a couple weeks, or they can hire a backhoe and be done in a couple hours. You can cut down a tree with an axe, or you can use a chainsaw. 

When Jesus died, He took away the entire Judaic Law, and made it easier for us. No longer is it a sin to eat pork, or do we have to observe certain days of the month. Instead, what does He tell us to do?

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 

This is the first and great commandment. 

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40

Love God and love thy neighbor as thyself. That’s not so hard is it? 

No one could keep the Law, so Jesus came to the earth and did it for us. He took that burden away and made it easier. That is what the Jews need to realize. They cannot keep the law perfectly. They need to let Jesus make it easy for them.

“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at some scripture from 2nd Tim 4 but before we do that…

Each day, children go to a public school, and learn from teachers in a classroom. They teach algebra, literature, economics, English, and even civics. The word preach actually means the public proclamation or teaching of some sort of belief. It means to earnestly advocate a belief or course of action.

I’ve always told my family that to preach simply means to publicly teach.

One dictionary that I have says preach has no single meaning. It is simply said in agreement of something that is real or absolute.

For example, if a child goes into a classroom somewhere and learned two plus two equals four, someone preached that mathematical truth to them. Preach means to advocate especially to urge acceptance of or compliance with. Jesus commanded His Apostles to preach.

Matthew 28:20

²⁰ Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

In the years of late, the word preach always seems to be synonymous with Christianity. If you inform somebody of something, it means you give them facts or information, you are imparting knowledge to another person. That is what it means to preach.

Another synonym is to teach. When you teach somebody else you are showing, guiding or educating them. When you teach somebody else, you are helping them to learn about a subject by giving them lessons of some sort, or imparting knowledge or skill to others or giving instruction. Teach is a synonym for the word preach. If you’re teaching you are preaching. If you’re preaching you are teaching. It’s the same thing.

Another synonym for preach is to lecture, advocate, evangelize or to proclaim something. If you advocate for somebody else, you’re publicly recommending them or supporting them. It’s a person or a group who defends or maintains a cause. In Christianity, it’s the cause of Christ.

Another synonym for preach is to evangelize which means to convert or seek to convert someone to Christianity. Evangelism is to share your religious beliefs especially Christian ones with other people. This process is forbidden to women in the Christian church. I’m going to say it again, it is absolutely forbidden for women to preach and teach.

When you proclaim something, it means to acknowledge officially or publicly. Preaching and teaching are synonyms. I want you to remember today that Jesus didn’t pick any women apostles. Neither did the Apostle Paul. He didn’t choose anybody to be a leader or minister in the church who was a woman.

2 Tim 4:2-4

² Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.

³ For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

⁴ And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

The Apostle teaches Timothy to be instant in season out of season.

Have any of you ever made instant potatoes? All you have to do is heat up some water in the microwave for a few minutes and then put in your potatoes and they are done. Instant means extremely short. It means to do something as soon as you can or directly. It also means urgently, without delay, or immediately.

The Apostle teaches to preach the word instant. It needs to be done right now. It needs to be done today. It cannot wait. In season out of season. It really doesn’t matter if it’s the appropriate time or not. It needs to be done right now. It doesn’t just happen at a church service once a week. It happens in the home what a dad corrects his children from God’s Word. There is no special season for God’s word. It needs to happen right now.

He says to reprove, rebuke and exhort with all long-suffering and Doctrine. When you reprove somebody else you’re scolding or correcting them usually gently or with a kindly intent. You are expressing disapproval of what they’re doing. Reprove means to criticize or correct gently for the correction and repentance of somebody else. Reprove simply means to disapprove of the actions of somebody else.

Rebuke means to express sharp disapproval or criticism of somebody because of their behavior. Another synonym means to reprimand or to criticize harshly. If you rebuke someone you speak severely to them because of something they have said or done to you that is wrong or have done something wrong to others in the church.

Lastly he teaches Timothy to exhort. If you exhort somebody you are strongly encouraging them or urging them to a particular action. You are urging others to do the right thing. You are advising or cautioning others earnestly.

The Apostle wanted the young minister to do these things with all long-suffering and Doctrine.

Long-suffering means having or showing patience in spite of troubles, especially those that have been caused by other people in your life. It means patiently enduring lasting offense or hardship that people put you through while you’re here upon the Earth.

The last definition means enduring injury, trouble or provocation long and patiently. What you are doing is you’re putting up with people for a long period of time. In the church the ministers were supposed to keep preaching doctrine.

Doctrines are beliefs or a set of beliefs held and taught by a Church. It’s a set of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions that are taught, some synonyms being creed, dogma or a belief. All of the teachings in the church are found in the Holy scriptures. They are the teachings of Christ, the apostles and disciples of the Lord.

The Word of God needs to be preached regularly and daily so that the church can grow. The thing that you use to help people to grow is scripture and doctrine.

The Apostle teaches the young minister that the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. This means that as you preach the teachings of Christ in the church, some will not continue in it. For example, have you ever tried to talk to somebody but they simply will not listen to anything that you have to say? There will be people who are like that in the church. They won’t have a desire to listen to the teachings of the scriptures anymore. It’s going to get worse and worse and worse before the return of Jesus.

They do not last in the truth of the Christian faith. If you endure something it means to undergo something especially without giving in.

Think about somebody out in the world who is trying to run a marathon. They fall down and they twist their ankle. Instead of quitting, they get back up and carry on, even despite, hardship and pain. Endure means to suffer patiently without yielding, or to abide.

2 John 1:9

“Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

So you see, in the church there will be people who do not endure sound doctrine because they do not last. They don’t abide in the scripture.

John 8:31-32

³¹ Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

³² And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

There are a lot of people who like to profess Christianity today or even to be a disciple of Jesus Christ but they don’t want to do anything that he teaches.

As I was saying the other day, everybody wants to believe that they are going to heaven but they have no desire in their hearts to obey Christ who died on the cross for their sins.

If we make a mistake we can come boldly to the throne of grace in time of need and confess our faults to him. By confessing our faults, we’re admitting the fact that we went the wrong way. He gives us grace so that we can turn and do what’s right and obey Him.

John 15:4-5

⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

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

There are going to be people who don’t abide in Christ and who will not endure sound doctrine. The Lord taught that many on that day will say Lord Lord but they’re going to be turned away from his presence. Why is that? They never wanted to obey Him. Even though the Apostle taught the ministers to preach God’s Word, there were going to be some who would not endure it, but after their own lusts would heap to themselves teachers having itching ears.

Hebrews 13:7

⁷ Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

The people we are discussing today will not endure sound teaching. What they do is they turn away with their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables.

Jesus is the truth. His Word is truth. When they turn their ears away from the truth, they are turning their ears away from Christ and what He taught. What happens next is that they are turned onto fables.

A fable is a fictitious tale. It is not true at all. It’s like going to the library and reading a book from the fiction section. If you want to know the truth, you have to go to the teachings of Christ in the scripture.

Paul taught the minister to correct them using doctrine because there would be a time when they would not listen to it anymore but rather they would pick out teachers who preached fables and fictitious philosophy.

When you think about it, who turns their ears away from the truth? Only people who have no desire to keep it. They’d rather believe a lie and continue to live in darkness. Remember no lie is of the truth. The fiction section is not the truth. Jesus and his Word is truth, by which we can become sanctified.

Sadly there will be those who are damned because they would not believe the truth which is found in Christ.

I think that you’re going to stop right now but we’re going will talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye-bye everybody.

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture from 1st Peter chapter 2, but before we do that…

For many years now, we’ve had a lot of chickens on our property. We go to the feed store occasionally and buy a hundred pounds of corn, oats, and layer feed. We eventually mix these ingredients all together, and then in the morning we head out to the chicken pen.

The chickens always seem to know when their food is coming. They line up around the chicken feeder like they haven’t eaten in a month. They desire that food so bad that sometimes you have to dump it on top of their head to get it into their feeder!

When we desire something, it means to have a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen. When we desire something, it means to want or to wish for something earnestly.

1 Pet 2:1-3

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

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

³ If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

Have you ever filled up a baby bottle and warmed it up on the stove? When you bring that newborn child that warm milk they go absolutely crazy for that milk! You can take the end of the bottle and slowly pull it away from their mouth but they will grab harder with her hands, just like a pair of vice grips that you would grab from the toolbox. They do not want to release their grip on it as you pull it out of their mouth. Each of us need to have that same kind of desire for God’s Holy Word.

Just as a child desires milk, each of us should desire the sincere milk of God’s word.

Each year living out here in the wilderness, the kids always have a strong desire to go out and look for raspberries. We get on the four-wheelers and take a little trip through the woods. Eventually we find a big patch of them somewhere.

It seems like none of the raspberries ever seem to make it home with us. The reason why is the kids sit down by the plants and they eat them all while we are there. That is the same desire that we are supposed to have for the milk of God’s word.

Milk causes a baby to grow. When a mother feeds that little infant breast milk, it provides the ideal meal and perfect nutrition. I’ve read that it has nearly a perfect mix of vitamins, fat and proteins and everything that your baby needs to grow. The interesting thing is it’s provided in a form that is very easy to digest. Breast milk also contains antibodies that helps your baby fight off viruses and bacteria.

Look at all the benefits that milk provides for a child. In the church, you can also apply all these things to the Word of God in our lives.

The scriptures are the perfect nutrition for those who have become born again christians. When we become born again, we are like a child all over again. We need to start spiritual growth and it begins with biblical nutrition. Nutrition is the process of providing or obtaining the food that is necessary for our health and grow up. The Bible does all these things for us when we study it and hear it preached. It helps us to become stronger in our Christian faith.

As a baby consumes milk through it’s mouth, we consume God’s word through our ears and our hearts and our minds. It’s spiritual food for us. Just like babies milk helps them fight off viruses, God’s word helps us to fight off all the lies of the devil.

We’ve milked goats on our property for years. I laugh each time when I see one of the young babies underneath their mother banging her milk bag with its head. It’s like they’re screaming I need milk I need milk more more more! Those little goats would proceed to drink that mother until she’s almost dry. They are thirsty aren’t they!

That is the desire that we want to have for God’s word. The more milk you get, the more you’re going to grow. Makes sense doesn’t it.

Have you ever grown pumpkins? A pumpkin blossom will drink up milk without ceasing. It drinks and drinks and drinks. The extra nutrition allows the pumpkin to grow even bigger and heavier then the pumpkins that grow without milk.

I read recently read that there was a 2600 pound pumpkin. That’s amazing isn’t it!

Matthew 13:31-32

³¹ Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:

³² Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

We all need the milk of God’s Word so that we can grow into a spiritual adult. We start out as a small little child in this world but just like a child needs milk every day, we need Scripture every day to grow.

Some people only hear the Word of God preached once a month. Some only hear it once a week. The scriptures teach us that we need it every single day.

Hebrews 3:13

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

We are exhorted through the teachings of scripture. To exhort means to strongly encourage or to urge somebody to do something. That is done by the preaching of scripture.

It means to urge strongly to do the right thing or to give warnings and advice. That’s why we need to have milk every single day to grow. Imagine giving your little infant milk once a month or once a week. What’s going to happen? They are going to grow weak. You need to have God’s milk every day.

In the church we need to hear the preaching of Christ and the teachings of scripture every single day otherwise people can become weak in their faith.

1 Timothy 4:13

¹³ Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

The more food you get, the more you’re going to grow. In the church the ministers are supposed to be exhorting the church from the scripture. (2 thess 3:12)

You are supposed to use the faithful Word of God that you have been taught to exhort and convince the gainsayers. (Titus 1:9)

I guess I think of ministry as having a huge bottle full of milk, and you’re giving that bottle full of milk to the church. But remember Jesus taught that it would be like the days of Noah before his return. Before the return of Jesus Christ, how many people are ctually going to have a desire for scriptural truth? Not many.

God’s word has to be provided but it’s up to the church people if they’re going to come and drink it up, so that they can grow into a spiritual adult.

If you take that milk away what happens? People become weak. You need to have a strong desire for that milk and somebody needs to be there to provide the milk for others.

God is helping us to grow into what He wants us to become. He does this through the teachings, corrections and admonishments found in His Word.

Jesus is a spiritual dad who is placing us on a new path in life. There are a lot of children who have grown up in this world with parents who didn’t lead them to Christ and his truth. They’ve had role models that lead them in the wrong direction and point them to evil. In the church we are led by somebody who is perfectly righteous and good. His name is Jesus Christ. He is guiding us and showing us the right way to live.

Just a personal story before we part today,…

many years ago I got up really early in the morning and I was at a neighbor’s place and I went out to the barn. They had a pile of milk cows. I can never forget when they began milking those cows. Standing in the rafters and by the stanchions we’re about 50 or 60 cats watching as that milk begin to flow. Their mouths were practically drooling as they saw it going into the buckets. They couldn’t wait to get some spilled milk or any leftovers that were placed outside. Cats love milk. It seems like the more milk that you give them the more cats there are around.

Milk causes each of us to grow into maturity, but like we talked about the other day, you need to seek after what you really want in life. You need to go looking for it. You need to desire it because just like a tree that needs water to become big and strong, we need to be thirsty for God’s Word so that we can become big and strong in our faith.

Have you ever noticed how the military feeds their people? They feed them very well. In the church we need to be fed with the Holy scriptures so that we can become big strong soldiers for Christ in this world. Are you thirsty for some milk today? Are you ready to be a soldier for God?

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.

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at a passage of scripture from Matthew chapter 6, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.

Many years ago back in January of 1848 they discovered gold out in Northern California. It was discovered at a location known as Sutter’s Mill on the American River. After they found gold nuggets they attempted to keep the discovery a secret, but one year later thousands of prospectors, known today as the 49ers, left their homes and their families hoping to strike it rich out in California. By the mid-1850s there were so many people that were looking for gold in California that more than a quarter of a million people migrated to the West Coast.

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

Whenever you seek something, it means that you’re trying to attempt to find it. As we learned today, there were lots of people who were seeking to find gold. There are people today out in the world who seek after food. There are people who seek after shelter. There are also people who are seeking the TRUTH.

Matt 6:33

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

What do you go looking for in your life? When you get hungry what do you do? Maybe you run downstairs to the kitchen and open up the refrigerator door. The Bible teaches us that we are supposed to hunger after truth. We are supposed to hunger for the Word of God.

Matthew 5:6

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

A person can run down to a fast food restaurant and order a burger and fries, but that only will fill your stomach. There were many people who were following Jesus Christ just to get free bread 2000 years ago. The Lord Jesus teaches us here, that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness are going to be filled.

Where do we find righteousness?

What you have to do iS open up the Bible. The teachings found in the Holy scriptures are God holy Word and God is perfectly holy just and righteous. If we want to grow in righteousness we have to seek him. We have to seek the truth. When you have that mindset, Jesus says you are blessed.

When you’re blessed, you are enjoying the bliss of heaven. When you are blessed you enjoy happiness and satisfaction. God wants to bless us but we must hunger and thirst after righteousness.

What is something that you go looking for during your day? What is it that you are personally attempting to find each day? Seek means to go in search of something. It also means to try to discover.

Again…

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Each of us can seek God early in our morning and spend some time with the Lord first thing when we wake up, or you could pray the last thing of your day when you go to sleep at night.

The Bible teaches us to seek ye first the kingdom of God. God needs to be first in everything. He needs to be the first thing that we think about when we wake up. He needs to be first in all of our decision-making. He needs to be first before any other personal relationships whether it’s a wife, family members, or with neighbors.

Jesus needs to be first in everything. He needs to be our greatest friend. The word first means coming before all others in time or order. It means the earliest.

Deuteronomy 4:29

But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

Proverbs 8:17

I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

1st Chronicles 16:11

Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.

What is the first thing that you do during your day? Some people will get up and take a shower. Some people will go fry up a few eggs on the stove.

Psalm 149:5

Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.

Obviously people pray to God and praise Him during worship somewhere, but how many people sing praises to Him upon their beds?

Psalm 100:1-2

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

Singing and praising the Lord is something that our God truly appreciates.

Ephesians 5:19

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

God really enjoys when he hears our praises. After all, look at everything that he has done for us!

When you were born into this world what did you have to do to inherit the earth? It was all freely given to us! Each of us enjoy the water that he gives for us to drink. Each of us enjoy the food that grows up out of the ground, like a miracle. God gives us even the animals to watch and enjoy! You didn’t do anything to receive this free inheritance, He freely gave it to us!

He deserves as much praise as we can possibly give Him! Sing sing sing and let our praises ring.

When you wake up in the morning, do you think about the Lord and all of these things? Is he first in your thoughts?

Colossians 3:1

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Seeking the Lord Jesus first in our day and all of our decisions, shows Him how much that we love them. Abraham was called the friend of God.

We want to put Jesus first and show him how good of friends we can be towards him in obeying him and what he taught.

John 15:14

Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Matthew 22:37

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

During all the years I’ve been married to my beloved wife, I’ve always told her that I care about her and love her. But I’ve always told her that I love somebody else more then her. That will never change. God is supposed to be our first and greatest love.

Our love for him has to be greater than any of our personal relationships here upon this Earth. That includes a relationship with your wife, relatives, family, or neighbors.

Our Lord created everything that we have here upon this Earth. He even died on the cross so that we could have forgiveness with God. His kindness and love shown towards this world demands our friendship and loyalty to him forever.

Although were commanded to love others in this world, Jesus has to be the greatest love over everything else. If he isn’t, you can make poor decisions. You can make mistakes. You can fall into sin. When we put Christ first, above all others, God is going to bless us. To put Christ first in your life is to have a desire to obey the things that he taught in His Word.

Psalms 9:10

And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.❌

James 4:8

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.

To draw nigh unto God requires a seeking heart on our part. Once again I ask you, what are you searching for each day ?

Are you like one of the gold mining 49ers who are trying to find treasure?

All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in God the father and Christ Jesus. (Col 2:2)

Moses could have had all the treasures and riches of Egypt, but the treasures that Moses truly wanted in his heart was to know God. These are treasures that nobody can take away from you. To find these treasures requires a seeking heart. You need to seek these spiritual riches just like a gold miner who starts digging into the side of that mountain to find some precious nuggets.

Each of us need to seek after Christ and His Word in the same manner. There is no other greater treasure that you will ever find on this Earth than the teachings found in the scriptures.

If you really want to do some gold mining with me today then let’s open up the Bible together, and let’s see what riches we can find! It’s a spiritual….

……..Gold Rush

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 feeds 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

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A laborer is someone who works doing a job, usually physical labor. Someone may labor as a farmer, planting fields or taking care of cows. Someone may deliver the mail to hundreds of mailboxes a day, or stock shelves in a grocery store.

When a company needs employees to come work for them, they put out ads or messages telling people that they are looking to hire workers, until they find the right person for the job.

God has sent out His message to find laborers to work for Him. He is looking for Christians to labor for Him and tell others about what His Son Jesus did for them on the cross.

The world is full of people waiting to hear about the love that Jesus has for them and what He did for them. They need to hear about how He died for their sins so that they can repent of the sins that they have committed and begin a new life for the Lord. They need to come to Christ and accept Him as their Savior, and in order for them to hear about Jesus, someone needs to go and tell them.

“But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 

Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 

Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:36-38

Just as a company will reward those who work for them with a paycheck, God will reward those who labor for Him, and that reward is everlasting life. Some men might sow the initial seed of faith in a person’s heart, and go out and plant more seeds of faith elsewhere, and another man may help that seed to grow big and strong, watering it, and feeding it with the word of God, until that seed of faith grows into a strong, mature Christian. 

“Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. 

For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.” 

1 Corinthians 3:8-9

“For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” Hebrews 6:10

The Bible teaches that there are few that will be saved, so we need to make certain that we tell as many people as we can about the mercies of God.

Pray for your neighbors, people in your town, citizens and leaders of your country, rich and poor, that they would come to Christ, and labor for the kingdom of God. Pray that they would become Christians and that their life would be an example for others how to live so that everyday more and more names are added to the Book of Life. Go out and be a laborer for the Lord!

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at some scripture from….

1 Pet 1:22-23

²² Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

²³ Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

In the church we are undergoing a purification process. The word purify means to remove contaminants from.

Have you ever had to change an oil filter on your vehicle before? That is exactly what an oil filter does, it purifies the oil. Any tiny pieces of dirt or metal causes wear and tear on that engine. Spiritually speaking, it’s biblical truth that purifies us. Purify means to clear from imperfections or free from anything that debases or pollutes or contaminates. The Apostle Peter is teaching that they had purified their souls in obeying the truth.

If you’re going to obey the truth, it means to comply with the commands, directions, or the authority of the teachings of scripture.

If you’re going to obey, it means you’re going to comply with the commands of those who are your authority, whether it’s a dad, a husband or an apostle of Jesus Christ leading the church.

If you are truly a follower of Jesus Christ, you’re going to have a desire to hear his Word, to trust his Word, submit to his Word, and to surrender to Him.

When you surrender to Him, it means that you are no longer resisting His will and His purpose for you.

All of us have grown up in the world, and we know what it means to resist something. As I’ve always said, the church is like a spiritual reform school. We are reforming from our ways to the ways of Christ. When we look at the cross and see everything that Jesus did to save us and to take our sins away, that should cause you to want to obey Him because you recognize His great love for this world.

Children are supposed to obey their parents in all things, especially their dad because he is the head of the household. A child is not a mature adult. Their decisions are made by the parent. The dad is the ultimate authority in the home over the wife and the children and what he says goes. The children are supposed to follow the commands or guidance of those who are their authority.

If you are going to follow somebody’s command, you will do what you’re instructed and told to do it. It’s just like having a boss at work that you obey. Like we’ve already talked about, a wife cannot usurp over her husband because he is the head of the household. Children are not supposed to usurp over their parents.

Peter is talking today about purifying your souls in obeying the truth.

The word purify and sanctification are synonyms. Sanctification is the action or process of being freed from sin or purified.

Imagine growing up in a home somewhere, but you don’t have a dad. What is a child to do? He might go out and listen to all kinds of people who are caught up in the ways of the world and leading them off in the wrong direction in life.

Jesus taught that as a dad you know how to give good gifts to your own children. A dad is responsible to preach God’s word to his children. It’s by God’s truth that we are sanctified. It’s from your dad that we learn the right path and the wrong path to go.

How many parents tell their children each day that they’re doing a good job when they’re doing the right thing? It’s also the responsibility of the parent to correct their children when they’re doing what’s wrong.

That is a responsibility of authority in the home. The reason why you correct others is because you care about them. If there is no correction I don’t think there is any love at all for the other person.

Sanctification is a process that we go through in the church. It is a process of correction. We are learning the way that God wants us to go rather than the way that we want to go. Although we may make a mistake along the way, God gives us grace to keep going and to get back up and it try it again.

A lot of people don’t understand what divine mercy and grace really is. It’s not a one strike and you’re out kind of deal. Those are not the teachings of Christ.

I personally have worked with all kinds of kids that needed more than that to learn and grow into a person who would be a benefit to society.

When we come to the church and hear the word of God preached, it helps us all to understand the error of own way. This is why we need to hear the Word of God preached often. Without the Bible in the house, without it daily in our life, it’s like taking a dad completely out of the home. Without a dad, a person is an orphan.

Sanctification is a process. The one thing that prevents that process from happening is a refusal to confess or to admit sin and faults. As soon as you confess your sins, God can forgive us, and then we can attempt to get back on the path that we were on in the past.

The Lord allows us to do numerous u-turns. I live in the community where they’ve been doing u-turns on our Main Street ever since I’ve been here for 20 years. God allows a lot of u-turns in our life. It happens when you admit your fault and get forgiven. There is Grace available to do that.

John 17:17 it says sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth.

2nd Thessalonians 2:13

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:

You have to believe what the Bible teaches in order to do what it says. In the book of Hebrews it teaches that without faith it is impossible to please God. I really feel that when you believe the truth of scripture you’re going to look at what it says and realize that you are in error because that is what the Bible is there to do. It’s there to convict us of our faults.

If you truly believe what the Bible says, you’re going to admit your sins, whether it’s one, or 70 x 7 sins. If you truly have faith you will admit your faults. When we confess our sins to God we’re admitting the fact that we are wrong and that we want to try it again.

I’ve always enjoyed balancing things on my nose. It took me many years to perfect this strange habit. One day I picked up a broom and put it on my nose but it immediately fell off. I dropped so many things on the floor that I can’t even begin to count them but I tried it again over and over and over till I was able to do it.

God gives us grace to learn to become better, in whatever it is you do. I eventually learned how to take a big chair and put it up on my chin and I can balance it almost indefinitely now, but it didn’t happen without practice or overnight.

Christianity requires practice. Practice is what makes perfect.

Some people think that Christian’s are perfect, and if you make a mistake it’s over. That is not true. I’m glad I’ve never been that way with my own children. They’ve made a lot of mistakes growing up but I’ve always been forgiving and helpful with them. Sadly there are people out in society who are very unforgiving and unmerciful. These are not the qualities of God.

The Christian faith is learning not to give up. The Christian faith is about learning to get back up. If you never get back up, if you never get forgiven and try it again, you will never know the liberty of succeeding!

I’ve been drinking coffee for many years. Do you know how many times I burnt my tongue, my mouth and even my hands on hot coffee? I don’t think I can count the times. It hasn’t happened to me for a long time now because I finally learned how to do it.

I’m kind of convinced all these years that nothing really changes in your life until you first want to learn how to do something. That’s ultimately what we do in the church, it’s a spiritual school. We’ve come to hear the preachings and teachings of Jesus and bring an open heart and mind to allow ourselves to be converted. The interesting thing is that when you eventually learn how to follow Jesus and to do his will, you will treat others the same way that you treat Him.

When we learn the scriptures, when we learn how to obey Christ, our lives and activities are going to reflect upon our neighbors and our family.

The Apostle teaches,..

²² Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren….

Ultimately, the Christian faith all comes down to love for God and then taking that love and showing it to others in this world.

You need to understand, that the world’s concept of love is very different than what is found in the Holy scriptures. In the days of Noah, people were given in marriage but they were still destroyed in the flood. The world’s concept of love compared to Christian love are very different. Christian love will always have truth embedded within it. You cannot separate love from truth. If it’s not true it’s a lie, and the devil is the father of liars. Therefore the devil does not understand real love.

In the world today, people are caught up in lies and they’re being deceived and deceiving others. It’s not about truth. In the church it’s a combination of the two. Love and truth are like wearing a left and a right shoe. If you’re missing one of them you are going to be hobbling down the dirt road.

Unfeigned love of the brethren means that you love them sincerely. It’s not a wishy-washy fake kind of love like when people gather together on the holidays and give hugs and tell each other how much they love one another while the truth is that deep down in their hearts, they could care less if they see each other till next year.

There were people who cared so much for the Apostle Paul that they were ready to lay down their own necks for him. That is love.

The Apostle Peter teaches us to love one another with a pure heart fervently. Once again, we love others with the truth. Judgment begins at the house of God but there has to be mercy and love and forgiveness attached, otherwise it’s just judgment.

²³ Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Jesus is the way the truth and the life. God’s word is truth. God’s word will remain forever. God’s word is alive. The reason why I say that is Christ is eternal and so is his Word.

Jesus taught Nicodemus that he needed to be born again. That’s about going through a rebirth process in life. You can be 70 years old but we all need to become children all over again. We have to relearn the things that we learned wrong. We need to turn to the truth found in our heavenly father.

As a lord Jesus taught, and I shall be a Father unto you and you shall be my sons and daughters say at the Lord Almighty.

Ultimately if we want this to happen, like Moses, we have to come out and be separate. We must go through that process of being born again in our hearts and minds. It starts with baptism, but that’s not the end. It’s like a baby who’s taking their first step. Eventually they learn to walk like we do with Jesus.

Did you ever catch your own child when they’re about to fall down? In the church we need to learn to help each other. We need to catch each other when we fall down. We need to show each other love and forgiveness.

The Apostle Paul had so much faith and trust in God that he knew that the Lord would complete the thing that he had started in the church. Sometimes it takes a little while. It requires patience and love and forgiveness.

I think that’s where I’m a stop right now. But Lord willing I’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then bye-bye everybody