 "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us," Ephesians 3:20 From Milk to Meat: Growing in Christ’s Deeper Truths Picture humanity’s journey with God as a vast tapestry, stretching across time, each thread woven with faith. The Bible tells us we are transformed from glory to glory, shaped into His image as our faith in Him grows. 2 Corinthians 3:18. In Old Testament days, a world of famine, drought, and enemies on every side, Israel's faith was shaky. They lacked the faith to produce even their most basic necessities. Deuteronomy 8:7-10; 1 Corinthians 3:2. Moses and Aaron, however, had meat-level faith in God, to liberate the Jews from Egyptian bondage. Faith that could actually provide the food, water and protection Israel needed in the wilderness. Noah had meat-level faith, and trusted God to save him through the Great Flood. Genesis 6:22. Abraham had meat-level faith when he raised his knife over his only son, Isaac, to sacrifice him as commanded when his faith was tested. That’s real “meat," a deeper faith. How many Christians can honestly understand that level of faith? "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." Hebrews 5:12-14 “Milk” is the basic faith that leans on God for survival, like food, water and safety. The Israelites cried, "... for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger." Exodus 16:2-3. Their faith was stuck asking for basic necessities because they lacked basic necessities, and because they had no room for the greater faith available to them, as their hearts were full of need instead of faith in God. Abraham, Noah, Moses and others in the Old Testament had faith that moved mountains Matthew 17:20. In the New Testament, we see milk and meat in 1 Peter 2:2: “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.” That you may grow thereby into meat-level faith and the power promised by Jesus. As Paul describes in Hebrews 5:14: “But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” When Jesus came, He taught that obeying His commandments keeps us close to His love: John 15:10 “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love." He opened up deeper truths about God’s kingdom, like the nearness of His rule: Matthew 4:17, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” the power available to believers Mark 16:17-18, and the promise of eternal life John 3:16. Some receive milk for survival because their hearts cry out for it, like Israel in the desert pleading for bread: Exodus 16:3, “Would to God we had died… when we did eat bread to the full”. They had no room for more faith, because despair has crippled them. They failed to realize that God provides for His children who believe He does (faith). Matthew 6:31-32 Others, like the apostles, received both milk and meat. Jesus told them not to worry about food or clothes but to trust God’s provision and power. Luke 22:35 “When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing”. Still others live in abundance through faith, receiving also meat for power, because their hearts desire it: Philippians 4:19 “My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." What we get depends on our faith, our needs, and God's Will, and we get what we deserve based on our faith. God knows our heart. Jeremiah 17:10 says, “I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” The "fruit of his doings" are not voluntary actions; they are involuntary actions inspired in our heart by Holy Spirit, who guides us into all truth. John 16:13 Jesus does not just save us and leave us at the starting line. He invites us into a life of authority and power. In Mark 16:17-18, He says, “In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” This kind of life takes faith, even just a tiny bit, like a mustard seed, that can move mountains. Stepping into Christ’s promised power is a process of seeking, desiring, meditating on God's Word and bringing into captivity even your thoughts to the obedience of Christ. For me, personally, it was, as I said, an involuntary and immediate knowledge, feeling, or understanding (hard to describe) of Christ's heart, and a yearning to be like Him. Not all see the same signs, because the Holy Spirit hands out gifts as God chooses. 1 Corinthians 12:11. But God does say, draw near to me and I will draw near to you. James 4:8. And, call on me and I will show you great and mighty things. Jeremiah 33:3. Have you called on God lately, to ask for greater faith, to ask for His Holy Spirit? Luke 11:13 Think of milk as God keeping His people alive. Psalm 37:25 says, “Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” That’s survival faith. Meat is different; it is about power. John 14:12 promises, “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also.. and EVEN GREATER.” Paul calls this meat, meant for those who have grown to discern right from wrong, good from evil. Hebrews 5:14. For over a hundred years, Pentecostals and Assemblies of God have held tight to this, living and breathing the power of Mark 16:17-18, and the gifts of SCRIPTURE, as the last denomination fully following the Bible’s call to this vast power promised by our Lord and Savior to all who believe! The Holy Spirit changes how we see God. Jesus promised He would send the Spirit to live inside of us forever. John 14:16-17. We see this at Pentecost where people spoke in tongues and preached with courage. Acts 2:4. Back in tough times, like Israel wandering in the desert for 40 years, people just wanted relief from the oppression of the wilderness, and lack of food and water. They cried out for bread and water. Numbers 11:13. The deeper faith Moses had in God's promises actually fed them with the manna in the morning and the quail at night. Moses' faith in God brought food from heaven and water from a rock. Exodus 16:4, 17:6 Faith leads to abundance as promised in the Old and New Testaments: "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19 "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully." 2 Corinthians 9:6 "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8 "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us." Ephesians 3:20 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33 These promises allow faith to grow beyond asking for basic necessities. As Jesus said, the Father knows what we need. When we realize this, we remove the boundary for faith to grow from milk at first, and then meat, or Spiritual Power, as promised by Jesus. Acts 1:8 says, “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” This meat faith knows God is close, guiding us like sons. Romans 8:14 This journey is about lining up with God’s Will. Milk faith focuses on getting by, surviving. Israel begged, “What shall we eat?” Exodus 16:3. Moses trusted God to provide, saying, “Is the Lord’s hand waxed short?” Numbers 11:23. Meat faith knows God sees our needs before we ask. Matthew 6:8 says, “Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” Obedience puts us in step with His purpose. Matthew 6:10. The Spirit molds us to please God. Philippians 2:13. Milk faith gets survival, as Matthew 6:31-33 promises, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God… and all these things shall be added unto you.” Meat faith steps into God's Power of discernment, as Scripture defines: "But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." Hebrews 5:14 So how do we grow from milk to meat? It depends on our faith in God and what we need and want from Him. Milk faith is for beginners. Paul fed it to the Corinthians because they were stuck arguing and fighting. 1 Corinthians 3:1-3. It’s like Israel begging for bread Exodus 16:3, the simple trust that God will keep us alive. Peter puts it this way: “Desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. 1 Peter 2:2. That is the starting point. Meat faith goes deeper, trusting God’s Will and power. Hebrews 6:1-6 says, “Let us go on unto perfection,” beyond the basics. In hard times, faith feeds the hungry: Psalm 37:19 says, “In the days of famine they shall be satisfied.” In good times, meat faith grabs hold of power and plenty: Acts 1:8 promises power, and 2 Corinthians 9:8 adds, “God is able to make all grace abound toward you.” Growth means trusting more, having more faith in God to do what He said He will do. If you think you are stuck, you stay stuck. If you believe God is bigger, you rise: Proverbs 23:7 “As he thinketh in his heart, so is he”. Some people say faith isn’t about moving from milk to meat. They might argue it is just trusting God, not chasing signs like Mark 16:17-18. Or they could say what we get from God depends more on our situation than our faith. They have a piece of the picture. The Spirit does give gifts differently. 1 Corinthians 12:4. God does meet our specific needs. Matthew 6:33. Israel’s lack of faith depended on Moses's meat faith. His meat faith worked miracles and fed them because he trusted God’s words. But Jesus connects trust in God to personal power. He says, “All power is given unto me." Matthew 28:18. He gives that power to us. Luke 10:19. He promises signs to those who believe. Mark 16:17-18. He even says we will do greater works than him. John 14:12. Paul pushes us to grow beyond milk. Hebrews 6:1. The Bible shows us that faith can reach higher, into meat, when we are ready. All we have to do is believe! Israel’s poor in spirit leaned on milk. Matthew 5:3. Noah and Abraham trusted God for meat. Since Jesus rose in 33 AD, God’s grace has poured out abundance over two millennia—think electricity, roads, tools, plenty and abundance—that have lifted our eyes from survival to power. The early church grabbed the power Jesus promised: Peter healed a lame man. Acts 3:6: “In the name of Jesus Christ… rise up and walk." Today, in 2025, some mock Mark 16:17-18, but God’s feast has always been available to all who believe. John 11:26. Milk keeps us alive in tough spots and lackadaisical times. Meat empowers us in plenty and zeal. Faith grows as we trust God's Plan and His Word. Start with the word 1 Peter 2:2, have faith in God Hebrews 11:6, obedience to His Word John 15:10, and strive (pray) for His gifts Acts 1:8. Wherever we are, scarce or full, God gives us what our faith can hold. May He bless you and keep you always. Amen. (See also my other blogs on this subject: "The Sign of Jonah" and "Glory to Glory in Religion"
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 "Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month." Joel 2:23 Around March 2, 2025, Holy Spirit showed me how Christian religion/denominations over the ages have evolved through the church's (believers) levels of faith in God, pushing man towards Him, from glory to glory (more faith to even more faith, the former rain and the latter rain Joel 2:23 above). "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 All glory, honor, praise and thanksgiving to God Most High. Let Your Children hear. In Jesus's Name. Amen. Gifts Remained When Jesus Ascended 1 Corinthians 1:7-8 states, "So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." This means that believers are fully equipped with spiritual gifts, like faith, wisdom, prophecy, healing, fighting evil, and casting out demons, as Jesus said in Mark 16:17-18: "And these signs shall follow them that believe [everyone, anyone who believes]; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." These scriptures mean that believers lack nothing as they eagerly await Jesus’s return. These gifts sustain and empower, not only them in their faith until that day, but are also for the edification and encouragement of the church, the faithful. Unbelievers, the unfaithful, get only the resurrection as their sign, because their minds are blinded by the God of this world. 2 Corinthians 4:4. See also my blog titled, "The Sign of Jonah," here. Jesus points to Jonah and the whale as the sign for the unfaithful who taunted Him for more signs, even though they had seen His many miracles. The resurrection is the final sign, a call to believe and have faith unto obedience, not just awe at His sacrifice. John 14:23, "Jesus answered and said unto him, "If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." He will keep my words; my Father will love him; and THEN we will come unto him and make our abode with him (Holy Spirit). 1 Corinthians 13:10-12 "But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." This refers to the return of Jesus, "that which is perfect." When He comes, partial things, like incomplete knowledge or temporary gifts, will no longer be needed, as His return will bring full revelation and completion. This is reinforced by Philippians 3:20-21: "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body," ["that which is perfect is come"] showing that Jesus’s return not only ends the need for temporary gifts, but also transforms believers, removing their sinful, "vile" nature to make them like Him in perfection. So, the gifts from Holy Spirit in the New Testament have not ceased, but they are signs for the faithful. In this blog, we will focus primarily, though not exclusively, on Mark 16:17-18: "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." Let's take a look at how this plays out over the two millennia (2000 years) since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We will pinpoint clergy and lay people who performed miracles according to Mark 16:17-18 above, mostly excluding the works of Jesus, because those works are well recorded in the Bible. This is a broader picture of how God's purpose continued to flourish among common people after Jesus's ascension, even though the church often denied miracles, or even limited them to clergy only. Present Day: Picture a weathered tent glowing beneath a Southern California moon. Evangelist Mario Murillo preaches with the fire of the Holy Spirit, as a man steps forward, declaring his fentanyl addiction shattered in a moment of belief and repentance. He drops his crutches to the dirt, trusting God’s power, and the crowd erupts with shouts of praise. Or, step back to the 1950s, where Oral Roberts fills a grainy TV screen, praying over a blind woman who blinks into sight as families watch from home, breathless. These scenes throb with healing’s pulse, rooted in Mark 16:17-18 above. For 2,000 years, healing has carved a path through history, driven by faith, met by God’s sovereign Will. He shapes it as the Potter molds the clay, per Isaiah 64:8: “But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.” God’s Will reigns, searching hearts (for faith). Hebrews 11:6 cuts no corners: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Faith’s the deal. God’s the boss. And the Spirit propels us to greater glory, as 2 Corinthians 3:18 promises: “But we all… are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” Let’s look at Faith Healing from the early church to now. Healing kicked off with Jesus and the apostles in a brutal Roman empire, where people were yearning for freedom from oppression. Mark 16:17-18 laid the promise, and Mark 16:20 proved it: “And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.” Peter healed a lame man in Acts 3:6: “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” Around 64 AD, Nero persecuted Christians, blaming them for a fire that gutted Rome as historian Tacitus records. At that time, Paul healed on Malta, when he met Publius’s father, “sick of a fever and of a bloody flux.” Paul “prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him” Acts 28:8. Believers saw these acts, Peter’s lame man walking, Publius’s dad recovering, as proof God had not left them to Rome’s flames. God’s Will is sovereign over the faithful. He knows what is in man. John 2:24-25 Healings did not end with the apostles. Acts 9:10-18 brings Ananias in Damascus. God said to Ananias, “Go thy way: for he [Saul/Paul] is a chosen vessel unto me," and Ananias laid hands on Saul, saying “Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus… hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight… And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales." Acts 8:6-7 shows Philip in Samaria: “For unclean spirits… came out of many… and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.” Healing’s arc did not flicker out after Jesus's crucifixion and ascension to heaven. It burned steady from 33 AD onward. The post-apostolic years of 60 to 203 AD saw church fathers and martyrs carrying the flame. Even the stretch from 203 to Rome’s fall 1000 kept healing alive despite patchy records and fading literacy. Faith met God’s sovereign Will in churches, monasteries, and martyr's tales. Jesus said in Matthew 17:20, “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” That speck of faith, small but real, sparked God’s power through the ages. Rome flipped the script in 313 AD, legalizing Christianity via Constantine’s Edict. Healing shifted as bishops took charge. Augustine in North Africa wrote in "City of God" (426 AD) of a blind man at a Milan shrine. A blind man, trusting martyr relics, got prayed over by Augustine and received sight. Around 432 AD, Patrick hit Ireland. Patrick, later Saint Patrick, was a fifth-century Romano-British missionary and bishop who brought Christianity to Ireland. A druid chieftain, sick with fever, believed Patrick’s God could fix him; Patrick prayed, the fever broke, and clans turned to Christ, per the Annals of Ulster. God’s sovereign Will, stacking faith in the hearts of men. After centuries of tension, the church split in 1054 when leaders in Rome and Constantinople excommunicated each other over doctrine and control, dividing Christianity into Western (Catholic) and Eastern (Orthodox) branches. The Middle Ages followed, a rugged span from the 5th to 15th centuries where Europe grappled with war, famine, and disease. Healing held steady through it. Around 1080 in southern France, Bernard of Clairvaux, later a saint, prayed over a boy blind from birth. The boy stood and saw light for the first time, as Herbert of Clairvaux’s 12th-century "Life of Bernard" notes. In 1224, Francis of Assisi took it further in central Italy. He found a leper outside Assisi, sores raw and reeking, and washed him while praying Psalm 107:20: “He sent his word, and healed them.” Francis’ faith stood firm, and the leper rose healed, skin clear, sores gone, per Thomas of Celano’s 1228 account. Then, the 1340s hit hard with the Black Death, a plague that killed nearly half Europe’s people, some 25 million, leaving survivors under lords’ thumbs. Pilgrims trekked to Santiago de Compostela, a Spanish shrine tied to St. James. In 1348, church records note a lame man walked home after hands were laid on him. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, a German monk, nailed his 95 Theses to a Wittenberg church door, calling out the Catholic Church for selling indulgences, which was cash for forgiveness, a scam fleecing peasants while priests grew fat. His words spread, and soon folks could read scripture in their own languages, not just the Latin that was locked in by Catholic clergy. Healing took a back seat as Luther and his crew preached salvation by faith alone, not miracles, but Anabaptists, considered radical believers at the time, kept healing alive. In 1525, they hid in Swiss barns, and laid hands on a woman burning with fever. She cooled off, and stood up, per Mennonite histories. The 1700s saw Europe and America lean into reason. Thinkers sneered at faith, and churches went cold. John Wesley flipped that in 1742, preaching outdoors to coal-stained miners in England. His journal logs a Bristol woman whose tumor shrank after he prayed, a crowd of 200 watching. Across the ocean, the Second Great Awakening erupted in 1801. At Cane Ridge, Kentucky, 20,000 gathered in a muddy field. Preacher Peter Cartwright prayed over a lame boy who stood, and took steps, as hymns shook the trees, per eyewitness diaries. From 1906 to 1909, Los Angeles trembled with a spiritual awakening. A revival known as Azusa Street blazed to life at 312 Azusa Street, where William J. Seymour preached in a rundown warehouse, the Revival birthing Pentecostalism in 1906, and ultimately Assemblies of God in 1914. Early Pentecostals saw Azusa as God pouring out His Spirit anew, fulfilling Joel 2:23's "latter rains," representing God's Spirit bringing spiritual renewal and transformation: "Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month." From glory to glory through the ages. Sweaty, multiracial crowds gathered at Azusa Street, shouting praises as the Holy Spirit fell on the crowds with power, bringing tongues, healings, and prophecies. They carried an urgent faith, alive with the promise of 1 Corinthians 12:10: "To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy." They believed they stood in the last days, as Acts 2:17 declares: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy." This outpouring of Spirit, the former and latter rains, transforms lives, from glory to glory, as 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 affirms: "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." The "Apostolic Faith," a publication edited by William Seymour during the Azusa Street Revival, widely circulated the healing testimonies from the events, with its circulation reaching up to 50,000, amplifying reports of miracles like restored sight, healed limbs, and even deliverance from chronic illnesses and diseases. It was reported that a crippled woman cast aside her cane and walked after prayer. Blind eyes opened, fevers broke, and tumors vanished before crowds numbering in the hundreds. Frank Bartleman’s book "Azusa Street" also testifies to these daily wonders, a foundation for all who followed. The Revival, which lasted from 1906 to roughly 1909 (with some influence extending to 1915), was marked by intense spiritual experiences and claims of supernatural occurrences. In addition to healings, attendees reported that uneducated individuals spoke in foreign languages they had not learned, languages recognized by immigrants present, like German or Yiddish, as evidence of "speaking in tongues" Acts 2:4. Other accounts describe people being "slain in the Spirit," falling under divine power, and experiencing dramatic transformations, both physical and emotional. Acts 9:1-43; Ezekiel 1:28; John 18:6; Revelation 1:17; Matthew 17:6 The Birth of Pentecostalism From the root of the Holiness movement, leaders like Charles Parham and Seymour pushed further, seeking the Holy Spirit’s indwelling as a distinct baptism marked by tongues. Acts 2:4 "They were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues." Thus, Pentecostalism was born, and stands as the last literal-Bible-following denomination that has evolved in over 100 years. These believers proclaim the gospel that Jesus, the only begotten Son of God John 3:16, died for our sins 1 Corinthians 15:3, rose from the dead on the third day 1 Corinthians 15:4, and is now exalted in heaven at God’s right hand Acts 2:33, a truth received by faith in God alone, with repentance, or turning from sin to God, sealed by the Holy Spirit’s power John 14:26. Taking Mark 16:17-18 at its word, they have faith in Jesus's promise, and expect tongues, healings, and signs, a biblical fidelity unmatched since its 1906 rise, sparking renewals like the Charismatics of the 1960s, yet holding firm as the final bastion of Scripture’s plain following. Born from the Holiness movement’s emphasis on personal piety and sanctification, Pentecostalism pushed further, insisting on a distinct baptism in the Holy Spirit. Matthew 3:11 "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire." This visceral experience broke from the quiet traditions of mainline churches, offering spiritual empowerment to all who sought it. The movement prizes supernatural feats in everyday lives, restoring the church to its apostolic and post-apostolic roots, where the Spirit moves freely among the faithful. From its Azusa Street spark, Pentecostalism grew into one of Christianity’s fastest-growing streams. By the 21st century, it claims 600 million adherents, per Gordon-Conwell’s 2020 estimate, flourishing in America, Africa, Latin America, and Asia, often, though not exclusively, among the poor and marginalized who find hope in its promise. Luke 4:18-19. This growth reflects an emotional, living faith, that critics sometimes call theatrical, questioning the authenticity of its miracles. Yet Pentecostals stand firm, declaring they live the Bible, not merely read it, preparing the world for the end. The movement’s appeal lies in its raw power. It carries forward the urgent call of Azusa, a beacon of God’s Spirit in these last days, lighting the path for Christ’s return. Other significant sparks of God's miracles flowed from Azusa Street: Maria Woodworth-Etter preached across America in the 1910s, her book "Signs and Wonders" chronicling feats. In Indiana, a paralyzed man rose and walked in 1913. In Ohio, deaf ears heard in 1915. A woman’s goiter shrank mid-meeting in 1914, all witnessed by thousands. Charles Parham, co-founder of Pentecostalism, preached healing alongside Seymour. His early 1900s meetings saw sickness flee, though specific cases remain less documented than Azusa’s flood. John G. Lake established healing rooms in Spokane during the 1910s. His ministry claimed 100,000 healings over five years, including cancers dissolving and blind eyes seeing, a testament to persistent faith. The Roaring Years: 1920s-1930s Aimee Semple McPherson built Angelus Temple in Los Angeles, her ministry peaking in the 1920s and 1930s. Her magazine "Bridal Call" reported a blind woman regaining sight in 1921, a crippled man discarding his cane in 1923, and a deaf mute speaking in 1926. Thousands left crutches behind, their healings archived by her Foursquare Church. F.F. Bosworth held campaigns nationwide in the 1920s. His book "Christ the Healer" recounts a cancer patient restored in Texas and blind eyes opened in Illinois by 1925, with dozens of letters pouring in from each revival. Charles S. Price joined the healing wave in the 1920s. In Canada, blind eyes saw and the lame walked, his meetings filling halls with believer testimonies of God’s touch. Smith Wigglesworth, a British evangelist, shook the 1920s and 1930s. Tumors melted under his hands, and the sick rose healed, his bold faith leaving a trail of miracles across continents. The Era of Television and Prosperity Believers: 1940s-1950s Revival The 1940s and 1950s marked a peak, a time when God’s power surged through many hands. William Branham launched his Healing Revival in 1947 at Jonesboro, Arkansas, before 20,000 souls. Deaf ears opened, a man deaf for twenty years hearing anew. Polio-stricken children walked, their legs straightening mid-prayer in 1950. Tumors fell from bodies, a woman’s mass dropping in 1948 before the crowd. In Durban, South Africa, in 1951, 100,000 watched a polio girl toss her crutches, her healing one of fifty or more per meeting. Oral Roberts filled tents in Tulsa during the 1950s. His magazine Healing Waters detailed arthritis untwisting a woman’s hands in 1955, a boy’s leukemia vanishing by 1952 with clear blood tests from his family, and cancers shrinking under prayer in 1954. Television captured the lame walking, a man casting aside crutches live, with over 1,000 healings per campaign. Jack Coe preached boldly in Dallas during the 1950s. A paralyzed woman stood unaided in 1952, cancers dissolved in 1954, and blind eyes saw in 1953, each revival yielding hundreds of claims in "Voice of Healing." A.A. Allen shook tents in the 1950s and 1960s. Tumors dropped from a woman in 1955, per "Miracle Magazine." A blind girl’s eyes cleared in 1958, and deaf ears popped in 1956. Film from the 1960s shows a man tossing crutches, with 500 healings per meeting. T.L. Osborn took healing abroad in the 1950s. In Thailand, a blind woman saw. In Cuba, a deaf mute spoke. His crusades yielding hundreds of miracles per event, recorded in "Healing the Sick." Gordon Lindsay coordinated the revival through "Voice of Healing." He documented a boy’s clubfoot straightening in 1948, his work amplifying thousands of healings across this span. Many from this era were prosperity believers, holding tight to scripture that promises abundance to fulfill more good works. "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:" 2 Corinthians 9:8. Anyone who has ever experienced this prosperity or abundance knows that God is able. "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again." Proverbs 19:17. "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." Luke 6:38. Not just words, but the word of the living God. Man will reap what he has sown, good or bad. Amen. The Broadening: 1960s-1970s Kathryn Kuhlman filled Pittsburgh halls in the 1960s and 1970s. Her book "I Believe in Miracles" lists a goiter shrinking in 1967, cancers vanishing in the 1970s, and wheelchairs emptying, with thousands of testimonies logged by her foundation. Benny Hinn began in Florida by the late 1970s. A blind man saw in 1979, arthritis fled, and his 1980s crusades saw the lame walk and cancers depart, hundreds claiming healing per event. John Wimber founded the Vineyard in the 1980s, his influence stretching into the 1990s. His book "Power Healing" records back pain lifting and deafness ending by 1987, with dozens healed per meeting, including a woman’s migraines ceasing in 1985. The Late Century: 1980s-1990s Morris Cerullo preached globally in the 1980s and 1990s. In Brazil, blind eyes opened in 1985. In the Philippines, cripples walked in the 1990s, his ministry tapes claiming thousands healed. Rodney Howard-Browne was a Pentecostal evangelist, rooted in the movement’s emphasis on the Holy Spirit’s power, as seen in his upbringing in a Pentecostal family in South Africa and his ministry’s focus on spiritual gifts like tongues and healing. His launch of "holy laughter" in the 1990s, which he framed as a sign of end-times revival, flowed from this foundation, echoing Acts 2:17 "And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh." After all, laughter is a fulfillment of Luke 6:21 "Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh," linking spiritual hunger and weeping to a divine outpouring of joy. Some embraced his views as a fresh move of God, and some dismissed them as unbiblical excess. Yet his Pentecostal convictions amplified the movement’s end-times fervor. In Florida, chronic pain left in 1993, a mute spoke, and dozens testified to healings amid revival joy (laughter). Kim Clement rose in the 1990s, continuing until 2016. Migraines stopped in the 2000s, a woman’s leg pain eased in 2010, his healings sparse but real to his faithful followers. The Present: Post-2016 to March 2025 Hank Kunneman ministers in Omaha to this day. Arthritis eased in the 2020s, a woman’s back pain vanished in 2022, with dozens of healings yearly reported by his believing flock. Robin Bullock preaches in Alabama, ongoing. A deaf man heard in 2019, a tumor shrank in 2023, his miracles documented in videos for the faithful. Heidi Baker serves in Mozambique, ongoing. Blind eyes opened and a deaf boy heard in 2018, her ministry logging hundreds of healings yearly for believers. Todd White heals on streets and stages into 2025. Legs lengthened in 2019, a woman’s limp departed in 2020, pain fled in 2021, with dozens per event sworn by the faithful. Mario Murillo holds tent revivals in California, ongoing. Cripples walked in 2022, chronic illness lifted in 2023, his events claiming hundreds of healings. Sean Feucht leads worship rallies into 2025. Chronic pain healed in the 2020s, mobility returned in 2022, with dozens of miracles reported by his believing crowds. The 1940s and 1950s Healing Revival undoubtedly shone brightest, with William Branham, Oral Roberts, Jack Coe, A.A. Allen, T.L. Osborn, and Gordon Lindsay together claiming tens of thousands of healings. Yet, every era, from William J. Seymour in 1906 to Sean Feucht in 2025, bears witness to God’s hand. The flow of miracles never ceased after the apostles, but, again, Matthew 12:39 warns, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas." The resurrection of Christ stands as a sign for all, but miracles bless believers, fulfilling Mark 16:18. As the last days draw near, the Spirit pours out, and the faithful see His wonders. So, faith is the deal, and Hebrews 11:6 slams it home: “without faith it is impossible to please him.” Jesus knows hearts, Matthew 9:4 “And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?” A woman in Matthew 9:22 believed, “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.” Bartimaeus in Mark 10:52 trusted, “Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole.” The lame man at Bethesda (John 5:6-9) answered Jesus’s “Wilt thou be made whole?” with action, rising when told. Lazarus rose from the dead in John 11:39-44 “Lazarus, come forth.” Martha, Lazarus's sister's, faith in John 11:22 “I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.” For more about the importance of faith, see also: "A New Heart" here" "The Holy Spirit Transforms" "By Faith" "The Triumphs of Faith" Healing’s arc runs from the early church’s grit to today’s tent revivals, fueled by faith and God’s sovereign Will. God reigns as Potter, us as clay: Isaiah 64:8 “But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter.” We are changed, 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, from glory to glory. Rough vessels all, the Potter’s sovereign Will crafts faith's arc, pushing us to greater glory, in His image, and toward Him. Signs Beyond Healing: Mark 16:17-18 Through the Ages Mark 16:17-18 lays out a bold promise: “In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Beyond healing, believers, often on the fringe, like today’s Pentecostals and Charismatics sparking revivals, live these signs, trusting God’s Will with mustard-seed faith Matthew 17:20. Clergy and lay folk since Jesus’s ascension cast out demons, spoke strange tongues, and tangled with serpents, fueled by belief and God’s sovereign power. Casting Out Devils Exorcisms flared across centuries, proclaimed by a mix of Roman Catholic priests, Protestant clergy, and everyday believers stepping boldly into the fray with faith in Jesus’s name. Around 313 AD, Ambrose, a Milan bishop, confronted a man raving with a spirit; Ambrose rebuked it with authority, and the man calmed. "Life of Ambrose" records it plainly. In 1801, at Kentucky’s Cane Ridge Revival, a Methodist lay preacher, meaning a regular believer, not ordained, faced a woman shrieking and thrashing, hallmarks of possession; he prayed for hours, commanding it out in Jesus’s name, and she stood steady, per eyewitness diaries. By 1975, Father Gabriele Amorth, Rome’s top Catholic exorcist, tackled a teen girl in Italy howling with voices not her own; months of relentless prayer broke the grip, per his accounts. That same year, Bob Larson, a Protestant radio evangelist, took on a Denver teen growling unnaturally, live on air, and Larson’s faith pressed through till the teen settled, per "Dead Air." In 2005, Wanda Pratnicka, a Polish laywoman, claimed thousands of exorcisms remotely, like a Chicago man plagued by voices since childhood, who found peace through her prayers, per her records, showing faith meeting God’s will to kick darkness loose across time. Exorcisms Between 100 and 313 AD: After Jesus’s ascension in 33 AD, exorcisms did not fade. Early Christians kept them alive into the New Testament’s close (~100 AD) and beyond. Around 150 AD, Justin Martyr wrote in "First Apology" (Chapter 6) that Christians, clergy and lay, cast out demons in Jesus’s name, proving Christ’s power over pagan gods; no famous cases, just a steady hum of belief. Irenaeus, around 180 AD in "Against Heresies" (Book II, Chapter 32), noted believers expelled demons with prayer, commonplace, not tied to rank. Tertullian, near 200 AD in "Apology" (Chapter 23), said Christians drove out spirits with Jesus’s name, faith, not magic, fueled it. Origen, around 248 AD in "Against Celsus" (Book VII, Chapter 4), claimed even uneducated Christians, lacking formal learning, cast out demons with prayer and touch. Famous Clergy Cases Beyond Ambrose: Beyond Ambrose, famous clergy left their mark with exorcisms tied to faith and God’s will. Martin of Tours, around 371 AD, a French bishop, faced a possessed man in a village; he ordered the demon out with a stern word, and the man was freed. Locals spread his fame, per Sulpicius Severus’ "Life of Martin." Benedict of Nursia, around 520 AD, founder of Western monasticism, expelled a demon from a monk raving in his monastery; Benedict prayed and struck with a rod, the monk calmed. "Gregory the Great’s Dialogues" (Book II, Chapter 16) tells it. Columbanus, an Irish missionary around 600 AD, cast a demon from a man in Gaul; he commanded it out, the man stood sane. Jonas of "Bobbio’s Life of Columbanus" (Book I, Chapter 19) notes his European reach. John Wesley, Methodist founder, around the 1740s, prayed over a woman convulsing in Bristol; he rebuked a spirit, she quieted. His Journal (1742) shows clergy faith at work. These were not small feats; faith met God’s will, shaking evil loose. Serpent-Handling and Poison-Drinking Through Time In Mark 16:18, Jesus commissions His disciples, declaring, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall... They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them...” This is not a nod to snake-handling or poison-drinking rituals, as 1st-century Judea had no such cults, and the early church did not practice these things. It is a promise of power over danger. For the disciples at the time, it signaled fearless mission work amid real risks, not a call to stunts. Jesus clarified in Luke 10:19, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." Additional scripture reinforces this with Psalm 91:13, “Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet." As well as Paul’s encounter in Acts 28:3-6: “And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand… And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.” These scriptures echo Christ’s triumph in Hebrews 2:14-15, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” They represent authority over Satan, “as a roaring lion” seeking prey 1 Peter 5:8, not a call to grab snakes or down poison, but faith overcoming anything meant to harm us. As Joseph said in Genesis 50:20, what man means for evil, God turns to good. There are few if any recorded tales of snake handling or poison drinking in the early church. Church fathers like Justin Martyr (2nd century) mention healings, not serpents, leaving it quiet until much later. Fast forward to the 20th century, and in 1909, Ambrose Clark, a Tennessee lay preacher, gripped copperheads at a Grasshopper Valley revival. He trusted Mark’s word and walked off unbitten, locals swore by it, per oral tales. George Hensley took it further in 1910, grabbing rattlers mid-sermon in Sale Creek. He believed God would shield him, dodging death until a 1955 bite took him, per church lore. The 20th-century Pentecostal surge tied to Mark 16:18 kicked off with Azusa Street in 1906, and believers latched onto signs like healing and tongues, but Appalachia’s Holiness folks (1910s-1920s), led by Hensley, added serpents as proof of faith over danger. James Miller, a Kentucky preacher, started in the 1920s, survived a 1945 bite with prayer, and preached till 1970. His faith held firm, per family accounts. Dolly Pond Church of God with Signs Following, since the 1940s, saw layman John Brown Jr. handle vipers in a 2021 service. He took a bite, prayed it off, and lived, per church talk. Yet today, it is a tiny fringe of snake handlers, a few hundred in Appalachia like Dolly Pond, banned in Tennessee since 1947, and seen as protection rather than a mandate. Faith drives those few who do, God’s will deciding the outcome. Tongues Across the Centuries Tongues did not vanish after the early church; it simmered through time, popping up among believers trusting the Holy Spirit’s move. Irenaeus (130-202 AD) noted it in "Against Heresies," describing believers speaking new languages, while Tertullian (200 AD) saw it in North Africa. In 1706, Camisard refugees in France spoke tongues amid persecution. These lay Protestants trusted the Spirit’s rush, per their diaries. In 1906, Azusa Street’s lay crowd, factory workers and maids, spoke new languages as William Seymour preached. Dozens believed the Spirit hit nightly, filling a warehouse with strange speech, per revival logs. In 1922, Aimee Semple McPherson, a Pentecostal evangelist, led a service in Los Angeles. A mechanic named John Doe spoke fluent Mandarin he had never learned, trusting God took over, per Foursquare Church records. In 1980, David Wilkerson, an Assemblies of God pastor, prayed over a New York teen who stammered into tongues mid-service. The kid trusted it and kept praising, per Wilkerson’s memoirs. In 2004, during the Toronto Blessing, laywoman Sarah Jones spoke a Slavic tongue mid-prayer at a packed meeting, untrained. She believed God moved, per church logs. All of these acts require the smallest of faith to perform, faith the size of a mustard seed. Changed From Glory to Glory, Through the Ages Proverbs 9:4-6: "Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” And to him who lacks sense, she says, 'Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.'" This passage encourages the simple to seek wisdom and understanding, implying a progression from basic to more profound knowledge. Faith to faith, glory to glory. Isaiah 28:9-10: "Whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? Those just weaned from the milk? Those just taken from the breast? For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little." From glory to glory through two millennia, and Apostle Paul brings it home in 1 Corinthians 3:2: "I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able." These verses speak about the gradual and incremental nature of learning and understanding, similar to the idea of moving from milk to solid food, glory to glory. Jump to 2025, and many are still fed with milk, unable to bear meat. Yet that mustard-seed faith that moved mountains, defied empires, and built glory, God’s sovereign Will shining through history’s edges, can still be seen by his most ardent believers, through faith that can move literal mountains. Remember, in a world crushed by Rome, where taxes bled dry the already oppressed, and soldiers cracked skulls for nonpayment, Jesus was the original fringe. He appeared with hope for the masses of weary seeking relief. His ways were considered unorthodox, or "fringe," to the Jewish elders. He preached love: Love God, and love your neighbor as yourself Matthew 22:36-40. Even more difficult to hear or understand, He preached, “Love your enemies” Matthew 5:44, which sounded wild in an age of despair and manmade rituals, where they had been taught to hate their enemies. And, so we are changed from glory to glory, in His image. 2 Corinthians 3:18. The rain, the former rain, and the latter rain. Joel 2:23 Amen.  "The Son of Man [Jesus Christ] will be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and after three days He will rise." Mark 9:31
This is a word God put on my heart recently about repentance, faith, and salvation. Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word, Your Son, and Your Spirit. Let Your children with ears hear. Amen. The story of Jonah is more than a tale of a man and a fish. Jonah 1,2,3. It is a powerful study of God’s grace, human stubbornness, and the cost of not responding to God's call. When God first called Jonah to warn Nineveh, a wicked city ripe for judgment, Jonah did not just hesitate to answer, he ran from God's command, and boarded a ship to Tarshish. What followed was not immediate damnation, but a wake-up call: God sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest that rocked the ship. The men were afraid, and they threw Jonah into the ocean, and the waters became calm. Then, God caused a mighty fish to swallow up Jonah, leading to three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish. It was God's warning for Jonah, a taste of the consequences of rejecting God’s call, swift and severe. From the ocean’s depths, and the belly of the fish, Jonah prayed: Jonah 2 1 "Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly, 2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heard my voice. 3 For thou had cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. 4 Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple." "I will look again toward thy Holy temple," signaling his return to faith in God (repentance). God then tells the fish to spit out Jonah, and it spits him out onto dry land. Then, God called to Jonah again: "And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee." Jonah 3:1-2. This time, Jonah obeyed God, and God's warning through Jonah to Nineveh sparked repentance across the city, saving it from destruction. Flawed and defiant, Jonah became a vessel of salvation, not because he was perfect, but because he turned back to God and His ways. Jesus points to Jonah as a sign, when He says, "As Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Matthew 12:40. Jonah’s deliverance foreshadowed Christ’s resurrection, a triumph over death that stands as the ultimate proof of God’s power. God saved Jonah from the whale's belly, and Nineveh from destruction. He also saved His only Son, Jesus Christ, from the whale's belly ("three days and three nights in the heart of the earth"). God saved the city of Nineveh through Jonah. He saved all of mankind through Jesus Christ, the Messiah. But, there is a sharper edge here. Jesus spoke in Matthew 12:40 above, to an evil and adulterous generation, who demanded more signs, a crowd unwilling to accept him despite seeing with their own eyes his many miracles. He was not speaking to the faithful, but skeptics and foes like the Pharisees who sought to catch him in his words and accuse him, as Luke 11:54 and Mark 12:13 reveal. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared and said, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 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." Matthew 28:18-20. Jesus did not leave us. He has all power in heaven and in earth, and He gave us that power as well. Mark 16:17-18; Luke 10:19; 2 Timothy 1:7; Acts 1:8; John 14:2 Just as God called Jonah and Nineveh to repentance, the resurrection is His call for man's repentance, to believe in His Son, and to have faith unto obedience, not just awe at His sacrifice. Love requires love. As Jesus said: "If ye love me, keep my commandments." John 14:15 Faith means following Him, and obeying Him. Some might say Jonah’s story is different because it happened before Jesus’ sacrifice removed sin’s eternal sting. Back then, rejecting God’s Will brought immediate reckoning, like the storm that rocked the ship, and being in the belly of the fish, since Jesus had not yet ushered in grace. Today, because of the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins, we are justified by faith, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1. We are forgiven when we confess. 1 John 1:9. But does that mean accountability vanishes? Not at all. Take Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11. In the early church, after Jesus' ascension into heaven, Ananias and Sapphira sold property but lied about giving all the proceeds to the apostles. Peter said, "Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto the Holy Spirit," and they fell dead instantly, struck down for deceiving God. Or, consider the Corinthians who fell sick or died for dishonoring the Lord’s Supper: "For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep." 1 Corinthians 11:28-30 God’s grace does not erase consequences; it calls us to obey. For Jonah, it was correction to obedience: "For whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives." Hebrews 12:6. For us, it is no different: "And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him." Acts 5:32 What do we make of this? Jonah’s second chance shows God’s grace is vast, and He pursues even the stubborn, but rejection has a cost, then and now. Had Jonah not repented, the outcome could have been grim, surely the same as God promised an unrepentant Nineveh. Scripture drives this home: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Matthew 7:21. Faith is not just a one-time claim of "I Believe"; it is a life of obedience led by faith and the Holy Spirit that guides. Even the demons "believe," and know Jesus is the Holy One of God: "Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God." Mark 1:24. "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." James 2:19. "Knowing" and "believing" with a wicked heart leads to destruction, but believing with a righteous heart, set on God's ways, that leads to life. Jesus rose from the dead, proving His authority, and He calls all to follow Him. He obeyed God’s will perfectly, even unto death, because he had God's Holy Spirit. And, He calls us to do the same: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Matthew 5:48. His sacrifice forgives sins: "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. Does that forgive every sin forever? If we repent and ask for forgiveness every day, it does. Scripture calls us to "pray without ceasing" 1 Thessalonians 5:17, and also to repent when we pray. When asked by His disciples how to pray, Jesus taught them a daily prayer, the Lord's Prayer, Matthew 6:9-13, "...forgive us as we forgive... and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil..." (repentance). The Ninevites got it, repenting at God's warning through Jonah, and were saved. But for those who do not get it, or do not care Romans 6:16? Jesus warns of a resurrection to death: "And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; They that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." John 5:29 Hebrews adds, "If we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment." Hebrews 10:26-27. That knowledge of the truth comes from the Holy Spirit, given to those who believe in Jesus, who is the truth, and have faith in God: "When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth..." John 16:13. It is not mere head knowledge, but a living revelation, rejected at our own peril. But, does Scripture back this up? Let’s see. What is the "knowledge of the truth"? The Truth is Jesus Christ: He is the way, the truth and the life. John 14:6. The Holy Spirit teaches believers, who obey God Acts 5:32, all things about Jesus (the knowledge of the truth) John 16:13. It is not a textbook lesson but a revelation that takes root in our hearts, showing us who Jesus was, is, and will be, what He has done, is doing, and will do, and what God expects from us now. Holy Spirit ties it together in our heart. John 15:26: "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me." The Spirit reveals Jesus, making the truth personal and real. 1 John 2:20, 27: "But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things... But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." Luke 12:47-48: "And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required..." The Holy Spirit is inside us when we have faith in God, and believe in Jesus. We must prepare ourselves according to His Will. 1 Timothy 2:4: "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 2:5-6 2 Timothy 2:25: "In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth." It is linked to repentance, a heart-change towards God’s reality. 2 Timothy 3:7: "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." Some resist this truth, missing its depth. Titus 1:1 (KJV): "Paul, a servant of God, and an Apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness." Again, the truth (Jesus) is connected to faith and a life of godliness, which is obedience. Hebrews 10:26-27 above is not just a warning; it is a call to hold fast to the truth we have been given, because there is no Plan B. Jesus is the sacrifice, and the Spirit teaches us about Him. Scripture confirms it: The "knowledge of the truth" is a living revelation from the Holy Spirit, given to those who believe in Jesus and obey God. The scripture shows it is not just information. It is life. There is no other way to be saved. The Bible is clear, and the stakes are eternal. So, Jonah’s second chance, and Jesus’ resurrection, shout the same truth: God offers deliverance, but He requires a perfect heart and a willing mind: "And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever." 1 Chronicles 28:9 A perfect heart comes from repentance: Jonah and Nineveh repented (they both turned back... to God), and were saved from destruction. Jesus rose from the dead, proving His authority, and He calls all to follow in faith, seeking forgiveness as we stumble. The sign is there, vivid, undeniable: Before or after the resurrection, faith is not passive. In other words, it leads to action. Compare your life to Jonah's. Are you running from God's call? Has God given you rocky storms, or three days and nights in living hell? Read my blog titled, "The Veil here," about God calling my husband and I to repentance one weekend during a hurricane in 2021. We answered His call to repent that day. Praise God. Have you? Faith is active, obedient, alive, beyond mere humanly knowledge, guided by Holy Spirit into a life aligned with God’s Will through Jesus Christ in us, sustained by prayer and repentance. Because in the end, God’s Will prevails, and we are either with Him, or against Him. There is the belly of the whale, or there is salvation in Christ, the truth. There is no middle. Philippians 2 10 "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." See some of my other blogs related to this topic: "A New Heart" here" "The Holy Spirit Transforms" "By Faith" "The Triumphs of Faith" Seek God and you will find Him. All glory to God in the highest. Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. JESUS FEEDS 5,000  Imagine the 5,000 in John 6:5-14, a sprawling crowd, weary and wanting, seeking freedom from oppression, clustered around Jesus on a grassy slope. He takes five loaves and two fish, blesses them, and feeds every soul. “And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.” John 6:11 Twelve baskets overflow with fragments. It’s a marvel, simple yet vast, and the people whisper, “This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.” John 6:14 God steps in, turning a hungry throng into a fed flock, and thereby converting many who witnessed the miracle. THE WOODSTOCK FESTIVAL 1969  Now see Woodstock 1969. Half a million souls gathered together, a tide of long hair and patched jeans, washing over a farm in Bethel, New York. They came for rock and roll, and freedom from oppression, and they got the Jesus Movement. “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.” Acts 2:17 God stepped in, turning what some called the forsaken, and reaping believers from the chaos, as God does repeatedly throughout history and the Bible. TRUMP RALLY  Then a Trump rally. Thousands upon thousands, many Christian, red hats as banners, packed tight with chants and cheers. Drawn to promises of peace, and freedom from oppression by a government that no longer works for the people. Romans 13:1 speaks to it: “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.” Like Woodstock’s seekers, this crowd is alive with longing. Is God moving here too, shaping something unseen, just as He has done many times before? Heavenly Father, thank you for Your Son, Your Word and Your Spirit. May the world seek You. Amen.
Recently, there has been a lot of chatter by some Christians on X claiming that other Christians have damned themselves by voting for Trump, so this has been on my heart for a while. I wrote about some of it previously in my blog titled, “RNC 2024,” which you can read here, so I will not repeat what I wrote there. This morning, however, out of the blue, my husband started talking about the Woodstock Festival in 1969, and questioning how so many people, 400,000 +/- souls, all assembled in one place, could have, for the most part, maintained a peaceful gathering? This led to scripture from Holy Spirit, Jacob’s Ladder, and then to this blog. When you hear "Bethel," you might think of the ladder to heaven Jacob saw in his dream in Genesis 28:11-19, a ladder to heaven, angels climbing up and down, and God’s voice: “I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest… I will not leave thee.” Jacob awakens, stunned: “Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not… This is none other but the house of God,” and Jacob named it Bethel, meaning “House of God.” In August 1969, a different Bethel, Bethel, New York, became its own ladder to heaven. The Woodstock Music Festival turned Max Yasgur’s dairy farm into a cultural and spiritual pivot, shaped by Jewish hands: Michael Lang, Artie Kornfeld, Joel Rosenman, and Yasgur himself. What was by all accounts a debauch three-day party, God turned into a Spiritual Revolution known as “The Jesus Movement,” climbing a modern ladder, from mud to grace. ALL ROADS LEAD TO GOD Bethel, New York, formerly a part of the larger city of Lumberland, became its own city in 1809, and was named "Bethel" by the Puritans specifically related to the Biblical Jacob's Ladder. Further, The Woodstock Festival was never intended to take place in Bethel, New York. The Festival’s name is derived from Woodstock, a town 40 miles away, where the four organizers first dreamed of a music-and-art fair. But permits in Woodstock fell through, the locals balked at the idea of having half a million people descend on their town, and the clock was ticking for the organizers. They searched diligently for somewhere to hold the festival, and finally, late in planning, received a “yes" from Max Yasgur, a 49-year-old dairy farmer with 600 acres in Bethel, New York. The Woodstock Festival would go down in history as a free-for-all: naked hippies, marijuana smoke clouds, free love preached like the gospel. Christians saw it as a war on Christian values, the nuclear family, and law-and-order America. Some tied it to a “Jewish agenda,” a trope claiming cultural Marxism aimed at toppling Western norms via sex, drugs, and rock and roll. With Lang, Kornfeld, Rosenman, and Yasgur, all being Jewish, conspiracy whispers swirled: Was this a calculated move to break America’s moral spine? Lang, a 24-year-old dropout turned counterculture guru from Brooklyn, pushed “peace” as rebellion. Kornfeld, a Long Island music executive tied to Capitol Records, had the industry clout to amplify it. Rosenman, an Ivy League-polished Manhattan lawyer, bankrolled the chaos with the only Gentile in the group, partner John Roberts. Yasgur, a Russian-Jewish farmer in conservative Bethel, New York, opened the gate, literally, to the flood, leasing his 600 acres for $75,000, despite his neighbors’ fury. Their Jewish roots fueled the narrative, echoing Moses smashing the golden calf in Exodus 32:19, a break from tradition, intentional or not. Yasgur told the 400,000-strong crowd, “I’m a farmer… You’ve proven something to the world: half a million kids can get together for fun and music and have nothing but fun and music.” But was that all it was? Woodstock was far from a Church. Yet, it thrummed with 400,000 souls hungering for escape from the death of the Vietnam war, chasing transcendence through psychedelics, Eastern mysticism, open sex, and Hendrix riffs. Despite their intent, whatever it was, all of that “seeking” bore fruit. By 1971, the Jesus Movement erupted. Ex-hippies like Lonnie Frisbee, a Woodstock-era drifter turned evangelist, hit California beaches preaching a raw, long-haired, loving Jesus, unbound by pews. “Jesus Freaks” baptized thousands of "born again" John 3:3 Christian converts in the Pacific Ocean and rivers, strumming “Amazing Grace” on guitars, turning Woodstock’s communal, free-spirited vibe into Christian zeal. Time magazine’s 1971 “Jesus Revolution” cover traced it all back to Woodstock’s wake, from muddy ladder to Spiritual revival. This was Bethel, New York’s, legacy as a modern Jacob’s ladder: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” John 1:51. At Woodstock, that ladder was chaos: mud, music, open sex, drugs, a generation’s cry. The Jesus Movement climbed the ladder out of the mud, finding Christ where others saw only ruin. Like Jacob, those 400,000 souls did not expect God to be in that place, that weekend. Yet, He was there. Other seeds grew from Woodstock as well: New Age mysticism, back-to-the-land dreams, but the Christian revival stood the tallest and boldest. Whether or not the Woodstock Festival was a deep, dark conspiracy to debauch America, or just four free spirits who wanted to flip the middle finger at the establishment, God took what men meant for evil and turned it for His good. Genesis 50:20. In other words, God bends human plans to His Will: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.” Isaiah 55:8. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” Romans 8:28. What was sinful for those 400,000 souls became salvation for many of them, and more, because of them. Max Yasgur didn’t live to see the full Spiritual fallout of Woodstock. He died of a heart attack in 1973, but his farm remains a reminder. Today, the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts sits there, a testament to that summer of 1969. His Jewish identity adds a poetic twist. Like Cyrus, the Persian king who unknowingly served God’s will in the Bible, Yasgur became an accidental vessel. His field, in a place named “House of God” by chance, hosted a generation’s search for meaning. They all found sex and drugs that weekend, and then a vast majority of them subsequently found Jesus. Bethel, New York, named a “House of God” by fluke, became one for real. By all accounts, Lang, Kornfeld, Rosenman, and Yasgur did not plot salvation for the masses that summer. Yet, their roles mirror, “Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus… For Jacob my servant’s sake… though thou hast not known me.” Isaiah 45:1-4 So, conspiracy buffs say Lang and the others meant to fracture America, 400,000 souls as pawns. History tries to portray that they just threw a party for three days in August, 1969. Bible prophecy hums otherwise: a farm, a festival, and a ladder to the cross for a multitude. Let’s take a quick look at King David, God’s greatest king, and probably one of His most flawed. King David is one of the Bible’s most celebrated figures, a man after God’s own heart 1 Samuel 13:14, a shepherd turned king, and the author of countless psalms. Yet, his story is far from spotless. One of its darkest chapters begins with a single, fateful glance from a rooftop. David, seeing Bathsheba bathing, succumbed to the lust of the flesh, and committed adultery with her 2 Samuel 11:2-4. What followed was a cascade of sin: deception, betrayal, and murder. When Bathsheba became pregnant from the affair, David orchestrated the death of her husband, Uriah, a loyal soldier, by sending him to the front lines of battle, where he was killed. With Uriah gone, David married Bathsheba, perhaps thinking he had covered his tracks. But God sees all. Through the prophet Nathan 2 Samuel 12:9-24, God confronted David, saying, “Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife." The consequences were severe, as the firstborn child of this union became ill and died, a judgment that broke David’s heart. Yet, in that grief, David turned to God in private, fasting and pleading for mercy, and God heard him. David and Bathsheba later had another son, Solomon, whom the LORD loved, and blessed with great wisdom, and Messianic lineage. As Matthew’s genealogy records at Matthew 1, “David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam," placing him in the direct lineage of Jesus, the promised Christ. This messy, painful, story reveals a profound truth: God doesn’t require perfect vessels. David was a rough one, flawed, impulsive, and capable of grave sin, but he was also a man who, when faced with his failures, turned to God in private humility. At the height of David’s sin with Bathsheba and Uriah, he stood as an unrepentant king, caught in pride and deceit, hiding his guilt behind his power. Scripture declares, “The thing that David had done displeased the LORD” 2 Samuel 11:2, and God’s judgment came swiftly. When Nathan confronted him, David’s repentance was in front of God and Nathan, and he confessed, “I have sinned against the Lord," and he sought God’s face. Psalm 51 is a personal cry to God, penned by David after Nathan’s rebuke, and lays bare his soul: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions… Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” Psalm 51:1, 10. Psalm 51 reveals a humbled heart, broken and bent, not for show but for God, proving the LORD weighs what man cannot see: “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 God’s choice to use David, and to bring Solomon through this imperfect lineage, to Jesus Christ, shows that His purposes are not thwarted by human weakness. As Paul later wrote, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” 2 Corinthians 4:7. David’s life reminds us that our failures do not disqualify us from God’s plan; rather, they can become the raw material for its very fulfillment. Like clay in the Potter’s hands, it is not the vessel’s perfection that matters; it is the One who shapes it. Jump to February 2025, and X is ablaze with Christian chatter. Some say voting for Trump has damned their brethren. They point to his scandals, lawsuits, and words, crying, “Ye shall know them by their fruits,” seeing a wolf in sheep’s clothing, where “Beware of false prophets” seems to fit too well. But God's faithful fire back: “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.” They see a flawed tool in Trump, like Woodstock, not a false god. If Woodstock’s chaos could be turned into a ladder to heaven, a vote, or a flawed man, could be redeemed too. So, there are whispers of hope where some would have us believe damnation looms: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.” His supporters say, Donald Trump, like David, is a rough vessel, a leader forged in battles, marked by flaws, yet chosen by God for a purpose, like each one of us. Far from the proud and brass caricature his foes portray, his friends and associates say he carries a quiet humility unseen by the world. He surrounds himself at the White House by spiritual advisors, who pray with him daily, and by a cabinet of openly Christian warriors, whose faith burns bright. In private, with his Christian cabinet and advisors, he seeks God’s face, as David did. “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. God alone sees this, and God alone shapes the vessel. Trump’s cabinet picks, from Pam Bondi to Kristi Noem to Marco Rubio to Sean Duffy to Karoline Leavitt, and many others, all are bold believers, echoing David’s court of loyal, God-fearing men. These are not polished saints but rough clay vessels, shaped by faith, not perfection. His supporters stand as a faithful remnant, like Israel under David’s reign. They see in Trump, and his Christian cabinet, a team after God’s heart, not flawless but fervent for righteousness. They have watched him honor God’s name, proclaim Jesus Christ, fight to end wars, protect the unborn, and fight for the American people, while still maintaining compassion for foreigners, children, and those affected by wars. They trust the scripture, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will” Proverbs 21:1. His supporters believe, like Yasgur’s field at Woodstock, Trump is a rough vessel, a tool, not a saint. God’s plan was for sinful Woodstock to turn to revival. Who is to say that His plan is not to bend the Trump saga to His glory as well? Are Trump's supporters damned for voting for him? No. How could they be? Scripture says, God blesses those who align with His purposes. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD” Psalm 33:12. Their loyalty flows from faith in God, not folly in man, backing a leader and a cabinet who, like David, stumble but seek God’s will. Romans 8:28 stands firm, “All things work together for good to those who love God.” Scoffers mock Trump’s humility, his dignitaries, blind to God’s work through rough clay. His supporters are vessels too, shaped by the Potter’s hand, bearing a nation’s hope, a world's even, before God, despite the scoffers’ scorn. Trump’s presidency, like David’s rule, mirrors a biblical truth: God uses rough clay for His glory, the fulfillment of His Will, and his good pleasure. "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." Revelation 4:11 So, Bethel’s echo lingers: From Jacob’s Ladder to Woodstock’s muddy fields, God is still flipping chaos to grace, and saving the oppressed. Woodstock waved a peace flag, and proved the world could gather in peace; the Jesus Movement raised a cross, and proved it could kneel there too, all on Bethel’s sodden turf. Trump, his cabinet, and his supporters, stand on this ground, a chaotic world seeking peace, a faithful remnant lifting the cross. Like Woodstock to the Jesus Movement, and David’s humbled turn yielding Solomon, their rough faith may birth a legacy of peace, order and grace, shaped by the Potter’s unwavering hand. "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.  "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." John 8:36 For the first time in recent memory, we watched (almost) all of the RNC (Republican National Convention), July 15 - 18, 2024. In conjunction with the televised event, and play-by-play opinions on X.com (Twitter), over the duration of the four-day event, the experience was a giant rollercoaster of emotion for me as a Christian, from start to finish: From joy to disappointment to hope, and back again. To be honest, I told my husband, They are pimping out the RNC. Forgive me, Lord. My husband is much meeker and quicker to forgive than me, and he mentioned Mark 2:16-17 below, which we will look at in a moment. This morning, however, God began to put this word on my heart about the Republican National Convention. As Christians, it is important that we study and understand the heart of Jesus, so that we do not sin against God. We can see Jesus' heart and what God requires of man in Matthew 5,6,7, Ephesians 4,5,6, Luke 3:10-18, and throughout most of the New Testament. The other day I was praying, and I started to say, Father, thank you that I am not like ..... and, then, remembering, Luke 18 below, I stopped myself, and said, Father, forgive me, I am exactly like them. Luke 18 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 exalts himself shall be abased; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted." This is why we must store God's word in our heart so we do not sin against Him. Psalm 119:11 Did I expect and hope that the entertainment, music, prayers and speeches at the RNC would have been entirely Christian-oriented? Yes, of course, but, as I was writing this, I realized that it is the Republican National Convention, not a Christian national convention. The RNC represents all voters registered as Republican in the United States of America (USA). America is, and always has been, a melting pot of people, ethnicities, faiths, and religions. Thus, the Constitution of the United States of America: First Amendment Quote: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." End Quote. Freedom of religion and free speech rolled up into one short paragraph, allowing Christians to freely teach, study and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in America. Of course, it also means religion and speech are free to everyone else as well, not just Christians. That being said, statistics show that the majority of America is Christian: Of the approximately 350 million people in America, approximately 250 million are Christian, albeit many who could probably use a refreshing of the Spirit! Hallelujah! Thank you, Jesus. Amen. We should remember that Satan is the ruler of this world, as it is written in scripture. But, we should also remember that Satan can tempt us only so much because God provides a way to escape. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13 It is also written in scripture, "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;" Matthew 5:44 Think about it, when missionaries go to foreign countries to preach the gospel of Christ, they move into a community, put their children into foreign schools, attend foreign churches, sometimes churches full of good people who have lost their way to Christ, sometimes churches that worship and pray to false gods. They slowly become members of the community, and may start their own Bible study classes, and slowly reintroduce those people to Christ. Is this not exactly what Apostle Paul did from Ephesus to Corinth? Is this not what we are called to do: "Go ye into all the nations and preach the gospel unto every creature." Matthew 28:19 We must not become complacent and comfortable in our circle of righteousness. "For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:” 1 Peter 2:15 Remember when Jesus preached to the Samaritans, who worshipped pagan gods and were considered unclean to the Jews. Many Samaritans were saved because of His preaching. John 4:1-25 Anyone can be saved, even those who pray to pagan gods, if they seek the living God, the God of the living: "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord [Jesus] shall be saved." Romans 10:13 Instead of praying, Lord, thank you that I am not like those sinners, we should pray, Lord, forgive them, for they know not what they do. If we are attending the RNC, or praying for those attending: Lord, give us the strength and conviction to confess Jesus and preach the gospel to as many of the attendees as possible, all who have ears to hear. Lord, prosper our discipleship of the lost. In Your Name. Amen. I mean, the RNC was ripe for harvest: "Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Matthew 9:38 Prayer not criticism. We all need a double dose of humility: Matthew 7 3 "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. Yes, there were a lot of sinners at the RNC, because all men are sinners. The Pharisees and scribes called out Jesus for eating and drinking with the publicans (politicians) and sinners: Mark 2 16 "And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him [Jesus] eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? 17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." ". . . He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone. . ." John 8:7 We cannot, as Christians, pick and choose which scripture to follow. The Bible is to be studied as a whole, and it is also written in scripture that all powers that be are ordained by God: Romans 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. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation." Let's take a closer look at Romans 13:1-2, from Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible, biblehub.com: Quote: "Whosoever therefore resisteth the power... The office of magistracy, and such as are lawfully placed in it, and rightly exercise it; who denies that there is, or ought to be any such order among men, despises it, and opposes it, and withdraws himself from it, and will not be subject to it in any form: resisteth the ordinance of God, the will and appointment of God, whose pleasure it is that there should be such an office, and that men should be subject to it. This is not to be understood, as if magistrates were above the laws, and had a lawless power to do as they will without opposition; for they are under the law, and liable to the penalty of it, in case of disobedience, as others; and when they make their own will a law, or exercise a lawless tyrannical power, in defiance of the laws of God, and of the land, to the endangering of the lives, liberties, and properties of subjects, they may be resisted, as Saul was by the people of Israel, when he would have took away the life of Jonathan for the breach of an arbitrary law of his own, and that too without the knowledge of it, 1 Samuel 14:45; but the apostle is speaking of resisting magistrates in the right discharge of their office, and in the exercise of legal power and authority:" End quote. The law of the land in America is that we, the American people, have a right to vote on who leads our country. In this upcoming presidential election, more than any other time in our nation, our vote is literally good versus evil. Not to exercise our God-given (see Romans 13:1-2 above) right to vote, or to vote for anyone other than the Republican nominee, who happens to be Donald Trump at this time, is a vote against the Will of God, as it is written in scripture. There are 25 items in Agenda 47, Trump's platform, and they are all common sense for a God-loving, God-fearing, sovereign nation. Let's take a quick look at the commentary on Romans 13:2 from Barnes' Notes on the Bible from biblehub.com: Quote: "Resisteth the ordinance of God - What God has ordained, or appointed. This means clearly that we are to regard "government" as instituted by God, and as agreeable to his will. "When" established, we are not to be agitated about the "titles" of the rulers; not to enter into angry contentions, or to refuse to submit to them, because we are apprehensive of a defect in their "title," or because they may have obtained it by oppression. If the government is established, and if its decisions are not a manifest violation of the laws of God, we are to submit to them." End Quote. So, they closed out the final night of the RNC with President Trump's acceptance speech for the 2024 Republican nomination for President of the United States. Am I disappointed that he did not once mention our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in his speech? This fact did not escape me, and I was waiting for it. So, you bet I am disappointed, but I am equally thankful that he spoke of God Almighty repeatedly. It was clear from his demeanor that God has humbled him with the attempt on his life, and I pray, and am hopeful, that he will listen to the Will of God, and that all of his common sense platform, Agenda 47, will be accomplished. "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." Romans 12:18 God bless you. God bless America. God bless President Trump. In Jesus' Mighty Name. Amen. "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."   Acts 2 16 "But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:" See also Joel 2:28-29. Holy Spirit put this word on my heart this morning, along with the scripture, Mark 16:9-20. We will take a look at that scripture, and then take a quick look in scripture at some of the most noteworthy women of the Bible. Finally, we will try to understand the controversy over whether or not women should remain silent in church, as written by Apostle Paul. This is a difficult word to understand and/or write, and I pray that God guides my words in His Will, and opens the ears of His children to hear. In Jesus' Mighty Name. Amen. Admittedly, addressing this topic is something I have avoided over the years, since God awakened me to His Power. Why? Because I am a woman, so immediately anything I say could be considered biased, even by me. Over the years, however, God has proven to me repeatedly with signs and wonders in my life, and through his words in these blogs, that I am no longer my own, but His. See other words about God's Power in My Testimony and My Walk With God. Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. So, let's first look at the scripture Holy Spirit put on my heart with this word: Mark 16 9 "Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. 10 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. 12 After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. 14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. 15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. 19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen." We will break that down into two discussions, Mark 16:9-16 now, and then Mark 16:17-20 at the end of this blog. We can see in Mark 16:9 above that after His resurrection, Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, a woman, from whom he had previously cast out seven devils. This is significant because, as we will see, Jesus had every opportunity to appear first to one of His male disciples. John 20:1-10 tells us that Mary Magdalene first saw Jesus' sepulchre open, and she ran to tell Simon Peter and another disciple. Then, they all ran back to the sepulchre, and Simon Peter entered inside, and then the other disciple, and they both saw that the sepulchre was empty. John tells us that the other disciple believed, John 20:8, but "Then the disciples went away again unto their own home." John 20:10 The disciples just left. They had no idea what the empty sepulchre meant. They did not know what to make of it: "For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead." John 20:9 The disciples, including the eleven, lacked faith, and could not remember Jesus' words spoken to them in Mark 9:31: "For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day." Matthew 16 22 "Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." They could not hear His words. Furthermore, because of their hardness of heart, and unbelief, they also did not believe the women who told them the words God's angels had spoken to them from the empty sepulchre: Luke 24 1 "Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. 3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: 5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, 7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. 8 And they remembered his words, 9 And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. 10 It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. 11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not." But, Mary Magdalene, and the other women, believed. They had great faith, and "they remembered his words" verse 8. Jesus used Mary Magdalene to preach His Resurrection to His disciples, and they did not believe her, and Jesus admonished them for their unbelief and hardness of heart. Mark 16:14 above. God always uses sinners, men and women, to fulfill His Will, because we are all sinners. God does not see us as sinners, or as male and female, because to God, we are all One in Christ: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28 Recently, I heard someone describe it like this: When believers call out to God, he turns toward us to see who is calling him, and instead he sees Jesus, who is standing between us and God. This way, God does not see our sin; he sees Jesus' sacrifice and righteousness. But, for the unbelievers, or those who say they believe but have not been transformed by a renewing of their mind Romans 12:2, when they call out to God, Jesus is not standing in the Way, and God sees them and their sin, and rejects them. This is what Matthew 7:21-23 means: Matthew 7 21 "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Who will God see when you call to him and he turns to see you? He will not turn to us to see if we are male or female, but only to see our righteousness through Christ Jesus, in whom we are all One. So, getting back to the scripture Holy Spirit put on my heart this morning, Mark 16:15, one of Jesus' final instructions to his disciples was, "...Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Every creature who believes in Jesus Christ, male and female, receives the same Spirit: "But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will." 1 Corinthians 12:11 Is Apostle Paul speaking only to men in that verse, when he says, every man? Of course not. He is speaking to every creature at the church of Corinth, men and women, who were all listening to his words, and also every creature who will ever hear. We know that the Bible is written in an overall "masculine" form, often referring to "brethren" (brothers and sisters), "man," and "men," when referring to all of mankind, male and female. This is consistent throughout the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments. We understand to whom each scripture is referring by the context of adjacent scriptures. For example, to whom is Jesus referring, when He says, "he" in Mark 16:15-16? "...Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." "He" in verse 16, when taken in context with "every creature" in verse 15, makes it clear that Jesus is referring to all of mankind, male and female. Every creature, all of mankind, male and female, who believe ...shall be saved. Verse 16 Salvation does not know if we are male or female. Salvation is for all who believe, and with Salvation comes the endowment of the Holy Spirit: John 14 16 "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." With the endowment of the Holy Spirit comes the gifts of the Spirit, as described by Apostle Paul to the entire congregation at Corinth, male and female, 1 Corinthians 12 below. Was Paul speaking only to the men when he says in 1 Corinthians 12:1 "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant." Of course not. Men and women can be saved, can receive the Holy Spirit, and can and do receive gifts of the Spirit, different gifts, same Spirit: 1 Corinthians 12 4 "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. 12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many." Next, let's look at some of the Noteworthy Women of the Bible, and then, finally, Apostle Paul's controversial words, when he said that women should not teach in the church, but should remain silent. NOTEWORTHY WOMEN OF THE BIBLE Deborah, a Prophetess, and Judge of Israel Judges 4:4 "And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time." See also, Judges 4, 5. Huldah, a Prophetess 2 Kings 22 14 "So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her. 15 And she said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me, 16 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read: 17 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched. 18 But to the king of Judah [Josiah] which sent you to enquire of the Lord, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard; 19 Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. 20 Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again." See also, 2 Chronicles 34:14-33. Anna, a Prophetess, who was at the Temple day and night, and preached the Salvation of Christ Luke 2 36 "And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; 37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem." The Woman At The Well: A Samaritan woman [Gentile] was the first person to whom Jesus revealed Himself as the Messiah, and many were saved through her preaching and testimony: John 4 1 "When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, 2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) 3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. 4 And he must needs go through Samaria. 5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. 7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. 8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) 9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. 11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? 13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. 15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. 16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. 17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: 18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. 19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. 21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. 26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. 27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? 28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? 30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. 31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. 32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? 34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. 35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. 36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. 37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. 38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours. 39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. 40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his own word; 42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world." Sister Phebe, Servant of the Church at Cenchrea; and, Priscilla, Helpers in Christ, whom Apostle Paul praised. Romans 16 1 "I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: 2 That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also. 3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: 4 Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. 5 Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my well-beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ." OTHER NOTEWORTHY WOMEN OF THE BIBLE
See a more comprehensive list of Noteworthy Women of the Bible at the bottom of this blog. In Romans 16:2 above, Apostle Paul refers to Sister Phebe as a "saint," a true believer in Christ. In verse 5, we learn that the "church" was in Priscilla and Aquila's house: "Likewise greet the church that is in their house. . ." It was a custom at the time for churches to be in the homes of believers. We learn from Acts 18 that this same Priscilla (and Aquila), preached unto a man in the synagogue "the way of God more perfectly": Acts 18 24 "And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. 25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. 26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly." Apostle Paul does not reprove, or correct, Priscilla by telling her she should remain silent. Apostle Paul praises Priscilla's service in Romans 16:3-5 above. Paul also says at 1 Corinthians 11:5 "But every woman that prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head. . ." Paul is saying that women prophesy, and we know that no one prophesies in silence! So, we can see that, scripturally, women have played a fairly significant role in the history of mankind. Why are there so many noteworthy women, even women praised by Apostle Paul, and yet Paul seems to say in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 below that women should be silent? Is Paul contradicting himself? Of course not. 1 Corinthians 14 34 "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. 35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church." First, let's look at how the word "silent" is used here. The Greek word used, sigaō (to be silent), doesn’t necessarily mean absolute muteness. Earlier in the same chapter 14:28, 30, Paul uses it to tell tongue-speakers and prophets to be quiet if their speech would disrupt order. To understand why Paul says these things to the people of Corinth, and what it means to us today, it is important to understand the Gentile city of Corinth, to whom Paul was speaking in his letters in Corinthians. Excerpts from biblestudytools.com "Corinth was a thriving city; it was at the time the chief city of Greece both commercially and politically, and was "one of the dominant commercial centers of the Mediterranean world as early as the eighth century b.c." "Although Corinth was not a university town like Athens, it was characterized nevertheless by typical Greek culture. Its people were interested in Greek philosophy and placed a high premium on wisdom." "Corinth contained at least 12 temples. Whether they were all in use during Paul's time is not known for certain. One of the most infamous was the temple dedicated to Aphrodite, the goddess of love, whose worshipers practiced religious prostitution." "Like any large commercial city, Corinth was a center for open and unbridled immorality. The worship of Aphrodite fostered prostitution in the name of religion. At one time 1,000 sacred (priestess) prostitutes served her temple. So widely known did the immorality of Corinth become that the Greek verb "to Corinthianize" came to mean "to practice sexual immorality." In a setting like this it is no wonder that the Corinthian church was plagued with numerous problems." "The letter [Paul's letter, 1 Corinthians] revolves around the theme of problems in Christian conduct in the church. It thus has to do with progressive sanctification, the continuing development of a holy character. Obviously Paul was personally concerned with the Corinthians' problems, revealing a true pastor's (shepherd's) heart." So, the people of Corinth followed the misguided doctrine of men (mankind), still based in the practice of religious prostitution, and all manner of sexual immorality, worshipping pagan gods and goddesses like Aphrodite. Not only did they follow these doctrine, but they believed they were acceptable to God and worthy of Salvation. They were an unruly lot, prone to every manner of abomination, believing themselves to be righteous. In addition, the church of Corinth was divided, in that women sat on one side of the room, and men sat on the other side of the room. While the word was being given, unruly women would often yell out to their husbands on the other side of the room. Thus, Paul's admonition for women to remain silent. Also, because they followed the misguided doctrine of the men of Corinth, they were unable to teach sound doctrine, and, therefore, were instructed by Paul not to teach. We know that Apostle Paul wrote 13 letters, or epistles, that were specific instructions to the Gentile congregations (male and female members) throughout Asia at the time. See a timeline of these epistles at the bottom of this blog. He begins the letters to Corinth by pointing out that he had received bad reports on them from "the house of Chloe," another woman. Paul clearly valued the role of women in the church: 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. 11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you." Paul encountered the same division, and unruly, immoral behavior, being practiced in churches from Rome to Philemon. Yet, his admonition for women to remain silent is only written to Corinth and Ephesus. He reiterates his letter to Corinth at 1 Timothy 2: Women should learn in silence, and should not be allowed to teach in the church. Let's look at 1 Timothy 2:12 "But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence." When we read this scripture in context with verses 9-10, Paul is saying that, just as clothing should reflect a controlled demeanor, so too should behavior in a church service reflect godliness, and women should not be loud and unruly in church. "Let all things be done decently and in order." 1 Corinthians 14: 40 When taken in context with Paul's praise of women in the church, shown herein, we understand that Paul is saying in these two instances that women should remain silent until they can speak in Truth, like Priscilla, Phebe, and other noteworthy women of the Bible. The confusion from Apostle Paul's words about women is not unlike other instances of doctrinal debate. We must study the Bible as a whole, rightly dividing the word of God. 2 Timothy 2:15. Paul's words about women remaining silent must be tempered with his other words that praise women who preach, teach and prophesy, and also tempered with Jesus' works through women, as well as the remainder of God's Word, which says, among many other things: There is only One God. We are all One in Him. There are varying gifts, but one Spirit that works in us all. In the remainder of the scripture from Holy Spirit this morning, Mark 16:17-20, God is saying, Who are you to judge your brothers (sisters) in Christ, when you do not have the faith to bring forth God's Will for believers through Christ Jesus? Mark 16 17 "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. 19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen." How many Christians lay hands on the sick, or speak with new tongues? Many Christians mock and/or crucify their brothers and sisters in Christ for performing these signs that Jesus said would follow true believers. “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.” Matthew 7:5 Remember what Apostle Paul said in Romans 15:20 "Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation:" Preach the gospel. "Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 Paul's 13 Epistles: Cities, Sexual Immorality, and Women’s Silence Paul’s letters were written to Christian communities or individuals leading them, not to Jewish synagogues as institutions. He encountered sexual immorality across the 13 cities (epistles), but writes that women should remain silent in only 2: Corinth and Ephesus.
Noteworthy Women of the Bible: Role, Scripture, Significance.
  Heavenly Father, let all men turn from evil, seek God's righteousness, and believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. Recently, I had a discussion with someone on X.com (Twitter), who said that God must "regenerate" us, or give us a new heart, before we can believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior. He used 1 Corinthians 2:14 below to support his claim: "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." His supposition was that all men are "natural" men, born into sin, which is true: we are all sinners. Therefore, he said that we cannot see past our darkened hearts, to believe in and accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, unless God first regenerates our heart, or gives us a "new heart." When asked to quote scripture that says God first regenerates our heart before we can accept Jesus, he could not, but kept quoting the same scripture, 1 Corinthians 2:14, and debating his understanding of it. First, is his understanding of 1 Corinthians 2:14 flawed? We should read 1 Corinthians 2, in its entirety, to understand the context of what Apostle Paul is talking about. Here, Paul is preaching to the sinners at Corinth, of which many confessed belief in Christ, but practiced all manner of immorality. They blindly followed the misguided men of Corinth, and believed that their behavior was normal and acceptable to the Lord. In verse 5, Paul tells them that their faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. So, he is telling these sinners at Corinth that until they put their faith in God, instead of the world, they will remain "natural" men, unable to discern God's Word. The Bible further tells us that God wants ALL men to be saved, not just the ones He picks and chooses to give a "new heart": "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:4 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16 All men. Whosoever believes. Now, the "knowledge of the truth" mentioned in 1 Timothy 2:4 above was promised by Jesus, after His death and resurrection, just before He ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven. Jesus told His disciples that He would pray the Father to send the Comforter to guide believers John 14:16-17. "The knowledge of the truth" comes from the Spirit of God (the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Truth, all one in the same Spirit of God): "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." John 16:13 Although the twitter poster's understanding of 1 Corinthians 2:14 may be flawed, is it entirely inaccurate? The short answer is, Yes, it is entirely inaccurate. We can only receive the "knowledge of the truth," or God's Spirit, spoken of in 1 Timothy 2:4 above after accepting and believing in Jesus Christ, not before. Let's look at the specific scripture that tells us about man's new heart, Ezekiel 36:25-26: 25 "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." We can see, when taking verses 25 and 26, in context, that God will indeed "regenerate," or give us a new heart, but not before sprinkling us with clean water. Jesus is the water of life referred to in Ezekiel 36:25: John 4 13 "Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." The key, however, to understanding 1 Corinthians 2:14 is knowing that we must first seek God's righteousness: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33 Seek God's righteousness. Be not conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind: Romans 12 2 "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." Draw close to God (seek God's goodness), and He will draw close to you: "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." James 4:7 Some men will never repent of the sin in their lives. Their hearts are dark and evil, and full of every abomination. The Light of Jesus, and the Word of God, hurts their eyes and ears. It offends them. It is foolishness to them. 1 Corinthians 2:14. These "natural" men are drawn to evil because they have submitted themselves to it: Romans 6 16 "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you." "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7 The children of God. And, children of the devil: 1 John 3 10 "In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. 11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another." God sent Jesus to save all men who believe, and all men have a choice to seek God's goodness, and be called the "children of God," or live in darkness, and be called the "children of the devil." God searches the heart and tries the reins (He allows us to be tested [by Satan]), and gives us the faith of which we are worthy (Romans 12:3 above): Jeremiah 17 9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. 11 As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool." Again, God wants All Men, Whosoever Believe, to be saved. To prove this, His Word tells us that, "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." Matthew 24:14 Some men may never repent of the sin in their lives, but we will all have a chance to be saved. We can all hear the gospel preached, if we seek the goodness of God. Let's look at the example of Cain and Abel, the intrinsically evil man versus the intrinsically good man (read more about Cain and Abel here): "The [intrinsically] good man produces what is good and honorable and moral out of the good treasure [stored] in his heart; and the [intrinsically] evil man produces what is wicked and depraved out of the evil [in his heart]; for his mouth speaks from the overflow of his heart." Luke 6:45 AMP Cain was an intrinsically evil man, a child of the devil: "Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous." 1 John 3:12 Even though Cain was wicked, he also had God's Word stored in his heart, or at least knew right from wrong, as shown in Genesis 4:7, when God says to Cain, "If you do well, shall you not be accepted? and if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. . ." So, he knew to do well, and what the consequences were. He was, however, of that "wicked one," or a child of the devil. God wants all men to be saved, even Cain. And, what does God tell him to do to be accepted? Do well (or seek goodness)! Now, the day after this conversation on twitter about 1 Corinthians 2:14, God was not yet finished with this lesson, and I saw a "random" post on twitter that said basically the same thing as the previous poster, that no one can come to Jesus except God draw him near, and he posted John 6:44 "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." Now, when I first read John 6:44, I thought to myself, Was I wrong? Was I listening to myself and not God? Then, I read John 6, the entire chapter, especially verses 44 and 45: John 6 44 "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me." "Every man therefore that has heard and has learned of the Father, comes unto me." Therefore, any regeneration of man's heart before believing in Jesus comes from seeking God's goodness, hearing God's Word preached, or reading it, which things "prepare" man to believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, and to receive God's Spirit. Following, see Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers on John 6:44: Quote: (44) No man can come to me.—The subject is still the mystery of the varying effects of His revelation on the minds of men. These depend upon their present mental state, which is itself the result of acceptance of, or rejection of, divine influence. The Father which sent Him had, by law, and prophets, and worship, been preparing them. The history of each individual life had been a succession, in every conscious hour, of influences for good or for evil. The mind stood between these, and willed for one or other. He who day by day, with all his light and strength, however little that all might have been, had sought the pure, and true, and good—had sought really to know God—was drawn of God, and he only it was who could now come to Him whom God sent. Others were drawn of evil, because they had submitted themselves to its power. They had chosen darkness, and could not now see the light; they had bound themselves in the silken cords of sin, which had hardened into fetters of iron; they had lost themselves in the labyrinths of what they thought wisdom, and did not recognise the true and living way which was opened for them." End Quote. https://biblehub.com/commentaries/john/6-44.htm As explained in Ellicott's commentary, "The Father which sent Him [Jesus] had, by law, and prophets, and worship, been preparing them" [to believe in His Son]. John 6:45 "It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me." Seeking the righteousness of God, and hearing His Word, "prepares" us to believe in Jesus Christ, who was sent by God, the Father, to save us from our sins, even with eternal life. This is why Jesus' last instruction to His followers after His death and resurrection, before ascending into heaven, was: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15 The hardened heart of the "natural" man referred to in 1 Corinthians 2:14 cannot be softened unto salvation, which is Jesus Christ, unless he first seeks the goodness of God and the gospel. In one of my first testimonies about "My Walk With God (part 1)," I tell the story of my daughter, and how all odds were against her becoming a Christian, and, yet, she came to Christ before I ever returned to Him. We were chatting the other day, my daughter and I, and I mentioned how she found God without any guidance, at least from me or her dad, and she told me something I never knew. She said she was introduced to the love of Jesus when she went to a youth group with one of her friends from school. Plant the seed, and God will do the rest. Finally, let's look at the Bible story of an Ethiopian man (Egyptian), who sought God, and sought to understand His Word, and found salvation, through the preaching of the Word by a stranger, an Evangelist. Acts 8:1-40 Philip, the Evangelist, and the Ethiopian Stranger (biblehub.com) Acts 8 Quote: "In obedience to a Divine summons, Philip had betaken himself to the way that goeth down from Jerusalem to Gaza. And if at first he may have wondered why he should have been called upon to leave his rapidly progressing work in Samaria for a desert road, he was not for long left in doubt as to what was required of him. For as he walked along he was overtaken by an Ethiopian stranger returning in his chariot from Jerusalem. This man, who was the chamberlain or treasurer of Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians, had heard somehow in his distant home, of the Jewish religion, and had undertaken this long journey to make further inquiries regarding it. We are not told how he had been impressed; very possibly the actual fruits that he witnessed were very different from what he had expected. But one treasure at least he had found, a Greek copy of the prophecies of Isaiah, and this he was eagerly searching on his return journey, to see if he could find further light there. One passage specially arrested his attention, the touching passage in which the prophet draws out his great portraiture of the Man of Sorrows. But, then, how reconcile the thought of this Messiah, suffering, wounded, dying, with the great King and Conqueror whom the Jews at Jerusalem had been expecting! Could it be that he had anything to do with our Jesus of Nazareth, of whom he had also heard, and whom, because of the Messianic claims He had put forward, the Jewish leaders had crucified on a cross? Oh, for some one to help him! Help was nearer than he thought. Prompted by the Spirit, Philip ran forward to the chariot; and no sooner had he learned the royal chamberlain's difficulties than he "opened his mouth, and beginning from this scripture, preached unto him Jesus" (Acts viii.35). We are not told on what particulars Philip dwelt; but, doubtless, starting from the prophetic description of the Man of Sorrows, "despised and rejected of men," he would show how that description held true of the earthly life of Jesus. And then he would go on to show the meaning and bearing of these sufferings. They arose from no fault on the part of Jesus; but, "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities." And yet that was not the end. The life which had thus ended in shame had begun again in glory: the cross had led on to the crown. And as thus he unfolded the first great principles of the Christian faith, Philip would press home on the eunuch's awakened conscience that they had a vital meaning for him. "Repent," can we not imagine him pleading as Peter had pleaded before, "and be baptised . . . in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts ii.38). The eunuch's heart was touched, and he asked that he might be baptized. Satisfied that he was in earnest, Philip agreed to his request. And when they came to a certain water, "they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him." Thus "the Ethiopian changed his skin," and "went on his way rejoicing" to his distant home, to declare in his turn to his countrymen the tidings of great joy." End Quote. Seek God's Goodness: The Eunuch sought God: ". . . had heard somehow in his distant home, of the Jewish religion, and had undertaken this long journey to make further inquiries regarding it." Hear the Gospel Preached: "...and no sooner had he learned the royal chamberlain's difficulties than he "opened his mouth, and beginning from this scripture, preached unto him Jesus." Then, "The eunuch's heart was touched, and he asked that he might be baptized." "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15 Seek God and you will find Him. Seek God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. Praise God. Amen.  "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." 2 Peter 3:9
Heavenly Father, thank you for Your Son, Your Word and Your Holy Spirit. Let Your Words flow through me, and let Your Children hear. In Jesus' Mighty Name. Amen. "The Lord is not slack," or slow, regarding His return. He is waiting for His children to come to repentance. There is a lot of debate or argument on social media concerning the meaning of "repentance." Discernment [understanding God's Word] comes from Holy Spirit. Debate, arguing, conflict, strife and doubt come from Satan. To avoid misunderstanding, let's look at the definition of "repent" from the King James Bible Dictionary: Repent REPENT', verb intransitive [Latin re and paeniteo, from paena, pain. Gr. See Pain.] 1. To feel pain, sorrow or regret for something done or spoken; as, to repent that we have lost much time in idleness or sensual pleasure; to repent that we have injured or wounded the feelings of a friend. A person repents only of what he himself has done or said. 2. To express sorrow for something past. Enobarbus did before thy face repent 3. To change the mind in consequence of the inconvenience or injury done by past conduct. Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return. Exodus 13:17. 4. Applied to the Supreme Being, to change the course of providential dealings. Genesis 6:7. Psalms 106:45. 5. In theology, to sorrow or be pained for sin, as a violation of God's holy law, a dishonor to his character and government, and the foulest ingratitude to a Being of infinite benevolence. Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish. Luke 13:3. Acts 3:19. End of Excerpt of Definition. So, "repent" means to feel sorrow and/or pain for our sins, and to "change our minds" about those sins in our lives. If we continue to willfully sin, we repeatedly commit "the foulest ingratitude to a Being of infinite benevolence" [infinite goodness]. Repentance: A change of mind that leads to a change of heart that leads to a change in actions. This change involves both a turning from sin and a turning to God. "The Lord is not slack." He is not slow. He has not changed His mind. He didn't lie. He has not forgotten about us. He has not forsaken us. He is waiting for us to repent before He executes His righteous judgment, and sends His promise: Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Revelation 22:12 How do we make sure now that we will receive our good "reward" when Jesus returns? By doing God's Will, seeking His Will and purpose for our lives. God's Promise: "For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise." Hebrews 10:36 What is the Will of God? There are several scriptures that tell us God's Will, but let's look again at 2 Peter 3:9: God is "not willing [the Will of God] that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Do you not know that "God's kindness leads us to repentance," and to seek His purpose for our lives? Romans 2 AMP 4 "Or do you have no regard for the wealth of His kindness and tolerance and patience [in withholding His wrath]? Are you [actually] unaware or ignorant [of the fact] that God’s kindness leads you to repentance [that is, to change your inner self, your old way of thinking—seek His purpose for your life]? 5 But because of your callous stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are [deliberately] storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will pay back to each person according to his deeds [justly, as his deeds deserve]: 7 to those who by persistence in doing good seek [unseen but certain heavenly] glory, honor, and immortality, [He will give the gift of] eternal life. 8 But for those who are selfishly ambitious and self-seeking and disobedient to the truth but responsive to wickedness, [there will be] wrath and indignation. 9 There will be tribulation and anguish [torturing confinement] for every human soul who does [or permits] evil, to the Jew first and also to the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and inner peace [will be given] to everyone who habitually does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality [no arbitrary favoritism; with Him one person is not more important than another]." So, God is waiting for us to repent, turn away from sin, and awaken to the Power of His Son, Jesus Christ. When we remember who we are in Christ, then we will receive God's promise: Hebrews 10 ERV 35 "So don’t lose the courage that you had in the past. Your courage will be rewarded richly. 36 You must be patient. After you have done what God wants, you will get what he promised you. 37 He says, 'Very soon now, the one who is coming will come and will not be late. 38 The person who is right with me will live by trusting in me. But I will not be pleased with the one who turns back in fear.' 39 But we are not those who turn back and are lost. No, we are the people who have faith and are saved." In 2 Corinthians 10:6, Apostle Paul gives us a direct comparison regarding how God is waiting for us to turn to obedience [repentance] before He revenges His honour and glory only upon such as will not turn to obedience [repentance] ("the Lord is not slack"): "And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." 2 Corinthians 10:6 See Matthew Poole's commentary on 2 Corinthians 10:6 following: Matthew Poole's Commentary (biblehub.com): Quote: "The apostle certainly means by this, excommunication; which was the rod which he had before mentioned, asking them if they would he should come unto them with a rod. This rod he here threateneth them with; telling them, that he had another weapon of his warfare, of a spiritual nature too, to be used against such as preferred themselves to be believers, but walked disorderly; only he at present spared them, because though a great part of them were obedient, yet there were some amongst them of whose obedience he could not yet glory; but yet he hoped well, and therefore should wait until, by the use of all fair means, (such as exhortations and arguments), he had reduced as many of them as he could unto obedience. But that being done, God had intrusted him with another weapon, with which he would, in the name and by the authority of God, revenge his glory upon the disobedience of others. Herein the apostle hath set a rule and a pattern to all churches, where are multitudes that walk disorderly; not to be too hasty in excommunicating them, but to proceed gradually; first using all fair means, and waiting with all patience, for the reducing them to their duty, who will by any gentle and fair means be reduced; and then revenging the honour and glory of God only upon such as will not be reclaimed." End Quote. Let's look at Hebrews 10:36 above again: "You must be patient. After you have done what God wants, you will get what he promised you." What does God want us to do in order to receive His promise? Believe in His Son, have faith in God, repent (regret the sin in our lives, turn away from it, and turn to God): Believe: "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Acts 16:31 Have Faith: "And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God." Mark 11:22 Repent: Jesus said, "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Luke 13:3 Again, scripture even tells us that God's goodness leads us to repentance: "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" Romans 2:4 Believe. Have Faith. Repent. This is also why some of Jesus' final words after His death and resurrection, right before He ascended into heaven, were, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15. Because God's children must awaken and repent, awaken from our sleep of Spiritual complacency, before God will give mankind what He promised: Romans 13 AMP 11 "Do this, knowing that this is a critical time. It is already the hour for you to awaken from your sleep [of spiritual complacency]; for our salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed [in Christ]. 12 The night [this present evil age] is almost gone and the day [of Christ’s return] is almost here. So let us fling away the works of darkness and put on the [full] armor of light. 13 Let us conduct ourselves properly and honorably as in the [light of] day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and irresponsibility, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for [nor even think about gratifying] the flesh in regard to its improper desires." Of course, Satan does not want us to awaken. Satan can only control us when we are asleep, or in the dark about God's Power. “And he [Jesus] cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?” Matthew 26:40 God did not leave us stranded in the darkness with Satan. He gave us His Son, His Word, and His Holy Spirit, so we can overcome this world, as Jesus overcame it, and walk in His Light. “Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” Ephesians 5:14 "The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up." Matthew 4:16 God also gave us a way to escape the temptations Satan puts in our path. God wants us to overcome and endure until the end, like Jesus did: 1 Corinthians 10:13 "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." God makes a way for us to escape temptation. "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." Luke 21:36 Let God's goodness change your heart. "The Lord is not slack." He is waiting for us! May God watch over and protect you. May He shine His Light upon you. May His Holy Spirit guide you. In Jesus' Name. Amen. God bless you. Jesus loves you.  God's Letters Through Jesus Christ to the Angels of the Seven Churches of Asia God has been putting this on my heart for a few days now, but just this morning, I realized what He was showing me. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your sacrifice. Amen. Revelation 2 and 3 are letters from God, as given to Jesus Christ, and shown to John by Jesus' angel in a revelation. Rev. 1:1. These seven letters from God through Jesus are directed to the angels of the seven churches of Asia: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea (see map above). We know from scripture that the "church" is the spirit over the people (Eph. 5:23,25,27,29; Heb. 12:23, or how the people are being ministered unto by the seven Spirits of God [seven angels]. Isa. 11:1-2. “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” Hebrews 1:14 The Holy Bible, as a whole, is written specifically for man, as an example and admonition (warning), upon whom the ends of the world have come. 1 Cor. 10:11. It is our instruction manual for life. Also, with prayer, it is our direct line of communication to and from God. It is written because God wants us all to come to repentance and be saved 2 Pet. 3:9. He promised man eternal life before the world began Titus 1:2. So, although the letters are directed to the angels of the seven churches, they clearly describe what God expects from His people. When reading the letters, it is likely we will, and we should at some point, see our relationship with God, and His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, in one of these letters. The Good News is that the letters tell us exactly how to overcome and endure our trials, so that we may receive of the tree of life Rev. 22:14, which is eternal life Gen. 3:22. In these letters, only two of the angels of the seven churches were seen worthy, or rich in spirit, and were not instructed to repent: the angel of the church of Smyrna Rev. 2:8-11, and the angel of the church of Philadelphia Rev. 3:7-13. The other five angels of the churches were praised for their right-doings, and rebuked and told to repent for various disobediences. I will cover in this blog only the first two angels told to repent, the angel of the church of Ephesus Rev. 2:1-7, and the angel of the church of Pergamos Rev. 2:12:17: God praised the angel of the church of Ephesus for the following good deeds:
Nevertheless, God had somewhat against them, because they left their "first love," Jesus Christ Rev. 2:4, and the letter tells them to:
If not, He will come quickly and remove the candlestick from their church, except they repent. Rev. 2:5. Now, scripture tells us that the seven [candlesticks] are the seven churches. Rev. 1:20 If God removed the candlestick, or the church (the spirit of the people), because of disobedience and lack of repentance, that would separate the people from God, and would lead to blotting out their names from the book of life: Rev. 3 5 "He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. 6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." It should be noted that the church of Ephesus did not practice sexual immorality and idolatry, and God still found them imperfect before Him, because they turned from Jesus. Let's look at the letter to the angel of the church of Pergamos. God praised them for the following:
But, He also had the following against them:
And, He told them to repent. These are just two examples:
Both are found imperfect before God. We must consider our lives and how we live them. Are we living for God and His Son, Jesus Christ? If not, "Produce fruit that is consistent with repentance [demonstrating new behavior that proves a change of heart, and a conscious decision to turn away from sin]. Matt. 3:8 AMP Just a few of the things we learn from these letters:
God hates the acts of the Nicolaitans Rev. 2:6. What are those acts? Excerpt from biblegateway.com Encyclopedia: Nicolaitans: "Followers of Nicolaus of Antioch, a proselyte who was among the seven men chosen to serve the Jerusalem congregation (Acts 6:5), who had forsaken true Christian doctrine; he said they lived in unrestrained indulgence. Hippolytus confirmed this by noting that Nicolaus left correct doctrine and had the habit of indifference as to what a man ate and as to how he lived. The Apostolic Constitutions (6:8) described them as “shameless in uncleanness.” Although Clement of Alexandria defended Nicolaus by insisting that his followers had misunderstood him, he observed that the Nicolaitans abandoned themselves to pleasures like goats in a life of shameless self-indulgence." End excerpt. And, the acts of Balaam, which are also called out in the letters to the angels of the churches, are similar to the acts of the Nicolaitans, eating meat sacrificed to idols (idolatry) and fornication (sexual immorality). Conclusion: God says, Neither believing in Christ without living like Christ, nor living like Christ without believing in Christ, will save us. We must believe in, and live like, Christ (God's Letters, Rev. 2,3) We must remember our Creator, who we are, and from where we fell: Ecc. 12 AMP 6 "Earnestly remember your Creator before the silver cord [of life] is broken, or the golden bowl is crushed, or the pitcher at the fountain is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; 7 then the dust [out of which God made man’s body] will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. 8 'Vanity of vanities,' says the Preacher. 'All [that is done without God’s guidance] is vanity (futility).'" The book of Revelation, the final chapter of the Bible, describes the final chapter of man in his sinful body, and the heavens and the earth to come. Please spend some time studying the book of Revelation, especially God's letters to the angels of the seven churches, detailing what he expects from His church (His people). God will not overlook evil in man's heart. He's looking for a church that is spotless and blameless. "Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless." 2 Peter 3:14 "Therefore to him that knows to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin." James 4:17 Pray that all of God's children earnestly remember Him, their Creator, before the silver cord of life is cut. In Jesus' Mighty Name. Amen and God Bless. For an in-depth look at the heart of Jesus, watch the "Jesus" movie from 1979 below. Revelation 22 12 "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. 13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. 14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. 16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star." Something God has been putting on my heart now for some time is 21st Century Idolatry. If you are like I was, when you read about idolatry in the Bible, or hear about it, it sounds like something literally from Biblical times, worshipping statues and images, et cetera, not something that is happening in the 21st Century, not something relevant to my life. Certainly, not something that I do! The fact is that Biblical idolatry is not that different from 21st Century idolatry. Roman 6:16 "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? After all, Jesus warns us not to love this world or the things in it. And, further, "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." 1 John 2:15-16 What are we worshipping or idolizing in our daily lives? What are we watching on television, or listening to on the radio? Witchcraft, sorcery, magic, enchanting, fornication, sexual immorality, spiritual wickedness. Galatians 5 19 "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Isaiah 47 12 "Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail. 13 Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee. 14 Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it." Revelation 9 20 "And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: 21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." I know many of you are saying to yourselves, It's just a movie, or just a TV show, just a poster, just a t-shirt, just a book. I too said those things, but to the demons they were created to represent, they will always be a sound of victory against God and His children. Much the same as the popular saying, You are what you eat, it is also true that, You are what you watch. You are what you read. You are what you listen to. You are that with which you fill your soul. With what do you fill your soul? Fill it with God's Love. "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Philippians 4:8 We are what we let into our souls! Do we let in darkness, or do we let in light? And, if the light in us is darkness, how great is that darkness? Matthew 6 22 "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" If your eye be single, focused on God, your whole body shall be full of light. Turn off the television! Read the Bible. Listen to Christian music. Bring into captivity even your very thoughts to the obedience of Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:5 Fill your soul with God. Just after His resurrection, before He ascended to the Father's right hand, Jesus prayed for God to send us the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost, all one and the same Spirit. So, after accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior, we receive the Spirit of Truth, which guides our path towards righteousness. Man still has free will, but through believing in Jesus, we receive Faith, which leads to obedience to God. Galatians 5 22 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another." There is only One God man should be worshipping. "Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." Matthew 4:10 Only One God who can provide miracles, and "wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:" Acts 2:19 Only One God who will judge the earth. He comes quickly and His reward is with Him. Revelation 22:12. Many will say to me in that day, Lord Lord. . . "And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Matthew 7:22-23 Will Jesus know you in that day? Does He know you to-day? Accept Jesus today, believe in Him, and obey God. God wants all men to be saved. 2 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." Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1 "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." John 1:14 Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. "SAMSON AND DELILAH" AUDIO BLOG  Above Image: 1st Century mosaic showing a firebrand tied between two fox's tails. "And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails." Judges 15:4-5 The Birth of Samson Judges 13 1 "And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years. 2 And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not. 3 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. 4 Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: 5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines." What is a "Nazarite unto God"? From biblestudy.org Quote: "Those desiring to take the vow of a Nazarite had to be willing to sacrifice certain aspects of their life for the duration of their pledge. They had to abstain entirely from wine or drinking anything with alcohol in it (Numbers 6:3, see also Amos 2:12). In fact, those who decided to dedicate themselves to God as a Nazarite had to abstain from eating any grapes or any product made from them like juice, raisins and so on. "Those who were under the vow could not shave any hair on their head (e.g. beard, mustache, eyebrows - Numbers 6:5, Judges 13:5, 16:17). This meant that those who promised to serve God in such a way were easily recognizable to other people, as they had long hair, bushy eyebrows, a long unkempt beard, etc. A Nazarite was not permitted to come near a corpse, even if it was from a close family member, so that they would not be rendered unclean (Numbers 6:6 - 7)." End quote.  Samson Kills a Lion
When Samson was older, he killed a lion with his bare hands; he used no weapon. "And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him [the lion] as he would have rent a kid [goat], and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done." Judges 14:6 It is significant that the scripture tells us he had nothing in his hand to kill the lion, so he killed it with his bare hands, meaning he touched a carcass, an unclean thing, an abomination. It is also significant that it tells us specifically that he withheld the information from his parents, who would surely have made him perform the customary rituals for cleansing after touching a dead animal. Later, Samson saw the same lion he had killed previously, and there was a beehive in the carcass. Samson scooped up the honey and ate it, and gave it to his mother and father to eat, and they ate it, being unaware that it came from a dead animal's body. "Or, if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase . . . and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty." Did Samson break his vow, and also cause his mother and father to sin as well? Clearly, they never repented of this sin, or performed the customary rituals to cleanse themselves, as is borne out by the subsequent life and death of Samson. BLESSINGS AND CURSES Samson's first wife, a Philistine, was given away by his father-in-law to his friend. This enraged Samson, who burned down the Philistine corn (see image of 1st Century mosaic above). The Philistines retaliated by burning down Samson's wife and her family. Samson then judged the Israelites for some 20 years, before marrying Delilah, who tricked him for eleven hundred shekels of silver from each of the kings, who wanted to know the secret of Samson's strength so they could defeat him. Samson finally told Delilah his secret, that a razor had never touched his head; she told the kings, and then she let them shave Samson's head, while he was asleep on her lap. Samson became weak, and the Philistines captured him, put out both of his eyes, and put him in prison as a grinder, one who pushes the grinding or mill stones. Eventually, Samson brought down the building on the Philistine's heads. Quote: "He perished in the last terrible destruction he brought upon his enemies. So the dead which he slew at his death were more [in social and political importance-the elite of the people] than they which he slew in his life. Straining all his nerves, he bowed: As with the force of winds and waters pent, When mountains tremble, those two massy pillars, with horrible convulsion to and fro he tugged, he shook, till down they came, and drew the whole roof after them, with burst of thunder upon the heads of all who sat beneath, Lords, ladies, captains, counsellors, or priests, their choice nobility and flower." End Quote. From kingjamesbibleonline.org. Can you see how Samson was cursed as soon as he disobeyed the angel of the LORD, who represents God's Will? God's Word is alive and active and powerful, and it is for us, to receive His blessings! Read it, meditate on it day and night, get it down on the inside of you, into your heart, so that the wiles of the devil cannot not take away your blessings. The devil can test us all day, every day, and if he sees a weakness in us, he will, a weakness in our armor, where God's Word is not protecting us. Psalm 119:11 says it best: "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." I mean, it cannot be any clearer than that. Hide God's Word in your heart so that you do not sin against Him. Make sure that when the devil tests you, your first response is from God, righteous, morally upright, with love, mercy and compassion for all mankind, especially your brothers and sisters in Christ. Remember, Jesus said Love your neighbor as yourself Matthew 22:39, and Love not the world neither the things in it at 1 John 2: 15 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." He that does the will of God, obeys God, and is blessed. There is redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ. Do not be like Samson, Cain, and so many others in the Bible. Many received blessings, great blessings, and also received curses for their disobedience. Samson was blessed with strength, but he did not obey God, and he was greatly cursed as well. Repent. Jesus said, "Change your hearts, and show by the way you live that you have changed." Matthew 3:8 Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. "THE MAN AND THE STICKS" AUDIO BLOG 1 Corinthians 10:11 "Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." This morning, the meaning of Numbers 15:32-36 below became clear to me. I have to admit that this Scripture has always bugged me. Why would a God of love and light do such a thing? I even told our Pastor at one point, "Not. My. God." God bless Pastor David. He has the patience of a saint (as we all should). Of course, I was missing the bigger picture, God's picture. Numbers 15 32 "And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. 33 And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. 34 And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. 35 And the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. 36 And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses." We feel bad for one man (I know I did), because it seems that all he wanted to do was build a fire to cook food, but that is what our eyes see, the man's outward appearance. God looks at our hearts. "But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7 Or as Jesus said at John 7:24, "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." In other words, judge on integrity and godliness. This blog is not easy to write, but does that mean we should not write it, or speak the truth? The fact is, no matter what some church leaders are teaching their congregations, God never promises a good time for bad people: For our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:29. Remember Noah and the Ark (click for scripture), when only eight people remained to repopulate the earth? Or, Sodom and Gomorrah (click for scripture), when God destroyed the cities and everyone in them, because He could not find 10 righteous men, women or children among all of the inhabitants? "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to day and for ever." Hebrews 13:8. And, although we are special, a chosen generation, we are not THAT special that God will overlook our flagrant, in-His-face sin. He will not. 1 Corinthians 10 1 "Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. 9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. 10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. 11 Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come."  But, they didn't have a book that warned them like we have. There is a darkness coming, a dark silence. Will you be on God's boat?
Repent, turn away from sin, and turn back to God. Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. "THE WAKE-UP CALL PART 2" AUDIO BLOG EARTH'S GEOMAGNETIC STORM The above images are screenshots from the video below, and represent images of the geomagnetic storm that took place a couple of nights ago around the world. "Yesterday, I wrote a blog titled, "The Wake-Up Call," which you can read by clicking here. This morning, I woke up to the above images/video of the skies around the world a couple of nights ago due to a geomagnetic storm.
Clearly, this is part of God's wake-up call for the world. Interestingly, these geomagnetic storms usually create primarily purple and green skies. What does God want us to know about this? "And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:" Revelation 17:4 That sounds about right. That sounds like the earth, full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication. "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness." 1 John 5:19 What about the color green in God's Word? "Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found." Hosea 14:8 I am like a green fir tree. From me is your fruit found. How about you? Are you a green fir tree, with abundant fruit for God? Or, are you full of abominations and filthiness of fornication? "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:" 1 Thessalonians 4:3. Woe Unto the World: "Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!" Matthew 18:7 Many will say they believe, and Jesus will say to them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity: Matthew 7 21 "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Why did Jesus tell those who said they were "doers" to depart from Him? Because they were liars. The pretenders say godly words for all to hear, and act to perform good deeds for all to see, but in secret, their hearts are far from God. Remember, God knows our hearts, and saying is not doing. "(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.") Romans 2:13. Not the hearers, but the doers shall be justified. We must walk the walk, not just talk the talk. We teach others how to lead righteous lives by leading a righteous life ourselves, by being obedient to God's Will, in holiness, righteousness and faith. Since God awakened me in 2019, He has been pouring these words into my spirit, words of warning, warning His children to wake up before it is too late. We are alive at this very time for God's purpose, to serve His Will, and not our own. He has divided the earth between the righteous and the unrighteous, and His Word tells us that He will do this. "Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:" Luke 12:51. See my blog titled, "The Line is Drawn" by clicking here. There is no doubt right now upon which side of God's line each person stands. It is time to stand up and speak out against all unrighteousness. God gave us a mouth to speak for Him. Now is the time. Are you the green fir tree that produces good fruit for God, or "Are You a Lukewarm Christian" (click the link), who claims to be righteous but does not walk with God? Do you say, What can I do? What can one person do? Someone else will do it? Again, there is no one else. God's children are the "Light of the World" (click the link), and it is way passed time to act like it, and act upon it. Speak out by binding all unrighteousness on earth, and letting loose God's Spirit and His Will: Matthew 18 18 "Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." This is why it is more important than ever to find a church of like-minded Christians with which to fellowship and pray. If two of you shall agree on earth ... it shall be done for them... Matthew 18:19 above. Gather together in the Lord's name, and worship Him, praise Him, exalt Him, bind the demonic forces on earth, the evil intentions and evil imaginations of men, and let loose God's Will and God's Spirit on earth. Let loose a Spiritual Revival, which no demon from hell will be able to contain, and which the world will be unable to deny. Amen and Amen. Cry out in prayer to God, the Father, by "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;" 2 Corinthians 10:5 Speaking up for God does not mean fighting amongst ourselves, or using harsh words with each other. It means living a righteous life, loving each other, praying for the world, reading the Bible, worshipping and obeying God, believing in Jesus Christ, and serving the needy because you love them, not because you have to, or think you should. Of course, it also means for some people, speaking up verbally, evangelizing, spreading God's Word unto all nations. "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." Matthew 24:14 God knows our hearts, and on this we will be judged: " For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:37 For out of our heart proceeds forth our words and intentions, either evil or good: Matthew 15 18 "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:" Our pastor says that God's Word makes people either sad, mad or glad, and it is true. People become sad, because God will not overlook sin, and people will die, more than likely people we know. People get mad at God's Word, because they want to continue to live their unrighteous lives, and the Bible is telling them they will burn in fire for their sin. And, of course, God's Word makes people glad, because they know Jesus Christ, and His love, and thereby have His Peace, and know that all things work to the good of those who love God. Romans 8:28. We will still be sad for the death around us, and sad that we did not do enough to save the people we love, to save our family, friends and neighbors, but we will be glad that we listened to God's Wake-Up Call. Have you heard God's Wake-Up Call? Did you listen and act upon it? Hearing it will not save you; obeying Him will. The time is at hand. Keep your eyes on the sky: "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." Luke 21:28 As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. "But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever." Psalm 52:8 Amen amen and amen. God bless you all. Wake Up! "THE WAKE-UP CALL PART 1" AUDIO BLOG The Wake-Up Call. You can listen to Oral Roberts' 2004 prophecy about "The Wake-Up Call" in the first 20 minutes or so of the above video. In this video, Mr. Roberts says that God says that He is waking up people with signs and smoking vapor and blood. People will see the signs in the sky, and they will hear the signs in their ears, and the signs may be different for everyone. You may not see and hear the same thing someone else sees and hears, but it will be "The Wake Up Call" from God, nonetheless. Having never seen this prophecy from Oral Roberts until this morning, I was once again amazed at God's Power, because this is exactly what happened to me in 2019. If you have not read my testimony about being awakened by God, you can see that by clicking here: "My Walk With God." In this testimony, I write that God woke me up in 2019, with a big storm that rolled in, black clouds, thunder and lightning. I was not a practicing Christian at the time. As as matter of fact, I was a denier. Oh, I believed in a higher power, but I was ignorant about God and Jesus. Sitting in my garage in 2019, however, watching that storm roll by, with booming thunder that echoed from one end of the universe to the other, and which literally shook me to my core, I knew at that time, that God was calling me, waking me up, shaking me, and I could no longer run from Him. That was my Wake-Up Call, of which Oral Roberts prophesied some 15 years earlier. God is good, and He will not forsake us! It has been quite a journey since my wake-up call, and I have over 200 blogs/videos to prove it. Satan put me in a shell of darkness my whole life, but God broke the shell and brought me into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9 "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:" Colossians 1:13 The times are changing. God is in our land, and because of this, the demonic forces are fighting a hundred times harder to blind and deafen God's children so that they cannot see and hear his wake-up call. Do not let Satan kill, steal and destroy your blessings and rewards. Submit yourselves to God, shake off the devil, resist him, and he will flee from you. James 4:7 No matter what it looks like in the world, remember, "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness." 1 John 5:19. These are not just words. God's Word is alive and active. It looks like the world is wicked because the world is wicked, but we, who are awake, are of God. Wake up, wake up, wake up. God needs you. The world needs you. Have you heard your wake-up call from God yet? Did you listen to it? Prayers for each and everyone of you to not only see and hear God's wake-up call in your life, but to act upon it! God bless you and Jesus loves you! "SATANCON" AUDIO BLOGCalling All Prayer Warriors Roar, like the Lion of Judah!  Revelation 5 5 "And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. 6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth." Jesus Christ, from the lamb who was slain to the conqueror who saves. He teaches us the Power of God's Love, God's Word, and Prayer. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. Can you name one good thing about Satan? I can. One good thing is that if people believe in Satan, then they must also believe in God, because men that follow darkness hate the light. You cannot hate something unless you believe in it. If they believe in the light, then there is always hope that they will turn back to it:
John 3 19 "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God." The Satanic Temple, with its international headquarters in Salem, Massachusetts, is holding its annual convention, called SatanCon, in Boston on April 28, 29 and 30, 2023. There will be satanic rituals, costumes, souvenirs, and toys for the children, all with a satanic theme. This is a sold-out event! What can you do about it? What can one person do? For starters, pray fervently, without ceasing. I know as soon as some people read that sentence, they will stop reading this, or turn off the video. They think, Prayer is not for me. Prayer is for other people. My life has been just fine without prayer. God is not listening to me. That one time, I prayed, He did nothing to help me. He doesn't care about my prayers. These are not words that God, the Father, has instilled in your heart. These are things that Satan has whispered in your ear: I can't. I'm not good enough. Someone else will do it. There is no one else to do it. There is only us, God's Children, His Chosen, His Warriors. If you have ever thought about praying, but never started, don't know where to start, now is the time. God does not care about your grammar. He cares about your heart. How To Pray Effectively (so God will hear your prayers) Believe. Accept God, His Holy Spirit, and His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Cleanse your heart by repenting. How do you do that? Cry out to God. Let's bow our heads and pray for that right now. Say this prayer out loud, right now: Heavenly Father, thank you for Your many blessings in my life. Thank you for forgiving me of my sin. I repent of the sin in my life, and I turn away from it. I surrender to you in full obedience. I believe with all my heart that Jesus Christ is Your only begotten Son, who died on the cross for my sins. I believe you raised Him from the dead, and that He now sits on the throne, at Your right hand, in heaven. I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior, now and forever more. Amen. Now that you have repented of the sin in your life and accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, open the communication airways with God right now by standing up, yes, actually do it, stand up, raise your hands in the air like you just don't care, and cry out: All Glory, Honor, Praise and Thanksgiving to God Most High, the Living God, the God of the Living, whatever you call Him, God, the Father. Again, keep your hands in the air and say, All Glory, All Honor, All Praise and All Thanksgiving to the One True God. Hallelujah. Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. And watch God's Holy Spirit come fill you with His glory right where you are standing. Now that you have opened the communication airwaves, begin to pray. Pray for God's Spirit to rain down on SatanCon, filling the hearts, souls and minds of those attending the convention with the love of the Father and His son, Jesus Christ. Pray for a Spiritual revival right there at the convention, amongst the attendees, something that the news will have no choice but to report. Pray for an awakening of God's children, to be called out of the darkness into His marvellous light. 1 Peter 2:9 The biggest confusion for me about prayer was that I thought I just needed to pray for something one time, and, then, when God got around to it, and if it was His Will, He would answer my prayer. This is not how prayer works. Prayer is not a "one and done" deal. God's Word is alive, and His Word says, Pray without ceasing (without stopping). 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Pray until your prayers are answered. To help combat these demonic forces ascending on Boston April 28 through 30, many churches are holding prayer vigils. Our church Living Waters Assembly of God, 450 Davis Street, Greenfield, MA, will be having a prayer and fasting vigil April 28 and April 29, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and April 30, the chapel will remain open after Sunday morning worship service as long as people are praying. Fasting is another element of God's Power for men on earth. As Jesus tells us, there are some demons that can only be cast out with prayer and fasting. Matthew 17:21. If you are taking medication, or have health concerns, please consult your doctors before fasting. If you attend a church, encourage them to hold a prayer vigil for this important prayer call. If you do not attend church, find one that is having a prayer vigil, and attend it as much as you are able. If that is not for you, then pray at home, pray with your family and friends. Jesus says, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matthew 18:20 We pray that you will join us in crushing Satan's head at SatanCon April 28 through 30. We do not need to wait until then to pray about it. Start praying now. Pray fervently (with intensity in spirit, enthusiastically). Pray without ceasing (without stopping). They will try to hide the Spiritual Revival that will take place, but they will be unable to silence it. It will roar like the lion of Judah! Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. God bless you all. "THE TWO WITNESSES" AUDIO BLOG Is man ready for God's End Times? One of the biggest eye openers for me that I might not be quite ready was when I read the account of the Two Witnesses in Revelation 11. It seems no one will turn back to God in the end. Why did Jesus tell us to love our neighbors as ourselves? Was it just so the world could be all Kumbaya and live in peace and love? Of course, that is part of it, but if we do not love our neighbors now, we will not be ready for God's End Times. If there is one scripture in God's Holy Word worth remembering, it is Revelation 11 and the Two Witnesses: Revelation 11 1 "And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. 2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. 3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. 5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. 6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. 7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. 11 And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. 13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly." Would you be ready if the Two Witnesses came today? We all can and should be ready. Just as the Two Witnesses is one scripture that may reveal to us that we have no clue about the End Times, there are also a couple of passages from Jesus that will make sure we are ready for them, if we listen to Him: "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;" Matthew 5:44 If we "do everything in love, as" 1 Corinthians 16:14, tells us to, we will fulfill all the law and the prophets, because as Jesus said, Loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself are the two greatest commandments. Now, it is commonly-accepted belief that the Two Witnesses come during the seven-year tribulation Daniel 9:24-27, which is good news for Christians, because that means we will have already been caught up together in the clouds with Jesus 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, and will not have to be tested in this way. And, they shall not suffer their bodies [that is, the Two Witnesses] to be buried: "And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them." Revelation 11:11 Love God, and love your neighbor as yourself, so that you are not left on earth when God's Two Witnesses unleash His wrath. Read God's Word and store it in your heart so that you do not sin against Him. Psalm 119:10-12. Pray for understanding. Repent. Forgive and pray for forgiveness. Pray for the love of God in all of His children, and all men, and for the peace that passes all understanding. Don't be the one who waits to see Him coming on the clouds before you believe in Him. It may be too late then. Follow along and say this Prayer of Salvation to accept Jesus Christ as your savior: Dear God. Thank you for loving me. I repent of the sin in my life, and turn to You in full obedience. I believe that Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for my sins. I believe that you raised Him from the dead, and that He now sits on the throne at Your right hand. I love and accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior, now and forever more. Amen. Peace and blessings, Melanie "THE NATURAL MAN" AUDIO BLOG “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:14
Heavenly Father, thank you for your blessings. Bless the world. Bless Your children. Bless the lost. Bless You. In Jesus' name. Amen. The “natural man,” as opposed to the supernatural man of Christ, receives not the things of the Spirit of God…. Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2 7 “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: 8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.” Let’s look at verse 7 again, “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:” Jesus Christ was foreordained before the foundation of the world: 1 Peter 1 20 "Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. 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." Jesus Christ is the word made flesh: "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." And by this “wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom 1 Cor. 2:7 above,” the word made flesh, Jesus Christ, we are transformed into His image, from glory to more glory. At verse 10, “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” The Spirit of God searches man’s heart for the deep things of God. And verse 12, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.” Those who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior have received the spirit of God, not the spirit of the world. You can accept Jesus as your Savior by saying the Prayer of Salvation by clicking here. Accept Jesus, and listen to and obey God’s gift of the Holy Spirit inside you. 1 Thessalonians 5 19 “Quench not the Spirit. 20 Despise not prophesyings. 21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” Christians may not understand every passage in the Bible, but we understand this: God is good. “And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” Matthew 19:17 God is love. “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” 1 John 4:8 Everything God created is very good. “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” Genesis 1:31 Every good and perfect gift comes from God. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17 God loves us. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 God will not forsake us. “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Deuteronomy 31:6 God is real, but so is Satan. There are only two kingdoms: God’s kingdom or Satan’s kingdom: “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.” 1 John 5:19 What do we know about Satan? We know that he was subtle, cunning, wily, crafty. We know that he was a liar, and the father of lies. We know that he was the deceiver of nations, who caused the whole world to sin. We know that he came to kill, steal and destroy our blessings from God. We know that he tempted Eve in God's garden of Eden. The serpent tests Eve (“that old serpent called the Devil and Satan” Revelation 12:9). “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:5 Adam and Eve choose Satan’s kingdom (evil) by disobeying God. “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” Genesis 3:6 However, “No sooner was the wound given than the remedy was provided and revealed.” Matthew Henry. At Genesis 3:15, only a few short verses later, God promises a Savior: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Christ was the “seed” promised to man in the beginning, to crush Satan’s head. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, man went from being perfect, walking in the presence of God, and knowing only God’s love and light, to now knowing evil and darkness. "And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:" Genesis 3:22 Man is exiled to a life outside of the presence of God. “So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” Genesis 3:24 Submit yourselves to God, obey God, resist the devil by accepting and believing in God’s Son, Jesus Christ, reading God’s Word, accepting God’s love, and His Will for your lives, and the devil will flee from you. “Let Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10. Your Will, not our own. Amen. “The way, the truth and the life” for mankind: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” James 14:6 “no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Jesus is man’s “way” back into the presence of God, after being exiled. Jesus crushed Satan’s head for us. Satan now has no power over us unless we let him have power: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 2 Corinthians 3 17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom] 18 And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.” Let’s look at Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Corinthians 3:12-18, from biblehub.org: Quote: “It is the duty of the ministers of the gospel to use great plainness, or clearness, of speech. The Old Testament believers had only cloudy and passing glimpses of that glorious Saviour, and unbelievers looked no further than to the outward institution. But the great precepts of the gospel, believe, love, obey, are truths stated as clearly as possible. And the whole doctrine of Christ crucified, is made as plain as human language can make it. Those who lived under the law, had a veil upon their hearts. This veil is taken away by the doctrines of the Bible about Christ. When any person is converted to God, then the veil of ignorance is taken away. The condition of those who enjoy and believe the gospel is happy, for the heart is set at liberty to run the ways of God's commandments. They have light, and with open face they behold the glory of the Lord. Christians should prize and improve these privileges. We should not rest contented without knowing the transforming power of the gospel, by the working of the Spirit, bringing us to seek to be like the temper and tendency of the glorious gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and into union with Him. We behold Christ, as in the glass of his word; and as the reflection from a mirror causes the face to shine, the faces of Christians shine also.” End quote. So, through Christ’s love, like a reflection of His light in a mirror, we, “the natural man,” once banished from God’s presence, can once again be the supernatural man of love and light God created us to be, and let our light shine into the world, into the hearts of men. You can read more about the veil of blindness over our hearts in my blog titled “The Veil” here. Also, you can read My Testimony to God’s Power, titled “The Veil and the Law of Moses” here, to learn about my husband and my experience with “The Veil.” Whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of our great God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 God bless you! Amen. "WHY PRAY" AUDIO BLOG Jesus prayed to God, the Father, many times. "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Philippians 4:6 Pray fervently James 5:16, without ceasing 1 Thessalonians 5:16-28, and, as Jesus said in Matthew 21:22, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” If we ask, believing, we shall receive. It doesn’t say maybe we will receive. It says we will receive. We have to begin to listen to God’s Word, and hear it, take it to heart as if it is alive, take the words as if they have real meaning in our lives, because it is alive, and they do have real meaning in our lives! Amen. And, if you do not receive an answer from God right away, keep praying, fervently, without ceasing, until you do receive, in God’s Time, and His Will: 1 John 5:14 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:” Amen. Again, it doesn’t say maybe He will hear us. It says, He hears us! So, keep praying until it is His Will. Amen. Many people, myself included, pray for something once, like it’s a chore, and then feel like, good, that’s out of the way, it’s in God’s hands now. No, we must pray fervently and without ceasing, until our prayers are answered. . . if we want them answered. One of the greatest eye-openers for me about prayer was when I realized that, in Jesus’ short time on earth, He prayed to God, the Father, many times. I read an article that said, I think, He prayed over 650 times, and over 450 of those prayers were answered while He was on earth. And, that is just what we know about, that which is written about in the Bible. All of the acts of Jesus are not written about in the Bible. I mean, wow. Jesus prayed to God. We should too. Let’s look at some scripture about Jesus praying: Matthew 14:23 "After He had dismissed the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When it was evening, He was there alone.” Luke 5:16 "But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray [in seclusion]." Luke 22:44 "And being in agony [deeply distressed and anguished; almost to the point of death], He prayed more intently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down on the ground." That is some intense prayer. Thank you, sweet Jesus, for your sacrifice. Amen. JESUS PRAYED FOR THE CHILDREN Matthew 19 verse 13 "Then children were brought to Jesus so that He might place His hands on them [for a blessing] and pray . . ." JESUS SAID, MY HOUSE SHALL BE A HOUSE OF PRAYER Luke 19 verses 45 and 46 45 “Jesus went into the temple [enclosure] and began driving out those who were selling, 46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer’ . . ." JESUS PRAYED FOR HIS APOSTLES Luke 22 verse 32 "but I have prayed [especially] for you [Peter], that your faith [and confidence in Me] may not fail; and you, once you have turned back again [to Me], strengthen and support your brothers [in the faith]." JESUS PRAYED FOR BELIEVERS John 17 9 “I pray for them; I do not pray for the world, but for those You have given Me, because they belong to You;" . . . and, verse 20 “I do not pray for these alone [it is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for [all] those who [will ever] believe and trust in Me through their message," Jesus prayed for future believers! Hebrews 5:7 "In the days of His earthly life, Jesus offered up both [specific] petitions and [urgent] supplications [for that which He needed] with fervent crying and tears to the One who was [always] able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission toward God [His sinlessness and His unfailing determination to do the Father’s will]." So, Jesus prayed to the Father, specifically and urgently, for that which He needed, with fervent crying and tears . . . How many of us do that? I mean, as I was writing this, I was like, oh man, we, believers, just do not get it at all. Prayer. Why don’t we listen to God, and His Word, when we know it is alive and active and powerful? Men are so stubborn. Jesus offered up, prayed for, both [specific] petitions and [urgent] supplications [for that which He needed]. We should do the same, and we should keep praying until our prayers are God’s Will, until He answers them. Amen. JESUS SAID PRAY TO AVOID TEMPTATION Luke 22:46 "and He said to them, 'Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not fall into temptation.'” THIS is me. I love my sleep. God has been calling me for two years to get up around 2 to 3 am and pray. I did a few times, but Satan tells me repeatedly that I love my sleep; it’s too cold; too hot; I’m too tired. Jesus said, Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not fall into temptation, and disobey God. Put a fire under me Lord. Amen. JESUS PRAYED AFTER HIS BAPTISM Luke 3:21-22 "Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, the [visible] heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, “You are My Son, My Beloved, in You I am well-pleased and delighted!” JESUS PRAYED THREE TIMES BEFORE HIS CRUCIFIXION asking God to let the cup pass from Him, but always in God’s Will, and not His own! Matthew 26:39, 42 and 44 39 "And after going a little farther, He fell face down and prayed, saying, 'My Father, if it is possible [that is, consistent with Your will], let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.'” . . . 42 "He went away a second time and prayed, saying, 'My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.'” . . . 44 "So, leaving them again, He went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words once more." JESUS PRAYED AT HIS LAST BREATH "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Matthew 27:42. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. So, Jesus prayed repeatedly, for many things. We should do no less, if we want God to answer our prayers. Do not fall into Satan’s trap of thinking that if God did not answer your prayers that he simply is not listening to you, or doesn’t care about you, because He is listening, and He does care about each one of us, more than we could ever comprehend. He will answer our prayers in His Time, in His Will: Isaiah 46:10 “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” His counsel will stand, and He will do all His pleasure . . . In HIS time, not man’s time, not Satan’s time, God’s Time. Praise God. What is the definition of fervently? From dictionary.com: “with great intensity of spirit, feeling, enthusiasm, etc.” If we pray fervently, without ceasing, pray believing, in God’s Will, we will receive. James 5 tells us that prayer is “dynamic”: James 5:16 from the Amplified Bible “Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God--it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].” Definition of "dynamic": always ACTIVE or changing. So, prayer is always active or changing, and can have tremendous power, when put into action and made effective by God! There is power in God's Word, and His Word says, there is power in prayer. In Psalm 138, we learn that God magnified His Word, the Holy Bible, given for us, so we can have faith in Him, know that He is real, He magnified His Word above His Name, and His Word tells us to pray in every circumstance and situation! Psalm 138:2 “I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” Fervent and unceasing prayer is important if you want action from God. How, when and where you pray is not as important as just praying. God works in mysterious ways that we do not understand, that we cannot possibly understand. God is moulding us into His Will, and we need to let the pieces that Satan has defined as us fall off. Literally, we need to tell Satan to, Get behind us, or better yet, get under our feet, so we can bruise or crush his head. Satan is down under our feet, and we are up here in the clouds with Jesus. Our prayers do not have to be specific or elaborate. God is not judging us on our grammar. Meditation on His Word, prayer and worship can, and should, be done all day long, every day. When asked by His apostles how to pray, Jesus replied, pray in this manner: Matthew 6:9, the Lord’s Prayer. Let’s bow our heads and pray: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever. Amen.” Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. "ENTITLED" AUDIO BLOG Why does it seem like everyone is offended by everything? I mean, they cancelled Mr. Potato Head! What's up with that? The feeling or emotion of being offended comes from self-pride, or, in this instance, a sense of entitlement, and fear, lack, doubt, unbelief, all things Satan instills in us. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7 Entitlement . If you think about it, man is really only "entitled" to one thing, and that is the breath of life breathed into his nostrils: "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 And that, only as long as God allows: "And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done." Revelation 16:17 No one understands the Bible completely. That is why there are many commentaries and opinions on many passages. But God ... But everything He created is very good. "And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good." Genesis 1:31 I read this morning that they are removing Jefferson statues (somewhere in the United States) because he owned slaves. Do you see what they are doing there? Will they remove the Bible next because they owned slaves? God takes the evil imaginations of men (and demons, spiritual wickedness in high places Ephesians 6:12) trying to harm us, and turns them to our good. Satan always loses. As Joseph told his brothers, after they threw him into a pit to die, and then he was sold into slavery in Egypt, and became second in command to the Pharaoh: "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive." Genesis 50:20. Because, of course, as we know, decades later, Joseph saved his brothers and their families, and many people, from a grievous famine in the land. God has nothing but thoughts of peace toward us. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Jeremiah 29:11 And God's final act mercy for man was sending His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. "But God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 He gives us good and perfect gifts from heaven above: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." James 1:17 And, "We love him, because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19 Hallelujah to the Lamb of God. Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.  There is only One God found righteous above His fellows: "Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." Hebrews 1:9 As I write these blogs, which represent revelations God has given me over the past few years, I realize God's theme throughout, which is the lukewarm Christian. It is time to pick a side: God or Satan. Along those lines, at the end of 2021, God put on my heart that 2021 was, indeed, not just another year, but 2021 was the year that America and the World began to awaken and realize that there is only One God who can save us, even with Eternal Life. Learn how to know God by hearing from Him, and gaining an understanding of Him and His Holy Spirit, the Comforter, which can only be received after accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. John 14:26 "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." The Good News of the Gospel of Christ "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13 "Call upon the name of the Lord" by saying the Prayer of Salvation out loud, along with me. Heavenly Father, thank you for Your many blessings in my life. Thank you for forgiving me of my sins. I repent of the sin in my life, and I turn away from it, and surrender in full obedience to God, the Father. I believe with all my heart that Jesus Christ is Your only begotten Son, who died, and rose again, and now sits at Your right hand in heaven. I accept Him now and forever as my Lord and Savior. Thank you for loving us, and for Your sacrifice. In Jesus' Name. Amen. Now that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can begin to walk with, and talk to, God. To activate Holy Spirit in your life RIGHT NOW, stand up, raise your hands in the air, and give all glory, honor, praise and thanksgiving to the God of the living, the living God, and watch Him come right where you are standing and fill you with His Spirit! Now, follow these three easy steps every day, and watch blessings from heaven pour into your life. First step in how to hear from God: Live Your life now by the standards of God's kingdom, and follow God's precepts and commands. What are the standards of God kingdom? Moral uprightness, righteousness. Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Jesus said that love is the greatest commandment: Matthew 22 36 "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 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. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Second step in how to hear from God: Pray to God frequently throughout the day, ask for discernment (understanding) of His word and His plan for your life. Prayers do not have to be elaborate. God knows our hearts: "I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings." Jeremiah 17:10 And, God knows what we need before we know we need it: "Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." Matthew 6:8 If you are short on words, simply pray the Lord's Prayer, as given to us by Jesus. The more you pray, the easier the words will come to you: The Lord's Prayer Matthew 6:9-13 "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." And, the Third and final step in how to hear from God: Read the Bible! You will get as much from God as you give Him, so the more the better. Read chapters every day. Do not worry if you do not understand every word. Keep reading and praying. What version you read is not as important as just reading it. Switch between your preferred version, like King James Bible, and an easy-to-read or Amplified version, or a study Bible, to help with difficult passages. God will give you understanding. That is it! Accept Jesus, obey God, read the Bible and pray. It is THAT easy. God's gifts come in differing forms: dreams, visions, knowledge, talents, prophesying, tongues, healing, and more: 1 Corinthians 12 4 "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will." God has made it clear to me, we are in a Spiritual Revival and Spiritual Revolution. No one will be able to deny God's work. Find out if God has gifts for you, and/or God's plan for your life. Do not miss out! What do you have to lose? Hallelujah! Praise God! Thank you, Jesus. Amen! "KING JAMES BIBLE" AUDIO BLOG Heavenly Father, thank you for your many blessings in our lives. Thank you for Your Word, Your Spirit inside of us, and Your only begotten son, Jesus Christ. Amen. Are you thinking about reading the Bible, and have no clue where to start? Don't think, just read! Amen. Seriously, however, which version of the Bible is the best, or most accurate, version to read? It may surprise some people to know that the King James version is considered one of the most accurate English translations of the Holy Bible today! A group of 54 translators worked 7 years to complete the King James translation. What does God say about His Word? Psalm 12:6 "The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times." Purified seven times: Is it a coincidence that the King James Version is a culmination of six previous translations, with the King James Bible being the seventh, Purified Seven Times, as follows: Tyndale Bible Coverdale Bible Matthew's Bible Great Bible Geneva Bible Bishop's Bible King James Bible Now, I do not think it matters which version we read, as long as we read it. Personally, when I started studying the Bible in 2019, I was blinded by the ruler of this world, and I found it very difficult to understand the King James Version. So, I began studying God's Word in an easy-to-read Bible. Then, next, I read the entire Bible, Genesis to Revelation, in an Amplified Version, which is more pages, more words, because it explains a lot of passages. And, finally, I was called to read His Word in the King James Version, which I just completed recently, and have since started reading it again at Genesis. Honestly, God does not care which version we read, and if He does care, He will let you know. Just read it! He is waiting to show YOU great and mighty things. Call unto Him. "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." Jeremiah 33:3 I have said this many times, but it is worth repeating: Praying is how we talk to God, and reading His Word is how He talks to us. God Bless You-All. Amen. "THE BIBLE, INSPIRED BY GOD"Is the Bible, God's Holy Word, inspired by Him? Don't take my word for it. God's Word should always be our fact-checker: “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 This week, I had a long chat with someone in the comments section of one of my posts on bitchute.com. You can read our conversation about Jephthah, one of God's Judges, by clicking here. The last thing the commenter reiterated was that the Bible, God's Holy Word, is a Luciferian Bible, Satan's Bible, and that Christians have basically been duped. If the Bible is a Luciferian book, then Satan has a really bad business plan, because he created over 2.5 billion people (Christians), who love everyone, want peace, help the needy, hate abortion, love innocent life, and hate wickedness, or unrighteousness. All of these things are antithesis to, or against, Satan's very reason for existence, his mode of operation, his business plan. As Jesus said in Matthew 12, 25 "And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?" Also, I did a little research on what Satanists think of God's Holy Bible, and what I found was enlightening. They believe the Bible is full of myths and fairy tales, and they do not use it. They have their own satanic bible. I cast down to the pits of hell all evil imaginations. In Jesus' Mighty Name. Amen. Sacrifices and burnt offerings are NOT from God, the Father of Lights, in whom there is no variableness or shadow of turning. Jeremiah 7 22 "For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices: 23 But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. 24 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward." After their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears, saying what they want to hear, instead of the Word of God: 2 Timothy 4 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." Remember, Satan was cast down, fallen, and whispering in the ears of men, deceiving nations, a murderer, and a liar, the father of lies, who caused the whole world to sin. God is love. God is good. Everything God created is perfect. James 1 17 "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. 19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls." Do everything in love! 1 Corinthians 16:14 If you are not saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, or if you are not sure, follow along and say "the Prayer of Salvation" out loud by clicking the below image, and YOU can know Jesus as well. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13 Read the Bible, obey God, pray, and God will show you great and mighty things. Hallelujah to the Lamb of God. Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. Welcome to the Family. Love in Christ, Melanie  "LOVE PEOPLE, HATE EVIL" AUDIO BLOG James 5 verse 16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” God says, Confess our faults one to another. How many of us like to admit that we are wrong? Probably not very many. That makes it a little difficult to confess our faults one to another. It is okay. No, it is not okay, but it is human nature, Satan’s nature, to protect ourselves and our feelings. Satan is very good at his job, but God is our protector, our provider, our shelter, and our salvation. The remainder of James 5 verse 16 tells us why God tells us to confess our faults one to another: Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. I am sure we all want to be healed, healed physically, emotionally, spiritually, body, mind and soul. Healed from years of Satan’s influence in our lives, beating us down, whispering in our ear that we can’t, we aren’t good enough, or telling us we are too good! Not too long ago, the Pastor at our church asked for testimonies, and I had this testimony with me, but when he asked, I shrunk back and hid the paper. Sly as a fox. Who else was sly? Satan! So, I did not get up and give this testimony; I’m a coward. Satan won that round, and after hearing the lesson that night, of course, I wished I had given it, because it was about sweeping Satan under the rug. Anyway, the reason you will see that I did not want to give this testimony, basically ever, is because I will be confessing my sins, my faults, one to another. God’s Word is alive, and it is written for us. His Word says, Confess your faults, and pray for one another that you may be healed! So, here goes. First, just know that I love children now. Around April 2022, Holy Spirit revealed to me how Satan operates in our lives, to keep us from fulfilling God’s Will and God’s plans for us. More specifically, He showed me how Satan has operated in my own life, basically grooming me with bad quirks, bad habits, dislikes, even hates, illnesses, and other behaviors and physical attributes that Satan thinks, hopes or counts on preventing me from obeying or freely serving God’s call now. Remember, Satan’s goal at all costs is to keep us from our rightful inheritance, and to keep us from our blessings. To see how Satan operates generally, let’s look at Genesis 3:1: “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.” Subtil means cunning, wily, crafty, deceitful, using trickery, underhanded. THAT is Satan! Still looking at Genesis 3 verse 15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” So, we can bruise Satan’s head, but he can only bruise our heel. Satan is under our feet, to be stepped on, trampled on. Some translations have it as “crush Satan’s head.” Personally, I prefer that translation: We can kill Satan in our lives; remember, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Satan cannot kill us; he can only tempt us, with worldly, material things, and evil, fleshly vices. 1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” Amen and amen. Satan is only able to tempt us with these worldly things, and he is able to tempt us only so much, because God will not allow us to be tempted more than we can withstand: Our God is amazing and good - all the time. Amen. Following are two examples of how Satan has tried to work in my life, and has done a pretty good job until about four years ago. Perhaps, confessing out loud will give others the courage to recognize some of the ways Satan may be holding them back from freely fulfilling God’s Plan in their lives right now. After all, knowing is the first part of doing, or overcoming. In May of 2020, I wrote my first Testimony to God’s Power, and in that Testimony, I tell how one of the first things God put on my heart in 2019 was to quote “help the children.” Easy enough, right? Except for as long as I can remember, I would tell anyone who asked or who would listen: I don’t like children. I know, right? Who doesn’t like children? Satan! So, Satan whispered in my ear most of my life, You don’t like children, and this was one of my life’s mottos, or Satan’s mottos for my life. So, if any children are listening right now, I love you all now. God is good. Amen. Satan is evil. Now, lo and behold, decades later, after I am firmly planted in Satan’s motto for my life, and loving it, God tells me to “help the children.” You cannot make this stuff up. Do you see how God called me to do the one thing that Satan thought he had prepared me my whole life to dislike? I did help the children by donating money to various charities, and by spreading God’s Word on social media to pro-choicers for about a year and a half during lockdowns, until social media became social(ism) media. Before God called me to this service, I had no problem with abortion. I thought: there are too many unwanted children already; too many children not being raised properly; my body my choice seemed reasonable. I now despise abortion with a vehement dislike. Jesus said, Hate evil. Abortion is evil; abortion is an abomination, and nowhere in the Bible does God, the Father, tell us to murder or kill our babies, born or unborn. Bless the unborn babies, Lord, bless the little children. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. The next life motto Satan whispered to me over my lifetime, and sadly has apparently whispered to a lot of people, because I hear people say it often is: I don’t like people; I hate people; or even, I like animals more than I like people. Jesus had only two commandments: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Nowhere did Jesus say to hate people. To the contrary, He said love them, pray for them, bless them, feed them, give them something to drink and clothes to wear, love them as if they are you. We are in a time of refreshing by God right now, hallelujah! when our sins may be blotted out . . . if we repent of them. Acts 3:19 “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;” How else does Satan work in our lives to try to keep us from reaping our blessings from God? Many people, including me, while we are sleeping, make grand plans of things we want to do around the house, or in life, maybe how we want to serve God, or a ministry we want to start. And, then, we wake up, and the reality of who we are, who we have become in this life, sets in. Fear sets in. Satan sets in. Then, we start talking ourselves out of it. We hear Satan there in the background saying, You can’t do that; you don’t even know where to start with something like that; no one will help you; it’s a lot of work; that’s not who you are; you have too many responsibilities already; you can just serve God another way? Man has a sinful nature, courtesy of Adam, Eve and the serpent in the garden of Eden. We must combat this sinful nature every day; we must resist Satan every day and he will flee from us. James 4:7 Amen. God forgives us for the sins for which we ask Him to forgive us. If, then, we have a sinful nature, it stands to reason we must repent to God, turn away from sin, and pray for forgiveness every day. This is why it is important to have God’s Word stored in our hearts. The more God’s Word is stored in our hearts, the less the devil will come around, and be able to steal our blessings. With God’s Word stored in our hearts, God Always Wins, and We Do Too! Amen. In 1 Corinthians 15, Apostle Paul wrote that he dies every day. How could he die every day? Because we have a sinful nature. Yes, we have the Power of God’s Spirit, God’s Word, and the blood of Jesus Christ, by which we strive to become more like Jesus on a daily basis, to overcome this sinful flesh and sinful, evil world, as Jesus overcame, but we are still human, and we still have a sinful, human nature; God’s forgiveness does not remove our sinful, human nature. 1 Corinthians 15:31 from the Amplified Bible “I assure you, believers, by the pride which I have in you in [your union with] Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily [I face death and die to self].” There are many ways we can sin against God talked about in His Word. Our lukewarm to cold society and churches have caused people to sin by teaching that because we believe in the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we can do whatever we please and are forgiven. No. This is a fallacy, an untruth, not even supported by God’s Word. To the contrary though, it is not that now we can do whatever we please, but because we have the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ, now we no longer desire to do those sinful things we used to do. Amen. There are many sins talked about in the Bible. One of the greatest sins is pride in oneself, to which Apostle Paul is referring in 1 Corinthians 15:31: Because he had pride in [himself] for bringing these unbelievers in Corinth to Christ, and he is saying he sins every day and dies because of that pride. We also see the sin of pride at work in the book of Esther, where Haman’s self-pride got him executed on the hangman’s gallows that he had built specifically for Mordecai the Jew to die on, because Mordecai would not bow down to him as commanded. Haman was instead hung on the hangman’s gallows, and Mordecai, a humble servant to God, took his place, and became king Ahasuerus’ second in command. So, there are many ways a man can sin against God every day, and we can only combat those sins with prayer and His Word. Amen. In Job 33, Elihu, the only friend of the four who spoke to Job, whose words were not condemned by God, Elihu is basically telling Job to stop complaining against God; that God speaks but no one listens. Job 33 from the Amplified Bible Verse 13 “Why do you complain against Him? That He does not answer [you with] all His doings. 14 For God speaks once, And even twice, yet no one notices it [including you, Job]. 15 In a dream, a vision of the night [one may hear God’s voice], When deep sleep falls on men While slumbering upon the bed, 16 Then He opens the ears of men And seals their instruction, 17 That He may turn man aside from his conduct, And keep him from pride;” God speaks once, even twice, and no one listens. It doesn’t say, Maybe He speaks. It says, He speaks. He opens our ears and seals our instruction, so He can turn us aside from our conduct: our thoughts, words and actions, and keep us from self-pride, thinking we are better than our neighbor. God seals our instruction in the wee hours of sleep, and then we wake up, and Satan’s lifetime of training kicks in: sickness, fear, doubt, unbelief. Some people feel persecuted on a daily basis, oppressed, beaten down, sad - persecuted, as if they are guilty of something, of which they have no earthly clue. When we feel that way, we should go into prayer with God. Repent of our sins, cry out to Him, tell Him that we turn away from our sins, and that we surrender in full obedience to Him. Pray for forgiveness. Ask for His Will to be done in our lives. Amen. The words in the Bible are not just words. They are active and alive and powerful, and written for us. Hebrews 4 verse 12. God cannot repeat it enough: If we pray fervently, without ceasing, and meditate on His word, worship Him, give all glory, praise, honor and thanksgiving to Him, day and night, every day, it will activate enormous blessings in our lives, and we will know that He is real. Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. "FORNICATION IS A SIN" AUDIO BLOG SIN NO MORE "All unrighteousness is sin..." 1 John 5:17 Heavenly Father, thank you for Your many blessings in our lives. Thank You for Your Word, Your Spirit and Your Son. Bless your children. Bless the world. In Jesus' Mighty Name. Amen.
God has shown me that there is a time coming soon when people en masse around the world will be crying out, LIARS, LIARS, LIARS, at the fake news. There will be great celebrations, and weeping and gnashing of teeth. He has shown me that, It Is Happening, now. What is "It"? God’s Will, His Plan. His timeline in this event of His Plan. He is shining His Light, shaking the earth, waking up His children, and exposing the darkness. Isaiah 42:16 "And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them." God is waking up the lost, and the believers, with a Spiritual Revival, and that Spiritual Revival is inside me, and each and every one of you. We are the Light of God. He is the head, and we are the body; the head tells the body what to do, and the body does it. God gives us good things, so that we are free to serve Him, serve His lost, needy and weary children, all to His great Glory. Sometime around January 2021 God put heavy on my heart a lack of concern by Christians, and especially "holy people," regarding fornication, also known as premarital sex, or sex between two people who are not married. Apostle Paul preached in Corinth, where they were well-known for having many prostitutes, and the people worshipped false gods. Some of the people of Corinth were Christians, who thought these things were acceptable, and practiced them freely. Apostle Paul tells them, and us, at 1 Corinthians 3, 16 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” 17 “If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” Our bodies are holy, sanctified, made free of guilt and sin through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and we ought not to defile them with sexual immorality. Amen? In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul tells them to “Flee fornication:” verse 18 "Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body." So, Flee fornication. Run don’t walk. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Amen? More importantly, “he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body." We already read in 1 Corinthians 3:16 that our body is not our own; our body is the temple of God, who indwells inside of us, so when we commit fornication, we are sinning against God’s temple. If we strive for God’s blessings, then we need to remember His curses as well. At 1 Corinthians 7, Paul goes on further to press his point about fornication, or sex outside of marriage. 1 Corinthians 7:8-9. verse 8 "I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, it is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn." I have read before that the “burn” Apostle Paul is referring to here is a “burning passion,” which I never really understood, because it is not consistent with the remainder of God’s Word, which clearly says that fornication is a sin: 1 Corinthians 6 12 “Everything is permissible for me, but not all things are beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything [and brought under its power, allowing it to control me].” Everything is permissible for me. In other words, I have free will. But even if I can do it, should I? Does it benefit me, other than immediate gratification? We have become a society, a world, of instant gratification, have we not? I have free will, but I will not let it enslave or control me; I will let God’s Will and God’s power control me. Amen! Continuing with 1 Corinthians 6:13 “Food is for the stomach and the stomach for food, but God will do away with both of them. The body is not intended for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body [to save, sanctify, and raise it again because of the sacrifice of the cross].” Amen. There are many informative commentaries and opinions on what this scripture means. I’m going to quote an excerpt from biblehub.com, from the commentary by Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges: Quote: Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats.] Meat is a necessity for our present undeveloped life; in the world where hunger and thirst will be no more it will no longer be so. And therefore both it, and the organs formed to digest food will be no longer wanted. Continuing with the Quote: Now the body is not for fornication] St Paul is led, by the importance he attaches to this point, to treat it first. The abominable licentiousness, or sexually unrestrained acts, of heathen cities in general, and of Corinth in particular had led to a general conviction that the body was for fornication. St Paul contradicts this, and most emphatically proclaims that fornication is distinctly in itself an unlawful act, contrary to the laws laid down by God for man, and calculated to deprive men of the blessings of the Resurrection.” End Quote. Let me just repeat that part: “Fornication is distinctly in itself an unlawful act, calculated to deprive men of the blessings of the Resurrection.” Ouch! But our God is good and merciful, and just to forgive if we ask and turn our hearts over to Him. He wants ALL men (and women) to return to Him and be healed, and receive eternal Life. Amen? He is giving us time, and making it really easy for us to see the evil around us, and to listen to Him, hear Him, obey Him, and choose Him, God, the Father, and His only begotten son, Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. In Romans 1, Paul also preached God's Word to the Romans, about why terrible things came upon them: Romans 1 25 "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. [or just] 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate [morally unprincipled] mind, to do those things which are not convenient;” That is a lot of powerful words right there, words that are alive: Retain God in our knowledge, obey God, or be turned over to a morally unprincipled mind. Recently, I came to an important realization. What sets Christians apart from the world is not that we love everyone, and God’s Light shines through us. Yes, that is wonderful and true. But, no, what sets us apart is the “morally principled mind” that is instilled in us from God’s Word. Morals, a moral compass, knowing the difference between right and wrong, are things that many of us take for granted, and we just assume all people have, or most people; I know I did until recently, while chatting with someone online, in the comment section of an online video, they asked me what gave me the right to say that abortion is wrong? I replied, Common sense; morals: knowing the difference between right and wrong, the Bible gives me my rights, the death and resurrection of God’s only begotten son, Jesus Christ, gives me my rights. And, the other person responded with, Morals are a matter of perspective! You can read that blog, "Delight God Today," by clicking here. Morals are a matter of perspective! THIS is what we are seeing play out around us. You know, I read an article some time ago that said that only 13% of children today know who God is compared to 58% sixty years ago when they removed Him from our schools. This also happens to be when the Big Bang Theory and evolution were proposed. So, not only did they remove God from schools, but they tried to remove Him from our hearts as well. Thirteen percent of our children are being raised with morals, knowing right from wrong. The line is drawn between right and wrong, good and evil, God and Satan. Choose God because God wins, and He is coming back to the world, back to our nation, back to our schools, and back to our hearts. Amen. How He is coming back is through shakings, signs and wonders and smoking vapor happening all around us, but also, He is coming back through us, through His Children, His Warriors standing up and speaking out, proclaiming God is the Father and Jesus Christ is our king of Kings and Lord of Lords. It is time to speak out about these hard truths, because the time for the lukewarm Christian has passed. We can no longer be complacent. It is time to awaken from our sleep of spiritual complacency. So, fornication is a sin, and with sin comes curses and death. God said in Deuteronomy 23:2 "A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the Lord." The definition of a “bastard” is a person born to parents not married to each other, or through fornication. Again, these are not just words. I mean, God gave us marriage so we could avoid fornication, so we could avoid sinning against our own bodies, defiling His temple, and also avoid cursing our own future generations to come. At 1 John 1, God gave us the Good News about sin, about being forgiven: 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.” This includes fornication, and bastards. If we repent and pray for forgiveness, God will not forsake us. Hallelujah. Amen. In Luke 13, Jesus tells them explicitly that confessing our sins does not mean we continue to willfully sin. Jesus says at Luke 13:3 "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." I emphasize these concepts mostly because they were difficult concepts for me to understand, so I assume others may struggle with them as well. It took me a while to understand that to “repent” and to ask for forgiveness are two entirely different things. To repent is to "turn away from.” In other words, to sin NO MORE. To live our lives as our forefathers, the apostles, Jesus Christ himself did, righteously, in obedience to and with all glory and praise to God, the Father. Amen. In contrast, asking God for forgiveness is telling Him that we know we have sinned, and asking for forgiveness of those sins. And, so, we put the two together, repentance, turning away from sin and turning to God, in obedience, changing our hearts and showing by the way we live that we have changed, and, also, confessing to God the sins of our lives, and asking Him for forgiveness of those sins. And, most importantly, trying with everything humanly possible inside of us not to commit the same sins again tomorrow. Amen? Amen. At John 5:8, Jesus literally said, Sin No More. He didn’t say, “Hey man, you’re forgiven forever, no matter what you do. No problem, keep on sinning.” Nope. He said, Sin No More! John 5:14 "Afterward Jesus finds him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, you are made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing befall you." Hmm. Sin no more lest a worse thing befall you. That is so sad, because people cannot understand what is going on in their lives. Sin no more lest a worse thing befall you. These are not just words. God provides blessings and curses. Amen. And, in John 8:11 “She answered, ‘No one, Lord!’ And Jesus said, ‘I do not condemn you either. Go. From now on sin no more.’” God does not let things happen. Adam and Eve made this choice for us, and now we have a choice to choose God or satan, good or evil. Amen? Jesus gave many examples of people who claimed to be righteous. Luke 13 is one such instance, from the Amplified Bible 1 “Just at that time some people came who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate [the governor] had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus replied to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans because they have suffered in this way? 3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways and live changed lives], you will all likewise perish. 4 Or do you assume that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed were worse sinners than all the others who live in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no; but unless you repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways and live changed lives], you will all likewise perish.” Now, some Historians note that the Galileans in verse 1 were probably at the Temple offering sacrifices, when Roman Governor Pilate’s soldiers came through and killed them all at the sacrificial altars, and mingled their blood with the slain lambs’ blood at the altars. Pilate wanted more money from the Temple treasury, but the Jews refused, so Pilate sent men dressed as citizens, and armed with daggers, into the crowds, demanding money, and killing whomever resisted. The Jews who were reporting this to Jesus in verse 1 were implying that they were better than the Galileans because they did not die like that. Notice that Jesus, in His response to them, repeats verse 3 at verse 5, showing a sense of urgency: "I tell you, no; but unless you repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways and live changed lives], you will all likewise perish.” Jesus’ answer shows that the Jews who told Him about the Galileans believed that God had permitted them to be killed due to their sins. Jesus was letting them know, in no uncertain terms, that those who died were not necessarily greater sinners, but rather the Jews should themselves repent, turn away from sin, and turn to God, and that if they did not repent, they would all perish as well. Continuing with Luke 13:6, The Parable of the Fig Tree: 6 “Then He began telling them this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree that had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it, but did not find any; 7 so he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and have found none. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground [depleting the soil and blocking the sunlight]?’ 8 But he replied to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, [just] one more year until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; 9 and if it bears fruit after this, fine; but if not, cut it down.’” There are a lot of commentaries and opinions about whom the fig tree and the vineyard represent in Luke 13:6, so let’s focus on what we do know from the parable. It seems as though it is not as important whom the fig tree and the vineyard represent, as it is what God expects from them: In Luke 13:7, God is looking for fruit on the trees. Surely, He will do the same with His vineyard. He has given us a season to change our lives (repent), before the trees that do not produce fruit are cut down. We can see this happening around the world now; the Harvest Has Begun. But, now, let’s look at Romans 14, to see what kind of fruit God is looking for on His trees and vines: Romans 14 from the Amplified Bible 6 “He will pay back to each person according to his deeds [justly, as his deeds deserve]: 7 to those who by persistence in doing good seek [unseen but certain heavenly] glory, honor, and immortality, [He will give the gift of] eternal life. 8 But for those who are selfishly ambitious and self-seeking and disobedient to the truth but responsive to wickedness, [there will be] wrath and indignation. 9 There will be tribulation and anguish [torturing confinement] for every human soul who does [or permits] evil, to the Jew first and also to the Greek [or Gentiles], 10 but glory and honor and inner peace [will be given] to everyone who habitually does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek [Gentiles]. 11 For God shows no partiality [no arbitrary favoritism; with Him one person is not more important than another]." So, we can see that those who seek to do good, and sow seeds of righteousness, will receive eternal life, but those who are responsive to wickedness will be subjected to tribulation and anguish. Jesus is not coming back to bring peace; He is coming to bring a sword of division. I quote this next scripture a lot because I think it says a lot. Jesus tells us many times how to avoid the tribulation and anguish described to come for those who sow wickedness. Matthew 3 from the Amplified Bible, verse 8 "Change your hearts! [repent] And show by the way you live that you have changed. verse 9 I know what you are thinking. You want to say, ‘but Abraham is our father!’ That means nothing. I tell you, God could make children for Abraham from these rocks. and, verse 10 The ax is now ready to cut down the trees. Every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." Again, He is cutting down the trees that do not produce good fruit. So, sin No More! Produce good fruit, or get cut down. Blessings and curses. The choice is really easy. Amen? Almost all of God’s words to me over the last few years have been along the same line: Repentance, obeying God, accepting Jesus Christ, Judgment, reaping what we sow, and the Harvest. I mean, that’s pretty much the sum total of God’s Word to us in the Bible. Obey or perish. I really cannot understand how anyone could teach differently, or believe differently. His Word is crystal clear on that subject. Obey or perish. We are special because He gave us His Spirit, His Word, His Son. Amen. God has been putting a lot on my heart in the last few years. Although it may feel like nothing is happening, that He has forsaken us, that this is the new normal, God has shown me if repent, turn away from sin, and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, God WILL give us love, power and a sound mind, and no poison darts from hell will be able to touch us. God gave us His Spirit, His Word, and His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, so that we can overcome this evil world, as Jesus overcame it, and receive life everlasting. He has not forsaken us; He will never forsake us. This is not the new normal. There will be much weeping and gnashing of teeth for people who refuse the Good News of God, and much more celebration for God’s Children. In Psalm 37, we see that God's children, believers in the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which gave us the New Covenant, will not fear the evildoers: Psalm 37 verses 1 through 6 1 "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. 3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. 6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday." Look, I know it is hard to see any good in what is happening around us, or in people perishing, but if we are in God’s Word, reading it, storing it in our hearts, then we will know why these things are happening, and that His children will be protected if they repent. THAT is what His Word tells us, repeatedly. He never promises a good time for bad people. So, we are the people who have faith and are saved. Hallelujah! Amen. God said previously that we have been in a Spiritual War, but, also, that He won, as he always does. Satan will never win, and like the Egyptians at the red sea, the time is at hand for God's judgment upon the wicked. Hebrews 10 from an easy-to-read Bible: 35 "So don’t lose the courage that you had in the past. Your courage will be rewarded richly. 36 You must be patient. After you have done what God wants, you will get what he promised you. 37 He says, 'Very soon now, the one who is coming will come and will not be late. 38 The person who is right with me will live by trusting in me. But I will not be pleased with the one who turns back in fear.' 39 But we are not those who turn back and are lost. No, we are the people who have faith and are saved." Listen, JUDGMENT IS NIGH, BUT "THE END IS NOT YET" Finally, Isaiah. I think Isaiah is one of God’s greatest prophets. He came into his calling as a prophet when he prophesied the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, some 700 years before Jesus’ birth. I mean, the bible is amazing, right? So, God is calling? Are YOU answering? If not, God says, at Isaiah 66:4 “I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.” Delight God today, for tomorrow is not promised. Let’s bow our heads and pray: This prayer is from the Bible, Psalm 51 verses 1 through 19, because no one can say it better than God: Heavenly, Father, thank you for our many blessings. Psalm 51 1 “Have mercy upon us, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out our transgressions. 2 Wash us throughly from our iniquity, and cleanse us from our sin. 3 For we acknowledge our transgressions: and our sin is ever before us. 4 Against thee, thee only, have we sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. 5 Behold, we were shapen in iniquity; and in sin did our mothers conceive us. 6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make us to know wisdom. 7 Purge us with hyssop, and we shall be clean: wash us, and we shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make us to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. 9 Hide thy face from our sins, and blot out all our iniquities. 10 Create in us a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within us. 11 Cast us not away from thy presence; and take not your holy spirit from us. 12 Restore unto us the joy of thy salvation; and uphold us with your free spirit. 13 Then will we teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. 14 Deliver us from blood guiltiness, O God, thou God of our salvation: and our tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. 15 O Lord, open thou our lips; and our mouth shall shew forth thy praise. 16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would we give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” Hallelujah! Praise God! In Jesus’ Mighty Name. Amen. |
Melanie GarciaFaithful and humble servant to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Archives
March 2025
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