Month: September 2017

Do you really think about how the letters of the New Testament were written?

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They were written with such love and such purpose of giving love unto to all the world through the preaching of the teachings of Christ.
In many cases they were written when all that could be done was to send letters in the replacement of the person. Why? Because the writers were imprisoned. In a dark stinking cells with no air to properly circulate the smell of excrement and rot.
Yet the words were written and they were written telling all to spread the teachings of Jesus and Son of God. How do we treat these words these days? We ignore them, pervert them and even teach other fads in their stead.
This is the ultimate insult to those that wrote down these words. It is a critical insult upon the suffering they endured for your salvation.
Peter was hung upside down upon an inverted cross
James was killed with a sword
It is stated that the all but John died of martyrdom. He was exiled and died of old age.

Who is the steward of your life?

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The answer is you are. Then if I have already answered the question then why even pursue writing further? Because too many are poor stewards of their own lives. A steward is the administrator of your household or estate or in this case you. Who else should this burden fall upon? If you answered other than no one you are not following the teachings of the of Bible and so are following what the world wants you to do so you will be of the world and not of God.
Jesus discusses stewardship in Luke 16 and even states within the chapter that you cannot follow God and mammon which means money. Where does money come from? The world. So you can not follow God and the world. He states you must love one and despise the other.
If you are able to work but have no desire to do so, but to collect welfare and food stamps and make no effort to end this you have chosen to despise God and the Bible.
There will be times when we have rough times. I myself have been on welfare and food stamps, but I refused to stay upon them for I felt like I was stealing from others. I felt I had been a bad steward to my life, which is true, I had been.
This mentality that you are owed something is lie. No one owes you anything. The only person that owes you is yourself. For we are accountable for our own actions. Not the actions of others be they alive or dead. It is our free-will choices that govern us and our behavior. If we choose not to work and to take from the government then we are refusing to be our own steward and allowing someone else to do so. As a result poverty increases, crime increase, sin increases and God is not happy.
Do not lie to yourselves and feel that if you go to church on Sunday and steal from others the rest of the week that you will be welcomed with open arm by God. For Jesus made it very clear that poor stewards will not receive our eternal reward in the service of God.

Do you need a degree to speak to God?

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Now why even poise such a question? All I can say is this. The other day I encountered a discussion and someone’s reply quoted some man that stated you must have a seminary degree to know the words of God. I was dumbfounded.
As I have explained before I only use the King James Bible*. Why because it is the closest to the original Greek and Hebrew available. I then use Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to get to that Greek and Hebrew to see their meaning of the words and then two dictionaries and these are a luxury. Most people have not had these resources available till recent history, but these items truly do help you understands God’s instruction manual better.
It is dogmatic teachings that someone with more education then you must be the person you listen to allowing you insight into what God desires of each and every person. This is a lie period. It is this mentality that has caused evil to exist throughout the centuries because humans would place their spin on the Word of God for their benefit. It caused the Crusades, Slavery and even in some part contributed to the Holocaust.
It is this thinking that you must go through a person to get to God that is causing so much confusion and even falling away from the church. It is this believe that has caused Atheism. It is this very mentality that Martin Luther confronted in his thesis.
What is required? People actually reading the Bible themselves. Actually taking the time to study it, getting to know it. Will there be some need for aids form others that have studied the Bible longer. I would say yes, but I would also say to take anything they say with a grain of salt and for you to verify if it stands with the Bible itself.
I also refuse to read any versions of the Bible that have been written since after 1960*. Why? Because I don’t trust them. They are a translation of a translation of a translation and as I have witnesses when I did read them the translation was not that, but an opinion.
Too many allow some other human to tell them what God says. That is not their job. God gave these jobs to be done by apostles; prophets; evangelists; pastors and teachers;
The apostle is apostolos ap-os’-tol-os from 649; a delegate; specially, an ambassador of the Gospel; officially a commissioner of Christ (“apostle”) (with miraculous powers):–apostle, messenger, he that is sent. So he is to read the word of God unto those that have not heard it.
Key statement – “officially a commissioner of Christ” this mean chosen by Christ Himself this was the 12 apostles and Paul. I know of no other “apostles.”
The prophet is prokerusso prok-ay-rooce’-so from 4253 and 2784; to herald (i.e. proclaim) in advance:–before (first) preach. So he is to herald the return of Christ.
The evangelist is euaggelistes yoo-ang-ghel-is-tace’ from 2097; a preacher of the gospel:–evangelist. Is someone that Deliver a sermon or religious address to an assembled group of people.
The pastor is of uncertain affinity; a shepherd (literally or figuratively):–shepherd, pastor. Is someone that watches over the congregation and counsels them.
The teacher is didaskalos did-as’-kal-os from 1321; an instructor (genitive case or specially):–doctor, master, and teacher. The one who educates those that accept Christ as their Savior
Now in the times of Jesus they had the Pharisees, Scribes and the Sadducees. These men would equate to well educated men. Yet were they following the Torah correctly? No they were not. If fact Jesus made it very clear that these men make themselves to be of a higher class then of the common person. This is not how it was meant to be. If you read the Old Testament you will find that the judges and the prophets were usually common people blessed by God for what reason? Their knowledge of God and His teachings. These men were self-taught and in some cases tutored by another prophet.
Yet that is not acceptable in today’s world. Why?
If someone studies the word of God correctly and adheres to them and then teaches them yet he had not gone to any theological college. Why is his understanding of God less than anyone else that has gone to a university?
I think it can be at minimum equal, and to some degree better. Why? Because this layman was not exposed to all the doctrinal dogma taught by this religious organization or that religious organization, which I feel frees this person to truly read the Bible correctly.
As another example, does not the Baptist teach that once you are saved you are always saved, yet is that not the opposite of what is taught in Revelation 3:14-22, John 15: 1-8 and 2 Peter 2:1-22? Yes it is. Then this is a false and man-made doctrine and should be removed and replaced with the correct teaching, which states that if you continue to be exposed to the world you can become re-corrupted by it and you will no longer bear fruit and will be cast off by God Himself.
So in reality what is right, the Bible or the Baptist Church? That answer is simple… the Bible.

NOTE: This is not an attack against the Baptist Church, it was just one example of many man-made doctrines that fill many denominations throughout Christendom. I could give examples of many of them but that would take up too much time and space. Please look to the Bible and your denominations doctrines and see if it fits in the Bible correctly or not. If it does not it should not be followed for it is not God-made but man-made.

* – In my posts I use (NLT) the New Living Translation as a tool for the reader. I do not use it when I study the Word of God for the reasons stated above. I have found flaws within this translation and when I do I revert to the KJV when I need to post that verse.

Confessions of a screwed up middle aged man: “There is nothing! Just blackness!”

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These are the words I have heard several times of late. When I hear them it saddens me. For I know. Without a doubt. That there are many that actual believe and accept this to be the reality after the death of the bodies our souls occupy as we live our lives in this temporal plain of existence. Here is the thing that sticks out to me whenever I hear these words spoken.
The person is aware. The person has a conscious recollection and a tangible knowledge of this “blackness.”
Isn’t that interesting?
How is this possible if there is nothing?
I have had two personal experiences in my live that I wish to share at this moment. The first was a few years back. I woke up from my sleep in the middle of the night with what I later found out was an ocular migraine. My left eye was totally shutdown. I was blind in one eye. There was nothing but blackness when I closed the other eye, yet I was aware. I was and am alive.
The second came in a one of my dreams. Thus the name “dreamwalker,” which is associated with Act 2:17.
In this dream I found myself falling within total blackness. I was aware and I knew I could feel myself falling. Several other things took place, but they are unimportant to this article, so I will go on. As this fall neared its end I knew I was approaching what is called Hades or hell.
What is important is that the blackness was in this situation. So could these people actually be experiencing this blackness? I would say yes.
It is God blinding them. Not allowing them to see what is beyond. Why I would not know. I could speculate, but how? I don’t have enough information to give a true idea of what or what is not beyond this temporal world having never had a near-death experience.
However, from what I do have knowledge and experience. I can safely and without doubt know that God is real. Jesus did live, die and rise again.
So is God blinding people that are living in sin or living in an apostate state? I would again say yes.
By God showing them Hades or hell would be He imposing upon their freewill to choose to follow Him with all their heart, mind and soul.
Now there is documentation that shows where there have been near-death experiences of blackness. However there is nearly an equal amount that shows where God has revealed heaven unto people. This again is too allow those in doubt to question, to look, to learn and to come to their own determination about Our Creator God.
I have seen, read and learned enough to know that we are His creation. For this I praise God and His Son.
One thing we have to remember in these times leading up to the return of Jesus Christ is this:
There will be billions that ask and accept Jesus to be their Savior during the Tribulation. Not before, which is the times we are now living. For now we must endure the trials and tribulations that are to come for those of us that confess to be “Christian.” For us we have much pain, anguish and agony in our futures. I pray Christ will give me the strength to endure, for that is His promise unto those that ask.