Christian

The ultimate test…. How is your score today?

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What many have never realized is that the very life they are living at this very moment is a test, the ultimate test. It is the ultimate puzzle, the ultimate question and answer, the ultimate essay, the ultimate thesis.
Many will say no it is not, but yes it is. They will then say there is no instruction, no rules so it is no test, but yes there is. We are told within it that all must teach the children, before the age of accountability, these rules so when the time comes they will be well prepared on which turn within the maze of life they should take on that particular moment on a particular day. Many times there will be multiple choice questions given and it is up to the person to answer. Sometimes with only less than a second to respond then there will be other days that it can take minutes, hours, days and even years to answer the question correctly. It is a test that has a passing grade and a failing grade, and far too many that think they are passing are failing at this time. Because it is either or, not somewhere in the middle, for there is no middle.
But what is this instruction manual? What is the grading system? It is the Bible and the grading system is following it and not doing what it says you must not do. Yet many go about this world today saying: “that is a lie that is not true. I can live in my sin and God will still accept me as I am.” BBBUUUUZZZZZ …. Automatic fail, sorry wrong answer, not going to work.
One of the primary rules after asking Jesus Christ into your heart is to repent from sin.
In the Hebrew repent is “nacham” which means to be sorry, but in the Greek it is “metanoeo,” which means to think differently or afterwards, i.e. reconsider. To be sorry for what you have done yet to reconsider your lifestyle and to start to think differently; to change one’s mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins. In the Hebrew there was the sacrifice to fall back upon, but that was taken away when Christ hung upon the cross in our place. Now we must turn away from the sin for we have no sacrifice to fall back upon to cleanse us once again for Christ cannot return onto that cross again. (Hebrews 6:4-8)
If you live in a sin and are not made sick to your stomach when you slip and fall back into it then you have not experienced true repentance. You love the sin over your desire to be one of the winners, one of the ones that God will acknowledge as having passed His many tests. Any that says you can live within your sin and still be one with God has lied to you for they themselves have failed the test and do not wish to be within the loser circle allow. For misery truly does enjoy company.
This is why it is so important to read the instruction manual, the Bible. Know what is truly right and know what is truly bad. Too many think they can live their lives as if just saying the words: “I am a Christian” is enough, it is not. You must truly live the life of a Christian. Will we slip and fall time to time? Yes we will, but if we have a truly repentant heart then we will strife not to repeat that particular sin once again because it will sicken our hearts and our stomachs at having failed God. How do I know this? Because that is how I feel every time I let God down.
You cannot live in a sin and even attempt to legitimize it through the laws of man for only the laws of God truly apply within this test. If you attempt to legitimize it you are in actuality compounding that sin for by legitimizing it you are saying the sin is greater than God and nothing is greater than Him.
This is what needs to be taught. This is what needs to be understood. For as a “Christian” we are told to love all, but to truly give this love we must reprove, rebuke and exhort (2 Timothy 4:1-5). What I am doing here is exhorting. I am trying to explain in love that if you truly wish to live the eternal life which is the reward for passing the test, which is this present life, you must turn away from sin, not embrace it and say to yourself “God loves me as I am.” Yes God loves you, but he hates the sin, so how can He fully love you if you are tainted with something that repels Him. Love is a two way street, if you truly and completely love God as we are told we must do (Mark 12:30), then you will willingly turn from your sin. Will it be painful? Yes, for God is our parent and a parent chastises that which he loves (Proverb 13:24). Any that says otherwise has failed the test. Any not willing to hear, has failed the test. There will be millions of winners, but there will be billions of losers, for the road to everlasting life is a narrow and arduous road(Matthew 7:13-14), but it is a road that must be taken if you wish to pass the ultimate test.

Movies, TV and Christianity

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This has been an ongoing issue basically for as long movies have been in existence. One think that all agree upon when looked upon in the correct light. Movies affect how you think. This was reinforced during World War II when Hollywood directors went into the military and applied their profession to the war. Through their work we got film events like the Battle of Midway, and the Aleutian Islands, as well as events like the first American Bomber to complete 25 mission with the same crew, the Memphis Bell. These directors knew that movies influenced how people thought and behaved. This has never changed.
I am not saying Christians should totally stop watching movies, even though some have. Many as they grow in their faith and understanding of the Bible come to comprehend that movies and TV are something that they need to be more selective about. I myself tend to watch older movies that still had a morality within them that was instituted by the production code of 1934 for movies in the 1930s due to an increase in nudity and other unsavory aspects. An Example, are you aware that Maureem O’Sullivan appeared nude in “Tarzan of the Apes” in 1932. You can see this in the unedited version of the movies. It was this movie and others that brought about the code for movies due to Christian uproar.
Too many watch movies and TV and just take what they see for granted not thinking that their actions have consequences. Their participation actually encourages more movies and TV shows to be made with the same aspects. A TV show called “Will and Grace” enabled the TV series “Modern Family.” The behavior shown in these series are counter to Christian teachings and thinking. However many that call themselves “Christian” watched and still watch these shows. So they encourage sin and thus per James 4:17 are in turn sinning themselves. Christians need to be more active with their faith and beliefs in how they choose what they are going to partake and spend their money upon including movies and TV.
Whenever I see something that is counter to the teachings of the Bible I no longer watch them. Thus I do not give my time or my money to these TV shows and movies. For those in Hollywood have shown time and again that they will do all in their power to influences how you think, even if it is only on the screen for a few seconds at first. That few seconds will turn into minutes then hours then all the time. It is up to you as a Christian where you wish to stand, with God or with liberal Hollywood.

Review: Silence (2016)

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“Silence,” is the story of a priest who goes to Japan in the 15th century in search of his mentor. The story covers the persecution of Christians in the Nagasaki province of this island nation. As the journey progress we see the horrid and brutal treatment of Japanese Christians as well as some priests.
The underlying message that the liberal Hollywood was trying to convey through this movie was the need to today’s Christians to also become silent and hide the fact that they are Christian or in time they to would face the same fate as was bestowed upon the 15th century Japanese Christians as well as the Jews and Christians which opposed the Socialist agenda of the Third Reich of the National Socialist German Workers Party of the 1930 and 40, in Germany, otherwise known as the Nazi Party.
The major difference being that in the trials that are to come for Christianity those that are left cannot be silent. They cannot step upon the image of Christ or as will be required in the time to come. To accept the mark of the Antichrist. For those that are left you must never take the mark and must face the horrors and tortures as those that died at the hands of the those now long dead Japanese and those within the Nazi government.

Base Story: 4 out of 5 stars
Acting: 5 out of 5
Propaganda: 3 out of five (0 being totally liberal, 5 being totally Biblical)
Overall: 4 out of 5

What is the difference between pride and selfishness?

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re-post —- originally posted in 2/15 and shows reference to then President Obama
The other day I had a discussion with someone and I stated that I believed selfishness to be the ultimate sin. They replied stating no it is pride.
Now I will not argue that in the Bible it does implicate that it is pride, but let’s take a good look at that word.

Pride a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc. Per Dictionary.com
This SELF-glorification and believe that you are better then all others. Is this not a selfish, self-serving mentality? Yes it is. So to me there is absolutely no difference between these two words. In fact they seem to complement each other.
In Luke 14 Jesus states this: “For whosoever exalteth (be prideful) himself shall be abased (be brought low); and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. “
Jesus also states that those that wish to lead need to be a servant unto those that you wish to lead (Mark 10:44). This again is humility and the lack of pride and selfishness. Most in some type of leadership roll these days are not humble. They are prideful and many are selfish and self-serving.
We need to seek out leaders that are reluctant to lead, but still capable of doing so. Ones that seeks the true good for all, placing all others before themselves and their own personal agenda.
“But there is no such person!” you shout out. That is a possibility, but still we must seek one out and support such people, for if we do we can fix more than has been fixed in the last decade. Most of this last decade has had a person in the White House that is petty, selfish, self-serving and only wish to place forth ideas and doctrines that have resulted in a nation in crisis.
All because there is no true understanding of the Bible by most of those that live in the United States for they are “too busy” to take the time to learn what is right, what is pure and what is holy. For only some that fully reads and understands the Bible can hope to achieve what is glorious in the sight of God, and they can only accomplish this through humility.

Minimalism, tiny houses, liberals and Christianity

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A trend that has been growing for the last four to five years has been the sudden realization that less is better. Well that is what several shows, documentaries and liberal movements have led many to believe.
The Christian faith, something that many on the left wish to deny, has always taught to live in moderation. Not to live in excess or luxurious ways. This is something that many that call themselves “Christian” have forgotten or never knew. Why? Mainly because they took the word of a person in a pulpit or on a dais that never told them that they were sinning by seeking to be wealthy and seeking after the bigger and best things. Again why? Because those that were called leaders of the church sought after worldly rewards themselves. Becoming sinners themselves. So how could they teach of moderation? To do so would label them as what they were or are, hypocrites.
Now suddenly those upon the left have discovered this great idea. Living with less. However, what is the real reason for this sudden interest to be able to live with less? The answer, Socialism. A key element in the control of the masses is to keep them poor and broke. A prime and current example: Venezuela. So those that embrace this great “new” trend to live with less will be those that will become the leaders of this “new” movement and in time they see themselves rising to live in the promised land of temporal elitism. The thing is those that are the elitist now and their offspring and chosen select, which are those that associate with them on a daily basis, will be the only ones that ever make it to elitism; otherwise known as the rich and famous. This was seen with the royalty and their elitist mentality that eventually led to both the American and French Revolutions.
There is nothing new here. It is just people awakening, or more accurately, reawakening to the truth. That they are living with more than they need or require. For deep within our souls, be they saint or sinner, we know what is right. This is explained in Romans 1.
So the real question is, what do we do about it? The answer is simple. Embrace minimalism and the tiny house culture, but do so in the correct light. That of following the teachings of the Bible and not hording our earthly riches and only living on what we need to live day to day and giving the rest to those with true need. First to our fellow Christians then to the sinners.
Once we make this major step we will in time see the rewards we are promised once we move on into our eternal life that is as real as the live we now live, with major differences covered by accepting Jesus as our Savior or rejecting Him. Other than that it will truly last billions upon billions of years, either in service to God and exploring ALL of God’s creation or in a very warm and uncomfortable place.

Confessions of a screwed up middle aged man: In depth study is shown to be the best way

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In the last few posts I have recounted three different occurrences. Each centered on a key element in faith and works that many ignore. The works. The first and the last had the faith, but all three lacked the works of truly studying deeply the word of God. I know without question that this has been my failing in the past.
It is extremely important that when we read the Bible. That we READ it. Not just hear the words and say: “I have been filled with the word.”
I mean dig into the meaning of the words as they were originally written down upon paper as they were inspired by God.
That is what we are instructed to do in 2 Timothy:
“16 – All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
This is seen to be true when a man of the cloth states that those that are divorced and any that help them to remarry are damned. As was shown, this was not true and it is best that those that are widowed and divorced to remarry to escape sin.
This is seen when you take the Bible out of context as in the second posting and the person had in his mind legitimized sin thus in turn denying God and His Son.
And as was shown in the posting from yesterday that it helps those that are following the Bible to do so in a better light.
This shows that as is stated in James that faith without works is dead. Part of the works is to diligently study the Bible to make sure we are on the right path to God, which is narrow and rough.

Confessions of a screwed up middle aged man: an interesting discussion

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So the other day I posted about the “unmarried.” I had a discussion on the topic with one of my co-workers and he brought up a point about a word that we conflicted upon and so I looked deeper into it and this is what we determined.
The word in question was “burn,” which in the Greek is “puroo.” This is defined as:
“pass: I burn, am set on fire, am inflamed; glow with heat, am purified by fire”
Now what caused the discussion is that in the NLT version of the Bible it is shown as “burn with lust”
However in other uses within the New Testament it is not use in this context.
When Paul is recounting his tribulations for his ministry in the service of Jesus Christ he says this in 2 Corinthians 11:29
“Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?”
In Ephesians 6:16 it is used to describe flaming darts or arrows:
“Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”
It is used in 2 Peter 3 in a description of Tribulation times that have yet to be fulfilled:
“Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?”
It is used twice in Revelation. The first time in 1:15, where it is used to help describe the Glorified Jesus Christ feet:
“And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.”
Then it is used in 3:18 in reference to heaven treasure that have passed the test of fire and come purified:
“I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.”
As in the main definition of the word all things are implied to be on fire or having passed through fire. Now I do agree that when we lust it can be said that we are “on fire.”
As was my counter in the discussion with my friend. Living in sin will lead us to the pit of fire where we will be on fire there as well.
Isaiah 66:24 – And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
Why I say this, is that living in fornication and adultery are seen as sins which will lead to this fate.
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.
Now we must also remember that many times there is a type of duality used within not only the Greek but Hebrew word usage. Where words have two means, but the same overall ends. This could very well be one of these instances. Where we would find the unmarried and widowed burning with lust in the flesh having experienced natural sexual relations, which would lead to adultery and fornication, which would ultimately lead to damnation and being on fire forever in the pit of fire.
So this is what we both agreed upon in our discussion. That it has both meanings. Neither of which is good for those that find themselves without a spouse, and lack the self-control not to live a celibate live.

No one is perfect, but when we make an error with the Bible we must help to correct our mistake

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Since become a born again Christian in the mid-1980s I have yet to see someone admit they have made a mistake in how they taught the Bible. I remember the PTL club. I remember Jimmy Swaggart. I have seen the false teachers of prosperity churches. I have read and heard those that say they know the Bible yet get it totally wrong. I must add that I have grown in how I see the Bible thanks to the blessing of God’s enlightenment He has blessed me with. Have I been wrong? To some degree I must say yes, for I am human. However I must point out that I have not been too way off the mark, especially when I delved deep into the Word of God by studying it in the Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic. So we can say I have been wrong, but I must add I have strived to correct anything I found to be out of the will of God. I must also interject here that when I did have doubts about where my standing was with the Bible I kept it to myself and did more study and research into the Bible. This was especially true for the Book of Revelation.
This makes me the exception to the rule, which is extremely sad. Many, especially those in the clergy, develop an attitude that they are perfect and beyond error. Just because they are “Christian,” does not make them God. So errors will occur. A prime example happened earlier this week and was included in yesterday’s blog post. For those that did not read it I will give a quick overview.
A clergyman stated that it was blasphemy for someone divorced to remarry. I pointed this out to the person and there has been silence ever since.
This shows the importance of when we are taught to verify it ourselves.
1 John 4:1 – Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. 2 This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. 3 But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here. 4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 5 Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. 6 But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.

Only you are responsible for where you will spend your eternal life

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First off we need to get to a point of understanding about what will be THE eternal life.
Most in this world think that there is only heaven and you sit about doing nothing or walking in beauty. Then there are those that actually acknowledge there is a counter to this which is hades or hell in addition to heaven. Furthermore there are even those that still believe in the Catholic made myth of purgatory, which is never mentioned in any form within the Bible.
When you truly study the Bible you come to a realization that the eternal life is beyond heaven and hades. You see, heaven and hades are merely holding placing for the souls of the departed until they receive their eternal bodies that are promised unto us within the Bible upon the return of Christ in the first Rapture, and then for those in hades at the end of the thousand year reign of Jesus Christ.
The Bible, unlike what many are hoping for these days, IS black and white, good and evil, right and wrong. In fact it is made very clear that those that live in the middle, in the grey, are rejected by the Glorified Jesus Christ Himself (Rev. 3:15-16). They are also seen as worse than those that live in the black, the evil, the wrong.
The eternal life that is to come is just that: eternal, immortal.
Does this mean that those that sin and live outside the Bible will receive eternal life? In a fashion yes. They will receive an immortal body. However they will have no freedom. In fact it is called the second the death. For even though they are living immortally they are dead to God and His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. They will be living with who they decided to follow who will be suffering just as they are suffering.
Isaiah 66:24 – And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
Revelation 21:8 – But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Revelation 20:14 – And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Revelation 20: 10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
The only person that can decide on where they are going to either spend eternal life with God and Jesus or in the second death is you, yourself. You must decide for yourself to live in the here and the now, or to strive to reach for immortality with God.
You must ask Jesus to be your Savior, you must reject sin. You cannot live in sin and say you serve God. That is those that are seen as worse than those that reject God outright. You must learn the Bible and to follow its teachings. If you do this you stand a chance to make it, but only time and God will tell.

It is obvious

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As we look at the behavior of those that call themselves the “left” in the nation. That those that go out into public and behave like they are still children. Resorting to gross and vile actions, have not read the Bible for themselves.
Now I know that many of them call themselves Atheist, which in part explains their desire not to read a book that they consider “fake.” However there is a large element that actually calls themselves “Christian.” These in the latter group even they “know” the Bible, yet as I pointed out above have never read the Bible themselves.
So how can they know the Bible having never read it? The answer is completely obvious. They can’t and don’t. So in reality they are not nor have they ever been “Christian.” Many go to a building and hear from people that stand on a dais or in a pulpit and call themselves “priest” or “ministers” yet the message they give does not come from the Bible, and if it does they do not interpret it correctly. They take out of it what they wish to say and leave that which insults them or does not fit into their beliefs, which they have made for themselves. It has been said by many publicly that they wish they could tear out parts of the Bible so they could never have to hear what it says.
Galatians 1:6 – I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News 7 but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. 8 Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. 9 I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.
These that do this are cursed and will not be welcomed into the eternal service of God that is to come. They need to accept that which they truly are. Not “Christians,” but hypocrites. Seen by the glorified Christ as something that is worse than the Atheist mentioned above.
Revelation 3: 15 “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! 16 But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!”
They are spit from the Body. Seen has something nasty and vile in the taste buds of God and His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.
READ THE BIBLE FOR YOURSELF! DO NOT TAKE THE WORD OF OTHERS!
Look it up online, look to the New Living Translation if the King James is difficult to understand, but do not look at the NIV Bible for those that changed it were addressed in the verses of Galatians written above.
Start in the New Testament and actually read it and think upon what you are reading. For this world is changing quickly and is heading toward an event that if you are not truly “Christian” will leave you in a place you really do not wish to be at.