Food for Thought (Not for the sensitive...)

Please allow me to ponder out loud. Mormonism doctrine has historically promoted hatred for the decedents of Ham (Genesis 9:18). What of the English word ‘black’ and its etymology? Part of the Merriam Webster definition: “indicative of condemnation or discredit ” Has this contributed to the systemic brainwashing of Americans generation after generation? So many powerless evangelicals in 2012 who proclaim to be disciples of Christ seem to be completely unaware of their inbred racism and the offensiveness of their seemingly inherent if not merely institutionalized and learned hatred for the first American President of obvious African descent. I think a little sensitivity training may be  in order for the church at large. Corporations have realized the benefits of diversity training for employees. Why is the church so far behind? For further cogitation see: 

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black 

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=black 

 http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30F17FB385E15738DDDAE0894DF405B8984F0D3 

© 2012 Brian L Hunter

Imagination

“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 10:6 ) I know it seemed as though that friend’s attitude was directed towards you. However, you do well not to accept the offense personally. Yes, they may have had an awful attitude when they answered your call, responded to your question, or reacted to your statement. No, you are not obligated to let your imagination run wild with the idea that the other person’s attitude is all about you, Marsha. Perhaps your phone call, question, or comment, after a long series of disappointments and mishaps within a short span of time, just happened to be the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. That makes you today’s grand prize winner in the attitude sweepstakes or lottery. Viola! Congratulations! God obviously knew you could handle it with flying colors, make lemonade out of this sour fruit, offer a Word of encouragement, and allow love, rather than your emotions, rule in the situation and thereby be a peacemaker. This is how you keep friends, share the love which is God, and avoid the bait of Satan that seeks to trap you in the snare of the fowler and keep you bound, upset, unsettled, and bitter. Remember that God is your peace. If you form the habit of taking a deep breath and thinking of the goodness of the Lord in those times of offense, betrayal, and ugliness in your face, you will be better able to bless the Lord at all times and let His praise continually be in your mouth (Psalm 34:1). Hallelujah! “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” (Psalm 103:1) Oh, we who live and move and have our being in Christ are too blessed to concentrate on any such evil mess or misunderstanding. Praise God Almighty! Hallelujah! The joy, the joy, the joy of the Lord is our strength. Rise up in righteousness and give negativity and strife a mortal beat down today in Jesus’ mighty name. As they say in Jamaica; seen? Irie, mon. I and I will bless the Lord! Hallelujah! Bless His most high holy name and smile as though you have heard the good news of His virgin birth, sinless life, death, burial, resurrection, and promise to come again for His bride! Hallelujah! I should just shut up and play my drums, however…


© 2012 Brian L Hunter

Hated

Why Jesus was and is hated (John 15:18) is simple; as Gabriel pointed out, " And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." (John 3:19) I agree the best defense as to why the Bible is true to you is because of one person; Jesus Christ. Is the gospel more difficult to believe or somehow less credible than evolution as taught to us in our schools? Bridgette, I applaud your citing of John 14:6 because a 100% error free knowledge of who Jesus Christ is predicates wisdom and salvation. Drug addicts and alcoholics have to hit rock bottom in order to know Jesus as a deliverer. Some will first come to know Him as a healer. Humanists must "meet" the Savior on their own Damascus road and our apologetics must be that signpost for the way to the Lord. Remember that before the term Christian was coined, discipleship was mereley called "the way" and believers were called people of the way. I think it is a more fitting nomenclature because acceptance of John 14:6 defines who and what we are as disciples of Christ, that is of course, "if we have love one to another." (John 13:35) Love is the box often left unchecked on our Christian identity cards and so many fail to fully qualify...

Godlessness

I have read concerning the dilemma of atheism that “The atheist can’t find God for the same reason a thief can’t find a policeman.” Atheists and humanists tend to cite human suffering as the wellspring of their lunacy. “If there is a God (See Psalm 14:1), how could he allow earthquakes, murder, poverty, tsunamis and cancer?” The humanist generally refuses to discuss anything he or she considers to be without merit and Scripture is at the top of that list. The bedrock of humanist reasoning is diversion and the art of inquiry. Genesis 3:1 and Matthew 4:3 give witness some of Satan’s favorite questions. In sales we learn that the person asking the questions is in control of the meeting. In witnessing to atheists and humanists it is imperative that we engage them in the questions all religions seek to answer. Opening with Bible thumping will fall on deaf ears.

Witnessing to Those with a Secular Humanist Worldview

Secular humanists, a subset of modern day spiritualists, are skeptics and largely atheists or agnostics who have supplanted the creator with the creature and thus worship an idyllic representation of themselves as scientific evidence and the pinnacle of an unsubstantiated evolutionary hypothesis. It would seem that secular humanists are on a mission to prove that man has no need of anything supernatural, mainly God. A skeptic begins with the assumption that all systems of faith are wrong. (Caner 2009, p. 43) This assumption, along with the humanist’s many other assumptions and presuppositions, must be questioned and dissected according to reason.

Debating humanists on an intellectual or argumentative basis is largely unproductive. An appeal to the need for an ultimate authority might be established after a heartfelt dissatisfaction with the status quo of unanswered questions is acknowledged and then one can present historical evidence for the superiority of the Bible as the God given source of such authority. The unanswered questions of science are a good place to begin (Caner 2009, p.43) as is a discourse on worldview questions such as

1. Where did we come from? (Origin)
2. Why are we here? (Meaning)
3. What is good and what is evil? (Morality)
4. Where is civilization headed? (Destiny)

Such testimony by believers can only help spiritualists refine their worldview and learn that there is more to life and death than what meets the eye. There is mythological, philosophical, empirical, and historical evidence in favour of biblical truth and authority, and God desires an intimate fellowship with us because He created and loves us. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. It’s just that simple. I don’t ever want to be accused of being more in love with my interpretation of theology than I am with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! The solution to the root of every problem in any life is a person named Jesus. The historical record of the life of the apostle Paul is a most useful, scripturally anchored introduction to the gospel. Why do men reject God and His Son, Jesus? It’s alright if Jesus is anything other than God. It’s alright with humanists if Jesus is just another prophet or just another great historical figure. In fact Jesus is just more fodder for their mountain of relativism which is akin to a pantheism where mere ideas are gods.

I think most people are longing for something that will resonate the general revelation of God’s existence within them and the God shaped hole inside that they try to ignore. They try to fill this abyss with alcohol, drugs, sex, philosophy, materialism, etc. All they know for sure is that they have not yet experienced that ultimate peace that we have learned is only made possible through what Christ has accomplished on our behalf.

The core ideology of Secular Humanism is anti-faith and therefore anti-Christian. It exalts reason as supreme as a way of knowing. The question is what is to be known? What does man need to know in order to “conquer” life. Secular Humanism developed in part as a direct antithesis to Christianity. The primary supposition must be that the universe is inherently hostile to mankind and survival is therefore man’s main pursuit in life. Man is viewed as victorious and superior in an adversarial relationship with nature. Admitting then that man needs anything outside of himself, such as a higher power, God, traditional dogma, etc. would undermine the basic presuppositions of the humanist manifesto and worldview. I doubt that anyone holding to this worldview would welcome prayer or an overt discussion of Scripture because any aspect of anything “religious” offends their sensibilities. One must approach reason from the perspective of either contextual apologetics or negative apologetics as did the apostle Paul in his Mars Hill Address in Acts 17.

Oprah, Dr. Phil, eastern mysticism, New Age fads, and ethical relativism fail miserably to apprehend the centeredness and peace of mind that is so lacking in this world of the twenty-first century schizoid man (King Crimson) where lives are so expendable as acceptable casualties of war and the love of money and prosperity gospels rule. This is perhaps the most world view most aggressively forced upon us in the mass media, schools, and ultra liberal churches teaching far to the left of Scripture in America today. This is the height of vanity and exalts vain imaginations above reason, believing that all that exists is what can be seen with the naked eye, while dismissing the validity of the supernatural. Everything is relative to the secular humanist, which is one reason why it leads to gross immorality and incredible insensitivity to the pain and suffering of others. 1 Corinthians 1:18-29 is also a good place to begin when discussing the gospel with humanists.

© 2010 Brian L Hunter

Sisyphus

Today is just tomorrow's yesterday reaching for a possession yet to come. In Christ we live and move and have our being now, while existing beyond the realm of time or mere historicity. My soul is steadfastly anchored and, despite the gray hair and the feeble knees, I press even more zealously toward the mark for the prize today as when I first held fast to this rock. As often as I am filled with God’s Spirit, is as often as I need another filling. As often as I reach the pinnacle of experience concerning the bliss of His merciful grace, I am just as constantly brought face to face with my need for more of Him. Whereas Sisyphus pushed the rock upwards in futility, I advance, being completely in the rock that pushes me, towards an inheritance gained by many stripes and the precious blood of the Lamb of God as He endured the Cross for my sake. So pressed upon am I by the tremendous weight of the glory my eyes have yet to see, that I can hardly contain the anticipation here and now. I can only respond with progressively more worship, obedience, submission, and adulation. Lord, please let it be done unto me according to the Word you have breathed forth from the beginning.

Spilled Milk

“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” (1 John 2:19)

What the apostle John experienced was that some people profess commitment and pledge allegiance at some point and then change their minds, abandoning all consent and choosing enmity over fidelity. How many church and denominational splits are examples of this tendancy?

There is no use crying over spilled milk. Yes, we are disappointed when relationships are lost. However satisfying they may be, not every fellowship is ordained to continue throughout our lives. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) There are perhaps places and fellowships which were profitable for a season and to which you should not return again. If there is no forthcoming fruit, i.e. love, where then is the purpose? Could it be that what we sometimes label as drama might often be progress, deliverance, and growth in development to move us out of harms way? Why should we cry over having been forgotten or cast away? When we have been discarded, dissipated, dropped, dumped, eighty-sixed, eliminated, forsaken, given up, godforsaken, jilted, left in the cold, left in the lurch, neglected, passed up, pigeon-holed, or rejected, just remember that God is perfect in all His ways and He is 100% sovereign. God says, “I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; And forgettest the LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?” (Isaiah 51:12, 13) Seeming misfortune only becomes oppression in reality when the calamity outweighs the Word of God’s power in the forefront of our awareness. And so, in regards to spilled milk, as Dionne Warwick said, just walk on by.

“Love is not puffed up…” (1 Corinthians 13:4)

It is a dangerous temptation for a disciple to become so impressed with his or her own spirituality that they lose sight of the fact that not a single one of us is worthy even to lift our eyes towards heaven. Not a single human being has ever arrived at perfect spiritual maturity and holiness. Paul told us he had not “arrived.” (Philippians 3:14) “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10) Are we thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think; or, are we thinking soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith? (Romans 12:3) There is so much self promotion going on in the church and marketing of self rather than the gospel seems to have overtaken many today. I am examining myself to see whether I be in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5) “lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” (1 Corinthians 9:27) Therefore, as my friend, if ever I seem out of line to you, spare not to whip me with the Word of God. Upset me if you must; just love me enough to tell me I am wrong. Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:35) Help me, my brother and my sister, to do right in the sight of God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Every Idle Word

“But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.” (Matthew 12:36)

“And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)

If a personal criticism begins with the phrase “you always” then the speaker is clearly not in the Spirit when the criticism is spoken. Remember that accuser of the brethren is Satan’s primary job description. If the Bible is studied, then the student can come to no other conclusion than that love for our fellow man is to be sought “above all things.” So why do Christians so often dwell on the negative and the faults seen in others? It is not uncommon even for pastors and self proclaimed ministers of the gospel to focus more so on the wrong one has done instead of the infallibility of God’s word and God’s sovereign omnipotent triumph in the salvation of those whom He has chosen to conform to the image of His Son Jesus. I take my place in history among the worst sort of wicked men ever to have walked the earth. Yes, daily I fall short of perfect holiness and spiritual maturity. “But God…” I will not be ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto the complete turning around of my life. The fact that the process of my turn around, my sanctification, is not yet complete does not deter me from the confident hope I have of the future grace that has been promised and stored up for me by The Most High God who cannot fail to deliver. Daily I must examine myself to see whether I am in the faith, that Jesus Christ is in me, and that I am in Him. (2 Corinthians 13:5)

And so I admonish us all to be wary of criticism from our closest loved ones and even from our own minds. Let God be true… Greater is He that is in you, but be sure to let the mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.

The Word of God is the meat that strengthens us against all of our enemies. Forget what man has testified against you and cling to the thing which Mary knew was most needful; the Bread of life, the Living Water, the Anointed One and His Anointing, the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ.

Remember that God’s words are not spoken idly. In the beginning, God, by His Word, created everything out of complete nothingness. Isaiah 55:11 lets us know that God’s Word shall not return unto him void but it shall accomplish that which He pleases, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto He sent it. I can clearly see the love and faithfulness of God throughout history. Where I need to find love now is in the way I treat my fellow man and in the measure of my obedience to God’s Word. I am truly going to have to give an account in the day of judgment for every idle word I have spoken.

Prayer:
Lord, please empower and enable me to fulfill your greatest commandment and love my neighbor as myself. Please help the body of Christ which is the church of God in Christ answer the prayer of Jesus from John 17 that we be one even as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

My Salvation Has A First Name: It’s J E S U S

Salvation has a beginning, middle, and an end. All things, even our salvation, are of Jesus, through Jesus, and to Jesus. (Romans 11:36) Jesus, Alpha and Omega, the Word of God, is both the substance and the object of our faith. We are saved, as Ephesians 2:8, 9 clearly states, by grace through faith, not by works (i.e. baptism, charity, etc.). A good place to start, according to the apostle Paul, is confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord. (Romans 10:9, 10) Remember that Peter couldn’t even testify that Jesus was the Christ until the Holy Spirit revealed this truth to him. (Mark 8:27 and Matthew 16:13) Hence, a person cannot decide out of the blue to be saved when and where they “feel” like it. When God chooses us and anoints our blind eyes to see, we then begin to seek Him and recognize that He is sovereign, omnipotent, and holy. Fear of the Lord is indeed the beginning of wisdom. (Proverbs 9:10 and Psalm 111:10) God says, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” (Jeremiah 31:3) All of my hope is in thee, oh God, and in your Word. I pray now that my faith fail not and that I continue to grow by leaps and bounds in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Unto Him be glory both now and forever. Amen.

To Be Continued

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8)

Jesus, the divine Son and second personality of the triune Godhead who is one. God the Son, in total agreement with the Father and the Holy Spirit, is both the object of our faith and the contextual framework of love within which the seeds of discipleship can grow into faith that fails not. (Luke 22:31-33)

Hence, I propose that this Word or logos, this Word who was with God the Father in the beginning and who was himself God, is the primordial concept from which all subsequent reason came to be. Science, philosophy, and theology need not be at odds, although the goals of each are exclusive. The difference for the disciple of Christ is that the center, or ethos, is the Word of God and includes nothing outside of the truth that can be deduced from that Word. Jesus, this same Word of God who names himself Alpha and Omega, is the very God YHWH who said to Moses, “I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” (Exodus 3:14)

Any truth that does not save is no truth at all and salvation is an all or nothing affair. Salvation, like time and reality as we know it, begins and ends with one whom alone claims to be the way, the truth, and the life. God alone has claimed to be The Most High God, omnipotent, omniscient, holy, and worthy of all glory, honor, and praise. This God talks! Though God, like Allah et al, has spoken through historical prophets, He alone has spoken directly to His creation. All other gods have remained silent because the dead cannot speak. Yet for those who believe and are hidden in Christ, the best is yet to come because Christ in them is the hope of a promised weight of glory to be revealed when He returns to claim His beloved bride and take them home. As I see it, it’s all about the picture that the language used is able to paint and the vehicle by which the transmogrification of nothingness into life is thereby achieved. I really cannot fathom it. My thinking on the glorious light of the world must for the moment come to an end lest in blindness I ramble aimlessly. Reason is finite.

Reflections

Remember that the purpose of your every breath, your every thought, and your every move is intended to glorify this Jehovah who saves. Make no mistake. We are talking about the Holy One of Israel who is a limitless, continuous, incredible weight of glory worthy of infinitely more praise than our feeble frames can muster. He is absolutely, one hundred percent holy and omnipotent. And yet, He knows your name and cares for you whom He has created in love. You can laugh it off, but God is still holy. You can deny that He exists, and He is still holy. You can play the harlot and worship another lover, and still, God is holy. Oh, to know what and who holiness is... Sing, child! Sing to the glory of the God who alone is the definition of splendor and light! Only in worship can you hope to contain, to hold, or accommodate the eternal weight of glory that is YHWH. He is upholding all things by the Word of his power (Hebrews 1:3). In him we live, and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28). Holy Father, keep through your own name those whom you have given Jesus, that they may be one, as you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one. Amen.

One Thing Is Needful

“But one thing is needful: and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42)

Seated at the Lord’s feet, Mary had made up her mind that regardless of what duties or obligations presented themselves just then, she was determined to bask in the light of the world while the Lord’s countenance happened to be shining upon her. This moment was the one thing that was needful. As every flower waits expectantly for the rain to fell and refresh and nourish, so had Mary longed for such an intimate time with Rabboni. Mary had chosen what was better and it would not be taken away from her. This Mary of Bethany was a worshiper. In the twelfth chapter of John’s Gospel, this same Mary would push past the onlookers and anoint Jesus’ feet with spikenard, one of the most expensive perfumed oils in the ancient world.

We recognize a trend in the actions of Mary of Bethany in Scripture. She was willing to sacrifice things of value in order to really benefit from her relationship with Jesus. As T.D. Jakes would put it, she was maximizing the moment. She had made a commitment to be in intimate fellowship with Jesus and determined than nothing, no chore, and no other person would be able to deter her from her goal. It’s easy to see why the spirit of Antichrist operating in popular works such as The Davinci Code and other blasphemous attacks on Christianity make a mockery of the relationship between Mary and Jesus. Such love the world cannot understand because it is devoid of avarice, lust and concupiscence. Christ-like love gives devotion and asks not in return. This is a love that is pure fantasy for the world and is a reality that is only spiritually discerned.

In contrast to her sister, Martha, Mary had placed devotion to her beloved far above the list of chores with which Martha busied herself. I heed this as a lesson in ministry. As I think of this, I wonder how many married couples are so busy shopping for gifts this Christmas that they don’t even realize their relationship is suffering for lack of attention. They are vulnerable to the world of others who might give their spouse the attention they are starving for. How sad is it to be locked inside the dinner buffet of Golden Corral and yet remain hungry to the point of starvation?

So I am going to be more like Mary of Bethany today and place that quality time with the Lord atop my list of priorities. This is how I will daily honor Him and be blessed.

© 2007-2010 Brian L Hunter

All Hail The Power Of Jesus Name (Edward Perronet, pub.1780)
Scripture: Philippians 2:9-11

“• Let highborn seraphs tune the lyre,
And as they tune it, fall
Before His face Who tunes their choir,
And crown Him Lord of all;
Before His face Who tunes their choir,
And crown Him Lord of all.
• Crown Him, ye martyrs of your God,
Who from His altar call;
Extol the Stem of Jesse’s Rod,
And crown Him Lord of all;
Extol the Stem of Jesse’s Rod,
And crown Him Lord of all.
All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name”

Thanksgiving Truth

Turkey is but a light to us flies in the dark of night. Fear, unbelief, and condemnation; or, faith, hope, and love? From whence are we thinking and speaking on this Thanksgiving Day? A kind word turneth away wrath. (Proverbs 15:1) Win souls today! Goodness makes for a pleasant temporary social bliss, however, goodness does nothing to requite sin and justify us before a holy God who absolutely requires repentance and faith in his Son whose blood alone can cleanse from all iniquity. By our attitudes and example, let us invite the lost and the blind to come to Jesus just now.

Am I Wrong?

Have I misunderstood the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the power of God unto salvation? Who’s report have I believed? Who is really on the Lord’s side? If I judge my brother and look at him sideways because I discover that he has engaged in all manner of sinful activity while professing to be a Christian man of God, then, aren’t I just as guilty of sin? Does the Bible not say, written in red letters no doubt, that I should judge not lest I be judged? (Matthew 7:1) Furthermore, are we saved by grace or by our good works? (Ephesians 2:8, 9) And, does Galatians 6:1 not tell those who are spiritual, whoever they may be, to restore the one who has been overtaken in a fault and to do it in the spirit of meekness lest the restorer also be tempted?

If God has truly begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled according to His abundant mercy (1 Peter 1:3, 4), then who among our accusers, the good, the bad, and the ugly ones, have erred because they know not the scriptures nor the power of God? (Matthew 22:29) If I judge my brother unfavorably according to his sins, am I not operating in unbelief and discounting the power of God, as if God’s arm was too short and could not save? And, in so doubting the power of God and the heavenly intercession of Jesus our high priest to completely deliver my brother from his body of death and save him to the uttermost according to His own sovereignty, faithfulness, and perfect will (Hebrews 7:25), haven’t I undermined my own chance at holiness, giving in rather to the accusatory temptation planted in me by the spirit of Antichrist, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16) while exhibiting selfish self righteousness and the opposite of the love Jesus commanded in John 13:34.

If I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, doesn’t the Word of God say that I am nothing? (1 Corinthians 13:2) How many say they are praying for that prostitute or drug addict but yet, in reality, they are loftily sitting in moral judgment and discussing what a shame it is that such people just will not do the right thing. How blind we fools are when we dare to think we are wise. (Romans 1:22) Some of us are measuring ourselves by ourselves, and comparing ourselves among ourselves. (2 Corinthians 10:12) We have either lost the compass or thrown it away altogether while blindly condemning ourselves, ignorant of the fact that we shall be held accountable for every idle word. (Matthew 12:36)

If it is I who is blind, please, rather than discuss my shortcomings among yourselves, help me pray for God to anoint my eyes that I may see more clearly and completely the way, the truth, and the life. One may very well be on the edge of their wilderness or in the middle of their Gethsemane when you see them broken. Yet, if we have no faith to believe God for their complete deliverance, restoration, and redemption, let us at least have the scruples to keep our negativity and discouragement to ourselves, unspoken. Let us be “looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble us, and thereby many be defiled.” (Hebrews 12:16)

Corrupt communication fuels the enemy's tanks in battle. (Ephesians 4:29) If we have correctly understood the gospel, then let us have a bit more faith in God’s ability to save the lost and deliver those who, like the apostle Paul in the seventh chapter of Romans say, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Now is the time, the daylight hours during which to speak boldly the truth in love rather than mutter faithlessly about the weakness and unfaithfulness of those who are yet climbing Jacob's Ladder on the way to purity and the highway (Isaiah 35:8). In our weakness, the strength of Christ is made perfect (2 Corinthians 12:9) and Jesus has prayed that we be one body even as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one (John 17:22). Please correct me according to God’s Word if I am mistaken. I thank God for every instance of chastening I received as a child because I would not enjoy prison today. Let us enjoy the liberty that comes bundled with the goodness and mercy inherent in God’s presence and shining countenance. The light of the world dispels the darkness of this world. Amen. May the grace of our Lord be with us now and always, and, may we stay blameless until He returns for the bride He himself has prepared and made worthy though she was an harlot in times past, resurrecting dead and putrid things to an abundant life of prosperity and peace with God Almighty in Heaven. Let it be unto us according to the Word breathed from God's own mouth by the prophets and the apostles as we encourage and inspire each other to fulfill the commission. We indeed have a charge to keep and a Holy God to serve.

If I never say another word, hear this from me: faith is the preeminent, most crucial and absolutely necessary ingredient in a fruitful relationship with God. Have it, sustain it, and guard it as if your eternal life depended upon this one thing alone. You are the apple of God's eye and nothing shall separate us from the the love of Christ. Nothing and nobody... (Romans 8:35-37) Jesus paid it all and He is not leaving the mall without His package. Be encouraged all! This is the good news written in the blood of our passover lamb. Rejoice and be glad! "The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof." (Psalm 97:1) I, for one, am ecstatic about it and moved to action and devotion. Pray with me that all the brethren be so converted that we would dwell together in unity (Psalm 133:1) and be that answer to the prayer Jesus so urgently prayed in John 17:22. Let's not be the weak link in the chain of salvation. Let us pull each other up instead of down! One love (Spirit), one heart (body)- let's get together and be (not just feel) alright! Search the Scriptures daily whether these things be so. (Acts 17:11) If you can't encourage, be silent until love makes such positivism possible for you. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.