Confess: In Context

Romans 10:9

⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

We've all heard this verse taught in our churches as a staple of assurance in Faith. "If you confess Him as Lord with your mouth, and believe he was raised, you are saved." But, in context to the time period and the persecution of the early believers, the word "confess" takes on a whole new meaning.

Imagine that it's 30 years after the death and resurrection of Christ. You are working in a Roman camp along with 40 other laborers on a wall. You and 5 others are the only "christians"in the group of 40 men. Your working all day in the hot sun, singing praises to God the Father, when on the horizon you see a squadron of Roman soldiers coming your way. Your hands start to sweat, you heart starts to pound as they get closer to you. As the soldiers arrive, they order all 40 of you to line up, single file. Then, starting with the first man they demand "Confess your Lord!" "Caesar!" he replies, and they let him pass. Then the next "Confess your Lord!" they demand, "Caesar is my Lord!" another replies; and they too let him pass. Until all that is left is your small group of brothers in Christ.

Finally the soldiers make it to the first of your christian brothers and demand "Confess your Lord!" He bows down to his knees and boldly confesses "Jesus of Nazareth is my Lord". In horror you watch a Roman soldier draw a heavy sword and in one swift motion brutally decapitate him and his body falls limp on the ground. Then they demand the next man "Confess your Lord" and he too says "Jesus is my Lord" and likewise they murder him on the spot in front of you. Then the next man too confesses "Christ is my Lord and Savior" and they dose him with oil and set him ablaze to your horror. Amidst the screams and the bodies it's your turn. You walk up, kneel down before the Roman soldiers and they say "Confess your Lord!" and you say......

To confess Christ means that you live for him, and if it came right down to it, you would die for him.

Let's be careful about telling young Christ seekers that by just saying "Jesus is Lord" that they will be saved. Scripture does NOT back up that claim.

Amen.

(Source: Hank Hanegraaff blog. http://hankhanegraaff.blogspot.com/)Normally I wouldn't just copy and paste a post but I felt like this one deserved it.If you are not healed, do you lack faith?

(Source: Hank Hanegraaff blog. http://hankhanegraaff.blogspot.com/)Normally I wouldn't just copy and paste a post but I felt like this one deserved it.

If you are not healed, do you lack faith?

A social media question via Facebook from Frieda recently got my attention. She wrote, “How do you answer people when they tell you, you are lacking faith? My brother is a paraplegic since he was three years old and has prayed all his life to walk. He knows he will walk one day with the Lord but people in the church feel it necessary to comment to him that he doesn’t have enough faith. It has caused him at times to question God on why he cannot get his healing but he does understand that God uses him because of his disability. So what should his answer be to these people?” So imagine this scene you have a paraplegic in the church, and people are telling the paraplegic he doesn’t have enough faith because if he had enough faith he wouldn’t be a paraplegic.

If you look at the reasoning that is used, you hear the echoes of the prosperity teachers. You hear T.D. Jakes saying, “The devil is a liar. Healing is the children's bread. It's promised to us in the word of God…God can do things that medicine cannot do.”[1] So if God has promised us healing and someone is still a paraplegic it means that you don’t have faith in their view.

This of course begs the question: What is faith? Faith teachers have a ready answer for you. They look at Hebrews 11:1 and they say faith is a force, words are the containers of the force, and through the force of faith you create your own reality. So if you learn to access the proper vocabulary, use the right words, you’re not going to be a paraplegic because Hebrew 11:1 says that “faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” So—say the Faith teachers—you have right it there, faith is the substance—the stuff—and words the containers of the stuff.

Of course that’s not what Hebrew 11:1 really has in mind. A proper reading of Hebrew 11:1 in context demonstrates that faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Which is to say; true biblical faith is not stuff contained in your words, it’s not a substance a tangible reality, it’s living assurance, a channel of living trust between an individual and their God.

Faith is only as good, therefore, as the object in whom it is placed. We place our faith in God and we say with Job, “though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him” (13:15). The reason for that is that God has given us enough evidence to trust in Him despite the difficulties of life. He had demonstrated to us that in this life we are going to have trouble because we live in a fallen world. So if you’re a paraplegic, it’s not because you don’t have enough faith, it’s because you live in a fallen world. We are called in this fallen world to put our trust in God and ultimately that trust in God is going too eventuate in a new heaven and new earth in which there will be no more paraplegics. Like Joni Eareckson Tada has said, “They will pole vault the pearly gates,”[2] because then the old order of things will pass away, and everything will become new.

In the meantime, do not follow the Faith teachers or swallow their formulas, they are dead ends and deceptions. The last thing you want to tell a paraplegic is that he doesn’t have enough faith. Some of greatest faith bearers and exemplars of faith that I have met in my life are blind people. Joni Eareckson Tade, a quadriplegic, is my hero of faith and she taught me the true meaning of faith. Through the overflow of a life spent in a wheelchair, she has blessed the lives through her faithful service of literally millions of people around the globe. So encourage those that are hurting that they will one day walk with the Lord and have pity for people in the church who find it necessary to tell people that they don’t have enough faith.

Vain: Producing No Result, Useless.

What is wrong with these statements?

HI, I'm Mike. I used to smoke 2 packs of cigarettes per day. I loved to smoke cigarettes. I hated people that would tell me to quit. Why would I quit, I love smoking. Then one day it's like the light went on in my head and that day I quit smoking. Now I hate cigarettes. I can't stand to see other people smoking because I know what it does to their health.

Even worse, I can't believe I smoked for all those years.

Sure, I still like to smoke cigarettes, just not as many.

~~~~~

Hi, I'm Sara. I used to be an alcoholic. I used to drink all day, all night. I wouldn't stop drinking until I passed out. One day I realized that alcohol had ruined my life. I lost my house, my job, and my family. But, got professional help and I'm a totally different person now. I am a new creature. I see now the evils of my alcohol addiction.

Don't get me wrong, I still like to drink alcohol, just not as much.

~~~~~

I'm Darren, I used to beat my wife. If she'd say something to me that was condescending, or out of line, I'd just punch her square in the nose. She knew better than to talk back to me. But one day, the light came on and I realized just how precious she really was as a person, as a wife, as the mother of my children, and as a human being.

She is the love of my life and I would never want to hurt her again.

I still beat her, just not as often.

~~~~~

I used to be a lost sinner. I loved my Sin. I would sin, sin, sin, sin and sin some more.

I was lost spiritually, and It ruined my life. It cost me so much, but I still loved it.

But one day, a friend took me to his church.

I asked Jesus into my heart and He saved me.

Now I see how wicked and vile my sin is.

How Righteous God is and how filthy my sins are to him. Behold, I'm a new creation.

Sure, I still like to sin, just not as much.

See the Hypocrisy? God does.

If you say you have a new relationship with the Lord,

You'd better have a new relationship with sin.

If you don't have a new relationship with sin,

You do Not have a new relationship with the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:2

²By this gospel you are saved,

If you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.

Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

I Never Knew You

71% of Americans claim to be Christians. That means that over 215,000,000 people in the United States, are "christian".

So if so many Americans are "Christians", then we could assume the following.

Today 3,700 babies will be murdered in abortion clinics.

2627 will be killed by "christians"

Today there will be 36 DWI fatalities

25 of which will have been caused by "christians"

Today 45 people will be murdered

32 of them will die at the hands of "christians"

Today 243 rapes will be reported

173 of those will involve a "christian" aggressor.

Today 2,600 vehicles will be stolen

1,800 of those cars will be stolen by "christians"

6,088 burglaries will be reported today.

4,322 of those burglars will be "christian"

Today 2,284 violent physical assaults will take place.

over 1,600 of them will be perpetrated by a "christian"

Do you see a problem here?

"I Never Knew You!"

Matthew 7:23

1 John 5:3

"For this is the Love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are Not Burdensome."

Littered throughout the writings of John are clues, or evidences, that John gives us to let us whom believe in the Son of God know that we have Eternal Life. From the first verse to the last we see that there are many tell tale signs that we can rest assured in our salvation. Or, on the contrary, that we need to closely examine ourselves and our faith should we fall short of them. Today, I want to look at only one.

"For this is the Love of God"

In other words, we might re-phrase this "So we love God if" or "You know you have Gods love in you if".

"We keep his commandments"

This is not the first time we see this phrase in the New Testament. Remember in John 15:10 ~ "If you keep my commandments you will abide in My Love, just as I have kept my Fathers commandments and abide in His Love."

So we understand that when we abide in God's love and He abides in us, we will keep his commandments. But John takes it one very important step further in the latter part of verse 3 when he states "And his commandments aren't burdensome."

I think John went out of his way to phrase this like this for a reason.

What reason? I think there are at least two reasons.

1. I believe that he is simply trying to cut off at the knees any remaining belief system that would have you believe in a "works" based salvation.

2. I think he is showing and emphasizing the relationship we should have with God. i.e., that we hold the same views as our Father in Heaven on issues of sin and of the great commandments.

Here's an example of what I mean.

Before I found the love of my life and married her, I would have never imagined being "tied down" to just one woman. In fact, the thought of spending the rest of my precious, self centered, life with just one person seemed "burdensome" to say it mildly. But then, one day by the grace of God, I met Heather. Now, I can't imagine spending one day away from her. The thought of being close to another woman is repulsive and I can't believe how wrong I was in the past about monogamy.

In the same way, before we enter into a relationship with God through the blood of His Son Christ Jesus, we do not have the ability to love Him, much less the desire to. But, when we are truly born again, we are in a real relationship with God and we strive to keep His commandments. Not because we have to, but because we want to. And, to go one further, looking back we can't believe how we managed without Him for so many years.

Like any other relationship, we need to nurture our relationship with God if we want to grow in it. We should be willing to be in constant communication with him through prayer. We should desire to read his word daily so we can learn about our Lord. And we should naturally be drawn towards other brothers and sisters of our Father in Heaven. All of which should come naturally and with joy. None of which, to those of us who love Him, shall be burdensome.

Piper's 7

According to John Piper, there are 7 reasons for why preaching is not enough for real growth in a believers life and why a "small group" is just as necessary today as it was when the church was first forming.

1. The impulse to avoid painful growth by disappearing into a crowd in corporate worship is very strong.

2. Then tendency toward passivity in listening to a sermon is part of our human weakness.

3. Listeners in a big group can more easily evade redemptive crisis.

4. Listeners in a large group tend to neglect efforts of personal application.

5. Opportunity for questions leading to growth is missing.

6. Accountability for follow through is missing.

7. Prayer support is missing for individual issues.

An Exposition into The Baptism with The Holy Spirit

I recently had a friendly online debate with a gentleman whom pastors a local Assemblies of God church here in the Ozarks in regards to the biblical meaning of being "Baptized with the Holy Spirit". This or similar phrases appear in the text in many different locations and contexts, in both New and Old testaments, and has been the center piece for debates between denominations for years.

According to the local AOG church, this is the evidence that you have been baptized in the Holy Spirit. (source: church website)

The Initial Physical Evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The baptism of Christians in the Holy Spirit is accompanied by the initial physical sign of speaking in other tongues (unlearned languages) as the Spirit of God gives them audible expression (Acts 2:4).

Let's look at Acts 2:1-4

¹ When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. ² And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. ⁴And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Now, we all know that there is more to this particular story. Let's read on...

⁵ And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. ⁶ And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. ⁷ Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? ⁸ And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? ⁹ Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹ Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.”

2 things jump out at me. 1) Each man heard his own native language. 2) They heard them speaking of the "Wonderful works of God."

Let's go back a bit in Acts to get some more Context. Lets look at Acts Chapter 1:4-8

And being assembled together with them, He (JESUS) commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; ⁵ for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” ⁶Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. ⁸ But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Question. Why did they (the disciples) need to wait in Jerusalem?

Answer: To be "baptized by the Holy Spirit" and after which to receive the "power" to be witnesses of Christ in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

Look again in Acts 2.

Question: What happened when the Pentecost came and they (the disciples) were baptized with the Holy Spirit?

Answer: They (the Jews from all over the world who happened to be in Jerusalem) heard the "Glory of God" being witnesses to them, in their own native tongue, from Gentiles. (Other tongues, i.e., "power")

I believe, and many commentators with me, that this act on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4) was a fulfillment of prophecy (Isaiah 28:11-12, Joel 2:28-32, John 15:26, Acts 1:4-8) and the speaking of tongues was a power given unto the disciples as a sign to the Jews.

Greek Commentator Kenneth S. Wuest addressed this issue in Volume III of "The Greek Studies of the New Testament".

~One might say "I am a Christian, but I do not have the Holy Spirit because I do not speak in tongues," quoting Acts 2:4, 10:46, and 19:6. But lets us be careful to note the Acts 2:4 refers to the languages of the individuals mentioned in Acts 2:8-11, that the speaking of tongues in Acts 10:46 was an evidence for that time given to the Jews, that the Gentiles had also received the Spirit, the need for which is now past, and that Acts 19:6 has to do with a special case where Jews had come into salvation under the Old Testament dispensation of law and were now receiving the added benefits of the Age of Grace, a case which cannot occur today.~

It's worth noting that the text that Peter quotes in Acts Chapter two is from the Prophet Joel. He quotes to the Jews present in Jerusalem Joel 2:28-32, which is clearly a prophecy focused on the Age of Grace that came at Pentecost.

¹⁷" 'In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
¹⁸Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
¹⁹I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
²⁰The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
²¹And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Paul tells us through his letter to the church of Corinth that tongues are a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers.

1 Corinthians 14:21-22

²¹In the Law it is written:
"Through men of strange tongues
and through the lips of foreigners
I will speak to this people,
but even then they will not listen to me,"says the Lord.

²²Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers;prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers. ²³So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who do not understand or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?

In verse 21 (above) "this people" are the Israelites, the Jews. And they will hear Gods word through the lips of foreigners.

Notice that Paul says in v22..."tongues are sign for unbelievers" and then in 23) he says. So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who do not understand or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?

See the contrast? Here's why I believe Paul says this. In Context, the Unbelievers in verse 22 are the Jews Isaiah spoke of in Isaiah 28:11-12 (Paul gives reference to this in verse 21) However, the "unbelievers" and "some who do not understand" that Paul refers to in verse 23 are not Jews, or are unable to understand the language spoken by the Church.

Imagine at the Pentecost that instead of the disciples speaking in 12 different tongues that they all spoke of the "Glory of God" in 1 single language or tongue. Only one of the Jew's in Jerusalem would be effected by this miracle of God, and the rest would be left scratching their heads wondering what these crazy Galileans were saying. Hence what Paul writes above in verse 23. So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who do not understand or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?

So in review, to the best of my ability to understand the scriptures, given my studies in the Greek Translation and holding each text in light of it's context, I have to state that I differ with my brother in the Assemblies of God Church in my idea's of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit. I believe that the speaking of Tongues was a gift of the spirit given to the disciples and other new believers as a sign to the Jewish people that the "Age of Grace" had begun. And that Jew and Gentile alike could be saved and baptized into the Body of Christ.

Not every gift from the Spirit is the Gift of Tongues.

⁵I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. (1 Corinthians 14:5)

In other words...I wish all of you could receive this gift of speaking in tongues, yet I know that all of you wont. Besides, I would rather you receive the gift of Prophecy.

1 Corinthians 12:4-11

⁴There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

⁷Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,¹⁰to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.¹¹All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

1 Corinthians 12:29

²⁹Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹But eagerly desire the greater gifts.

Lets' look at the actual "Baptism with the Holy Spirit"

Matthew 3:11 (New International Version)

¹¹"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Dr. A.M. Fairbairn said "He is no theologian who is not first a grammarian"

A.T. Robertson said "All correct theology must pay careful attention to the grammar of the Greek text, for a person is correctly understood only when his hearer or reader applies the rules of grammar which the speaker or writer uses."

If for example I said "Man, that car is really cool." If you were unfamiliar with "English Slang" you might translate that to say that "Man, that car is really cold." and could miss the meaning behind the statement.

If we look at 1 Corinthians 12:13 ¹³For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body" This "body" is obviously the Body of Christ. (Quoting Wuest in "Word Studies in the Greek New Testament") "The word "Spirit" is in the instrumental case in Greek. Personal agency is expressed occasionally by the instrumental case. At such times, the verb is always in the passive or middle voice. The Greek construction here follows this rule of Greek grammar. The personal agent in this case who does the baptizing is the Holy Spirit. He places or introduces the believing sinner into the Body of which the Lord Jesus is the living Head. The verb is in the past tense, referring tot a past action, and is referring to a once and for all act....

In Acts 1:5 "ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.", thus the meaning of the Greek word, "to place" or "introduce into," gives us the purpose of the baptism by means of the Spirit into the body of Christ. In Romans 6:3 and Galatians 3:27, we have this same operation of the Spirit (only into a vital union with "The Head of the Body"."

Laymen's terms: When we believe, The Holy Spirit baptizes us into the body of Christ.(1 Corinthians 12) We receive the Holy Spirit through the "anointing" of the Spirit (Acts 10:38, Luke 4:18, II Corinthians 1:21-22, 1 John 2:27) and the Spirit can and may give us "Spiritual" gifts as He determines. However, to say that because you do not speak in tongues is evidence that you have not been baptized with the Holy Spirit is biblically incorrect. If we are to take and hold Acts 2:4 up as (evidence of ALL baptisms with the Spirit) we must also expect to hear a mighty rush of wind and see flames of fire that appear as tongues upon our shoulders.

most of the work of the Holy Spirit in Acts comes in the form of "Boldness" to speak and witness the "Word" and teachings of Christ.

Acts 4:8, 4:31, 5:32, 9:28, 13:46, 14:3, 18:26, 19:8, 28:31 just to name a few.

Closing thoughts...

In my studies on this subject, I have found that over 300,000,000 people in the world claim to speak in some sort of "Unknown Language". Some of these professors of this gift are Christian, some profess similar gifts and practice Shamanism, or Paganism. (Even voodoo) all of which call it "tongues" or "Glossolalia".

We've already learned from Christ in Matthew 7:22-23 ²²Many 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? ²³And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

So, I would suggest that if you speak in tongues, but have not love...Pray.

If you speak in tongues, but live in habitual patterns of sin...Pray

If you speak in tongues and hate your brother...pray

If you speak in tongues yet can blaspheme the Lords name without conviction....Pray.

^{1 Corinthians 13:8} Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away

Pregnancy photo

This is a picture of My wife and I with our Son Joseph Immanuel Minor. (33 weeks)

God has richly blessed our little family.

Theory + Speculation = FACT!

"In the beginning there was Nothing and nowhere. Then all of the sudden, there was something and somewhere. We call the something "Matter" and the somewhere "Space". Over billions of years that "matter" flew around aimlessly in space until one day it exploded for some reason. Then all that matter began a process of separation that continues today (although the matter doesn't really seem to be separating as matter should that comes from an explosion but hey, it works.) Some of that "matter" began to cool down around a bright hot piece of Hot "matter", otherwise known as our "Sun". The cooler matter "our planet earth" somehow or another, in spite of the Sun's unimaginable barrage of radiation and heat, managed to instantly form an atmosphere perfectly comprised of Nitrogen, Oxygen, Argon, Carbon Dioxide and some other gases that, "luckily for us" just happened to be the perfect "Instant" blend to allow life to form...somehow. Somehow billions of trees must have instantly formed too to insure a continuous flow of the Oxygen supply the atmosphere required. (or maybe the oxygen came from the Oceans that came out of nothing.) Then, out of that "nothing matter", that was also "lifeless", a single celled organism somehow came into existence. WOW. (Note: Some scientist believe that a Lightning Bolt may have struck a mud puddle and that is how life was formed.) Either way, Then that single cell organism (which in and of itself is more complex in nature than the electrical system on the Space Shuttle) managed to split and multiply into "multi-celled" organisms...somehow. After billions of years of this splitting and growing, that single celled organism had managed to change itself into things like dinosaurs, birds, lizards, fish, whales, bacteria, people, airplanes..(just kidding about the airplane, that's ridiculous! ha ha.) So now "Evolution" has led us all the way from when "Nothing" and "Nowhere" began, to modern day today where "Everything" and "Everywhere" exists. In a strange twist of Evolutionary Irony, "Man" (the pentacle of evolutionary design, i.e., "the fittest") is now in a slow but steady process of destroying all other life, and seemingly himself. Huh?

We don't fully understand things like "Moral Law" or "Miracles" or the story of some guy named "Jesus" who healed and walked on water and then came back to life after dying or something... we can't explain all those fulfilled prophecies in that old outdated bible. We can't just put our faith in some "God", not when we obviously "know better."

Love God. Serve Christ. Have Faith!

Amen.

Denial

Matthew 10:33

33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

I had this question pop into my mind this morning. How do we "Deny" Christ?

Sure we can deny Him with our lips. (not confessing him as Lord when asked by another)
We can deny him with our lifestyle. (living in sin)

The big one that I think goes unnoticed is a form of denial regarding "entrance".

Do we deny Him entrance or access into our lives, i.e., our workplace, our facebooks, our friendships, our Blogs, our lives, ETC...?

If we deny Him this access to our "Circle" of friends, co-workers, etc... WHY?

Here are some possible reasons why we keep him out of our little circles.

*We are afraid of persecution

*We are ashamed of Him

*We don't really believe

*We have never felt his Power

*We don't feel that others deserve to know Him

*We aren't really Christian

*We're afraid we'll be mocked and lose friends

If I were married (which I am :) ) and I never talked to anyone about my wife or never took her anywhere with me, what would you think of me?

What if my co-workers didn't know I was married, or my friends, or my Blog followers, or my facebook family? What then?

If we never talk about Christ, Isn't that kind of denial a bit like slipping a wedding band off your finger when you leave your home?

I believe that when Christ is talking about "Denial" here, he's not just referring to the kind of denial that comes from your lips, but rather from your heart.

What would Paul the apostles life look like today?

33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

Will Jesus tell God the Father about you today?

Powerful Video

"You Got Me!"

It's always nice to meet a brother or sister in Christ.

He was wearing a baseball cap with studded stars on the bill.

He had long hair, pulled back into a pony tail.

He walked up as I rounded the counter and had a big smile on his face. (amazing how many times I notice that the happiest people are usually the ones who follow Christ! Amen)

As I greeted him with a "Good afternoon" he said "well hello" and presented his hand for a handshake. Pleasantly surprised I reciprocated the kind gesture only to have him pull his hand away in a whimsical way. I laughed and said "You got me" to the amusement of his wife, who rolled her eyes as if this weren't the first time he's pulled this move on an unsuspecting fellow. After a laugh he again extended his hand, sincerely this time, for a handshake.

As I took his hand he looked me right in the eye and said "You know Jesus loves you right?" Surprised and delighted I said "oh yeah, I know he loves me more than I deserve." and he responded "He's the only way to Heaven", smiled, and walked away.

I was glad to have the reminder. And even though I never got his name, I'm sure I'll see him again...ya know, someday. ;)

Spiritual Gifts: An Ongoing Study

It is no secret that among the "Bible" based religions of the world, there are many different theories derived from the Scriptures. This is why we have so many different denominations.

When it comes to Spiritual Gifts I know that people's opinions range from total rejection to complete and wholesome belief. I, currently, am still studying up on the matter and have many unanswered questions.

Matthew 7:21-23. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Ever notice that these people are actually asking Jesus a question?

Question: Have we not.......in your name? i.e., "Didn't' we? Weren't we?"

Answer: I never knew you.

So how do we know if HE knows us?

John 10:23

²⁷ My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

So Christ is teaching us that if we are truly one of His "Sheep" he "knows" us and we follow him.

But those he speaks of in Matthew 7 performed miracles, prophecies, and wonders...and were not his "Sheep" for he didn't "know" them.

This is profound! It points us to a possible conclusion that one can be able to perform mighty and miraculous works and yet the power comes from somewhere other than God. (Beelzebub?)

What about the idea that some have regarding the Cessation of the Spiritual gifts?

What is the apostle Paul trying to teach in 1 Corinthians 13:8-13

⁸Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. ¹¹When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. ¹²Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Alan Cairns gives an interesting exposition of this verse in this video below. But I'm sure there are hundreds of other expositors out there that would disagree.

So there are a couple of things I've noticed in my studies in the Bible.

One is that over and over and over again there is an emphasis on "Love" or "Charity". Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the homeless. You speak in tongues but have not love, you have nothing!! You prophecy but have not love, your prophecy is useless. (1 Cor 13:1-3)You fast and have not love your fasting is meaningless! (Isaiah 58:6-9)

And the other is that you can be given an super human ability that looks like a Spiritual Gift, smells like a Spiritual Gift, and tastes like a Spiritual Gift; that doesn't mean that the Holy Spirit gave it to you and it doesn't ensure your position in Heaven. Matthew 7:21-23

Glory Be To God, Forever. Amen

Father, Hallowed by thy name

Savior, wash away my stains

Holy Spirit, live inside my soul

Lead me, down that narrow road

I wanna love the way you love me

Show the grace you show me

Forgive the way you forgave me

Good Lord when you saved me

I wanna love the way you love me

I wanna love the way you love me

Immanuel, born in Bethlehem

Teacher, good news fills the land

Forsaken, pure and spotless lamb

On calvary, He died but rose again.

I wanna love the way you love me

Show the Grace you show me

Forgive the way you forgave me

Good Lord when you saved me

I wanna love the way you love me

Glory be to you God, forever

Glory be to you God, forever

Glory be to you God, Forever and ever and ever Amen.

Repeat chorus:

Inspired: August 7th, 2009 9:14pm on the roof of St. Johns Parking Garage.

Who you calling "Christian"?

At church yesterday a brother of mine got up and addressed the congregation. He was concerned because people at his work who claimed to be Christians didn't know anything about the bible and claimed that there were multiple ways to heaven. This troubles me for several reasons, namely the obvious. (..I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life....)

But in another way it bothers me too. Who are we to call them Christians, and who are we to say they are not? Well, this question is maybe trivial to some, but to me it seems very important. I'll give you an example. Let say we called everyone who had ever removed a splinter from a finger "Doctor". This country would be filled with Doctors! Are you a doctor, sure...Who isn't. But isn't what makes a Doctor a doctor knowledge mixed with practice mixed with experience?

If we find people whom say they are christian but have no knowledge of Christ, the Bible, God, or the Holy Spirit....Who in no way practice walking as Christ walked....and who have no history of fruit...can we really say they are a Christian? You may say, Bryan, what's it to you? And you'd be right if I were just concerned about keeping girls out of my tree house club, but we are talking about people who may quite possibly be convinced and secure in a salvation that has yet to take place, i.e., they may still be lost.

This is very important. We as children of God are to look out and find God's other children who are out wandering in the dark, lost and confused, and show them the light of Christ so as to help God lead them back home! But we have some who may not even know that they need saving! How much harder is it to save a drowning man when he doesn't know he's drowning?

Let's say you went to a Doctor because you felt a lump in your throat. And the doctor walks in, takes one look, and says "your fine, there's nothing to worry about", and sends you on your way. But weeks and months pass by and the lump keeps getting bigger and bigger and more and more sensitive. Are you going to say to yourself..."Well, he said I was fine and he's a doctor so I must be fine."? Or are you going to consider that maybe he missed the mark and didn't know what he was talking about, i.e., your not fine!

In the same way, when we come forward during Invitation or Pray the "Sinners Prayer" we are acknowledging that we are Spiritually dead and in need of a Savior. So we follow the Preachers advice and ask Jesus to come and live in our hearts, we repent of our sins and the Pastor say's "You are saved". Great! Praise God if you are actually saved! But, what if over the next few weeks or months, you notice no change in your attitude toward sin? You notice that you still don't want to read God's word, and you really couldn't care less about about growing in the Body of Christs' church. Are you going to say "Well, the preacher said I was saved and he's a Preacher so I must be saved."? Or are you going to consider that maybe he and you both were wrong, you weren't saved. Well sadly, most of the time people just trust the preacher and never look any further.

Bless you Rob for caring enough to bring this urgent message before us yesterday.

2 Corinthians 5:17

¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! ¹⁸All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

1 John 2:5-6

⁵But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: ⁶Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

The Pride Test

The PRIDE Test.

Do you strive to impress others with your body appearance, athletic ability, professional ability, your humor, wealth, your possessions, what kind of car you drive ?

Do you let what others may think about you hold you back from doing things?

Do you have trouble admitting when you are wrong?

Do you consider yourself to always be right?

Do you get angry when someone doesn't agree with you?

Do you look down on others because of their race, gender, creed, education, position, personal hygiene or appearance?

Do you find yourself habitually interrupting people in conversations to give your comments?

Do you enjoy being the center of attention at parties?

Do you enjoy talking about yourself in front of others?

Do you find it hard to be impressed with what other people have done?

Do you feel that you have an answer for everything?

Do you frequently respond to other people's stories with "I know," or "that's nothing"?

Do you strive to impress others with your wealth, your possessions, how you drive, body appearance, athletic ability, professional ability, or humor?

Do you find yourself criticizing others?

Do arrogant people really annoy you?

Do you like to always be first or at least near the front of the line?

Is it important to you to always win?

Do you take pride in being a humble person?

Do you consider yourself to be better than other people?

Romans 12:16 (New International Version)

¹⁶Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

The Church: Just a Beautiful Building, or Body of Christ?

Ever notice how many beautiful churches there are in this area?

A Great deal of care is placed on the outward appearance of these buildings. The grass is always perfect, the paint is usually fresh. There's always some catchy slogan to lure you in outside on the marque sign.

When you go inside, typically it's just as well kept. Everything put in order, floors vacuumed, fresh clean smelling conditioned air...and so on.

It reminds me of when I was a kid and my parents would have company over. In a matter of hours our house would go from "relatively clean" to "model home" clean. Why? Well, in our case, we wanted to make a good impression on our guests. We wanted them to feel comfortable while they visited us. But, I remember that we never cleaned where our guests wouldn't be going. (closets, garage, master bathroom, ETC.) So really, the "illusion" was only as strong as our ability to control where our guests went or looked throughout our house. The dirt was there, you just couldn't see it.

Could this be the case in a "Spiritual" sense with our churches today? Could there be a "keep them comfortable" mentality? Are some "guests" being led to look at only the "pleasing" things found in The Bible? Where do they keep Christ? Is he front and center, or pushed back in some corner closet as to not offend anybody?

Christ's church "Body" is made up of repentant, born-again, Christ following believers. And if they are blessed enough to have four walls around them then great! But with or without the walls, the church still exists.

So the question is "Are you a member of Christs' Church body or of a beautiful building?"

How do you know? Just look at some evidences of either

You might just be a member of a Building if:

~The air has to be just right

~The music has to be to your liking

~The Pastor has to use a certain bible (i.e. King James V.)

~Everyone has to be well dressed

~NO SANDALS

~That idiot is in my seat

~Why is the coffee so strong today

~The sermon was too long

~We need to do something about that smelly guy

You might be a member of Christ's Church Body if:

~Jesus Christ has to be there.

~

~

~

~

Would you still go to church if you had to stand? Or sit on the ground?

What has Changed? Everything!

"Your best witness is your testimony." I've heard that phrase many times, but I didn't realize how true it really is until this morning when God placed a desire on my heart to share.

So what has changed in my life over the past 9 months since I was Saved and Regenerated?

~~~~~~~~

* I smoked a pack and a half of cigarettes every day for 18 years.

~~One night, God took away my addiction and I haven't wanted one in 9 months~~

* I used to drink beer all the time, often to the point of over intoxication.

~~God took away that desire.~~

*I used to curse and cuss and blaspheme Daily!

~~God replace my foul language with peace and compliments towards others.~~

*I used to lust in my mind after women.

~~Now I love all men and women and see women as Sisters in Christ.~~

*I used to watch TV and play video games for hours and hours daily!

~~Now I spend all my time loving my beautiful wife.~~

*I used to love to fist fight and held grudges against people in my past.

~~God gave me the Grace to forgive them, and now I'm free.~~

*I used to be full of Pride and Bitterness towards people.

~~God has given me new eyes, and I see everyone as Gods Beautiful Creation~~

*I used to give people the "Finger" in traffic

~~Now I let them in, or wave them over.~~

*I used to share filthy jokes with the guys at work.

~~Now I share God's love and Christ on the Cross with them.

*I used to hate Church, Christians, and God.

~~Now a team of wild horses couldn't keep me from worshipping!~~

*I used to love my sins.

~~Now I am truly ashamed of them~~

*I used to use my quick whit to tear people down.

~~Now I use it to build people up.~~

*I used to feel deep burdens for my past sins, even after alter calls.

~~God forgave me at Conversion, and I no longer feel the guilt and pain of those sins.~~

~~~~~~

As I was making this list, I had an epiphany that prior to my conversion, I would have never (on my own) sought after any of this new and better behavior. With out God's abounding grace, I'd still be up to my nose in sin, lust, cigarette smoke, booze, foul language, hatred, pride, greed, and all of the rest of the nastiness that used to be me. (The same guy that so many people would say was a "good person".)

Thanks be to God and may He get ALL OF THE GLORY for my Regeneration.

I'm writing this post, not to boast or brag about anything, for I had nothing to do with any of it. I'm writing because before this Love was poured out on me, I would have denied that this was even possible. And if you deny it, you are wrong. It happened to me! God is so Real! Christ IS Alive! He still changes people and he can give you life everlasting!

2 Corinthians 5:16-18 (NKJV)

¹⁶ Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. ¹⁸Now all things are of God...

My Beautiful Baby Boy at 31 weeks.

He has his mothers yawn. :o

Fasting: When Prayer is more Important than ANYTHING; food included.

Isaiah 58:3-9

3 'Why have we fasted,' they say,

'and you have not seen it?

Why have we humbled ourselves,

and you have not noticed?'

"Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please

and exploit all your workers.

4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,

and in striking each other with wicked fists.

You cannot fast as you do today

and expect your voice to be heard on high.

5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,

only a day for a man to humble himself?

Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed

and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?

Is that what you call a fast,

a day acceptable to the LORD ?

6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:

to loose the chains of injustice

and untie the cords of the yoke,

to set the oppressed free

and break every yoke?

7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry

and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—

when you see the naked, to clothe him,

and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,

and your healing will quickly appear;

then your righteousness ^[a^] will go before you,

and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;

you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,

with the pointing finger and malicious talk.

Luke 18:9-14

⁹To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: ¹⁰"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹The Pharisee stood up and prayed about^[a] himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ¹²I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'

¹³"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

¹⁴"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Luke 11:37-42

³⁷When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. ³⁸But the Pharisee, noticing that Jesus did not first wash before the meal, was surprised.

³⁹Then the Lord said to him, "Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. ⁴⁰You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? ⁴¹But give what is inside the dish to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.

⁴²"Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.

Reason #213 why my family won't be watching TV.

Matthew 24:11 (New International Version)

¹¹and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.

Matthew 7:15 (New International Version)

¹⁵"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

1 John 4

¹Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Great Video

REPENT

The Cost of a Miracle (True Story)

Tess was a precocious eight-year-old when she heard her Mom and Dad talking about her little brother, Andrew.

All she knew was that he was very sick and they were completely out of money. They were moving to an apartment complex next month because Daddy didn't have the money for the doctor's bills and their house. Only a very costly surgery could save him now and it was looking like there was no one to loan them the money.

She heard Daddy say to her tearful Mother with whispered desperation, "Only a miracle can save him now."

Tess went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully.

Three times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes. Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the backdoor and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door.

She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention, but he was too busy at this moment.

Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing.

She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good.

Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter.

That did it!

"And what do you want?" the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. "I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen in ages," he said without waiting for a reply to his question.

"Well, I want to talk to you about my brother," Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone.

"He's really really sick... and I want to buy a miracle."

"I beg your pardon?" said the pharmacist.

"His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now, so how much does a miracle cost?"

"We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry, but I can't help you," the pharmacist said, softening a little.

"Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs."

The pharmacist's brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl,

"What kind of a miracle does your brother need?"

"I don't know," Tess replied with her eyes welling up "I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation, but my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money."

"How much do you have?" asked the man from Chicago.

"One dollar and eleven cents," Tess answered barely audibly. "And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.

"Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man.

"A dollar and eleven cents, exact price of a miracle for little brothers."

He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said, "Take me to where you live.
I want to see your brother and meet your parents.

Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need."

That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery.

The operation was completed without charge, and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well.

Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place. "That surgery," her Mom whispered. "was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?"

Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost... one dollar and eleven cents ...... plus the faith of a little child.

If you want to see a miracle in your lives, sometimes you have to get out of the boat.

Matthew 7:11 (New King James Version)

¹¹ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Hell: Can't Stand the Heat? Get Out of The Pulpit!

According to a recent study in USA Today, almost half of all American's DO NOT believe in a literal Hell. Compare that to the 74% that do believe in Heaven.

The Rev. Fred Johns, pastor of Brookview Wesleyan Church in Irondale, Ala., said after a workshop discussion of hell that pastors do shy away from the topic of everlasting damnation.

"It's out of fear we'll not appear relevant," he said. "It's pressure from the culture to not speak anything negative. I think we've begun to deny hell. There's an assumption that everybody's going to make it to heaven somehow."

The soft sell on hell reflects an increasingly market-conscious approach, Selles said.

"When you're trying to market Jesus, sometimes there's a tendency to mute traditional Christian symbols," he said. "Difficult doctrines are left by the wayside. Hell is a morally repugnant doctrine. People wonder why God would send people to eternal punishment."

Hell is mentioned several times in the Bible. Here are a few of those instances:

2 Peter 2:4-5

Mark 9:46

Matthew 8:12

Isaiah 66:24

Daniel 12:2

Luke 16:22-24

Luke 12:5

Luke 3:9

Luke 3:17

Mark 9:47

John 15:6

Matthew 23:33

Revelation 19:20 "

Pastor John Piper said this "I am NOT RELAXED! I feel like we are all standing on the edge of eternity and at any moment any one of you could fall off!"

WARNING: The audio in this video is disturbing.

I was reluctant to even post this video, but I tossed an turned for hours and I felt compelled to.

Hell is real, and it is Eternal. I don't want anyone to g0 there.

Now Showing

One night, I turned off my television and saw something Amazing.

In the reflection of the black screen

I saw My life.

So, the next day. Just to see what was on in my life,

I kept the television off.

And there was a great story on in my life about a beautiful woman, my wife, and her day!

I thought "Wow, I can't believe I've missed this for so long."

I became a loyal follower of her story. I can't wait for the next episode!

So the next night, I wanted to see what was on in my life,

So again I kept the television off.

And my wife and I drove out into the country where it's really dark.

We looked up and WOW! The REAL stars were shinning.

I thought "Wow, I can't believe I've missed this all these years."

So the next day, I was alone

I kept the television off.

I grabbed a bible, went outside and began to read.

Story after story of God's Love and interaction with man just Jumped off the pages!

I thought "Wow, I can't believe I've missed this all this time."

I've been a big fan of God ever since.

I'm not sure which episode it was, but in one of them...HE Saved me!

Every now and then, my wife and I will rent a movie

or a watch a home video, or documentary on DVD.

It's a nice little treat every once in a while.

But I found that my favorite show...

Is the one starring God, my wife, my family and friends, and Me.

~ NOW SHOWING ~

Salvation: Get a Second Opinion

The other day, a friend came up to me and told me that he heard a pastor of a mega church on the radio bragging that during their Sunday service, 26 people were SAVED! On another occasion I was speaking with a pastor of a Springfield church who claimed that during his last service 6 people were SAVED!

Let me say right up front. I pray to God that they are all really saved. I pray that they were drawn by God himself to the feet of Jesus with repentance in their hearts and that they truly believe. I pray that the Holy Spirit now lives inside them and is causing a dramatic transformation in their lives this very moment. Lord may it be so if it is your will.

However, I am troubled by men who boldly assure people that they are "Saved". What if they are not? What if they did not really believe, but just came forward during invitation while filled with earthly emotion? What if the Holy Spirit didn't come? What if they are still LOST!? It happened to me. I spent most of my adult life living like a heathen, blaspheming, drunk, stoned, living in and loving SIN, hating God and Godly people, but Praise The Lord I was saved! No I wasn't, and by the grace of God I didn't have to find out the "Eternal" way.

No man should tell another he is Saved. PERIOD. God can handle that one on his own.

John 3:5-8

⁵Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. ⁶Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' ⁸The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

John 1:12-13

¹²Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

Hypocrisy: Get the Plank Out.

Matthew 7:3-5

³"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

How hard is it to believe that this woman, pictured above, is really concerned about the welfare of her unborn baby? Loud noises are to be avoided when pregnant, but anyone would agree that smoking cigarettes is much worse for your growing fetus. Seeing such blatant disregard for her child's health totally discredits her case against the city.

¹⁶By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?¹⁷Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. (Matthew 7:16-18)

What kind of fruit is hanging on your tree? People who are watching you, lost or saved, will know you by your fruit. I can't tell you how many times I catch someone that I work with watching my actions and comparing them to my professed faith. Now, like a tree that bares fruit, not all of that fruit is going to be ripe and red and perfect. There will be a withered up apple in the bunch, but not many. ⁸If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. (1st John 1:8) As a whole, your tree should be full of Love, Patience, Faithfulness, Peace, Joy, and so on. All of which is very pleasing to the eye of the onlooker.

P. Washer gives an example that I find very helpful.

"Let's say I wanted to get your pastor fired. So with a Polaroid camera in hand, I follow him through his life, 24 hours per day. If I waited long enough and had my camera ready, he might just have a real bad day, where he hits his thumb with a hammer, screams out an obscenity, kicks the dog and storms off. "Click" I take a picture and bring it back to the church and say "Look at this picture I took! Is that the kind of Pastor you want?" Wouldn't be very fair would it?

What would be a better representation of his life would be for me to put the Polaroid camera down and pick up a video camera instead. Then If I followed him around, 24 hours per day, you would see a much clearer picture of this mans fruit."

People in our circles are taking little snap shots of us, and mostly when we as Christians slip up. The phrase that comes to mind and one that is practiced nightly on the local and national news programs is "Good news is great, Bad news is better!" People usually only remember the bad. You'll see this daily when someone tells you about the horrible service they received at a certain restaurant, or the jerk in traffic. When was the last time someone went out of their way to praise a good waiter to you? Or to mention a courteous driver the encountered? I'd venture to say almost never.

Don't lose your "witness" power. Let us strive to get the Plank out, and keep it out! Amen.

^{Matthew 5:14-16 ~}"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.