OUR WONDERFUL COUNSELOR

GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER

2017-12-25T11:39:00.002-06:00

"Whatsoever you do to the least of my brethren, that you do unto me." ~ Jesus Christ

"But there are those who are conscious before God that they are rich. And, doubtless, some among you are of the number. You have more of the goods of this world than is needful either for yourself or your family. Let each consider for himself. Do your riches increase? Do you not understand that plain expression? Have you not more money, or more of money's worth, than you had ten or twenty years ago, or at this time last year?" ~ John Wesley

"Craving clarity, we attempt to eliminate the risk of trusting God." ~ Brennan Manning

There are very many forms of giving from the heart. Financial giving is one of them.

I am privileged know some poor and struggling brethren in foreign lands who have devoted their lives to sharing Jesus with the lost, and I have been blessed with an opportunity to give direct financial support to one who works to spread the Gospel and lead the lost to Christ in an very underprivileged third-world country where the harvest is ripe and plentiful.

However, in their service to Christ they live with their sweet families in dirt-poor homes, struggling each day for their basic needs, their loved ones sharing the affliction of their poverty as the price of their devotion to lead the lost to Jesus.

"The next best thing to being a missionary in a foreign land is to help support one who is." This is a truth I've held in my heart for many years. The harvest is plenty, but the workers are so few.

I believe that the truth about the requirements of our giving today can be found in the New Testament which applies to all of us believers as much now as it was then, and the two commandments Jesus gave us upon which hang all the law and the prophets - the spirit of the law:

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself."

In studying the New Testament, I see the evidence of the believers in the early Church (which I firmly believe is the exact model we should be following today as well) beginning in the book of Acts, when they gathered each week to give of their abundance to distribute "to the needs of the saints". They cheerfully gave of their abundance. Many, I'm sure, cheerfully gave ALL of their excess above their own basic needs (which God has promised us He will always supply).

Ten percent tithes given to wealthy church organizations and purely out of a sense of obligation and a fear of "robbing God", in my opinion, is actually nothing more than a clanging cymbal, and may even be an abomination to God.

Whatever we give cheerfully and abundantly out of love, rather than giving out of fear, we cannot possibly out-give our loving Father in Heaven! I believe He will always give us more in the richness of blessings and joy than we can cheerfully give away in love.

God loves a cheerful giver. Jesus commanded us to "Love your neighbor as yourself." Wouldn't that mean to bless the underprivileged needy with the financial blessings we ourselves enjoy in abundance?

He lovingly gave us many more ordinances to follow for the sake of our own abundant joy in this life on earth, one of which is "Whatsoever you do for the least of my brethren, that you do unto me."

Does that mean that whatever I give to the needy out of love, I give directly to Him? Yes, it does! It is a miracle immediately available to every one of us that is beyond our own imaginations!

It is nothing short of amazing to think that I am actually able to bless Jesus Himself personally with my own abundance, the abundance I've originally received through His blessings to me!

We have the examples in the New Testament of the life of Jesus Himself, and of Paul and the other apostles (the greatest examples of love the world has ever known) who purposely had nothing in terms of earthly riches for themselves, and trusted our Father completely to always meet their needs daily, which He never failed to do.

I am convinced that if every believer in America alone gave only half of the excess they enjoy, excess past having their needs met, there could be enough orphanages built and funded to house, protect, and provide for all the innocent and terribly exploited orphan children not only in our own country, but also in the whole rest of the world!

I pray our Father in Heaven that the eyes of all the financially blessed and privileged members of Christ's Body here in America and around the world be fully opened to these truths, and that they will forsake their own earthly riches and give plenty of their excesses to the needy through Christ's true servants, for His name's sake and for the sake of the poor and lost (especially innocent children), however they may be prompted by the Holy Spirit to do so.

I pray this even for the sake of the givers, knowing that those who give lovingly, cheerfully and abundantly will not only experience the lasting and fulfilling joy of giving, but will also one day receive the eternal treasure house of riches that will be "stored up for them in heaven where moths, rust, and thieves can never destroy."

Can you imagine how Jesus must have felt to be able to heal the blind, sick and crippled, and free people from demonic possession, and even raise loved ones from the dead on the spot with only a spoken word? Have you ever wished you could do that? Can you imagine what pure joy that must have given Him?

We members of the Body of Christ are His hands and feet in the world. Can you imagine what pure joy is immediately available to us in relieving others of their financial afflictions, even if only temporarily?

These are the last days, the end times. Soon, our opportunities to minister to others, both financially and otherwise, for His name's sake will be closed forever.

And I know that saving my excesses to ensure my own financial security now and in my old age, only displays my lack of trust in my Father to always amply meet my needs. Yet, I haven't quite found the courage and abandon to "sell all you have and give it to the poor, and come follow me" as Jesus told the wealthy young man.

However, lately I've been trying to trust and honor Jesus more in my giving. I have found that in giving to those much less fortunate than me, I immediately receive back a hundredfold, not only in eternal treasures which moths, rust, and thieves cannot destroy, but also in the riches of joy in my heart right now, knowing how much more the money means to them than it does to me! Even a mere hundred dollars that, though it is still very significant to me I can comfortably do without, can be an immeasurable blessing to one who has nothing above their most essential needs barely being met!

This, I'm sure, is why God's Word says that "It is more blessed to give than to receive." And yet, my own needs are still more than amply provided by my Father. I've never once since my salvation had to wonder what I will eat or what I will wear today, even when I've been at my "poorest" financially, no matter how much I've given away in His name.

I pray in the name of Jesus Christ that the poor and needy (especially children) around the world would have their needs amply met. I also pray that all our impoverished brothers and sisters spreading the Gospel abroad will persevere in the truth for His name's sake, and that God will richly bless their service to Him out of the abundance of cheerful givers!

HEAVEN

2017-11-19T09:37:00.000-06:00

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, then you are saved and have begun your eternal life. That makes us brothers and sisters in Christ. So it looks like we are going to spend eternity together with Jesus and our Father in the kingdom of Heaven, free from all the evils in this world, in an existence where evil and our own flesh will have no more influence on us, free from all our weaknesses and infirmities.

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." (1 John 3:2-3)

"For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord." (1 Thes 4:16-17)

So once we've passed from this life, we will always be with our Lord and we will be like Him.
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God." (Rev 21:1-3)

"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him." (1 Corinthians 2:9).

I don't know about you, but I figure if that's the case, I can imagine some pretty wonderful stuff! I like to think we'll get to do whatever good thing we want, and there will be no more bad. Sometimes I like to fantasize what it will be like for me.

I figure I'll be able to fly without wings if I feel like it, just as I've done so often in my dreams. I might want to fly around the stars in the heavens with my friends and explore different galaxies and planets. Maybe I'll be able to ride a motorcycle 150 miles an hour off a high cliff without a parachute, which I've always thought would be fun to do on earth with a parachute. We'll probably be able to walk on water, and through walls like Jesus did after His resurrection, just for the fun of it.

I certainly hope to see my loved ones again. I hope to see those that I have hurt here on earth who have since passed away, like my dad, so I can tell him how sorry I am that I hurt him.

I also want my mom and other beloved family members and friends to be there for sure. I long to see my mom there, free and dancing around and having a delightful time after her last sixteen years on earth confined to a wheel chair, suffering from severe dementia in a nursing home.

And I want all my pets in this life to be there too. It wouldn't quite be heaven for me if they're not. I am hoping to see all of mine again, especially my dogs, and my favorite horse Sammy who I had to shoot when he broke his leg. I want to tell him that I sure didn't want to hurt him like that.

After all, if heaven is a perfect existence, then it must include everything I want in it, right? Or at least that's what I think now, trying to imagine it with my earthly mind.

What would heaven be like for you? I think there's no harm in imagining it the way you would like it to be.

I like to believe that we will have a full recollection of our lives here on earth, and get to see people we knew here on earth who've been saved, and spend time with them again, while also being able to reminisce about the times we had together in this life. After all, we will be able to spend an eternity of time, without end, with each other as well as with our Lord!

And we may be able to have a lion for a pet! Imagine cuddling with a lion! The Bible says that "the lion will lie down with the lamb." And in Revelation, John saw Jesus come down riding a white horse. Maybe we will get to swim with and talk to the whales and finally find out exactly what they've been saying to each other all these years.

But no matter what, I'm sure that none of us will feel like we missed out on anything during our previous life on earth! Not one thing!

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I believe that heaven must include the perfectly good versions of every good thing here on earth, and then some. Once we get to heaven, we will realize we didn't miss out on anything, even if we spend our whole life on earth in prison.

I am in prison on earth by physical, financial, emotional, mental, and time limitations, even though I'm not behind bars. There are many wonderful things I won't ever get to experience here on earth.

Paul wrote "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." And a whole lifetime on earth is just a flash in the pan compared to eternity!

We are all made wonderfully unique by God. There's a lot of people I've known throughout the years that I hope will be there, because of the unique qualities about them that I liked.

I personally think there are people walking the face of the earth who are purely evil, like maybe Hitler was for example. But for the most part, I know there are uniquely good qualities about almost everyone, including you! I know that there are some really good qualities about me, too. There's no one else who has ever lived that has the exactly same good qualities as you or I.

We also have poor qualities, or imperfections, right now, but they will not endure once we're transformed and glorified like our Lord Jesus.

Think of how God must be. First of all, He is the Most High Almighty God, the Creator and Master of the whole Universe! Secondly, there is no evil in Him whatsoever: He is perfectly and completely good, the sum total of all good qualities about everyone and everything, and then some, without any of the bad by-products. Third, He loves His children like a good parent loves a child, but with a perfectly good and completely unconditional love.

And this Incredible God, the King of the Universe has actually hand-picked you among all the people on earth who have ever lived to be one of His adopted children, because He wants you to be with Him where He will be for the rest of eternity!

"According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world ... having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will..." (Ephesians 1:4-5)

He wants you to be there with Him for all eternity according to the good pleasure of His will! Can you imagine that?

I have to keep reminding myself of that, because I've been used to thinking of myself as worthless and foolish. That's how the devil wants me to think about myself, but I don't want to serve Satan. I cannot serve two masters, so I must choose to believe God and ignore Satan.

And I know that if the King of the Universe thinks so highly of me to draw me to Himself, it's time for me to start looking at myself the way He sees me. Who am I to disagree with God, who knows all the good and bad about me better than I know myself? In fact, He not only knows who I've always been, He knows who I'm going to be once He is finished with me. "...He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ..." (Philippians 1:6)

He will take me when He's finished with me. Notice I didn't say that He will take me when I want to go, I said He will take me when He is finished with me.

This life on earth can be painful and miserable for us at times, and because of what's wrong with me, I have caused a lot of pain in others. I have hurt a lot of people, especially ones I love. In the past, I've felt like if I had never been born, at least I couldn't have hurt them.

Many times when I've felt too miserable about the things I've done wrong that have hurt others, too miserable to want to live anymore, and I fear that it might get unbearable, I just want to die. For my own sake, I want to bail out, to escape the evil and misery of my life on this earth, and so that I can no longer hurt anyone else. But then I would die in my selfishness, just like Satan was cast out of Heaven for his. And if I kill myself, it would really please Satan. He wants me destroyed. I would die serving Satan as my god!

I hate Satan, that filthy source of all vile, repulsive, and hateful things! I despise Satan and his evil. I hate the evil in this world. I denounce Satan and all his works! Satan is not my lord, and I refuse to die in service to him! And I must refuse to listen to his lies about me and about others.

So instead, I've chosen at those weak times in my past to remain living, as my sacrifice to my Lord Jesus. Jesus said "He who loves his life will lose it, and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal." (John 12:25)

I love Jesus, not only because He loved me first, not only because of His loving sacrifice on the cross for me, the free gift of salvation He gave me, but also because of His perfect goodness and complete lack of evil! I love His righteousness. God is our perfect Father who loves us more than anyone on earth ever could, and I am His adopted son. So no matter how painful it gets, I have decided to serve the only Good and Just and Faithful King of the Universe, by choosing to keep living as long as He wants me to. My life is a living sacrifice to Him.

So I know that I must keep my sights set on Jesus my Savior, and serve only Him. And I know that if I am serving Him with my sacrifice of living, then He will help me through it all, no matter what comes. After all, that's what any good master would do for his servant. If I am serving Him by living, then He will help me serve Him by helping me live.

At times, the only thing I've had to hold on to is knowing that Jesus is on my side because He knows I'm on His side, and that He cares about me as if I were His one and only.

So while I have to be here anyway, I want Him to use me any way He wants to. Just like the parable of the talents, I want Jesus to say to me when He sees me, "Hey Terry! I'm glad you're here! You were a good and faithful servant to me, you did the best you could, now come with me and share the rewards of our work together!"

But I don't want to be busy doing what I think I should do, I want to be available to do what He asks me to do. So I try to rest in Him and listen to His leading, and He directs me through the Holy Spirit in me. I believe that when it "occurs to me" to do something that I am sure would be a good thing according to Him, I believe it is the Holy Spirit putting the thought in my head.

I've written this because it occurred to me one morning when I was planning to do something else. After it occurred to me, I thought about it and decided it could be a good thing. And hopefully it will give you hope and boost your spirits. If it helps you in a good way, then I have served Jesus today.

"Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for the meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for Him hath God the Father sealed. Then they said unto Him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent." (John 6:27-29)

I used to see my past as a set of scales in my mind; on one side, the pile of the good things I've done, and on the other side, the pile of my failures and the bad things I've done. And the bad side has always outweighed the good side in my mind. Whenever I would start feeling pretty good about myself, I would sit back for a moment and double-check the scale. It's always looked still too heavy on the bad side! Then I'm "back to reality" about myself, feeling no good and worthless. It deflates my spirit, takes the wind out of my sails, and makes me feel like nothing good I ever do matters. And Satan, laughing, spreads his wings.

But now that I'm saved and I'm learning what God's Word says, I am learning the truth. The scale is gone, and there is only one pile now. It's the pile of things I've done in the love of God and with the love of God. It's the pile of things I have done that serve Him.

Staying alive for Him when I'd rather be dead, I think, is a big chunk on my good pile. Then, also, Jesus told us to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself." and "Whatsoever you do for the least of my brothers, that you do unto Me." and "Love your enemies." Whatever we do to love others in His name, that is good service to Him!

The beauty of it is that once we are forgiven, there's no more bad pile at all. When I decided to make Jesus my Lord, He made the bad pile and the scale disappear. There is no more weight of wrongs against us. When we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us, and to remove them from us "as far as the east is from the west".

And even though there's nothing we can do to take back the pain we have caused others, especially those who are no longer alive, all we can do is trust that God knew what was happening, and pray that He was covering for us and watching over them too!

You can serve the Lord whoever and wherever you are. He loves your praise, your prayers, and your contentment and thankfulness for what you have. You serve God by refusing to obey Satan. You're serving God when you believe in and trust Jesus, and denounce the lies of Satan in your head. Whatever good things you think, say, or do for His sake serves Him.

You can be a witness for Christ to others just by the way you are, just by the freedom and joy you exhibit to others as the good fruit of trusting Him as your Savior.

There's lots of people I'd like to see in heaven who need to know that they, too, can be forgiven for all the wrong things they've done, no matter how bad, by crying out to God for forgiveness and surrendering their lives to Jesus as their Lord and Savior. And I will do what I can to see that happen.

"And this is the will of Him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life; and I will raise Him up at the last day." (John 6:40)

ALONE IN THE WORLD

2017-10-30T06:33:00.001-05:00

The truth is that we are each alone in the world.

I am all alone in this world, just me and my Lord Jesus. He is the only one who will, and can, go the whole distance with any one of us.

Even the most loving parent or spouse will only go so deep and so far with us. Depression taught me that. In the time of my most desperate need, even my own loving mother had to draw the line of her own sacrifice and involvement. That's when I had the wide-eyed realization that when all the chips are down, when I'm the most desperate and need someone to carry me the most, I'm on my own. And that's when I turned to God and surrendered my life to Him, and then He rescued me.

Besides, we all die alone anyway. After we breathe our last breath, we leave even those weeping at our bedside behind. Only the full devotion of our perfectly capable and loving Lord who knows us perfectly, knows the full depth of our inner being and still accepts us for who we are, can go the whole distance with us. That's the beauty of our awesome Lord. Even in our own death He is fully with us, right by our side or even carrying us, sticking with us all the way through the transition of our death and beyond.

Who else can understand us as well as He can? Who else can know us as fully as He does, right down to everything we've ever done and ever will do, right down to our every thought and desire of our heart?

The rest of us, even fellow believers who share our same depth in Him, cannot be any more than "fair weather" companions. We all reach a limit of sacrifice for another, a line we cannot cross because of our self-preservation; a bail-out point where a switch flips in your head and you decide, "Oops, he's on his own from here. I have my own (fill in the blank) to think about."

You might be willing to die for me, and I wouldn't doubt it, but would you be willing to give me everything you'll ever have materially and emotionally and remain living? Would you be willing to take all my burdens on yourself and bankrupt your own existence and be left alone with nothing? Jesus did it and still does, but who else would?

Jesus was accompanied by His best friends, His devoted disciples, only so far, and actually even the best of them bailed out pretty early in the game. As soon as their own personal safety and well-being were threatened they not only abandoned Him, they even denied knowing Him as if to say, "You're not worth THAT much to me. I came this far, but I have to draw a line at the threat of my own torture and crucifiction."

Not one of them even had the nerve to walk with him as he carried his cross, much less help him with it, as far as I know. (A perfect stranger had to do it, and even then only at the order of a centurion.) They were only human too, after all. They only showed up again once He was hanging alone on the cross and they could observe it safely from a distance.

I know there are those who love me, who would go the distance with me as far as they can. But I also know there's a human end to anyone's devotion to me (and I don't want to know how far that is).

This is all easy for me to say, though, because I still do have the devotion of loved ones, like you, out there. I actually have no idea what real "alone-ness" feels like, like that of Jesus or the prophets of old. There's always someone I could call who would care to at least some extent. I could even walk into any church any time and find some degree of love and devotion and help from strangers. But again, only to a certain human extent.

The beauty of it is that there are fellow believers out there who are truly devoted to the Lord, and out of their devotion to Him would go a full, healthy, and proper distance of their limited human capability with you, like I would. I would die for any of you, but I don't think I could live my life for you (unless you were my own wife or children, maybe). But I can't live inside you, and I can't save you.

We never have to feel alone. We have the Body of Christ to lean on and tap into whenever we need it. But we must all walk alone past that limit of the human capability of others, past their own limits of self-preservation. We only have to walk fully alone if we want to or if God leads us to.

Sometimes He might even want us all to Himself, to walk alone in the dry desert, but then we're still not alone. We're always fully accompanied by our limitless Lord who has sanctified us to Himself for His good pleasure as well as ours.

Personally, I never feel alone. Maybe I'm lonesome sometimes for the devoted companionship and loving touch of a wife, maybe I'm lonesome sometimes for a close friend to share great times with, but I'll never ever be alone again, even when I'm alone.

I have the full-time mighty, loving and caring companionship of the King of Kings Jesus, and we're already sharing the abundant Joy of eternal life together in His Kingdom!

BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

2016-05-12T09:34:00.000-05:00

I received Christ one night in 1988 and was immediately indwelt with the Holy Spirit without a doubt. It was unmistakable and supernatural. And I received gifts then that I didn't realize I'd received until later, but I didn't receive the gift of tongues among them. The first gift I realized I had been given was the gift of discerning of spirits.

Since then, there have been at least three times through the years when I've had people lay hands on me to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit while I prayed sincerely for it. They did this because they knew I didn't speak in tongues, and therefore assumed that I had not yet received the Baptism.

No tongues, no Baptism of the Holy Spirit, as if the two always go hand in hand.

I did earnestly want all the gifts He has for me, and I did want the gift of tongues. Yet nothing happened. So I had to wonder, Was I being refused this special baptism of the Holy Spirit for some reason, or had I already received it at the moment of my true salvation without receiving the particular gift of tongues?

I know of people who, at the moment they received Christ, spoke in tongues on the spot without even knowing there was such a thing! It even scared one of them at first, because she didn't know what was happening to her.

And neither of them was baptized in water yet or anything, and neither of them knew anything about the gifts of the Spirit, much less of the baptism of the Spirit. They merely received the gift of tongues the moment they sincerely surrendered to Jesus in their hearts and accepted Him as their Lord and Savior.

Clearly, we are taught in the scriptures that at the moment of our true rebirth in the Spirit, the moment of our conversion, we receive the indwelling of the Spirit, the anointing.

"But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you; but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is the truth, and is no lie..." (1 John 2:27, KJV, emphasis added)

And when He comes to dwell in us, He brings with Him certain gifts for us – but not necessarily all of them.

We can earnestly covet and pray for other gifts as well, and may indeed receive them.

This was clearly taught by Paul to those who all wanted the gift of tongues. He told them he wished they all spoke in tongues as he did, but he also told them it was the least of the gifts because it is self-edifying. He told them, rather, to earnestly covet the other greater gifts that edify the Body.

But I've received other gifts – gifts concerning the truth revealed in the scriptures, and an unction to prophesy the truth in the scriptures to edify and unite the Body with it. And with that, I do see certain non-truths taught as doctrine by certain denominations.

For example, contrary to popular belief, I'm convinced through diligent study that it was only the 12 apostles who received the special "promise of the Father" (Acts 1:4) at Pentecost, promised to them by Jesus before He ascended.

Yes, later in Acts 1 there were also 120 together with the apostles, but if you read Acts very carefully you will see this:

Beginning with Acts 2:1 - "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place."

Note that "they" in that verse refers to the immediately preceding verse (Acts 1:26) "...and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles."

Thus, the "they" in the very next verse 2:1 refers to the 12 apostles alone.

2. Acts 2:7 "...Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue..."

3. Acts 2:14 "But Peter, standing up with the eleven..."

Besides, when was the last time you've seen cloven tongues of fire sit upon anyone? When did it ever happen again after the day of Pentecost when it happened to the 12 apostles alone?

So I see no evidence whatsoever that the Pentecost experience happened to anyone besides the 12. No evidence whatsoever if you read Acts very carefully with a devotion to the truth alone, rather than reading to support a preconceived or pre-learned doctrine.

That particular experience, that special baptism of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, was promised by Jesus to the apostles alone in Acts 1 starting in verse 2: "...had given commandments unto the apostles..."

Also, later in Acts, those that had been previously baptized in John's baptism (who became believers and were baptized in water before Christ's ascension) had clearly not received the Holy Spirit yet because the Spirit had not yet been given during that time before Pentecost. They were believers, yes, but became believers before Jesus ascended and the Holy Spirit had been given. So they had not yet received the Spirit.

The evidence of tongues in the Gentiles after laying hands on them was important for the apostles to witness, because it was the only proof they could witness that salvation was indeed also available not only for the Jews, but also for the Gentile believers. And the evidence of tongues, the only outwardly visible gift, convinced them.

"And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 10:45).

"Gift" in this verse refers to the specific gift of tongues; in this instance, the outwardly visible evidence to the apostles that these gentiles had indeed received the Holy Spirit - proof to them that salvation was also available to the gentiles.

So as I see it and as I've experienced it, and according to the many salvation testimonies I've heard, I do not see anywhere where there is a separate baptism of the Spirit apart from the indwelling, the anointing received at the moment of a true salvation experience.

And at that precious moment, one will receive certain gifts of the Spirit which may or may not include the gift of tongues.

There is no evidence in scriptures whatsoever that proves to me that the particular gift of tongues will always accompany the baptism of the Holy Spirit that every believer receives at the moment of their true conversion!

Otherwise, throughout the New Testament when Paul spoke to those who were coveting the gift of tongues (and told them that he wished they all spoke in tongues) he would have merely laid hands on all of them to receive the baptism of the Spirit and they would all have spoken in tongues then, right?

So before I studied the scriptures and knew better, I was left to wonder, Is there a special baptism of the Spirit that I have not yet received, because if not, then what's wrong with me?

I know I'm saved, and I earnestly and sincerely covet the baptism of the Spirit and the gift of tongues, and I've had hands laid on me to receive both, yet I still do not have the gift of tongues. Do I also not have that special baptism of the Spirit that is supposedly available to all believers?

So what then? Am I not good enough? Am I not truly saved after all? Have I fallen short somehow?

Now where is my hope and confidence in my salvation? These doubts about my own salvation are the bad fruits of wrong doctrine!

Considering the truth I've studied in scriptures and all the evidence I know, plus the evidence of my own experience, I was baptized in the Holy Spirit at the moment of my salvation; and tongues was not one of the gifts I received then. I still earnestly covet it and believe that I will one day receive it when the Spirit wants me to have it as well, but in the meantime I'm grateful for the other gifts He has given me.

Beware of the doctrines of devils! Form doctrines through diligent study of the scriptures alone, rather than reading the scriptures to support pre-learned (and perhaps false) doctrines.

THE REAL FATE OF NON-BELIEVERS

2009-06-28T14:59:00.004-05:00

It is a commonly accepted belief, or doctrine, among Christianity that non-believers (or those who have died without faith in Jesus Christ) will suffer in hell (or the lake of fire) throughout eternity.

A Question Exists

I want to start here by declaring that I am not a member of any religion or denomination, and I subscribe to no religious belief system or set of doctrines other than the plain and explicit truth in the scriptures.

This universal belief among Christianity has haunted me for years; but I hold everything I've ever been taught in my life in question until I've had a chance to either confirm it in God's Word, or deny it with God's Word. My only true, infallible teacher is the Holy Spirit that indwells me, in perfect conjunction with the Word of God.

1Jn 2:27 "But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." (KJV)

I can only fully trust God's Word and the Holy Spirit, both, to reveal the truth to me as I diligently study His Word written in the language I understand. And I trust that if God knows I want the truth, and if He wants me to know the truth, He will reveal it to me consistent with His Word.

The Far Less Popular, But Entirely Possible Answer

Regardless of my diligent study in my attempts to confirm this belief, I find not one scripture anywhere in the Bible that would have me believe that non-believers will suffer throughout eternity. Not one!

In fact, I find overwhelming evidence that they indeed will NOT suffer throughout eternity, and I hereby challenge anyone to present to me any clear and explicit scriptures that prove otherwise.

I am convinced that those whose names are not written in the Lamb's Book of Life will be destroyed forever, dead once and for all, burned up for good, and cease to exist altogether after the white throne judgment when they are cast into the Lake of Fire.

The Proof

I know some readers are already thinking, "What? You don't believe in hell??"

I never said that. I know there's a hell because it's explicitly written in scriptures. But as I will attempt to prove, hell is not the lake of fire or vice-versa, and I find no shred of explicitly worded evidence in the scriptures that non-believers will suffer in hell, or anywhere else for that matter, throughout eternity.

Now here in Revelation 20, it explicitly states that the devil, the beast and the false prophet will indeed be tormented forever and ever:

Rev 20:10 "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."

No doubt about it! It's explicitly clear. But what about the non-believers, or those who have rejected the Gospel of Jesus and faith in Him?

Rev 20:11 "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

Period. End of chapter. Did you notice at the end of the last verse above, the stark lack of the explicit words "...and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." as with the devil, the beast, and the false prophet in 20:10 above?

Can we safely assume that just because they are thrown into the same lake of fire that they will also be tormented forever? Absolutely not! It is never safe to form doctrines from scripture based solely on assumptions. (For one thing, the devil was never a human being subject to death as we are. He was created an eternal angel.)

But do notice, in the explicit wording of verse 14 above, the reference to "the second death" as also referenced in the scriptures below:

Rev 2:11 "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death."

Rev 20:6 "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."

And again:

Rev 20:14 "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

Period!

Bible Terms for the Two Eternal Fates

Throughout the scriptures, including the words of Jesus Himself in the Gospels, are these terms used to describe the differences in the fates of believers versus non-believers:

For believers, the terms are: "life", "eternal life", "everlasting life", "life eternal", "live for ever", "enter into life", being "raised up at the last day", "shall never die", "in the likeness of His resurrection", "over whom the second death hath no dominion", etc.

For the non-believers, the terms are: "destruction", "die", "death", "perish", "eternal destruction", "eternal damnation", and the like. (Destroyed for eternity, never to return from it. The "second death" in Rev 20:14)

Now we often hear it preached that the word "death" as used in scriptures means "eternal separation from God". This is consistent when we consider that being destroyed and ceasing to exist is certainly eternal separation from God!

And let's consider the term "eternal life". The scriptures never add qualifying words to that phrase such as "eternal life with God" versus "eternal life without God". Wouldn't suffering through eternity still mean an eternal life of some sort?

So we do know, per Rev 20:10 above, that the devil, the beast, and the false prophet will most certainly be "tormented day and night for ever and ever." But does this necessarily mean that everyone else cast into the lake of fire will also? Can we safely assume that? Absolutely not! Again, it is never safe to form doctrine from scriptures based solely on assumptions!

All I know is what I read, and I read no shred of clearly, explicitly worded evidence whatsoever in the scriptures that this is so.

The Opposing Arguments

In discussing this subject once with a couple, after they were unable to show me convincing evidence to the contrary, the woman finally exclaimed, "Then what motivation does anyone have to be saved, if they won't be spending their eternal life in hell otherwise!?"

If avoiding "hell for eternity" is the only and best reason we can use for leading others to the Lord, then we're missing the best part.

If living eternally with our Father and our mighty Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the most high, the perfectly loving Creator and Master of our whole universe and everything in it, in a perfect existence where They are, as fellow heirs with Jesus to the entire Kingdom of God is not motivation enough, then what is?

Now let's carefully examine the only two scripture references anyone has ever come up with to defend their erroneous belief that non-believers will suffer throughout eternity. Here's the first:

Rev 14:9 "And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name."

This does not convince me at all, and this is why: Notice that they are tormented with fire and brimstone (not in a lake of fire) when the wrath of God is poured out on the earth at the end of the great tribulation period and before the white throne judgment, when "they who have worshiped the beast and have taken the mark of his name will have no rest day or night" as long as they are still alive on this earth during that period of time!

(Also, note that it is the smoke of their torment, not the torment itself, that ascends up forever and ever, just as the smoke from your last campfire ascends even after the fire is put out.)

So from this first scripture reference, we see that this is an event that occurs prior to the white throne judgment.

Now here's the second scripture reference that is typically used to defend the idea of the eternal torment of non-believers in hell. It's a story told by Jesus in Luke 16:23-26:

Lk 16:23 "And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivest thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence."

This also fails to convince me! Let's consider that this story was not one of Jesus' parables, but His recounting of an actual event, and let's again ask ourselves: Is this an event prior to the white throne judgment or after it?

It is very clear to me that this was an event prior to the white throne judgment, because the above passage begins, "And in hell he lift up his eyes..."'; and, as we have read previously in Rev 20:14, after the judgment, death and hell will be cast into the lake of fire and destroyed forever.

Therefore, we can clearly prove that this second scripture reference, this event with Lazarus and Abraham as told by Jesus, is also an event that would have taken place before the white throne judgment, not after it!

So we do know from all the explicitly worded scriptural evidence above that, yes, hell does currently exist, and that non-believers are apparently being held "in torments" there. But hell will ONLY exist until the white throne judgment when it will be cast into the lake of fire and destroyed at the second death, as already proven above.

It is clear that hell and the lake of fire are two very different things!

The Parallel

You see, in our earthly judicial system, a person accused of a crime will sit in jail (a holding place) until trial (judgment), and then at the trial will be found either innocent and set free, or guilty and then sentenced:

The accused is put in jail (a holding place) to be held for trial.
Eventually the trial takes place, and the accused is judged either innocent or guilty.
If found guilty, the accused is convicted and sentenced; or, if found innocent, set free.

Likewise, hell is a holding place for the accused until judgment, and then if convicted at judgment will be cast into the lake of fire (the "second death" sentence).

After all, would it make any sense that those who are now in torments in hell have already been judged and condemned by God? And then at the white throne judgment they will be brought back before God to be judged and condemned again? Indeed, that makes no sense at all!

Conclusion

So from all the explicitly worded evidence in God's Word, I am totally convinced that non-believers will not be tormented day and night throughout eternity, but they will be destroyed (annihilated) in the lake of fire after the white throne judgment at the end of Christ's millennial reign, when death and hell are cast into the lake of fire to be destroyed forever.

I confess that I have to believe this, not only because of the scriptural evidence, but because of one more thing:

How will I be able to be perfectly joyful throughout eternity with God the Father and Jesus His Son, knowing that somewhere else in the universe the "unsaved" are being tormented forever, especially if it includes any of my loved ones from this life (like my dad, for example, who likely died without faith in Christ)?

And if it would grieve me so deeply, how much more would it grieve a perfectly loving God?

DOES GOD REALLY HAVE A PLAN FOR ME?

2009-06-21T10:43:00.004-05:00

For many years now I've often heard fellow believers tell me, "God has a wonderful plan for you!" and each time I think I wish I knew what it is and when it's gonna start.

God's plan for me and my plan for myself haven't necessarily always been the same, even after my salvation. I certainly want them to be the same. I want to do exactly whatever He wants me to be doing with my life. Why wouldn't I? I want the occupation He has for me, the one He knows is best. I want to work always, but I want to work His plan for me, not my own.

I've so often prayed, "Lord, let me for once have a profession that I love, an occupation that I can stay excited about that would be fulfilling for me in serving You; one that has a worthwhile purpose besides just my own survival, and that forwards Your Kingdom on earth and destroys the works of Satan; a profession that will glorify You in Your perfect love and goodness and wisdom and righteousness in the eyes of the lost; one that will help the hurting see that they need a Savior and that You alone are the only One and the only Way and the only Truth, and that living life for You, your way, is the only way to find lasting joy and fulfillment in this life."

I pray, "Lord, lead me to the occupation that's perfect for me. Show me what You would have me to do with what's left of my squandered life. And please make it obvious to me. I don't want to make another permanent move until I've heard clearly from You. I don't want to wonder if it's Your leading or just my own imagination, just another pipe dream, just another thing to do, just another occupation. I know it's asking alot, but it's nothing beyond You. And if I can be sure that I've heard from YOU on it, I'll boldly go. I just don't want to settle any more for less than what You want of me, and I'm tired of standing at the crossroads of yet another major life decision."

I think He replied, "What if I don't? Will you be okay with that? What if my plan for you is to live out your life always standing at crossroads, always wondering what to do next? How long can you tread water? What if I just want to keep you in the school of life, learning and growing and loving?"

Then I say, "But Father, I know You want what's best for me in serving You." And He replies, "Bingo. But maybe what you think is best for you is not what I know is best for you. So who ya gonna follow? Don't you trust Me? What if My occupation for you, My plan for you, is to always wonder what My plan is for you? What if I'm trying to get you to learn how to have joy and peace even in that? What if I just want you to be My child and rest in that?"

Then I said, "But Lord, I'm so tired of living this way. I'm tired of learning lessons and standing at crossroads in my life."

He says, "You think you have it bad? Try meandering 40 years in the wilderness like My servant Moses. Try losing everything and scraping sores for awhile like My servant Job. Try running for your life awhile like My servant David. Try being thrown overboard a ship, being swallowed by a big fish and living in its belly for three days like My servant Jonas. Try living lives like My chosen Apostles did, and then suffering deaths like theirs. Try wondering day to day whether you'll have food or shelter, and having to trust Me daily for those things like so many of my faithful servants today. Try living a whole lifetime among people who despise you, and then being tortured and crucified by them like My own beloved Son. Quit whining, My child."

Then I say, "But I'm just a hair on the Body of Christ, not one of those great ones." Then He says, "So just accept that and be grateful for it. Is My grace sufficient or not? Do you trust Me or not? Crucify yourself, let your own wants and desires for your life on earth die as well, and just listen for my still, quiet voice in all things.

"Believe me, I'll call on you when I want you to do something specific for Me. Just let me direct your steps day by day, and let Me take care of the rest. If you're really trusting Me, I will open the right doors and close the wrong ones for you. I will direct you My own way. But you must trust that I will. If you can manage those things, then maybe you will learn how to live always in the real joy that you keep writing about."

Then I say, "But Lord, I don't think I have the strength left. I'm so tired of trying to figure it out and trying to find my niche. I've been doing it my whole adult life, and I'm 52 now!"

Then He says, "I'll be the judge of what you're strong enough for. The question is, when are you going to let Me be the God of your life and just rest in Me and listen to My still, quiet voice? I'm either faithful to complete the work I've begun in you, or I'm not. Who's the liar? Are you pushing and striving to complete the work yourself? Are you going to get yourself to heaven now? You're such a child. Just let go and have joy in being MY child, and leave your life to me. I thought you gave up having control of your own life when you cried out to me and I saved you."

Here's my occupation for you right now, Terry: Know Me, rest in Me, love Me, trust Me with everything, love your neighbor as yourself, seek first My Kingdom always, be grateful for whatever you have, pray always with thanksgiving, and live your life in the joy of the certain hope of one day seeing My face."

I said, "Yes, Lord!" Ah, but here I am, sometimes still second-guessing what His plan may be for me, sometimes still second-guessing where I am and where I should be and whether I'm doing what I should be doing with my life. Some days, I just can't seem to help it. Then when I realize that my strivings, confusions and disappointments are robbing me of joy, I'm reminded to go back to just trusting Him and resting in Him and letting Him lead me day by day, and my joy returns.

An Afterthought:

In all the many different jobs I've had in life, I've always known right up front what I was hired to do and what was expected of me. I can work with that. But serving God is apparently different. I'm beginning to realize I might not know what His "plan" was for me until after my life on earth is over. Maybe then I'll find out what it was and whether I was a good and faithful servant in accomplishing it or not.

God is perfect in all His ways. It occurs to me that if He were to tell me His specific plan for me right up front, I'd probably do as I've always done in all my jobs: Rather than waiting for my boss to tell me every single move to make moment by moment, I'd be taking the initiative to do whatever I assume he/she would want me to do.

If I knew God's plan for me, I might be doing whatever I think He wants me to do moment by moment, rather than waiting for His personal, specific direction. But the question is, is that how God wants me to serve Him, by doing what I assume I ought to be doing?

Looking back, I see that whenever I've done anything I assumed I was supposed to do for Him, without His personal, specific bidding, it seemed to fall dead. Whenever I used to force myself to share the Lord with someone because I thought I was supposed to do it, yes maybe I planted a seed, but it usually fell on deaf ears and inhibited further opportunities with that person. They would avoid me from then on, or at least would avoid any deep conversation with me. As a result, I soon gave up making myself do things.

Then one day I found myself witnessing so naturally that it just flowed out of me without effort. I realized later that I hadn't pre-determined to do it, but just "felt prompted" to do it. That has happened in many instances since then, and has always led to growing relationships whereby I could continue witnessing by example, by exhibiting the good fruit of having surrendered my live to Jesus, my Lord and Savior.

I purpose to be listening and available to do His bidding moment by moment and day by day as He prompts me, rather than being too busy doing my own thing to hear Him when He calls. Then whenever I feel prompted to do something AND I judge that it is something that will be good and pleasing to the Lord and not violate any ordinances He's given me in His Word, then I do it.

It seems to me that Jesus was closely attentive and acutely available at all times to doing and saying whatever the Father was telling Him to do or say, moment by moment and day by day. And I want to be like Him.

In this way, I can be free of needing to know what exactly is God's overall plan for my life, while still being able to have joy in the hope that He will one day say to me, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Now come and share in My joy."

Check out the following words of Jesus (KJV):

Mt 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
5:19 ...Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
Jn 5:20 For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth
Jn 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
Jn 8:28 ...When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself...
Jn 12:49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
Jn 12:50 ...whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.
Jn 14:10 ...the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
Jn 14:31 But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do...

IN THE MIRROR: YOUR SELF-IMAGE

2009-06-20T11:25:00.005-05:00

Nearly everyone has a distorted self-image. We are typically our own worst judges not only of our physical appearance, but also of our character and personality. No matter how much we look at ourselves in the mirror and consider our impressions on others, we cannot see ourselves as others really see us. Mostly, I attribute this to a sort of spiritual blindness.

And our only accurate self-image should be how God our Father sees us.

When we look at ourselves in a mirror, though we may be able to see with our eyes we don't always perceive ourselves accurately. We don't perceive ourselves in the light of reality (reality being God's view).

You should have an anti-virus program always running in your brain, so that as soon as one of those types of viruses (wrong thoughts about yourself) "swims in", your anti-virus program surrounds it, isolates and destroys it, replacing it with what God says is the truth about you!

A person's negative self-image verdict is most always a lie. Our own self-image is generally the product of what we've been told by others since we were children; and we tend to emulate who we've been led to believe we are by others. For instance, if you were convinced by others as a child that you're no good, you will tend to live your whole life in that image of yourself.

The reality about you is God's Word about YOU personally. If you are a true born-again believer in Jesus, you must know and agree that you are a fearfully and wonderfully made child of the King whom He has personally and specifically hand-chosen for adoption for His own good pleasure!
And why did He choose you? Because he foreknew you. How? Because He knit you together Himself. You, like king David (at one point himself even being an adulterer and murderer), are "a man after His own heart".

(Ac 13:22) ...I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart...
(1Sa 13:14) ...the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart...
(1 Kings 9:4) And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart...
(1 Kings 11:4) And his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
(2 Chron 16:9) For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.

Why Did He Choose You?

No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:44)

God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Cor 1:9)

But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.(2 Thes 2:13-14)

...for many be called, but few chosen. (Matthew 20:16)

We can be pretty sure He didn't choose you for your sinful past and for your mistakes and failings. So what then?

My own belief is that He has chosen YOU for the particular combination of experiences, strengths, weaknesses, and qualities that are so uniquely yours!

You are a totally unique, one-in-a-zillion to Him. You with your talents and qualities, even with your weaknesses, combined with all your life experiences that have given you the understanding and insights you have, makes you the one-in-a-zillion perfect choice for a position in His Kingdom that no one else could fill. If you didn't fill it, it might have to go vacant.

But it's all about your heart, your heart of love for our Lord, your heart to please Him.

I am pretty convinced that when Our Father and Our Lord Jesus "look upon" you, They only see your unique strengths and qualities that They love about you. They only see the unique reason They want you to be with Them throughout eternity. I really don't believe They see anything other than that, because They know the end from the beginning of you. They know that when you are glorified (which is scriptural), only your Christ-like qualities will remain for eternity. They regard you as who you will be once you're finished.

I personally believe this following scripture is not a statement generalized for a "people", but is speaking about each of us as individuals. Otherwise, it wouldn't say "whom", it would say "those":

...For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he (Jesus) might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (Romans 8:29)

Isn't that awesome? And notice that it is written in past tense, as if it's already happened! For the Father and Jesus, who you will be in the end is clear to Them.

If you are truly a born-again believer in Jesus, you're as good as already glorified, a done deal in God's mind! Those He foreknew, already called, already conformed to the image of Christ, already justified, and already glorified according to Him. How amazing is that?

Here's my own take on "foreknew": God knew way ahead of time that I would grow to become a man after His own heart (loving Him). But that's because I'm convinced He can see the future without controlling it.

And here's my take on "predestinate": Knowing that I would one day make the free-will choice to surrender my life over to Him, He arranged circumstances to bring me to that point in my life when I would be ready to make that choice. He set me up for it and arranged the perfect circumstances for me at the perfect time!

God being able to see into my future, to see that I would one day make a freewill choice to accept His free gift of salvation and surrender my life to Him and love Him and devote my life to Him, is beyond the scope of our human understanding, but that doesn't mean it can't be true! And I am not a calvinist or armenianist or anything else - I am purely a Truth-ist, a God's Word - ist. I merely write what I read.

My Thoughts About Myself

So when I think negatively about myself, isn't that actually sinful? If a negative thought about myself swims in, and I regard it and uphold it, it's kind of like calling God a liar, isn't it? "Yeah, God's Word says I'm a specially adopted and beloved child of His, chosen specifically by Him, but I know better. The truth is, I'm ugly and worthless and no good."

Do I know better than God? Should I feel free to second-guess how He sees me? At the very least, whenever I think poorly about myself, I render myself less effective for God. I bring myself down. It's just not okay, and it's certainly not noble.

When I think poorly of myself, it makes me want to sink into it. It's like taking one of God's tools that He's trying to keep clean and well-oiled, and throwing it into the dirt.

But when I regard myself as God does, it makes me want to be a better man!

(1 Sam 16:7) For the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

You know what I love about myself? I love what's in my heart that is of God, that is from Him. I love how much I love goodness and hate wickedness. And I am perfectly well aware that anything good about me and anything I know of God has been put in me by Him.

(Matthew 16:15-17) He saith unto them, "But whom say ye that I am?" And Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered and said unto him, "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven."

Yes, any "spiritual blindness" we have about ourselves compared to how God sees us is of Satan, the enemy. We need to keep that anti-virus program running in our brains to snatch those enemy thoughts about ourselves when they swim in, take them immediately captive, and wash them away with some ready scriptures of the truth of how God sees us, and of God's incredible love for us.

Repent of whatever you've done wrong, then once you've asked forgiveness from Him for it, forget it as God has forgotten it - as far as the east is from the west! It's gone! Just like Jesus told the prostitute:

When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. (John 8:10-11)

Throw away your own earthly mirror you may have grown accustomed to using, and use God's. I don't want to doubt or second-guess God's Word about anyone or anything, whether it's what I've always believed or want to believe or not, including about myself. It's unbecoming of an adopted child of the almighty Master and Creator of the Universe. I must believe only what He says about me and His incredible love for me, knowing He's certainly no fool in choosing me.

Are you a man or woman after God's own heart? Do you love goodness and justice, and hate evil and wickedness? Are you one of His very own King Davids? Have you surrendered control of your earthly life entirely to Jesus, accepting Him as your Lord and Savior?

If so, then be free to live in the Joy of knowing how much He loves you and how special you are to Him, and stay closely tuned to Him for more!

CONDITIONAL SALVATION vs ETERNAL SECURITY

2009-05-17T12:53:00.002-05:00

This study on Salvation article goes hand-in-hand with "SALVATION: THE FREE GIFT and lists below all the scriptures I've found concerning the truth about salvation and eternal life.

"If you believe what you like in the Gospel, and reject what you don't like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself." - Augustine.

Remember, excerpts from God's Word are merely pointers referencing context, and that no single scripture verse is to be isolated and used apart from its context to form or support any man's foredrawn conclusion. Also remember that all pieces of a puzzle must be assembled to complete the picture! Therefore as you read the verses below, I encourage you to:

1. First ask God to give you the wisdom to discern His Truth.
2. Read also the context from which each one was taken.

I am convinced that every truly saved, born-again believer can be reconciled to every other one on all doctrines of the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, if all are willing to embrace God's pure Truth about it. Of this I am absolutely certain: There are no conflicts or contentions in Truth!

There's only one absolute Truth about any doctrinal issue. And God does not deceive any of His children to divide the Body of Christ on any doctrinal issue; that's solely the work of Satan.

There are to be no contentions or divisions among the Body of Christ! Read the following verse from Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. This is very clear and explicit!

Now I beseech you, bretheren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. (1 Cor 1:10)

So whenever there are "believers" standing on opposing sides of the same doctrinal coin (or issue), then at least one of them is blind; one, or more likely both of them is missing a key piece of the Truth that will reconcile them into full agreement with each other! Of this, I am certain.

Therefore, we are not to read scriptures through the colored glasses of pre-conceived "doctrines", or our own fears or prejudices; we are only to read them through the clear glasses of devotion to Truth, whether it makes us right or wrong in our own previous understanding of them. Right?

Isolated verses of God's Word must not be used and "interpreted" to support any man's foredrawn conclusion, including one's own; they are only to be used as they are: simply, clearly and explicitly presented in His Word, to form the one correct conclusion on their own. Teaching God's Word is one thing; teaching my own conclusion of it is another, because then I may be pushing some agenda of my own that is not of God.

Always be willing to throw away anything you've been believing in favor of the Truth! Lean not on your own understanding ... For the natural man perceives not the truth, because it is spiritually discerned. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Whether you're a "conditional salvationist" or an "eternal security-ist", I know that you stand always at the ready, fully prepared to counter anything anyone can come up with to counter your stance on the issue. Scholars on opposing sides of any issue are always fully prepared to counter anything the other may present. "You show me yours and I'll show you mine" is proposed by some, under the pretense of having teachable spirits. But that will get them nowhere if they remain too obsessed with defending their own understandings of the Truth to hear it.

I am certain that those who stand on either side of the conditional vs. eternal security issue (of which I am on neither side) can be reconciled to each other under the one pure and simple truth about it. But this can only happen if (and this is a big if) they are all willing to abandon their own understanding and self-assurance, drop their own assumptions, drop their own agenda, and remove any spiritual blinders.

I was once given the key truth that reconciles this issue, and could very well dispell all contentions among the Body of Christ on this issue! Here are the words that came out of his mouth: "Yes, God loves everybody. But only those who love Him are saved." Very profound!

And here is my version of it: The Lord is my Shepherd, yes; but only if I am one of His sheep!

Idol worship will make you blind to Truth and open to Satan. Are you devoted to God and His undivided Truth, or are you devoted to your own understanding or that of some other man whom you may be convinced is a "good teacher". In fact, the Bible says there is only one "good teacher" we can fully trust to be infallible:

These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. (1 John 2:26-27)

No mere mortal man is my teacher, though many may want to assume the position of teacher with me. Neither am I a teacher. All I can safely do is to present the evidence of scriptures alone. I purpose to search out and present ALL relative scriptures on any topic, as evidence of God's wisdom, without regard to the favorite ones of separatist preachers and churches.

Self-determined "teachers" of divisional doctrines, who stand on opposing sides of doctrinal issues, are predisposed by the enemy to teach and not be taught; often too puffed up and self-assured by their own knowledge, credentials, study time invested, and/or their categorically accepted conclusions of other men.

I had a pastor once who was admittedly a disciple of a highly acclaimed "teacher" and purpose driven preacher of Calvinist beliefs. I am convinced that Calvinism is a doctrine of devils. Once his ministry failed, I have a feeling that he took his blinders off once and for all and decided to search out the one reconciling Truth of God on all issues from now on. His very encouraging last words were, "I'm not sure I know anything, but Christ and Him crucified." Well, Amen Brother.

It's high time for the Bride of Christ to be completely unified under one Truth, God's Truth! Will Christ ever return for a Bride whose body parts are insistently separated one from another, polarized against each other on major doctrinal issues about Jesus and the work He did?

Now ask our Lord Jesus to remove any spiritual blinders from your eyes, and to reveal His one Truth to you as you read through the following scriptures.

The Scriptures on Salvation
The following are scripture verses pertaining to salvation from the New Testament of the Holy Bible (King James Version, my own words in parentheses, emphasis added):

Matthew 5:17-20 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (Note: Which He afterwards did on the cross, right?) Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Note: What is the Only Way that any man's righteousness can exceed that of the scribes and pharisees? Faith in Jesus Christ, right? Otherwise, our own attempts at being sin-free are futile.)

Mat 19:17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good (teacher)? there is good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

Mat 22:37-40 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

John 1:12-13 But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

3:14-15 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness (see next scripture exerpt), even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Numbers 21:6-9 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

John 6:27-29 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:47-51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

John 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

John 11:25-26 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

John 12:25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. (And what were His commandments again?)

John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

Romans 3:22-25 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forebearance of God;

3:27-28 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

5:1-2 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

5:8-10 But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

6:3-14 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

6:14-18 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

8:1-2 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.

10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

1 Corinthians 1:7-9 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

8:9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.

12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 Now He which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God: Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new,...

11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith (note that it doesn't say "daily"; this is a common mis-quote of those who believe in conditional salvation); prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

Galatians 2:4 And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:

2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God; for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

3:6-7 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, the just shall live by faith.

3:26-27 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

4:7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

5:13-14 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

Ephesians 1:4-5 According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love; Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,

1:12-14 That we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ;

2:13 For it is God who worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.

3:9 And be found in Him, not having mine own righteouosness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith;

Colossians 1:21-23 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight; if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard...

2:13-14 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses(note: all trespasses, not just past ones and not just ones you remember to ask forgiveness for); Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to the cross.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

1Timothy 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

Titus 3:5-7 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; that being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Hebrews 3:12-14 Take heed, bretheren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God ... lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end. (Note for the conditional salvationist: Where is your confidence?)

3:3, 10 For we which have believed do enter into rest ... For he that has entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His.

10:22-23 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith ...Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;)

10:26 For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.

10:29 Of how much sorer punishment , suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

10:38 Now the just shall live by faith; but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
(Note: for a more complete concept of faith, read the entire Hebrews chapter 11)

James 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

2:17-18, 20, 24 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works; shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will show you my faith by my works ... But wilt thou know, 0 vain man, that faith without works is dead? ... Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. (Note: Good works are evidence of faith, the result or good fruit of faith, not the justification.)

1 Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ...

1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.

1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

2:15-16 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.

3:2-3 ...but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is, and every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.

3:23 And this is His commandment, That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment.

4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

4:13, 15 Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit...Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
5:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself;...

5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (Note: Notice he wrote "...that ye may know you have eternal life," not that ye may hope or wish for it. Herein lies the confidence, yes?)

5:18 We know that whoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

2 John 1:9 ...He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

Jude 1:24 Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,...

Conclusion
Now maybe I'm wrong, but I sure can't find any "conditional security" in any of these, as long as I don't get an "evil heart of unbelief" and "lose my confidence and blessed assurance" in Him to complete the work He has begun in me! I trust Jesus my savior for my salvation, not my own ability to keep myself sinless. It is He who will carry me through to the end. I now rest in peace, rest in Him, having already received eternal life. You can't lose eternal life once you have it, unless you abandon it; that's the whole thing about "eternal".

I have already passed from death unto life, according to the clear, explicit, and simple Truth of God's infallible Word about His free gift. I already have the end of my confidence in Him. I'm as good as there with Him, and believe me, knowing that gives me great joy, and only makes me want to please Him more!

And I have great joy in that hope. True hope is not a "I hope I get there" hope, but a "It's a sure thing" hope, a looking forward to what I already have, because He is faithful Who promised, and He has sealed me for redemption.

I love Him for doing the work for me and not making me have to worry about doing it on my own. That's why I have such a heart to please Him and sin no more! "...I'll show you my faith by my works." - Paul

My final note to all who stand on one opposing side or the other of the salvation issue: Be careful of your evil heart of unbelief in departing from the simple Truth of the Gospel of our living Lord, and in causing any division among the Body of Christ on doctrinal issues. I urge you, brothers and sisters, to denounce any blindness to the one, simple, reconciling Truth of God, and repent of serving Satan in his attempts to divide and conquer the Body of Christ.

IS CHRIST DIVIDED?

2009-05-17T12:23:00.004-05:00

"Is Christ divided?" (1 Corinthians 1:13)

As we know, Jesus will be coming and probably very soon to unite with His bride, the Body of Christ. I believe He is in the process right now of preparing His bride, and I believe this message is one of the many things He is doing to accomplish this. Would he come back for a segmented bride, divided and still in pieces? I don't think so. I think He wants His bride united as one. "A house divided against itself cannot stand."

Some Christian denominations, a few even meeting the criteria of a cult, separate themselves from the rest as the only ones with the Truth. How do they do this exactly? I'll explain.

Note: Please keep in mind as you read further that, while I may condemn the existence of many Christian denominations and cults (because I believe God does), I do not judge any persons. God looks at the heart, and only He can judge a person's heart. Indeed there are any number of people who are true born-again believers and members of the Body of Christ involved in denominations and even in some of what I consider to be cults. Besides, God can save anyone in the midst of any circumstances.

What is "The Church"?
The Church, as defined in the Word of God - the Bible, is the body of those who are true believers in Jesus Christ that have been saved by God's Grace through faith in Him. The Church is the Body of Christ.

Confusingly, though, we also use the word "church" to refer to a building or to a denomination such as the Catholic Church, the Lutheran Church, etc.

Christian Organized Religions
Organized religions are organizations with a hierarchy of government founded on a common general faith or religion. Christian organized religions, or denominations, are organized divisions of presumed Christianity founded on a particular sub-set of doctrines or beliefs not commonly shared among all born-again Christians. The problem I have with Christian denominations is that I believe God's Word prohibits divisions among the Body of Christ:

"Now I beseech you, bretheren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." (1 Corinthians 1:10, KJV, emphasis added)

"Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?" (1 Cor 1:12-13, KJV)

"For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." (1 Cor 2:2, KJV)

Divisional Doctrines
Each organized Christian denomination, or "church", while supposedly accepting the authority of the Bible, is also established on a certain sub-set of doctrines or beliefs as the foundation of its denomination. Usually, this set of beliefs is called the "Doctrinal Statement" of the denomination. In more extreme cases, these beliefs are embodied in a whole other book or set of writings outside of the Bible altogether.

These sets of beliefs, by the very nature of their existence, contain one or more of what I consider "divisional doctrines" or unique beliefs that they use to distinguish their denomination from others. With these divisional doctrines they at least inadvertently differentiate themselves apart from the rest of the Body as if to be the only ones with the "real" or "full" truth. These divisional beliefs are presented as Biblical doctrine.

Divisional doctrines are generally either conclusions drawn through the private interpretation of Biblical scriptures, or they are beliefs derived from writings outside of the Bible altogether. In a Doctrinal Statement, these beliefs are usually accompanied by isolated Biblical scripture verses that seem to support it, but are usually absent of any Biblical scriptures that may explicitly contradict it. In any case, the authorities of that denomination are prepared to explain away any scriptural contradictions to a divisional belief.

"Christian" Cults
There are some presumed "Christian" denominations that actually satisfy the common traits of a cult! These are common traits of cults:

1. A source of authority outside of the Bible (person, book, or writing)
2. The denial of justification by grace alone.
3. The devaluation of Christ.
4. The group as the exclusive community of the saved.
5. Non-members and opponents are considered blinded by Satanic force.

These will generally have whole other books or writings which contain their divisional beliefs and which they accept as essential truth in addition to the Bible. Many of them also have some person who they uphold as a latter day "prophet", or otherwise infallible person whose writings or teachings they consider to be divine revelation that allegedly clarifies or even supersedes God's Word!

"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction." (2 Peter 2:1)

"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils." (1 Timothy 4:1, KJV, emphasis added)

"For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. (Acts 20.29-30)

"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." (11:13-14)

"...but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ." (Galatians 1:7)

" ...and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time." (1 John 2:18)

Each of these false religions and their additional books, writings or teachings cunningly present heresies as truth and incorporate beliefs that set themselves apart from other churches as the only ones who have "the real truth". (I would gladly name those congregations here along with their "prophets" and other sources of authority, but I don't wish to offend any persons who may be members of them.)

What is Truth?
After all, what is truth? Truth is not relative to anyone; in other words, whatever one believes to be true isn't necessarily the truth just because it's what they think. Consider this: If there are two "truths" that contradict each other, then at least one or maybe both of them must not be true.

How can two different writings that contain contradictions to each other both be true? Pick one, and throw the other in the garbage. Anything that is not truth is a lie, and any writing or belief that contains a lie, is in itself a lie. "A little leaven leavens the whole lump." Satan is the father of lies, and any belief based on a lie is a "doctrine of devils".

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine..." (2 Timothy 3:16)

"...no prophesy of the scripture is of any private interpretation." (2 Peter 1:20)

"That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the slight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive..." (Ephesians 4:14)

God does not deceive, nor will He lead us to deception, contention or division. This is solely the work of Satan!

There is only one Truth about God and mankind, and that is the inspired Word of God - the Bible. There have been many intelligent atheists who have devoted their life's work to finding even one thing in the entire Bible that is not true, all of whom have failed to do so, and many who have in fact become believers in the process. There are multitudes of research and information that testifies to the authenticity and credibility of the Bible. Not one person in the world has ever been able to prove one thing wrong in the Bible!

Therefore, sane reasoning dictates that we must choose the Bible against any other book, writing or teaching that contains anything that is unsubstantiated in it or directly contrary to it! Keep the divinely inspired Word of God, the Bible, and throw all others that contradict it in the trash where they belong.

Satan's Purpose
"Where God builds a church the devil builds a chapel." - Martin Luther

It makes sense to me that Christianity has totally lost credibility among the unsaved these days. We can't even all agree among ourselves on the simplest of Biblical doctrines! Consider all the evangelists, preachers, teachers and other Biblical "scholars" who cannot even agree on the doctrine of the Gospel and salvation alone, or even on who Jesus was exactly. Where's the credibility in that?

Which of the myriad teachers, evangelists, and denominations is the right one to sign up with and devote himself or herself to? Whose interpretations of scripture are we to believe as the Truth? Which one has it right?

It is my opinion that the many different versions of the truth among the Body of Christ serve to further Satan's kingdom of darkness and deceit.

Very often the teachings of the pastors, priests, ministers and/or preachers of denominational churches are generally accepted by the people as inspired truth from God; many listeners tend to feel relieved from the responsibility of studying God's Word for themselves. They tend to believe they need only to accept the teachings of those in authority, rightly assuming that they are teaching the pre-approved doctrines of their whole denomination.

In the extreme cases of certain cult denominations, the people are even discouraged from studying the Bible for themselves!

Teachers are not infallible; therefore their teachings at times will perhaps contain their own false private interpretations and conclusions blended with truth, and the listener will swallow it whole.
Cults especially determine to indoctrinate, or brainwash, its members and attendees with its heretical beliefs and its fabricated regulations at as early an age as possible. Further, their members are even brainwashed to believe that anyone outside their church who opposes it is motivated by satanic force, or at least by spiritual blindness. If the brainwashing is successful, it can then be used to manipulate and control its people for its own purposes (ultimately, for Satan's purpose), and keep them blind to the Truth.

Satan's purpose in all these Christian denominations and cults is to destroy the credibility of true Christianity in the eyes of the unsaved, to divide and conquer the Body of Christ and prevent people from coming to a knowledge of the Truth and being saved. Satan seeks to draw away disciples to himself to distract and prevent people from knowing the Truth which would otherwise set them free from being in bondage to heretical beliefs and traditions of men and ultimately to himself.

Those who study the scriptures diligently and whose eyes are opened to the divisional heresies of their church usually have only one choice: they can either keep their mouths shut about it, or leave. For the average person in the congregation, the choice to leave is a fairly simple one: just leave.

But what about the pastor whose eyes are opened to the heresies of his church? He must either skirt the issue and deny the Truth, or convert his church to one that is independent and nondenominational, or leave that church and his whole livelihood. He is in bondage to the government of his denomination.

Avoid the Snares of Bondage
"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings..." (2 Timothy 2:15-16, KJV, emphasis added)

Believers who read and study the Bible for themselves, who discover and know the real Truth of God's Word, can no longer be held in bondage by Satan and the denominational churches and cults who serve him.

"But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you; but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is the truth, and is no lie..." (1 John 2:27, KJV, emphasis added)

Nowhere in the Bible does it say that going to church is necessary for salvation, or that it is even a matter of obedience in honoring God. In fact, this is what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well:

"...Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father ... But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth:.." (John 4:21-23, KJV)

We are to worship the Father not just in church on Sunday (or even on Saturday), but with our lives.

I consider the model of the Apostles and members of the early church, and the teachings of the new testament concerning the assembling of believers, to be the perfect model that we as a Body should all return to today.

We are encouraged to assemble regularly for fellowship - to praise our Lord together in song, to share the Truth and our testimonies with our fellow believers, and to give from our abundance to distribute to the needs of others.

"But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth. How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying." (1 Cor 14:24-26, KJV, emphasis added)

A safe church to attend would be a true Christian church founded on the simple truth about Jesus and the Gospel, that is purely Bible-based. It would only have one "doctrinal statement" - the Word of God.

The only true Church is the whole Body of Christ.
Our doctrinal statement is the Word of God alone.
Our spiritual father is our Father in Heaven alone.
Our teacher, our authority, our covering, our shepherd, and our Savior is Jesus Christ alone.
Period.

WHO IS JESUS?

2009-05-17T08:59:00.008-05:00

The beliefs of some "Christian" religions are that Jesus was God's first creation, or that He and Lucifer were brothers, or that He is merely a highly enlightened prophet of God, or that He alone is not the only mediator between God and man.

There are even some "Christians" who, citing the fact that the word "trinity" is found nowhere in the Bible and because the concept of three persons in one God is impossible for our human minds to comprehend, teach that there is really no such thing as the triune God, or Trinity.

But the truth is not whatever we might suspect to be true or whatever we may feel like believing.

There can only be one Truth about anything. If there were two "truths" that contradict each other, then either one or the other is false, or they're both false, but they both can't be true.

As the scriptures below will prove to you, God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are all jointly and severally God according to the Bible. This is a Truth that is impossible for the human mind to fully understand, but is nevertheless the clear and explicit Truth divinely inspired by God Himself.

Beware of your natural mind in trying to understand the spiritual things of God!

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him..." (1 Corinthians 2:14, KJV)

The following are scriptures that clearly and explicitly define Jesus as God and our only mediator:

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Ti 2:5)

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made...And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us... (John 1:1-3,14)

I and my Father are one. (John 10:30)

Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:17) (King refers to Jesus in the immediately preceeding context)

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh... (1 Timothy 3:16)

For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men... (1 Timothy 4:10) (Savior is another name for Jesus)

But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, 0 God, is for ever and ever... (Hebrews 1:8)

For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. (1 John 5:7)

From these scriptures above, the undeniable truth is that Jesus is God (along with God the Father and God the Holy Ghost); and that Jesus is our only mediator, our only way to God the Father.

Any religion, denomination, writing or person that believes and teaches that Jesus is anything less than God, or that teach there's no such thing as the three Persons in one God, is false and must be abandoned.

False religions, false apostles, false prophets, false teachers and cults seek to deny Jesus of His Deity, His God nature. They are not serving God, they are serving Satan! They would have you believe that they've received or have a source of "divine revelation" of the truth which supersedes the scriptures, or that they have read between the lines and filled in the blanks of scripture to get the "inside scoop" on the truth.

They uphold other books, writings, and/or teachings as their doctrinal authority in addition to the Bible, that contain information which is unsubstantiated in or actually contradicts Bible scriptures. I ask them, then: Which will you believe? You have to pick one or the other, because they can't both be true. And any book or writing that contains a lie is a lie in itself. "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump."

Satan's method of deception is to shed doubt on the Word of God. This is how he deceived Eve. He is a counterfeiter. He takes the things of God's Kingdom and perverts them for use in his kingdom of darkness.

"For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ." (2 Cor 2:17)

God's Word is our only infallible authority, our only infallible source of Truth on earth! Nothing else and no one else on earth is, or has ever been, infallible (except Jesus Himself). Why trust any other person, teaching or writing as your authority over the Bible? Keep God's Word and throw anything that contradicts it in the garbage where it belongs! There is only one book we need, and it is perfect and completely sufficient.

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Ti 3:16)

Dear reader, if you are a member or attendee of any church denomination that upholds any source of information as their authority equal with the Bible and that may profess anything about Jesus Christ which is clearly contrary to, or unsubstantiated in, the Bible, I implore you to forsake that church and abandon it!

"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." (Rev 18:4)

You cannot serve two masters.

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other..." (Mt 6:24)

Never unquestioningly accept any doctrine as the truth without first searching it out for yourself in God's Word. There are many wonderful teachers, but we must always go to the scriptures and read God's Word for ourselves to verify that what they teach is true.

Be careful not to read scriptures to fit any pre-determined doctrines you've been taught! Always be willing to wipe the slate clean of anything you've ever learned, in favor of the Truth.

"These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." (1 John 2:26-27, emphasis added)

This is crucial in studying the scriptures: When you open the Bible to read it, pray to God and ask Him for wisdom and understanding. Tell our Lord you want the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth, and ask Him to reveal it to you. Ask Him to give you the wisdom to rightly discern His Truth from the scriptures; and He who is faithful will do it.

"Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly." (Proverbs 2:3-7)

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." (James 1:5-8)

IF GOD EXISTS, WHY DOESN'T HE PROVE IT?

2009-05-01T10:45:00.003-05:00

We've probably all heard this question: If God exists, why doesn't He prove it?

Every belief that each and every person has is based on only one of two things: It's either based on proof, or in the absence of proof it's based on a chosen belief. Any chosen belief without proof is a type of "faith". Therefore, I conclude that every belief each of us holds is based either on hard proof or on faith.

Proof is irrefutable evidence of fact, and our belief about it is determined for us by the proof; where proof exists, a choice of belief about it is not required or even possible.

Simply put, if you can see and feel a brick wall, and it hurts when you bang your head on it, you have irrefutable proof that it exists; therefore, you can't choose to believe it doesn't exist, right? Well, you could if you really want to, I guess, but if you run full-speed toward it hoping you'll run right through it, you will likely be convinced otherwise after your very painful collision with it.

Faith, on the other hand, is a choice of belief in the absence of hard, irrefutable proof. Where proof doesn't exist, we must choose what to believe by a decision of faith. And without having hard evidence of proof either way, it is nothing more than an educated guess at best.

For example, when I was taught as a child that the earth revolves around the sun (rather than the opposite), I chose to believe it by faith in our scientists alone (along with my own reasoning). I had to. Only observing it for myself from somewhere in outer space would constitute hard proof for me. Without the irrefutable proof of seeing it for myself, my belief about it is still based purely on my choice of faith in the information I've been given.

Now consider this: God is the genius of all genius! He created us for a reason. "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..." (Genesis 1:26) And I'm convinced the reason is that He wants to be loved by us!

Love cannot be instilled, commanded or forced, otherwise it wouldn't be love. For example, if you could make a robot to act lovingly toward you, could it make you truly feel loved? Of course not. Even with this robot walking around telling you, "I love you", you would still not truly feel loved. Love must be the choice of a living entity who has the free will to choose whether to love you or not.

It's the same with God. God wants us to believe in him and love him by free-will choice. If God were to prove his existence to us so that we all had no choice but to believe in him, then it wouldn't be by our own free-will choice. We would be left with no choice but to believe in him. Then we would all be like robots, and robots are incapable of love. He wants us to believe in him and love him by our own decision, or choice, of faith alone.

And this is not news; it's no mystery. God's Word, the Bible, expressly states, "Without faith, it is impossible to please God." and "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." Once we've been presented with the Gospel of God's existence and who He is, we are then free to choose whether to believe in Him and love Him or not.

We live in an age where the paranormal has become almost normal to us. Psychics, witchcraft, magic, astrology, ghosts, spirit guides, angel sightings, extraterrestrials, seances, premonitions, intuition, Ouija boards, tarot card readings, hauntings, visitations, vampires, werewolves, extra-sensory perception, intuition, astral projection, astrology, numerology, the Harry Potter phenomenon, and Satanism itself; any or all of these carry a certain weight of credibility as supernatural and spiritual phenomena among nearly everyone in our world today.

In such an age when it seems we are not only so willing, but actually so thirsty, to believe in the supernatural and spirit world, why is the concept of a one, true, most high God and Creator so hard to accept for so many?

But the beauty of it is that once you've make a decision of faith to believe in God and have made the choice to surrender to Him as your Lord, then He is free to go ahead and prove himself to you.

It is my experience that once I took a sincere leap of faith to believe in God and trust him whole-heartedly with my life, surrendering myself to Him and trusting Him completely, then and only then did he begin to prove himself to me; and He began to do so immediately and supernaturally!

GOD'S WORD: THE TRUTH

2009-04-10T18:06:00.012-05:00

We've all heard the objection: "But it was written by men and translated, so how can we know it's true?"

I believe that God has given us His Word so that we may learn the truth directly from Him. He divinely inspired His Word to be written in the original Greek and Hebrew through the hands of men, and I believe He was able to ensure that there were no doctrinal errors in those original manuscripts.

Couldn't He therefore also ensure that His Word would be kept intact throughout the translations as well, coupled with the guidance of His Holy Spirit in the mind of each reader?

"But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you; but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is the truth, and is no lie..." (1 John 2:27, KJV)

It's God's Word and it's the Truth, and we of faith believe it. In fact, it is the ONLY fully reliable, completely infallible source of Truth in the world, written by the Master and Creator of the Universe Himself. It is perfect. No one has ever found a single error in it, though many very intelligent people have tried very hard over the years, most of whom have become believers as a result.

It contains 66 books written by some 40 different men over the span of some 1,500 years, obviously without any human corroboration. Clearly, every word in it was authored by one single, supernatural source and merely penned by the men who wrote it. And it is timeless.

The more experts discover about the Bible through intense research, the more incredible it is! There are volumes of research information that unanimously reveal intricacies in the Bible that are clearly far beyond the capabilities of any mortal man!

What is Doctrine?

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine..." (2Timothy 3:16, KJV)

A "doctrine" is a belief derived from scriptures.

Preachers and teachers tend to teach their own conclusions of scripture (or the conclusions of others) as doctrines. Often, they are teaching what they have been taught, or what they themselves have been led to believe. The problem is that these "doctrines" they teach may be wrong.

It seems that for so many doctrines there are always a number of biblical "scholars" on both sides of the issue, each equipped with carefully selected scriptures to support their side. Each side is also fully prepared to explain away any scriptures that appear to contradict their doctrine. The following is one of the many examples of this:

The doctrine of eternal security versus the opposite doctrine of conditional salvation: The biblical scholars on one side of the coin say that a person, once saved, cannot lose his salvation, while the biblical scholars on the other side of the coin say that a person, under certain self-dependent conditions, can go in and out of a state of salvation.

Again, each side is prepared to defend their doctrine with certain scriptures, and explain away any scriptures that contradict it. How can this be? The problem is that they can't both be right! At least one of them (or maybe both) is teaching a doctrine that isn't true, but they will not be convinced otherwise!

The fact is that God is not divided on any issues. Every member of the Body can be reconciled with every other one on every doctrinal issue under God's single truth about it. No exceptions. God does not deceive, and will not lead His children to be deceived.

Remember that no matter how widely-accepted or long-standing a doctrine may be, if it's a conclusion formed by men it may not be true. When the whole Christian world had been believing what the Catholic Church told them to believe for many, many years, Martin Luther stood up against the doctrines of Catholicism after reading God's Word for himself. He used scriptural Truth to destroy the well-established, but wrong, doctrines of men.

I once attended a church where I was expected to unquestionably accept as truth whatever the pastor taught in his sermons. They believed that the pastor was anointed by God and that therefore his teachings from the pulpit were all infallibly inspired the Holy Spirit. One Sunday after his message I asked him if he had ever, as a pastor, taught anything in a sermon that he later realized was not true. He said, "Yes." This didn't surprise me, nor would I blame him, because he is only a man.

If it isn't from the Bible, it may not be true. Only the Bible is the inspired Word of God.

Doctrines of Devils

"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils..." (1 Timothy 4:1, KJV).

Any doctrine that isn't true is a lie, a doctrine of devils. Teachers who teach their own conclusions of scripture (or those of others) as doctrine run the risk of teaching a lie. But here are four things we know:

1. The Bible is the inspired Word of God, and is therefore the pure and explicit Truth!

2. No Truth can contain self-contradictory information; it is inherently impossible.

3. God does not deceive or lead anyone to be deceived.

4. All "doctrines" on any topic can be reconciled to one Truth.

So what is the problem? How can there be so many biblical scholars on opposing sides of so many doctrinal issues? Since we know that the scriptures cannot contradict themselves, we can conclude that any conflicts of doctrine can only arise from erroneous private interpretations of the scriptures.

"Knowing this first, that no prophesy of scripture is of any private interpretation." (2 Peter 1:20, KJV)

Can it be that they are forming their conclusions based on assumptions?

Assumptions

When studying the Bible, one should understand the difference between explicit and implicit (expressed or implied) meanings or ideas. An explicit meaning is one that is expressly stated. Implied meanings are based on assumptions, but is there any such thing as a "safe" assumption?

Let's say, for example, someone says, "Joe went to the grocery store". It has an explicit meaning - all we know for sure is that he went to the grocery store. But one could think it also implies that he took his car, and that he went there to buy groceries, because that's what he usually does; but these are not safe assumptions because they may not be true in this particular case: Maybe this time he took his bike, for example, and went to get a newspaper.

We can only safely believe what scripture verses in the Bible clearly and explicitly state as Truth, because whatever else we may think they imply are based on assumptions that could very well be wrong. Here's an example:

In Revelation 20:10, "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." This verse explicitly states that the devil will be cast into the lake of fire, and that he will be tormented there for ever. From this one verse, we can know the devil's fate.

But then further in the same chapter we read, in verse 15, "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Period, end of verse, end of chapter. Many would assume from this verse that they also will be tormented for ever, simply because they are cast into the same lake of fire; but this is only an assumption, and may not be true.

All we can safely know from verse 15 is that they will be cast into the lake of fire. Period. In order to know whether those in verse 15 will also be tormented forever as with the devil in verse 10, we would have to know more. This requires diligent study.

Diligent study of God's Word requires that we search out and carefully examine all the explicit scriptures on a given topic to get the complete Truth. Just as with a picture puzzle, we need all the pieces to complete the picture, including any verses on the topic that may seem at first glance to contradict the rest. Together, they will form a complete picture of Truth. A concordance book, such as Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, is a great tool for this.

Rightly Dividing the Truth

Most of us have been indoctrinated with teachings we have heard and believed throughout the years, including wrong conclusions and private interpretations of teachers. But if we want the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth, we cannot allow fallible teachers, no matter how "scholarly" they seem or how widely-accepted their doctrine is, to relieve us of the responsibility of diligently studying the Bible for ourselves.

"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15-16, KJV)

Our thought processes are profoundly influenced by our indoctrinated beliefs. Consequently, as we read the scriptures, we subconsciously read them through the "colored glasses" or filter of pre-learned doctrines, and interpret them to fit these doctrines.

We make the scriptures fit the doctrine, rather than forming doctrine from the scriptures. To avoid this, we must be careful to take the scriptures at face value, and make no assumptions; to "think outside the box" of man's understanding and read them through the "clear glasses" of devotion to Truth.

So if we can't trust the teachings of any fallible man to be the infallible Truth, what must we do? We must ask the Holy Spirit to guide us into all Truth as we carefully read His Word.

"But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie..." (1 John 2:27, KJV)

In a Box?

It is impossible, for example, for the natural mind of man to fully understand how there can be three Persons in one God, but it is the Truth. Heresies about the nature of Jesus have been conceived by natural man's attempt to understand this spiritual mystery in human terms.

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him;..." (1 Corinthians 2:14, KJV).

Man's natural mind seeks knowledge through understanding. Once we fully understand something, then we know what it is and what it does. Then we can use it.

A toddler sees something, and immediately begins testing it. First he grabs it and picks it up, then he tastes it, then tries to bite it, then he tries to break it, then he hits stuff with it, then he eventually throws it. He is trying to figure out what it is and what it does. He's using scientific method.

Scientific method is man's way of gaining knowledge about the things in our world. We come to know something by eliminating all the mysteries about it. We test it to determine the nature of its composition and limitations. Then we can standardize its behavior according to a criteria of stimuli, so that we can accurately predict how it will behave in any given set of circumstances. In other words, "Every time we do this and this, it will do that." Once we have this knowledge "nailed down", then we will know how it can serve our purposes.

Man's natural mind is not content with mystery. We need to define it, characterize it, standardize it, nail it down. Then we can "put it in a box" and set it aside.

Natural man cannot fully "nail down" all the spiritual truths of God. We cannot standardize all the spiritual things according to scientific method. I believe that the erroneous doctrines of men, or the doctrines of devils, are conceived when the natural man, in a desire to learn how to manipulate God, attempts to nail down the spiritual things of God and put them in a box.

Conclusion

I believe there are some things we should remember in studying the Word of God:

1. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you into the Truth in His Word.

2. Be willing to forsake what you've always believed in favor of the Truth you read.

3. "Wipe the slate clean" of the conclusions and private interpretations of others.

4. Believe only what the scriptures clearly and explicitly state; make no assumptions.

5. Search out and carefully examine all scriptures on a topic to get the full picture.

6. Don't try to "nail down" the spiritual things of God, or put Him "in a box".

Otherwise, you might be believing a DOCTRINE OF DEVILS!

LIVE IN JOY ALWAYS!

2009-03-13T17:15:00.002-05:00

There's no doubt in my mind that God wants those of us who are His chosen children to live in joy always. Not happiness necessarily, but joy always. Happiness is merely a fleeting feeling dependent upon our circumstances; but joy is a possible condition of the heart regardless of circumstances. How else could the Apostles have sung praises to the Lord while being tortured and murdered?

Jesus died to make it possibe for us to have the kind of intimate relationship with God our Father that affords us not only salvation and eternal live with Him, but also the freedom in Christ to live out our lives on earth with an unquenchable joy in the hope of our salvation. A hope without any doubt at all, looking securely forward to something we already have. Our eternal life starts at the point we realize we're not God and commit ourselves, rather, to Him.

The thief on the cross who asked Jesus to take him where He was going, immediately received the unconditional, blessed assurance from Jesus, "This day, you will be with me in paradise." And there was still time left on the clock. Nevertheless, I have no doubt the thief died, though in incredible pain, with the incredible joy of that blessed assurance!

How else could so many throughout history, starting with the Apostles, have rejoyced in suffering? "Rejoyce in the Lord always, and again I say rejoyce." was Paul's insistence to us who belong to Him.

Without Jesus, we cannot be free to live in joy; with Him, we are made perfectly free to live in joy if we choose to trust Him. Freedom in Christ from bondage to the enemy. Eternal life starts now. He died to give us life, and life more abundantly, because we have been bought by His sacrifice and are free from the law of sin and death starting now. He is our Shepherd if we are His sheep. But living in that joy is up to us. We are simply free to choose it.

Does He want us to be joyful always? You bet! It seems to me that most, if not all, of His commands and ordinances for us in the New Testament are for the ultimate purpose of showing us how to free ourselves from the bondage of human pain and heartache and bitterness and resentment and covetousness and fears and self-condemnation, and live in joy always!

Christ did the work to save those of us who have a heart committed to God. Our own good works cannot save us; but they do increase our own joy in serving our Master (as illustrated by the good servants in the parable of the talents). They're how we show our love for Him, but nothing we do can complete or perfect or add to the work Jesus has already done for us. Our salvation was completed to perfection the moment He died; He said, "It is finished."

Love God with your whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven, and all these things shall be added unto you. Seek me and you shall find me. Trust in Me. Cast your burdens on Me. (Be heavenly minded and know who you are in Christ, and look forward to your salvation from this world, the salvation you already have).

Love your neighbor as yourself. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Love even your enemies. Esteem others higher than yourself. Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me. Judge not, lest you be judged. (Don't carry hatred or bitterness or disappointment, even toward yourself). Be content with what you have, including who you are. In my weakness, He is made perfect. "The least of you will be called the greatest in the Kingdom." "Blessed are those who are poor in spirit." "Blessed are the meek..." Pray always with thanksgiving. Don't worry. Don't compare yourself with others.

Don't even compare yourself to who you think you should be, or what you think you should be doing, if it brings discontentment or disappointment with yourself or your circumstances. He bought us as we are, and "He who has begun a perfect work in us is faithful to complete us until the day of Christ." He's the One who will perfect us.

After all, did He make a mistake in choosing me and drawing me to Himself? Do my weaknesses surprise Him? Did anything we've ever done or not done surprise Him? Have any of my mistakes disappointed Him about me? Did Peter's weakness in denying Him three times surprise Him, and did He love Peter any less for it? Do I know better about myself than God does? Is it up to me to second-guess Him? Is it up to me to assess whether I'm worthy of His choice?

(Job 35:5-8) Look unto the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds which are higher than thou. If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him? If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand? Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art; and thy righteousness may profit the son of man.

So He has even made it possible for me to be free from being discontent or disappointed with who I am, if I will take every thought captive and wash my mind with His words about His unconditional love for me. He loves me perfectly right now, as I am, and He is fully aware of all my weaknesses as well as my strengths.

He's always known my sins and failures from beginning to end, but now that I've repented and surrendered my life to Him, He chooses not to see them. When He looks at me He only sees what He wants to see; He only sees what He loves about me.

Shouldn't I love and accept and forgive myself as He does? Which of us is the liar? It is a heart for Him that He seeks; a heart that He can mold, a heart for Him that He can perfect. When we judge anyone who's His, even ourselves, aren't we second-guessing God?

We are sojourners in the enemy camp of this world, but we are not one of the enemy. "The Lord is my shepherd (If I am one of His sheep); I shall not want." For anything. Period. I am not left lacking or wanting anything. I no longer come up short in His eyes. No one understands me better than He does. If we love Him and are trying to live for Him according to His ordinances, even against our own natural feelings, we can be free to live life joyfully. Just "go and sin no more", for the sake of your own joy.

But why? Why is our own joy so important to Him? Because when we are joyful, we are at our best for Him. We can have joy in knowing we belong to Him. It's the devil who wants us beaten and robbed of joy, rendered ineffective in serving God. God wants us at our best always so that he can freely use us for His purposes. When we exhibit the good fruit of living for Him in unquenchable joy, others see it and wonder about it and want it. Then we have an opportunity to witness to Him that saved us. We're not perfect, just saved. Living in joy is being a perfect witness to His perfect mercy.

When Jesus 'partied' with 'sinners and tax collectors', was He solemnly bible thumping? Was He a party-pooper? Probably not. I know He wasn't sinning like they may have been, but was He still enjoying His time with them? I'll bet He did. Were they still drawn to Him? I'll bet they were. I'll bet it made them want what He had; it made them want to be like Him.

Anything that robs us of our joy is from the pit of hell. It steals our effectiveness for Him. It makes us a weakened tool of His. It cripples us from being ready, willing and able to do His bidding when He calls us to do something for Him. In this way, I think that any thoughts we heed, even about ourselves, that robs Him of our effectiveness as a servant for Him, is a sin. It's like taking His tool (myself) and throwing it out in the dirt. After all, am I my own, or am I His? Am I my own savior, or is He? Am I a tool for myself, or am I a tool for Him? Am I my own god, or is He?

It's for this reason that I must choose to rearrange my priority list, not only for each day, but for my whole life. Joy must be at the top of my priority list for myself for each moment of each day, because then doing what's right in His eyes at every instance will follow. Doing what pleases Him is what gives us joy; and no wonder: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." Likeness. That wasn't just about the physical; He wasn't being redundant.

Those of us without God cannot have joy, and those of us who belong to Him can. But that's up to me. He has given us every tool we need to live joyfully for Him and be free from the bondage of self-condemnation. He has given me every fear-squashing Word we need. "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus", and since I've made the choice to live in Him, He lives in me.

Certainly, as children of the King, we should hold ourselves to high standards, but never to the point of thinking less of ourselves than He does. He loves us for who we are, as we are right now We should always be about striving toward being the best and most effective tool we can be for Him; and the first requirement for that is to have peace and joy about who we are in Him, not what we do or don't do. Live in joy now.

Stop chasing it and let it catch up with you.

When we are disappointed in ourselves to the point of feeling beat down by it, we've stepped over the line. When we become obsessed with anything, even our own "perfection", to the point where it has robbed us of joy, then we've made ourselves our own idol. It is sin. Disappointment, even (and maybe especially) with ourselves, is sin.

Peter was no doubt mournful after he heard the cock crow and realized what he had done. Thank God he, after denying Jesus three times, didn't beat himself up so much that he felt unworthy and afraid to show his face to our Lord after His resurrection! When he did meet his resurrected Lord, did Jesus condemn him for denying Him? No! In fact, Jesus exalted him in spite of it, and gave Peter a chance to recover, a chance to tell Him that he loved Him, once for each time he denied Him.

Why did Jesus do that? It certainly wasn't because He didn't know whether Peter loved him. I think He was giving Peter the chance to forgive himself and just relax about it and rest himself in Him. I think He absolutely wanted Peter to forgive himself. Why? I think he wanted Peter to be fully encouraged to feed His sheep, free of the burden of any guilt about denying Him. Strengthened and encouraged, not beat down with self-condemnation and fear of inadequacy, feeling perfectly loved for who he was, not what he's done.

There's only one who wants us to beat ourselves down and feel unworthy and inadequate. There's only one who wants us to feel as if we can't do enough good works to earn our salvation, to earn God's love. Even "mother Theresa", one of the greatest of us in good works and devotion to God, never felt that she could do enough to earn a place in heaven, because she had been brainwashed by Catholicism to believe it had to be earned. She may have indeed already had it sewn up long ago by her heart of devotion to God, but was never free to live out her life on this earth in the joy of that certainty. Her memoirs testify to it. Can you imagine what she may have been capable of otherwise?

There's only one who wants us rendered ineffective to serve the Lord by being at our best. And that, of course, is Satan, from which all lies, including the idea of a salvation conditional upon our works, have sprung. Paul said, "...I'll show you my faith by my works." It's by faith we are saved, through grace, "...not of works, lest any man should boast."

So whenever we do that, whenever we beat ourselves down for anything we've done or not done, whenever we feel burdened by all the good works we're not doing or the bad things we've done, whenever we feel guilty about anything, we're serving the enemy. And again, who is our god? Just go and keep trying to sin no more, and repent when you stumble and fall, and remain at your joyful best when He calls you to do something for Him. And trust Jesus for the rest.
Determine to live in freedom and joy first and foremost, and remember that it's Him who wants that for us. We can choose joy first, above all, always, and He went to great lengths in His Word to show us how.

It's easier said than done, but it's certainly something we must shoot for and be ever mindful of for our own sake, which is for His sake. Let's strive to love and accept each other, including ourselves, with our weaknesses and our strengths, as He has loved and accepted us; and let's just live in the joy of knowing we're children of the King, chosen for who we are at heart, knowing He's certainly no fool.

"Those He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son..." Notice He didn't say "...predestined to conform themselves..."

Now go, be free, trust fully in your Lord God in all things, and live in joy always, the joy in the certain hope of seeing the face of your almighty Shepherd Jesus.

SALVATION: THE FREE GIFT

2009-01-10T09:19:00.008-06:00

"Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." (Romans 5:18)

The Bible tells us that we are all sinners and the penalty of sin is death. But the Good News, or Gospel, is that we can be saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ:

· For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

· For by grace are ye saved through faith... (Ephesians 2:8)

What is grace? Grace is undeserved kindness or mercy. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. He who was without sin paid the penalty for us that we, who were yet sinners, couldn't pay for ourselves.

There is no way for us to earn our own salvation. It's impossible. Since the very first time you sinned in your life, you were condemned to perish!

BUT God has lovingly provided a way for us to escape eternal punishment that we deserve for our sins IF we choose to accept it. He offered His perfect Son Jesus as a sacrifice:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

God's Word says that without the shedding of blood, there can be no remission (or forgiveness) of sin. Jesus is the Perfect Lamb who was sacrificed, once and for all, for the remission of our sins.

This is why when John the Baptist saw Jesus approaching, he said "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."

What Is a Gift?

What is a true gift? A true gift is given freely with no strings or conditions attached.

If a gift is later taken away by the giver, it wasn't really a truly free gift after all. A gift cannot be deserved or earned; otherwise it would be called a reward, right? A gift cannot be dependent some future action; otherwise it would be called an incentive or a bribe, wouldn't it?

A gift can neither be earned nor obeyed.

But no one can receive a gift until they make a choice to accept it!

They can also ignore and reject the gift. Or one can accept a gift and then abuse or neglect it. One can accept a gift and then throw it away. One can accept a gift and then carelessly leave it exposed to thieves. In other words, even though a true gift given freely will not be taken away by the giver, it can still be rejected or neglected or even thrown away after being accepted.

Can these things also be true of God's free gift of salvation to us? Yes, they are. God's gift of salvation is available to all of us, but we don't receive it until we first freely ask for it and choose to accept it!

Salvation Foreshadowed

A brief Old Testament event (read Numbers 21:6-9) foreshadowed Christ's redeeming sacrifice on the cross and exemplified a truly free gift from God. Jesus Himself referred to that event when He said:

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:14-15)

And here's the story: The people of Israel were plagued by fiery serpents and those who were bitten died. But God provided a simple cure for them: After being bitten, if they would merely look upon the serpent raised up on the pole, they would live!

The cure was unbelievably simple! But they did have to believe in the cure enough to accept the cure by looking upon the serpent on the pole. They had to trust in it. Once they were bitten, if they remembered and accepted the cure by merely turning and looking at the serpent on the pole, they were cured of the deadly bite once and forever. Simple!

And that was the event Jesus used in the verse above as an analogy of His free gift of salvation to us!

Also, remember the thief on the cross who was crucified with Christ:

"...(the thief said) we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:40-43)

It was that simple! The thief admitted his own guilt and being deserving of his punishment, and not only believed who Jesus was but also trusted in Him enough to ask Him for His mercy. He asked Jesus for mercy, and he received it right then and there in no uncertain terms, just for the asking!

It appears to me that Jesus' reply to that thief was an unconditional guarantee with full assurance, even with time left on the clock, and clearly without any follow-up requirements on the part of the thief. Period. No magic formula, no follow-up work to do, no trying to earn it, no trying to deserve it. No conditions, no requirements.

Accepting the Gift

Once someone makes a sincere decision to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died on the cross and rose again, and then sincerely asks Jesus for forgiveness and asks Him to be their Lord and Savior, then they have put their faith in Him.

Like the Israelites bitten by serpents and like the thief on cross, when we realize our desperate need for salvation and we decide to trust in Jesus for the cure, and we ask for His free gift of salvation, and we accept the gift and keep it and cherish it, then we have the same hope of the blessed assurance that Jesus gave the thief.

And so it appears that there is nothing else we have to do except believe in Jesus:

"That whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:15) Period.

This, however, is too simple for the natural mind of man to accept because we know that in this world, nothing is ever really free. In this life, it seems that with any "free" thing, there's almost always strings attached.

But beware of your own understanding of things where it concerns the things of God:

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him..." (1 Corinthians 2:14)

What It Means to "Believe"

What exactly does it mean to believe in Jesus Christ?

"Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." (James 2:19)

Satan knows and believes all about Christ, but his fate is sealed in the lake of fire:

"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." (Rev 20:10)

Therefore it must not be enough just to believe about Jesus! There are many who believe about Jesus, including Satan himself!

So what's the difference? There is a BIG difference, and that difference is faith. Faith is believing in, having hope and trust in, and having a personal relationship with Jesus, not just believing about Him.

· Now the just shall live by faith... (Hebrews 10:38)

· But without faith it is impossible to please Him... (Hebrews 11:6)

So what does it take for you to have Christ's blessed assurance of your certain salvation? You have just read the answer: Faith. Faith IN Him. To believe IN Jesus is to put your faith and trust in Him.

What Other Requirements?

As I said, nothing in this world is ever really free. But the key phrase there is "this world". God only gives perfect gifts, and a perfect gift has no strings or requirements attached. Too hard to believe, or just too hard to understand?

We don't have to fully understand something in our own mind in order to accept it and believe it in our heart:

· Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (Pr 3:5)

If it is true that salvation is a free gift offered to us by God, and that we are saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus, is there anything must do to complete and ensure our salvation?

Just before Jesus died, He said, "It is finished." His blood was shed, and His death for our sins was complete.

It is a PERFECT gift, which means there are no further requirements for us to do to complete it, but just to accept it and cherish it.

Remember that a truly free gift cannot be taken away later by the giver. But also remember that if one does not value a gift he has accepted, he might forget it, or abuse it, or deliberately throw it away, or neglect it and let it be stolen by a thief.

But if one considers a gift to be priceless, he will treasure it like a "pearl of great price". He will accept it with gratitude and keep it, and treasure it, and be mindful of it, and protect it, and guard it from thieves.

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it." (Mt 13:45-46)

Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments."

Now if you have sincerely asked Jesus to forgive you and be your Lord and Savior, go and learn about Him and His commandments in the New Testament. Start reading in the book of Matthew, the first of four accounts of the life of Jesus at the beginning of the New Testament.

If you have decided to put your faith in Jesus for your Salvation, then you will want to read about Him and know all about Him.

The Lord is your shepherd, but only if you are one of His sheep!

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus..." (Romans 8:1)

THE ATHEIST GAMBLER

2008-12-10T08:36:00.007-06:00

Can you remember sitting around with friends, contemplating the universe and the meaning of life?

I can. I remember as a young man saying things like, "Wow, man, I think when we die, we just float around the universe exploring different planets and stuff." Another would respond to my profound insight with something like, "I dunno, man, I think when we die we just return to mother nature." Then, someone else might add something like, "Hey, I wanna come back as a talking llama with two heads."

Is the truth "whatever I wanna believe"? Is truth relative and subjective, or is there in fact one universal, objective truth about everything that applies to all of us all at once?

There are many different beliefs around the world about God, the universe, mankind and the meaning of life. Suicide terrorists die almost every day for what they believe. When one of them dies killing innocent "infidels", will he indeed have some number of virgins awaiting him in heaven? Will he even go to heaven at all? It seems preposterous to me, but will it be true for him anyway, simply because it's what he has chosen to believe? Some would agree. They would say, "Whatever he believes is true for him, man!"

But does the truth depend on what we feel like believing, and can the truth of my existence be different from yours? After all, if there are two "truths" that conflict with each other, they both can't be true, right? Either one or the other is false, or they're both false, but they can't both be the absolute truth.

There's no use believing something unless it's the truth, right? Anything but the truth is nonsense, nowhere, neverland. You can believe that two plus two equals three if you want to, but that doesn't make it a fact, right? Let's say that you have a flat tire on your car. You can choose to believe it's not flat, but that won't change the truth about it, right? And even if you choose to believe it's not flat, which you can do if you really want to, try driving the car to work.

The fact is that our chosen beliefs have no bearing on the Truth.

Think of a court trial of a murder case, and pretend we are the jury and that none of us witnessed the murder first-hand. We have the body of the murdered person, and we have the man accused of the murder. Both sides present their case, and we the jury will make a decision by applying our logic and reason to the preponderance of evidence presented. Then let's say that, even though there's no hard evidence (we didn't witness it for ourselves) to prove it, we decide he's guilty because that's just how the evidence stacks up and we're convinced. We still don't know the truth about it, though; he could still be innocent! Then after we render a guilty verdict and they're hauling him away to prison, someone comes running in with a hidden camera video that clearly shows someone else committing the murder.

In court, even though we have no hard, irrefutable proof either way, we make a decision because we are forced to make a choice one way or the other. If reasonable doubt still exists, we decide for innocence. Even though we don't want to let the guilty go free, we most certainly don't want to send an innocent man to prison. We consider this to be the safest bet when there's no proof either way. We bet that he's innocent, and take our chances.

Logically, you must agree that if God does indeed exist, your belief that He doesn't exist can't make Him disappear. I cannot prove to you with hard evidence that God exists, and you cannot prove to me that He doesn't exist. Nevertheless, the truth is that we can't both be right! He either exists or He doesn't. And if He does exist, He exists for all of us regardless of what we believe. His existence is independent of whatever we choose to believe.

Faith: A Freely Chosen Belief

Let's reason logically for a moment. Whatever we choose to believe when there is no hard, irrefutable proof either way is nothing more than a guess or a bet. Faith is a chosen belief in the absence of irrefutable proof. Atheism, or the belief that there is no God, is based on nothing but faith in a chosen belief for which there is no irrefutable proof. Therefore, atheism is a type of faith.

Let's face it, you can say there's no invisible, most-high God of our universe over all of us, but just because we can't see Him doesn't prove anything to me. The BIG question is: What's the safer bet? If there's at least the slightest chance that God really does exist, which no one has ever proven otherwise (trust me), then you must admit that it would be wise to consider it, right? What would you say are the odds?

I could say "I believe God exists, and that there is life after death, and where I go for eternity depends on whether I believe the Bible as God's Word and what's written in it." You could say, "I believe there's no God, and so when we die we just cease to exist altogether."

We can simply agree to disagree, but there's a fact that still remains: If you're right, I've gambled nothing; but if the Bible is right, you've gambled your eternal fate. If it turns out in the end that the Bible is the Truth, you might be in big trouble for all of eternity. The Truth will happen to all of us eventually, but perhaps not until it's too late for us to change our minds about it.

I remember something I saw once in a casino in Las Vegas. This is a true story: Two security guards were literally dragging a guy away from a roulette table who was kicking and screaming like someone had just poured acid on him, yelling "I was just kidding! It was a mistake! Come on, I'm serious! I didn't mean to do it!" I asked someone at the roulette table what had happened, and she merely referred me to the sign above the roulette wheel that read "BET YOUR PAYCHECK".

Whether the screaming man had been just kidding or not, he had apparently placed his paycheck on the table, the roulette wheel was spun, and his whole paycheck was gone in one spin! And nobody cared about his excuses; the casino wasn't about to give it back! The man was in terrible torment about what he had done, but his entire paycheck, nevertheless, was gone forever!

Did he consider that there was a chance he'd lose, or that if he did lose he wouldn't be able to beg and plead his paycheck back afterwards? And what did he think the odds were? I'm sure he must have considered these things. He was apparently just hoping for the best, but he placed an awfully big bet on an awfully small chance.

What if there really is a life after death and your destiny for all of eternity depends on your choice of faith about God? Can you prove otherwise? No one can say it's impossible, because no one has hard evidence either way. Remember, just as it is impossible for me to prove to you with hard evidence that God exists, it's impossible for you to prove that God doesn't exist. In the same way, it's also impossible to prove that there's no life after death, or that there's no heaven or hell.

Imagine being completely alone in utter darkness in the most torturous torment imaginable, with no way out of it, no chance for escape, not even another death to look forward to, no way to plead your life back, and no one to plead with who cares. You're stuck with your mistaken choice of belief about God forever. This is at least remotely possible, isn't it? What would you say are the odds, as if your best guess matters?

Right now you're probably thinking "I don't believe that." And the beauty of it is, you don't have to! It is entirely your choice, your own bet on a roulette table with a sign that reads, "BET YOUR ETERNAL FATE", and no one to listen to your plea anymore after your roulette wheel is spun if your bet was wrong!

The "Religious" Crutches

Atheists say that faith in God (or what they call "religion") is just a crutch for the weak to make us feel better, and in one sense that's true. It does make me feel much, much better to have the certain hope of living with God, the perfectly loving Master and Creator of the universe, where He is in a wonderful and perfect existence where there will be no more death, or pain, or suffering, or misery, or evil of any kind after my short life on earth is over.

But I am not "religious" by any means, and imaginary crutches are worthless to me.

Atheists say that the concept of God is just something man made up to give ourselves a sense of meaning and purpose. It certainly does give my life meaning to believe that I have a purpose in something far greater than my own little temporary existence on earth, but it doesn't necessarily mean we made it up!

By the same token, I say that atheism (or the belief that God doesn't exist) is a crutch of faith to make atheists feel better. If you're an atheist or agnostic, I think you need to believe there's no God because if that's true, then there's no higher power or court over you to judge you and possibly condemn you. It may be for any reason, such as a misunderstanding about God, that you choose to believe He doesn't exist.

Maybe it's because of some guilt you're carrying that makes you feel as though you are unforgivable. Or it may be because of a misconception you have that God is a mean and evil dictator. Or maybe you're angry with God and hate Him for some reason. In any case, you've chosen to deny God and are betting your eternal fate on it, and it is probably because of some misconception or misunderstanding you have. Or maybe you think that since all your friends share your belief, even if you're wrong and end up going to hell there will be a party there anyway because all your friends will be there too.

I believe in God, and I believe the Bible is God's Word pleading with us not to carelessly bet our eternal destiny on our own guesses. If you're right and I'm wrong, I will just cease to exist when I die, like you, and I will have lost nothing. But if the Bible is right and you're wrong, you may be eternally damned for your non-belief. Your bet is, pardon the expression, a fool's bet: You're wagering your eternal fate on your faith that God doesn't exist.

Think purely logically for a moment: is this a risk you're really willing to take? It's an awfully big bet on an awfully small chance!

Maybe it's because you believe in Darwinism. If you choose to believe in Darwinism, that your genesis (origin) was a mud puddle of primordial soup and that you've descended from apes, then you can certainly solve in your mind the meaning of life with one word: NOTHING!

No wonder belief in Darwin's hypothesis is such a popular faith these days. Even though it may not be at all true, it's certainly much simpler and more convenient. Then you don't have to worry that you're missing out on something. Then you're free to believe that you are your own god and your own judge, and whatever you do doesn't matter.

Then there's no reason for your conscience or guilt. You're free to do whatever you can get away with. Live for yourself. If it feels good, do it. Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die. Do unto others whatever you feel like doing unto others. Like the single commandment in the Satanic bible states, "Do What Thou Wilt."

No wonder murder and other heinously violent crimes are so rampant these days! If the kids at school hurt your feelings, just go shoot as many of them as you can, then kill yourself. What's the difference? If my ancestors were animals, then we're all just worthless animals anyway, so it doesn't matter, right?

But if this is what you believe, you would be wise to consider the fact that Darwin's thesis On the Origin of Species was never a fact, and indeed never even called a fact! It was only an hypothesis he made up some 150 years ago without any proof to support it! I'll explain.

Darwin's "Theory" Revisited

A scientific hypothesis or theory is just an idea based on their best guess at the time pending further evidence, until or unless it's proven wrong later. It's never a fact! But you can swallow it as a fact if you want to. Look at the Islamist terrorists. They like to believe that if they die killing infidels, then there will be some number of virgins waiting for them in heaven, or some such nonsense. Do you think it's true for them just because it's what they feel like believing?

As scientifically irresponsible as Darwin's theory was 150 or so years ago, you can still believe it anyway if you feel like it. After all, I've always believed that Pluto was a planet, until recently when our scientists told us that, oops, no, wait: we've just discovered that Pluto is actually more like a moon or a comet.

It happens all the time, the scientific experts telling us one thing, then later discovering proof to the contrary and announcing their newest theory which corrects their previous one. That's why they're only called a "theory" and not a fact. "The earth is flat; opps, no, wait, the earth is round." "The sun orbits around the earth; oops, no, wait, the earth orbits the sun." "Cholesterol is bad; oops, no, wait, good cholesterol is good." "Pluto is a planet; oops, no, wait, Pluto is a moon."

But you can still go on believing Pluto is a planet if you want to, just like you can go on believing Darwin's 150 year old "theory." I marvel at what one woman said, "I don't care what the truth is, I'm going to keep believing what I've always believed." And that's her choice, ridiculously illogical or not. She's going to keep her white-knuckled grip on what she's always believed, even in the face of new proof to the contrary.

If you think truth is relative and subjective, in other words that "The truth is whatever I wanna believe, man!", then you're free to keep your white-knuckled grip on atheism and Darwinism, and feel relieved of responsibility, guilt, and fear of judgment.

But here's something you've probably never realized: Darwin never even attempted to prove the non-existence of God; the most he tried to propose is that a Divine Creator wasn't necessary! His "theory" only allows for the non-existence of God at best.

Because even Darwin was intelligent enough to know that it's impossible to prove that God doesn't exist.

In fact, much of our world's scientific community is still scrambling to dig up some kind of evidence to stick under his "theory" and prop it up. It's phenomenal. It's like building a house, and then trying to shove a foundation under it afterwards. Imagine how much of our scientific manpower, money and resources have been wasted over these last 150 years trying to find anything to reinforce Darwin's careless theory, On the Origin of Species! That fact alone should make us furious!

The Latest Scientific Theory

Perhaps you're aware that there are now more and more scientists, many of whom are former Darwinians, who are publicly coming forth with the newly discovered observable evidence (made possible by the recent advances in scientific research technology) of what they've termed an "irreducible complexity" to some basic life forms. These scientific discoveries have left them no alternative but to conclude that these life forms could only have been created intact, or "as is"! This has forced them to admit to what they call an "intelligent design" of living organisms.

Without going any further with their conclusion, probably because they're afraid it might sound "religious" (a supposed no-no of science), what these scientists have termed "intelligent design" implies the existence of an Intelligent Designer! Though some of them might even rather ignore it, they can't help but call it what it is. The evidence leaves them no alternative! "Intelligent design" is a scientific conclusion from among the same non-religious community of scientists as traditional Darwinists!

So now we have two theories about the origin of life on earth; two different theories from the same scientific community: One, the "cosmic fluke" Darwinian evolution theory for which no observable evidence has ever been found to support it; and the other, the "intelligent design" theory resulting as the only possible answer, or theory, based on their most recently discovered observable evidence.

The first theory was formed without observable evidence, while the latest one was formed as an answer to newly observed evidence. Remember "Pluto is a planet; oops, no, wait, now that we can see it more clearly, Pluto is actually a moon or a comet."

Which theory of the origin of life will you believe? The unfounded 150 year old one based on nothing more than Darwin's contemplations, or the most recent theory formed as an answer to observable evidence? Will you keep your white-knuckled grip on Darwinism and say, "I don't care what the truth is! I'm going to keep believing what I've always believed!"

What would you say the odds are now that there is no God? If you're an Atheist with any sense of reason and logic you must admit that, considering the latest scientific theory of Intelligent Design, your odds of being right have gotten markedly smaller.

We can never know when our roulette wheel will spin, but we know that once it spins, all bets are set. I wonder if that guy in Vegas would have pulled his paycheck off the table if he had considered it more carefully and had had more warning. I actually thought subconsciously at one time that I could just hurry up and put my seatbelt on when I realize I'm about to be in an accident, until the first time I smashed my face into the windshield.

Death, especially sudden ones, are always a surprise. You might die tomorrow, or the next time you drive your car.

So, dear atheist, don't you want to re-consider your bet while there's still time before your roulette wheel spins? After all, it's your own fate we're talking about - no one else's; and your eternal fate is the largest bet you'll ever place in this life. Shouldn't you at least consider what's the safer bet? Life is short...

But ETERNITY NEVER ENDS!

JUMP FOR YOUR LIFE!

2008-11-05T07:32:00.003-06:00

Have you ever been skydiving? I have. Do you want to know what it's like?

I'm a bit of a daredevil and thrill-seeker, but only with well-calculated risks. I had heard it said, back in the day, that skydiving was statistically much safer than driving your car and it's the biggest thrill you could ever have. And since I loved driving my '69 Austin-Healey and didn't consider it much of a risk at all (and who doesn't love a thrill?) I figured, Put me in, coach! As with many thrilling things the first time is, if not the best, at least the most memorable. This is the account of my first jump.

Yeah, I know the worn-out old saying, "Ya gotta be nuts to jump out of a perfectly good airplane." But most people who say that, wouldn't think twice about walking around on the roof of their house. Hey, I have a healthy fear of heights like the next guy, but that's why God created the parachute, right? Besides, there's not much difference between 40 feet and, say, 12,000 feet as far as what the sudden stop at the bottom can do to you, except that a parachute can't help you if you fall from 40 feet. Anything less than about 800 feet, and even with a parachute you'll probably still hit the ground like a rock.

I've jumped only three times but I'd do it again. Now I'm not talking about the jumping some beginners do these days, strapped to the front of an experienced jumper; you still get some idea of the thrill, but I consider it little more than interactive virtual reality. Besides, no one's strapping me up with some other guy for any length of time. It just ain't gonna happen.

No, I'm talking about the real jumping of the olden days, jumping alone, just you and your parachute. Three jumps, all solo. The first two were with the old-style round army surplus parachute (or canopy), and the last was with the newer-style square sport canopy. With the first style you land like a sledgehammer; but with the second (if you time it right) you hit the ground like stepping off the bottom step of your porch. Either way, any potential for injuries are greatly minimized by the mandatory training you receive before your first solo jump.

Yes, there's training required prior to your first solo jump. Wouldn't you rather have it that way? If not for the jumping, at least for the landing? A whole day training in my case in 1977 at the Hinckley Parachute Center in Hinckley, Illinois. Hinckley was, at the time, a small farm town surrounded by corn and bean fields, as was their little private airport outside of town. And in September in Illinois the corn and bean fields were getting pretty ripe.

Training all day, then if the weather's good you make your first jump right afterwards. It was a typical Illinois early September day on my 21st birthday: sunny, warm and humid. Our small class started with an orientation and some classroom lecture, learning all that could go wrong and what to do if it does. Then in the afternoon (for those of us left who didn't bail out during the "what can go wrong" session) was all about landing. In a nutshell, we learned how not to be a sledgehammer. We learned the same "hit the ground and roll" technique as taught in the military, then each practiced several dry runs jumping off of a high platform into soft sand.

All day, though I did try hard to pay attention, I just plain couldn't wait! I had made the commitment, paid my hundred bucks, and could barely contain my excitement about making that jump!

Then the time finally arrived to put on the gear! Yesss! There are really only two "iffy" things about your first skydiving experience: 1) You cannot also be the one flying the plane, and 2) You didn't get to watch whoever packed the parachute you're counting on for your life.

But hey, it wouldn't be much of a risk otherwise, would it?

Assimilating the equipment, I finally discovered why they call those one-piece zippered suits a "jump suit." That's what jumpers really use! And of course, the main parachute and auxiliary parachute are no-brainers (yes, there's a back-up in case the main one fails to open correctly).

But the funniest thing about skydiving gear is the helmet. Think about it for a second... even worst case what possible good is the helmet going to do other than maybe to keep your hair out of your face so you can see the ground as you slam into it? If anything, the helmet might be grateful that the human hanging under it broke its fall, right? I don't know... I suppose a mid-air collision with a goose or something during free fall is always possible.

When you free fall from any height, spread-eagle to the ground, you reach a terminal velocity of about 120 miles per hour in, if I remember right, about six seconds (with or without a helmet, by the way), and your descent rate maxes out. If you're in a head-first tucked-in dive, you'll reach about 220 miles per hour. So it doesn't matter if you're jumping from 1,000 feet or 20,000 feet except that the higher you start, the more time you have to get your act together in case of any difficulties.

The "jumpmaster" is the experienced jumper who makes sure the novices don't mess up. He or she gets to jump for free, but only after all the others jump out of the plane first. In other words if anyone refuses to jump, the jumpmaster has to forfeit his jump and ride the plane back down with the one who chickened out. This makes the jumpmaster very upset because then he doesn't get his free jump. This is a very important point. If you bail out on bailing out, you'll wish you hadn't once you're safely back on the ground, because the embarrassment you'll suffer will make you wish you'd jumped to your death instead. At least that's what our jumpmaster told us as we followed him out of the training center toward the airstrip.

As we walked, I looked around for our plane. Huh, I wondered, it must not be here yet. I was looking for something like a converted military cargo or personnel transport plane, with a nice big exit door out the back. The only thing out there was a very tired looking little high wing Cessna, with all the paint stripped off down to the bare metal as if it had been flown so much that the paint was worn off by years of wind resistance. Airport scrap, I assessed. About then, our jumpmaster stopped, turned to us and asked, "Now, which one of you wants to jump first?" My right arm suddenly shot straight up, as if it were a separate entity with a mind of its own!

My right arm had a bad habit of doing that. There was another time it had betrayed me like that, too, about ten miles off the coast of Florida on a large deep-sea fishing boat. When the captain announced, "Now, who wants to swim down under the boat with this screwdriver and clear the seaweed out of the pump intake?" my right arm had instantly shot up and volunteered me for that task, too. Then as I was about to dive off the side of the boat with the screwdriver in my teeth, I recalled the fact that we had just moved to a new fishing spot because our last one had become shark-infested. Nevertheless, I was already committed in the adoring eyes of the pretty young lady with me on our little fishing trip date. I live to report that the sharks hadn't followed us after all!

So anyway our jumpmaster, now satisfied of our jumping order, turned back and, as we followed him, my heart slowly sank into my feet as I realized we were headed straight for that little bare-metal Cessna! This is where I had my first of several second thoughts.

It was first-in, last-out of the open gull-wing passenger door as our little group crammed into the plane. Once inside and seated on the floor with my wide-eyed and silent fellow jumpers, my now heightened sense of observation absorbed my surroundings. I noticed the plane's interior had been entirely stripped out down to the "studs" as if with reckless abandon, except for the pilot's seat, which was already occupied by the pilot.

More second-thoughts flooded in as I focused on our pilot, which I considered to be one of the main safety features of this adventure. My first thought was, I'm ready to jump right now! He reminded me of a semi-crazed Viet Nam veteran chopper side gunner-turned-hippie that I had met once in a drug deal. As he started the engine, headset in place, the roar of the plane's prop (and the buzzing sheet metal skin of the plane) was overcome only by the blasting hymn of Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze, as if it were part of his mandatory preflight preparations, coming from an eight-track stereo the pilot probably wired-in himself one weekend. Okay, now I'm scared, I thought, as I stared at the back of the pilot's head. I loved flying, especially in small planes, but this all felt a little too "unregulated" for me!

Once the landing wheels parted company with runway, the pilot put 'er into what I felt was way more than the maximum climb rate for a steeply-banked turning climb with such a payload, and we spiral-climbed to the top. A fuel saving technique, I reasoned. Once we levelled off at 3,000 feet, my heart resumed beating and my breath came back to me as I thought, God Himself is surely with us!

Part of the jump master's duty was to visually determine the right moment to start "letting" us out; the idea being that we would each terminate our descent somewhere within the cleared airfield, rather than the tops of any airport buildings or amidst any of the surrounding mature agriculture.

He opened the gull-wing door (the one I so fondly remembered having the recent opportunity not to enter through), the wind rushing in at some 70 knots, and peered down to get his bearings, and, I assumed, check the airport wind sock for wind direction and velocity.

As I watched him, I thought, Pleeez see some reason we can't do this today. But wait, I don't want to ride this thing down with "Gunner" at the yoke, either. After a few seconds, though, our pied piper looked up directly at me and said, "Get ready!" My mind replays that fateful moment in slow-motion.

This is the moment that, as he had warned us, some have frozen absolutely immovable, and consequently drawn the curtains on the whole show. Because of my seating position in the plane (thanks to my mischievous arm), if I don't jump, nobody jumps.

Since I wasn't about to let that happen, during the ride up, as I anticipated this moment, I determined to metamorph myself into a robot at this command from him, and operate from that point forward as a mindless machine. I did this by resolving in my heart that I would be jumping to my death, and just accepted it as fact!

To this day, it still amazes me what a simple resolution that was for me to make!

The "Get ready!" command means to get yourself out the gull-wing door and position yourself outside facing rearward, standing with your left hand on the wing strut, right hand on the door jamb, left foot on the landing wheel, and right foot dangling. Burned into my indelible memory is the snapshot of how that little wheel looked just before I got out. It was surreal, turning lazily backwards in the wind as if waiting contentedly for me with nothing more important to do at the moment, filing its nails; then stopped suddenly at my glance (when Gunner put the brake on for me) .

I can still see it, sharply focused as a still-life foreground object contrasted against the unfocused hazy blue distant background of the checkerboard fields some 3,000 feet below. At that distance, the wheel seemed like just a part of a model plane suspended motionless by a string from the heavens. At that altitude, except for the rushing air it doesn't seem like you're moving at all.

Once successfully positioned like an obedient robot, gazing blankly at the tail wing of the plane rather than at the ground below, I just couldn't believe the spot I was in. It was completely unnatural. Never meant to be! I just couldn't accept what I was about to do. What the heck was I thinking? Bad enough that I was standing outside the plane as it was flying, much less what I was inevitably to do next!

Nevertheless (as if I had any options), I waited for the command that this whole day, and perhaps my whole life, had been all about; the command that, as far as I knew, would be the last word I'd ever hear in this world: "Go!"

A moment later came the big G word, and with the sound of my fearless leader's voice still ringing in my ears, I launched myself rearward into an arched spread-eagle-to-the-ground formation as required, and began yelling my count, "one thousand, two thousand,..." while feeling as if I had left my stomach back at the plane now droning in the distance above and behind me.

The idea of counting aloud is that by the time I reach a count of "ten thousand," if my parachute hasn't opened yet, it's okay to suspect there may be a problem; and my jump master was expecting to hear me count, to rate me on it later.

Now here's a phenomenon: no one told me that when you yell in mid-air during free fall, you can't hear yourself for whatever reason; but because I guess I felt that I should be able to hear myself, I recall consciously upgrading my yelling to screaming at the top of my lungs.

Anyway, after about "four thousand", my mind now logging events in millisecond intervals, I felt the strong backwards pull of my deployed little pilot chute pulling my hopefully well-packed main parachute out of its backpack, and maybe ninety-five milliseconds later was suddenly jerked into a hanging upright position, swinging side to side a bit.

This being done, I was to look up and inspect my newly opened gift to make sure its canopy was fully open, the lines weren't tangled, and everything else was cool with it; then grasp the steering toggles that should be hanging there above me, and then look to the ground below me for the big red arrow on the airfield. The arrow was just a very big sign lying on the grass next to the runway, moved around by a member of the ground crew, that was meant to direct my steering to the landing zone.

Well, I looked up, checked the equipment, thanked God (a step I added myself), and grabbed the toggles as required; but when I looked down, I was so awestruck by the sight of my own feet hanging there with nothing but thin air under them, I became instantly spell-bound! To say that I was enjoying the ride would be a gross understatement! Fully entranced with the enchantment of it all, suspended in time as well as in air, I slowly turned this way and that, scanning the horizon and enjoying the view. It was a feeling I'd never felt before. I wanted the moment to never end! I might have hung there for days if it had been up to me!

When I finally snapped out of my trance and remembered I still had things to do, I looked down to find the arrow, but it was nowhere in sight! Crap! Where am I? Hard left toggle and rotate 360, and it should come into view somewhere, right? Ah, yes, good, there it is! Okay, arrow guy, I heard myself thinking, I'm with you now! (I have to laugh as I'm writing this, thinking now about what I must have put that poor arrow guy through, scrambling to keep up with me during the "enchanted" portion of my descent.)

As I now paid as much attention as I could on following my red arrow directions, I realized that the ground was coming into focus much too soon for my taste. But what choice did I have? The most incredible experience of my life was about to be over, with only one challenge left at the bottom: time to concentrate on how to not be a sledgehammer on impact.

There was only one teeny problem, though; I was still a little too far from the landing zone. In fact, it became clear to me that I wasn't about to make the airfield at all.

I suppose that if I had been following the arrow the whole time, I would have at least landed somewhere on the cleared airfield. In my case, however, I was about to drop in, unannounced, on the adjoining full-grown bean field. My touchdown roll, though, (which happens faster than the mind can register) must have been fine; suffice it to say that there was no pain!

I'm not sure I've ever felt more alive at any other time in my life, before or since, than I did as I picked myself up off those forgiving bean plants! As I gathered my parachute and began heading back to the airport, my feet were still walking on air! I can still feel my heart in my throat as I laughed out loud, which was my only way of restraining the tears of joy that weren't supposed to happen to a "manly" man.

Approaching the training center, my mind still back in the air, I was reluctantly brought back to earth only by the jubilant congratulations of my now angelic-looking girlfriend and the others that had come with me to watch. My buddy Doug couldn't wait to tell me, "Hey, next time, I'm doing it with you, man!" (which he did).

Then, some time after returning my equipment (including some entangled bean plants) to the training center, helmet yet unharmed, my jump master came over to me, a big smile on his face, to present me with his handshake and my Basic Jump Training Course Successful Completion (read: He's Still Alive!) certificate, after which my friends and I went home and celebrated heartily.

All joking aside, skydiving is one of the safest and most thrilling sports known to mankind. All of the instructors and veterans of the sport are very seriously dedicated to ensuring that every jumper has a truly exciting and rewarding experience every time. It is an elite brotherhood of thrill-seekers, banded together by the thrill of the jump and the thriving of the sport, who gladly welcome all newcomers with open arms. I highly recommend it to anyone who's ever considered it. I guarantee that it's a memory you'll keep with you the rest of your life.

Sometimes, in order to find life, you have to let go of it and take a flying leap of faith...

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it." - Jesus

"God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life wholly yielded to Him." - Andrew Murray

(Author's note: Now think of God being the jumpmaster and Jesus being the arrow guy, and consider the striking parallel.)