“PLEASE REFRAIN FROM RELIGIOSITY”

I needed to get that off of my chest. Millions of church-goers don’t know the difference between Christianity and religion. Any post that I write will not be coming from a religious perspective. So please try understanding. If you don;t understand what a religious person looks like, study the four gospels. Observe how the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes (the mocked Jesus. Since Christ said these words. “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me “(Matt. 25;40). Give a considerable amount of time with those words. Must every Christian you meet think like you, and talk like you? Whatever the case might be. If you turn up your nose at Believers when they don’t mimic your style of worship, you might just be RELIGIOUS.

Before I get started, let me preface this post by saying this, some of you will take offence. Please, don’t misunderstand me. It is not my intention to offend anyone. But I’ve been around religious people long enough to know that they have raw nerve endings. Particularly if I don’t take part in their denominations creeds and practices. You might not believe this, but it actually breaks my heart to observe this. What can you say to people who think like Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes, and they can’t or won’t see it More’s the pity…

About faith, here’s an example from at least two verses of scriptures. Faith and belief are inseparable; better still, one hand washes the other. We actively believe into our faith by using our hearts and mouths (Rom.10:8-10). First, look at the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Rome. Then we’ll compare it with another passage from the letter to the Ephesians. We will use a lot of scripture during this course of study, so hope you brought your appetites. There is a very good reason for using a KJV Bible for this study. It’s one of the few translation that use the term “the faith of God.” Also, this post won’t be as long as it would be had I pasted verses all myself. I will extract the words we should focus on using less scripture. While you follow along using your Bible, making sure that I remain contextual. The only one I’m concerned about offending is the Holy Spirit. Remember, we can either grieve Him (Eph. 4:30), or quench Him (1st. Thess.5:19). I’d rather not do either.

In The Book of Romans chapter 10: 5-17, the Apostle Paul shared a letter addressing a specific problem. The righteousness provided in the Law of Moses was inadequate. It couldn’t bring about the New Birth (change the inner-man), or fellowship with the human spirit. It never had and never will. not until Christ death, burial, resurrection and ascension (John 7: 37-39). The Law provided righteousness based on works. Which is the exact opposite of the doctrine of Christ grace (unmerited favor). Nor did the Old Covenant infrastructure bring deliverance from sin. It only exposed the problem, which was the deadness of man’s heart. Christ tried explaining this to the religious leaders of His day (John 3: 1-7), but it got him nailed to a cross.

Read Heb. 10:1-23, and you will see how Christ laid down his life once and for all, never having to make that sacrifice ever again. Now when we say something is once and for all, our take away is usually more shallow. We never do a particular thing again. And that can is in this verse. But in this context the writer of the book of Hebrews is also saying, this sacrifice was ONCE for of all mankind. This means not only for you and me, but for every person that has ever, and will ever walk upon the face of this planet. Now whether a person accepts that sacrifice is solely on then. It’s in the context of “Whomsoever shall believe”. Christ’s sacrifice was much more far-reaching than the Old Covenant Day of Atonement. Remember, those worshippers could only atone once a year. At the end of that year, they would make that same trek from all four corners of the earth. And with each of them, a brand-new sacrifice. This was for the least to the greatest of them.

In Romans 10:6 you will note the use of the phrase “the righteousness which is of faith speaketh”. What stands out most to me in that verse is not only that we lay hold of righteousnes through faith. but both righteousness and faith have voices. Hang on to that thought.

In verse eight of that same chapter, the Apostle Paul writes theses words. “The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach.” The gospel should be in our mouths and in our hearts. This “word of faith” is synonymous to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now for all you religious folk out there who have a problem with the so-called Word of Faith movement. The “word of faith” movement started 2000 years ago. You unwittingly are having a problem with the preaching of the Gospel. Or is it that people don’t study the Bible in the same manner as the Bereans in Acts 17. Satan is out to decieve us all, let’s not make it any easier for him by decieving ourselves? An Apostle by the name of Paul wrote this letter, not me or any other preacher we’ve known in our lifetime.

At this point, you should study the entire chapter of Romans 10 on your own. Rom. 10: 9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Let’s make some comparisons between the words belief and faith. I’m looking at Eph. 2: 8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Remember in a previous post I mentioned going “through faith” is like going through a channel. Think of it like a stream leading into a river of grace. As we pass through that channel we gain access to God’s to Throne of Grace (Heb. 4:16). How did I come to that conclusion?

In Ephesians 2: 8, the word dia is translated into our English word ‘through’. Phonetically is sounds like

dee-ah’ In Ephesians 2: 8, the Greek word ‘through’, from the Strong’s Dictionary is it is a primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through (in very wide applications, local, causal or occasional). In composition it retains the same general import: – after, always, among, at, to avoid, because of (that), briefly, by, for (cause) . . . fore, from, in, by occasion of, of, by reason of, for sake, that, thereby, therefore, X though, through (-out), to, wherefore, with (-in). In composition it retains the same general import.

This channel of an act takes us back to Romans 10: 8-10. The confession of our Mouths and the believing with our heart creates that channel. by doing so we receive this grace. For by Grace we’re saved through faith. The coming up are links to W.E. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of the New Testament words. Take the time to look up each verse on your own. Make sure that the context is correct and the words belief and faith are properly used. Be fully persuaded in your own mind. Not because I said so or Vine printed it. But because you’re listening to the Holy Spirit as He reveals truth. Arm youselves with the weapons of our Warfare, which is The Word of God. For the sake of time and word count do follow the link below. Get more clarity on the words belief, believe, and believers. and guess what? As you navigate those links, you’find it to be a useful resours. God bless you all.

https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ved/b/belief-believe-believers.html

https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ved/f/faith.html

This final link will give you access the complete Vine’s Dictionary of New Testament words.

https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ved/f.html

To be continued…

By Pastor Henry Lubega

Also, please cheerfully give your financial gifts to this orphanage, large or small to Pastor Henry Lubega @ Reach A Hand Children’s Ministry And Orphanage: Or use wave.com , a quick and easy way to send money to Africa. You will need this phone no. +256703678764

You can also purchase anything from Amazon.com or Target.com through this website.

To plow fallow ground: To plow, harrow, to break up (land) without seeding to destroy weeds and conserve soil moisture. 

Before I begin this study on faith, I will need to plow the fallow ground of some hearts. In Matthew chapter 13, Jesus taught the parable of the sower. You spoke of seeds that fell by the wayside; some seeds fell on stony ground, some fell among thorns, some fell on good soil. The good ground has to be plowed or broken up, ready to receive seed. In the following paragraphs, I will be doing just that, preparing your heart to receive the seed of the Word of God. Should I neglect to do that, this teaching will fall on deaf ears. So let me start with this; Faith indeed does come by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Rom.10:17). 

In this study, whenever I point out any single verse of scripture, do not stop there; read what came before and after that verse. Get a feel of the context in which that verse was used. This will keep both you and myself in check. In this way, we all can be sure that I am not taking the Word out of context.

Most Christians do understand that the faith of God is multi-faceted, much like His grace. The divine nature of our Heavenly Father is unfathomable; who can really know it? We certainly have no wisdom or knowledge we can offer up to God. We can only be instructed by Him because He has given us Of his Spirit and imparted onto His children the mind of Christ (1st Cor. 2: 16; Php. 2:5-11).

In my last post, I said that we would be looking at specific passages using the Traditional King James Bible. I know that many people have a problem with the King James Bible because of its 1611 Elizabethan English. I would encourage you not to allow that to become a stumbling block in your growth as a Christian. The leading concordances and Bible dictionaries are usually translated from the King James Version. So we need to take that into consideration. You don’t have to take my Word for it. However, suppose you are earnestly seeking His Face. In that case, you must work the Word of God in a translation that you actually need to work or struggle with (my opinion). I don’t know where Believers got the notion that studying the Bible should be easy. We’re talking about the mind and the will of God. Trust me, the hard work will pay off in the long run.

Of course, the Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic languages are foreign to us unless you happen to be of the Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic persuasion. Or maybe you are a linguist, and these languages come easy to you because of your chosen field of study. My hat is off to anyone who gets their doctorate in that particular field of study. On the other hand, if you were born here in the Good old US of A, most likely English is your first language. I don’t want to offend any Native Americans; after all, you’re the only ones who actually belong here. The rest of us should put that in our pipes and smoke it. 

On my website, I encourage the use of extra-biblical materials, including and not limited to the Apocrypha; it contains excellent historical references. Some of these tools are in the margin of my blog on amazon.com. They are guaranteed to help give you a better understanding of scripture—much more than going to every Bible study and church service you can find. As you well know, not all denominations agree on how to interpret the Bible. That’s why it’s so crucial for you to learn how to do this for yourself. Don’t trip; God will not hold it against you for making your own mistakes. That’s why 1st John 1: 9 was placed in our Covenant with Him. But He will hold you accountable for following after blind guides (Matt. 15:14). Remember, no one other than Christ Jesus, the man who stands between God and man (1st.Tim.2: 5), has cut a blood Covenant with you and sealed it with an oath built on better promises (Heb.6:16-18;8: 6-8). Do you know any Pastor that can give you that kind of guarantee when it comes to their Word? Do you want to be a spiritual man or woman who can rightly divide the Word of Truth (2nd Tim. 2:15). Never become too overly dependent upon others because others can lead you right into one of those nice proverbial muddy wet ditches. That’s not to say don’t go to church but go with the attitude that their words are not the last words on any given topic in God’s Word. You must take the initiative to be like a Bereans (Acts17). 

It takes passion and a genuine heartfelt effort on our part to check and recheck the things we’ve been told by our leaders. It doesn’t really matter who they are; it could be your best friend, it could be your brother or sister, it could even be your parents. It doesn’t matter who it might be. The single worst mistake you will ever make as a Christian is to rely too heavily upon someone other than yourself and The Spirit of Truth for guidance. 1st Jn. 2: 27 “But the anointing (of the Holy Spirit) which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.” (NKJV)

I think we all saw how that turned out these past four years. So we as Christian, when it comes to our understanding of God’s Word, we must make it our personal main priority (Numero Uno). Should we fail to do that, then the rest of our lives will be in chaos. Good relationships will not remain intact. Suppose our relationship with God is standing on shaky ground. How do you think the relationships that most matter will be affected? Once we know Jesus, Who just so happens to be the Living Word, and the Holy Spirit whom he sent, then we’ll have right standing or be in a right relationship with the Father. Knowing and keeping His Commandment of love will make straight every crooked relationship in your life, at least the ones that actually matter (Rom. 12:17-18). As long as there are seedtime and harvest, there will always be haters. 

Now let’s talk about faith. Yes, Jesus is our LORD and our King, but He was first our Savior. And as we grow in the grace of God, We begin to understand that it was His faith that got us started, and This place will sustain us to the same joy that was set before Him (Heb. 12:2).

Rom. 10: 5-17; Acts 13: 39; 15: 7-9; Eph. 2: 5,8-9; Hab. 2: 4; Rom, 1: 16-17;; Gal. 2: 16; 2: 20; 3: 11-12; Heb. 10: 38; 1st John 5: 10-12.

First, we must peel back the definition of those words “believe”, and “faith” are often used interchangeably, especially in the New Testament. Those two words are practically inseparable. They are like the wet of the water; you can’t have one without the other. You could even say they are much like our spirit and soul. They can only be distinguished by the Word of God, but they can never be separated from one another (1st Thess.5:23; Heb. 4:12).  

We must accept the truth about our hearts (soil), others (Jer. 17:9), and our need for a Savior. To plow fallow ground: To plow, harrow, to break up (land) without seeding to destroy weeds and conserve soil moisture.

The Word of faith (God’ Word) must find good fertile soil for germination or it just won’t grow. No real need to go over Jesus’ parable about good soil represents the heart. The faith of God can only be found within the words He’s spoken to us. So there should be no confusion; we’re talkin about the Bible, Old and New Testament; they are God’s instructions for His people. I’m going to say this and you can like it or love it. I think a serious Christian will strive to have a serious Library. Now I know that not everyone can afford to invest in a library, but that’s no excuse because we have the internet. The internet is full of free material that you can use resources that will help you to  grow in your faith. I want to talk about your faith, I’m talking about the seed of God’s word that was implanted in your heart on the day you were Born Again.

So please receive this song with open hearts; receive the engrafted Word of God, which can save our souls. Listen to this song by Steven Curtis Chapman. It’s the perfect description of a person’s heart before receiving the Word of faith, which we preach.

To be continued…

Also, please cheerfully give your financial gifts to this orphanage, large or small to Pastor Henry Lubega @ Reach A Hand Children’s Ministry And Orphanage: Or use wave.com , a quick and easy way to send money to Africa. You will need this phone no. +256703678764

You can also purchase anything from Amazon.com or Target.com through this website.

Hebrews 11: 5 “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

There’s a lot to unpack here. The Greek word for faith used in Enoch’s case was (G4102) ‘pistis’: pronunciation: pis-tis. That word is multi-faceted. However, Hebrews 11:5 Begins with “By faith”, Which implies to me “by the use of his faith.” The book of Ephesians also says it is by grace we are saved through faith (Eph. 2:8). We’re looking at the same Greek word. But here, the Apostle Paul used the primary preposition ‘through’ faith. That Greek word is ‘dia’, pronunciation dee-ah’, denoting the channel of an act.

So here is my question, what is that act? I’ll answer that question by what Enoch did, not only Enoch but the entire hall of faith in Hebrews 11. As we know, even in English, most words have various meanings. For example, Judge could be a position held by a member of The Supreme Court. It could also be something we should not do to one another, i.e., pass judgment in a negative sense. It could also mean discernment, which can be an act of wisdom. Christ told the Pharisees to discern or judge the signs of the times.

The word faith in Hebrews 11: 5 in context carries with it the meaning’ fidelity’. In English, fidelity means “faithfulness to a person, cause, or belief, demonstrated by continuing loyalty and support.” 

In the text, The faithfulness demonstrated by Enoch moved God so much that He just took him. His continued loyalty and support of God’s plan and purpose must have been in line with his will too. Yahweh didn’t take his life; He took him to heaven wholly; spirit, soul, and body.

1st Thessalonians 5:23 “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Enoch found his peace with God, so God sanctified him completely. Subsequently, God took him to His heavenly house. Sanctification means to set apart from the rest into rest.

I have a question for the church today; why are we still here? Have we not found peace with God by being at peace with all men (Romans 12:18)? Have we not been sanctified spirit, soul, and body completely (1st Thess. 5;23)? Enoch attained this in his mortal body, so the fact that we are still in our mortal bodies can’t be an excuse. I have been to churches and heard people proclaim loudly, “I’m saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost.” I have listened to it a lot, but the evidence isn’t there. Hey, I’m included in this farce of the church. I used the word ‘farce’ intentionally. If the shoe doesn’t fit, don’t wear it. However, if you are making all of that noise, pretending to be something that you are not, that means you are living the life of a hypocrite.

My desire in life is to bring my Heavenly Father so much pleasure that He would have no choice but to take me. I’m not talking about physical death; I’m talking about the rapture. I’m talking about this mortal putting mortality. I want to see the corruptible put on incorruption (1st Cor. 15:53).

But here lies the rub, until we, as this dismembered Body of Christ, find peace with each other, we won’t be like Enoch. His faith redeemed him wholly, with a sound mind completely.

Ephesians 2: 8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Remember that primary preposition Paul used “through faith.” Just as a reminder, the Greek word ‘through’ is ‘dia’, pronunciation dee-ah’, denoting an act’s channel. As a babe in Christ learning at Crenshaw Christian Center, I remember that faith is acting upon the word of God and doing what the word of God says. But what gives us the mentality to act? In other words, where does that seed of faith come from by which we act? The answer should be so If you are season Christian. In verse 9, we learn that saving grace and the faith which we use as a channel is also God’s gift to us in the person of Jesus Christ. You see, no one can boast about saving themselves or making their personhood right with God. No one can boast about having personal faith because God gave us that faith. I want to reiterate; it is God’s faith by which not only are we saved, but we also live by it. I will point out a few verses from the old and the New Testament for the reader to look at in the KJV; then, I’ll close. We are thoroughly convinced that Christ is the source of the faith of the believer. Please read the following using the KJV at your leisure. The true meaning of some essential words and phrases gets lost in translation in many easy-to-read versions.

Hab. 2: 4; Rom, 1: 16-17;; Gal. 2: 16; 2: 20; 3: 11-12; Heb. 10: 38; 1st John 5: 10-12

Next, we will take a closer look at these verses together using the King James version. So I hope those of you that have been spoiled by “easy to read versions” won’t draw back. To be continued…

 Also, please cheerfully give your financial gifts to this orphanage, large or small to Pastor Henry Lubega @ Reach A Hand Children’s Ministry And Orphanage: Or use wave.com , a quick and easy way to send money to Africa. You will need this phone no. +256703678764

You can also purchase anything from Amazon.com or Target.com through this website.

This is a re-post. I made a few grammatical changes.

Before I get into this message, I would like to mention this one significant thing. I said I would be providing our fallen brothers and sisters’ names from the BLM page in a previous post. But that list is extensive. Perhaps it would be best to give you a link to that page. This way, in your own time, you can investigate each situation and draw your own conclusions. You can determine for yourselves whether they were justifiable homicides or not. My wife are a by-racial, and we have been profoundly affected by this type of violence. Those who are to serve and protect can do if not put in check. We must pray that the senseless violence will come to an end someday. Here is that link:

https://www.reneeater.com/on-monuments-blog/2020/5/29/in-memoriam-i-cant-breathe

Well, my friends, it’s been a minute since writing anything substantial. The LORD had me stop doing my blogs for a long while, not because He’s given me nothing to say or teach, but because the Spirit of God wanted me to take a closer look at the world, as it seems to be crumbling into ruin due to so much dysfunctional and failed leadership. Jesus taught us (His disciples) to discern the signs of the times and allow His marvelous light to shine victoriously through us. The Body of Christ can’t be The Luminaries He called us to be while we are in such a fractured and weakened state; in other words, we’ve got to squash this division in the body of Christ and get over our personal agendas. And believe you me, denominations and their various church traditions separate us from each another; they are man-made blueprints, not that of the LORDS. The church communion table was a provision whose purpose was to bring us into harmony, i.e., into one body. However, because of our personal Theological differences over communion, we find a dismembered body.

Okay, On Faith, Foolishness, or Presumption:

This title did not originate with me. The title came from sermons and a book written by the late Apostle Frederick K. C. Price. I just recently found out he passed away on February 12th, 2021, due to complications from COVID-19. I mourn his passing with the rest of the Ever-increasing Faith family. His family laid him to rest on March 6th, 2016. He had more critics than most of the preachers and teachers I’ve known over the past 41 years.
We know that the Bible does say, “all who will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution (2nd Tim. 3:12). But that was to his credit because he was a man of profound courage, obedience, and conviction. He also strove to tear down these denominational walls that separate us from one another. Walls that keep us ignorant of the truth. Regarding The Godhead, the Doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ, ourselves, and truth about one another. Christ Jesus is that true who shines his light into our souls. It is His light that exposes who we truly are (John 3:19-20). Apart from him, we walk in darkness all the days of our lives (Eph. 4:1; 1st. John 1: 6-7; 1st John 2: 6). It doesn’t matter how nice we are, and it doesn’t matter how good of a person we think we are; it doesn’t matter titles we hold or how charitable might be; apart from him, we walk in darkness. The Apostle Paul said I would not have us ignorant (Rom. 11:24-25; 1st Thess. 4:13-18). So I honor The Price family during their time of grief. He always opened every message with these words, “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Rom 10:17). And he ended each with “for we walk by faith, not by sight” 2nd Cor. 5: 7). The body of Christ has suffered a great loss. We will never forget him in the flesh, but he will always be with us in the spirit. We also look forward to seeing him again at the resurrection and to that glorious appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Always remember this before judging another man’s servant. God made him the ministry gift that He had created him to be to the body of Christ. You are not the gift that he was, nor the gift that I am. We are as different as each star in the heavens, each shining with its own Glory (1sr Cor. 15: 39-41). God has called me to encourage and teach His kids on “How to study The Bible.”  I do this so that none of us are so dependent upon what someone else has said, but only what God has said in His Word. Particularly since we have so many denominations with their own take on the Word of God (2nd Peter 2:1). Which means, its own interpretation; i.e. not isolated from all that the Word has given elsewhere. Or we can say it like this, it should not be isolated to any one special denomination’s interpretation. This truth applies across the entire spectrum of Christianity.  This mindset creates so much division in the Body of Christ

Throughout my ministry years, I’ve heard so many definitions of what faith is or what it is not; it’ll make your head spin. It all gets quite confusing for me as well as others, I’m sure. Apostle Price taught one of the most valuable teachings in the New Testament regarding faith I have ever heard. He was one of the most disciplined men of God I’ve ever had the privilege of meeting. Preachers would get so angry because of how he taught; that’s more because there was no compromise in life or the Word; what many called arrogance was true humility. Also, because of his so-called megachurch known as the Faith Doom. Most of these people have never even met the man or set foot on the old Pepperdine University Campus where he built the Faith Dome. They only see him on television briefly and listen for about 10 minutes, then pass judgment shutting the message out—my heart sorrows for men and women who find time to judge anyone but themselves (Read Matt. 13:15). My fellow Christians, life-and-death battles are going on right now, and we need everyone’s head in the game. We can start by not pointing fingers at one another over differences in theology. We are all human and subject to error (1st Cor. 10:13). So if you think that someone is mistaken about some doctrine that I or some other might teach, let us not forget you can also be in error. Christians can be so selfish, never willing to admit that they could be wrong. There’s no time to taking a pair of tweezers to remove a splinter from your brother’s eye when you have an entire forest in your own (Luke 6:41). We’ve got to face the reality that we need each other for Christianity to be practical.

Romans 10: 6 “But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) 7 or, “ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, THE WORD OF FAITH which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

It seems as though each denomination has its own brand of “THE WORD OF FAITH” or the faith of God. Note that I did not say ‘faith in God’; I said THE FAITH OF GOD.’ (Gal. 2:20; Heb. 12:2). In other words, any Jazzed-up faith that humankind musters up apart from God will make that man or woman instantly disqualified to run the race with patience (Heb. 12:1). The faith which Christ taught in the New Testament is not of this world. It was given to us as a precious gift by the Blood of our LORD Jesus Christ. How can you tell the difference? You will see the difference when you stop studying The Bible through rose-colored (denominational) glasses. Christ did not die to give us the Baptist faith, the Methodist faith, or even the Lutheran faith, and Martin Luther is supposed to be the top dog when it comes to faith. Christ died to impart THE FAITH OF GOD to us, him being the face of Almighty God. How dare we take it upon ourselves to think otherwise.

Eph. 4: 4 “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, ONE FAITH, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
That word ‘faith’ in the original Greek, not in any 21st Century language;

Thayer Definition:
Pistis- 1) conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervor born of faith and joined with it
1a) relating to God
1a1) the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ
1b) relating to Christ
1b1) a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God
1c) the religious beliefs of Christians
1d) belief with the predominate idea of trust (or confidence) whether in God or in Christ, springing from faith in the same
2) fidelity, faithfulness
2a) the character of one who can be relied on
Part of Speech: noun feminine
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from G3982
According to Hebrews 11: 6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him (God), for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

According to Hebrews 11: 6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him (God), for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

If we genuinely want to please God, that is, do the pleasing things in his sight, we must first accept that God is a faith God, not a denominational God. However, he loves every Christian in every denomination. Our Father loves every person that has ever been on this planet. But He is not partial to us because of our affiliation with any particular denomination, culture, race, or Creed. He doesn’t even have a problem with your outdated sexual orientation; He loves you despite all these things. We are the ones who are so particular with others. There’s a name for that; it’s called discrimination.

I read this quote from Google. “The word ‘faith’ is used 458 times in The New International Version, 389 times in the New King James Version 378 and in The New American Standard Bible and 521 times in the Good News Bible.”

Following “How to Study the Bible,” one of the primary keys is repetition. Always keep in mind how often a theme, a word, or repetition of the subject matter. That is, we practice how proper biblical exegesis. You can’t take a subject that has only been mentioned maybe two or three times and call that doctrine. In my next post, I will go over some things that God is trying to hammer into our thinking through His Word by way of repetition. Just based on how many times the word comes up, faith does seem to be a pretty hot topic with Our Father. To be continued…

Also, please cheerfully give your financial gifts to this orphanage, large or small to Pastor Henry Lubega @ Reach A Hand Children’s Ministry And Orphanage: Or use wave.com , a quick and easy way to send money to Africa. You will need this phone no. +256703678764

You can also purchase anything from Amazon.com or Target.com through this website.

Before I go any further on this post, I want to acknowledge some Black men, women, and children whose lives have been snuffed out needlessly. These men and women were unarmed. My heart and my prayers go out to all families who are still grieving over their loss. God bless you all. I will get to the over 215,000 lost because of COVID-19 in another post. The following was composed By: 

RENÉE ATER

IN MEMORIAM: I CAN’T BREATHE

May 29, 2020

I am angry. I am anguished. I am heartbroken.

 I am hallowed out.

 BLM

1. David McAtee, August 3, 1966 – June 1, 2020 Louisville, Kentucky. Shot June 1, 2020 by a Louisville Metropolitan Police Officer.

2. George Perry Floyd, October 14, 1973 – May 25, 2020 Powderhorn, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Knee on the neck/Asphyxiated: May 25, 2020, Minneapolis Police Officer

3. Dreasjon “Sean” Reed, 1999 – May 6, 2020: Indianapolis, Indiana, Shot: May 6, 2020, Unidentified Indianapolis Metropolitan Police  Officer.

4. Michael Brent Charles Ramos, January 1, 1978 – April 24, 2020 Austin, Texas Shot: April 24, 2020, Austin Police Detectives

 5. Breonna Ta ylor, June 5, 1993 – March 13, 2020: Louisville, Kentucky Shot: March 13, 2020, Louisville Metro Police Officers

 6. Manuel “Mannie” Elijah Ellis, August 28, 1986 – March 3, 2020: Tacoma, Washington Physical restraint/Hypoxia: March 3, 2020, Tacoma Police Officers

 7. Atatiana Koquice Jefferson, November 28, 1990 – October 12, 2019: Fort Worth, Texas Shot: October 12, 2019, Fort Worth Police Officer

 8. Emantic “EJ” Fitzgerald Bradford Jr., June 18, 1997 – November 22, 2018: Hoover, Alabama Shot: November 22, 2018, Unidentified Hoover Police Officers

  9. Charles “Chop” Roundtree Jr., September 5, 2000 – October 17, 2018: San Antonio, Texas Shot: October 17, 2018, San Antonio Police Officer

 10. Chinedu Okobi, February 13, 1982 – October 3, 2018: Millbrae, California

Tasered/Electrocuted: October 3, 2018, San Mateo County Sheriff Sergeant and Sheriff Deputies

 11. Botham Shem Jean, September 29, 1991 – September 6, 2018 Dallas, Texas Shot: September 6, 2018, Dallas Police Officer

 12. Antwon Rose Jr., July 12, 2000 – June 19, 2018 East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Shot: June 19, 2018, East Pittsburgh Police Officer

 13. Saheed Vassell, December 22, 1983 – April 4, 201 Brooklyn, New York City, New York Shot: April 4, 2018, Four Unnamed New York City Police Officers

  14. Stephon Alonzo Clark, August 10, 1995 – March 18, 2018 Sacramento, California Shot: March 18, 2018, Sacramento Police Officers

   15. Aaron Bailey, 1972 – June 29, 2017 Indianapolis, Indiana Shot: June 29, 2017, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Officers

   16. Charleena Chavon Lyles, April 24, 1987 – June 18, 2017 Seattle, Washington Shot: June 18, 2017, Seattle Police Officers

   17. Fetus of Charleena Chavon Lyles (14-15 weeks), June 18, 2017 Seattle, Washington Shot: June 18, 2017, Seattle Police Officers

   18. Jordan Edwards, October 25, 2001 – April 29, 2017 Balch Springs, Texas Shot: April 29, 2017, Balch Springs Officer

   19. Chad Robertson, 1992 – February 15, 2017 Chicago, Illinois Shot: February 8, 2017, Chicago Police Officer

   20. Deborah Danner, September 25, 1950 – October 18, 2016 The Bronx, New York City, New York Shot: October 18, 2016, New York City Police

This list is by no means exhautives. There are many many more. I will be adding more with each post. I’m finding that there are more new cases each day. Therefore, until something changes with this present administration, I mau be at this for some time to come.

Take a look at this last video please? only meant to make an inforem decisision when y0u cast your ballot. I love you aoo, pleases DO THE RIGHT THING!!!

The Body of Christ Run By Yahweh=Theocracy

Some of us are not going to like this. However, I’m begging you to keep an open mind.

Ezekiel 13: 6 “They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord!’ But the Lord has not sent them; yet they hope that the word may be confirmed. 7 Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false (a lie, untruth, falsehood, deceptive thing) divination? You say, ‘The Lord says,’ but I have not spoken.” 8 Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you,” says the Lord God. 9 “My hand will be against the prophets who envision futility and who divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, nor be written in the record of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord God. 10 “Because, indeed, because they have seduced My people, saying, ‘Peace!’ when there is no peace—and one builds a wall, and they plaster it with untempered mortar— 11 say to those who plaster it with untempered mortar, that it will fall. There will be flooding rain, and you, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall tear it down.”

The Leaders of the world then, as they are now, have not changed very much, in the church and our present government administration. They’ve always given the people great swelling promises about how the future will be glorious, as long as we remained compliant to the dictates of the powers that be. From the day Adam fell in Eden, it’s been downhill ever since. As Christians, our hope for the future shines in the face of Christ. However, because the Word of God says:

Ephesians 4:11 “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the [a]edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. 17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as [b]the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;

A Theocracy is: 1. a political unit governed by a deity (or by officials thought to 2. the belief in government by divine guidance.

Etymology: theo- + -cracy, originally from Ancient Greek θεοκρατία (theokratia, “rule of God”), a term coined in the 1st century by Josephus (Against Apion 2.17) in reference to the kingdom of Israel. Attested in English from the 1630s, first by John Donne in a 1631 sermon, (The Jews were onely under a Theocratie, an immediate government of God., cited after.

“A government of a state (or country) by  However, they had no intention of delivering on their promises. immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided.” Theocracy

Listen, I don’t claim to be some kind of scholar when it comes to political science. I’d never really had any interest in politics in the past. When Trump ran in 2016, I didn’t think he had a snowball’s chance in hell of winning. It never occurred to me that there so many like-minded people in this country. So what did I do? Like many Americans, I didn’t do anything; I chose not to vote. And lo and behold, I will regret that for the rest of my life. We, including myself, tend to see Jesus outside of politics.  However, as far as today’s and yesterday’s Evangelicals are concerned, Jesus is a Republican. We are wrong to think that of Him. He was right in the middle of it all, and He had strong opinions about the powerful and elite: that 1% in power, who controlled it all.

In Matthew 22: 15-21, The Pharisees got with some Herodians. The Pharisees represent the legalities of how a Jew should behave toward the Law and how Jewish citizens were to submit to Roman rule. The Herodians also represented the political power of the King. Not the chosen King of the Jews, but a supplanted King, selected by Roman authorities (the elite 1%). Remember, in the days of Jesus’ birth, King Herod and Edomite, had all Hebrew toddlers slaughtered because of the Christ, the true King of the Jews, the Son of David, the rightful heir to the throne was born.

The Pharisees sent some of their own disciples accompanied by some Herodians or Roman representatives. They planned to trip Him up in His speech that they would have good reason to arrest Him, even kill Him. Clearly, they didn’ know Jesus; they only knew about the Man. Just like many people today, who confess to know Jesus, but in truth, they only know a denominational, Republican, or Democratic version of Him. We know that most churches create an interpretation of Christ, one who compliments their persuasion and doctrine. They’ve never really opened their hearts to Him because they hold on to the half-baked lies based on someone’s teachings who died hundreds of years ago. These people possess massive amounts of head knowledge but deny the true power of God through their actions, or lack thereof.

I think most of us have heard John 3: 16 “For God so loved the WORLD that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the WORLD through Him might be saved.”

Let’s establish a baseline for the Kingdom of God and or Heaven, as opposed to the kingdom of humankind. God’s reign on earth, should be likened to His rule in Heaven. They both would be a Theocracy. In John 3: 16,17, the word ‘world’ appears twice. In the original Greek text, that word is ‘kosmos.’ In essence, it means man’s way of doing things or social system. This system includes our government and our culture. Jeremiah 17: 9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

John 18: 33. “Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” 37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then? “Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” 38 Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all.” That’s because, in Christ, there is no fault.

Galatians 3: 27 “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

All my life, I have experienced corruption or being corrupted on one level or another. I spent almost 1/3 of life doing nothing ‘the works of the flesh.’ At the time, it just came naturally, that behavior was not as evident as they are now as I look back. I can when someone is in the spirit or the flesh. Christians, whose behavior is entirely unchecked and out of control.

One day, Jesus had spoken a parable located in Mark 7 concerning things by which one may defile himself. He directed it toward those religious leaders who strained at nats yet swallowed camels. He knew they would not understand simply because His words fell on stony ground. His disciples didn’t quite get it either, but later, after the disciples lifted up their voices for understanding, Jesus enlightened them. Now is His explanation. I want to look at the word ‘lasciviousness,’ which describes Donald Trump beautifully. This word is from The King James Bible, so don’t have a hissy:

1. E. Vines Expositor of Old and New Testament wors:

1: ἀσέλγεια

(Strong’s #766 — Noun Feminine — aselgeia — as-elg’-i-a )

denotes “excess, licentiousness, absence of restraint, indecency, wantonness;” “lasciviousness” in Mark 7:22 , one of the evils that proceed from the heart; in 2 Corinthians 12:21 , one of the evils of which some in the church at Corinth had been guilty; in Galatians 5:19 , classed among the works of the flesh; in Ephesians 4:19 , among the sins of the unregenerate who are “past feeling;” so in 1 Peter 4:3 ; in Jude 1:4 , of that into which the grace of God had been turned by ungodly men; it is translated “wantonness” in Romans 13:13 , one of the sins against which believers are warned; in 2 Peter 2:2 , according to the best mss., “lascivious (doings),” R.V. (the A.V. “pernicious ways” follows those texts which have apoleiais); in 2 Peter 2:7 , R.V., “lascivious (life),” A.V. “filthy (conversation),” of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah; in 2 Peter 2:18 , R.V., “lasciviousness” (A.V., “wantonness”), practiced by the same persons as mentioned in Jude. The prominent idea is shameless conduct. Some have derived the word from a, negative, and selge, “a city in Pisidia.” Others, with similar improbability, trace it to a, negative, and selgo, or thelgo, “to charm.” See WANTONNESS.

We all possess this weakness to some degree, and those who would deny this are worse off because they are walking in darkness. Christ made available an arsenal of weapons we can use to combat the flesh. Most Christians are aware of what we have In Him regarding Christ’s completed work on the cross. These are just a few reminders; so we don’t forget at the voting polls this year:

2nd Corinthians 10: 3 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled 7 Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ’s, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ’s, even so we are Christ’s. 8 For even if I should boast somewhat more about our authority, which the Lord gave us for edification and not for your destruction, I shall not be ashamed— 9 lest I seem to terrify you by letters. 10 “For his letters,” they say, “are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.” 11 Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when we are absent, such we will also be in deed when we are present. 12 For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who COMMEND THEMSELVES. BUT THEY, MEASURING BY THEMSELVES, AND COMPARING THEMSELVES AMONG THEMSELVES, ARE NOT WISE. 13 We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us—a sphere which especially includes you. 14 For we are not overextending ourselves (as though our authority did not extend to you), for it was to you that we came with the gospel of Christ;” To be continued…

​

Also, please cheerfully give your financial gifts to this orphanage, large or small to Pastor Henry Lubega @ Reach A Hand Children’s Ministry And Orphanage: Or use wave.com , a quick and easy way to send money to Africa. You will need this phone no. +256703678764

You can also purchase anything from Amazon.com or Target.com through this website.

Matt. 12: 22-30/Mark 3:20-25/

A Divided Nation is a Fallen Nation

“Evangelicals and POTUS make strange Bedfellows,” admittedly was not the best title for the previous post. Moreover, I do get it; it’s offensive to some readers, particularly if you happen to be an Evangelical duped by Trump’s lies, while you hold on with the hope of saving face. We all take great pride in our convictions. At the same time, I did not mean to offend but to inform. Although I am not surprised that it did. One person did leave an interesting comment; he said, ‘annnd blocked.’ That is probably a Facebook friend I will never get back, boohoo. I spoke about a few things that are going on all around us in this country. This thing is called “Freedom of Speech,” covered under article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Therefore, I must raise my voice; I have been silent way too long. This blog is about more than political parties; it’s about the love and peace of God being shared freely with every human being on the planet and not just a select few.

This president is perpetually lying to the American people. But we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” (st Pet. 2:9). How can we claim that this man is a Born Again Christian, and he can’t even tell us what his favorite verses of scripture are? Donald Trump is a thief, a con man, and every ungodly thing you might imagine. And before you let it cross your mind, I am not judging him. I am stating facts. His two latest ruses, nominating Amy Coney Barrett before the election with the hope of gaining as many Republican seats as possible. Number two, The New York Times, has uncovered the sad truth about the taxes he should have paid (he found some workarounds). Salvation did not cost me a penny; neither should it cost anyone else because Christ paid it in full. Over 200,000 lives (including Christians who trusted Trump) needlessly snuffed out due to him downplaying this pandemic exposed by author Bob Woodward.

We convince ourselves that God chose this man to be the president when, in fact, the people chose him, by our right to vote or not. Simpler said the Godhead did not vote. God is sovereign over all things; however, we have a free will. He did not override our ability to exercise that free will. The Godhead did not side with the Republicans over the Democrats, but churches will leave us with the impression that He did by citing verses like Dan. 4:17; Jer. 27:5-7, and Psa. 75:6-7. In this country and at this time, we live in a Democracy, not a Theocracy. I wish that it were a Theocracy because there would be a Godly person, chosen by Him, as our Commander And Chief. If we all decided, operative word, DECIDED not to vote, what would happen? I know what would happen, complete and utter chaos, much like what we’re bordering on right now. We would have no laws to govern crime, and we would sink into becoming a third world country, and I have to say this…Donald Trump is leading us into this dystopian nightmare. We, as Christians, don’t seem to know the difference between Theocracy and Democracy. Let’s make a distinction between the two. According to Merriam Webster, a Theocracy is:

“A government of a state (or country) by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided.” A can of chicken soup is more useful than this administration.

Unfortunately, I can’t find the word Theocracy in the Bible; however, we see it in the Davidic Covenant. His lineage was ordained by God that his descendants sit on that throne through his bloodline until ultimately Christ’s Himself, The Son of David, is seated there. In a Theocracy, God chooses His Kings and rulers, whether they are good, bad, or indifferent. In other words, we don’t get a vote in a Theocracy. That’s the difference between the two systems of government. We’ve been led to believe that our leaders are placed in that position by God. That is not the case as long as we, the people, vote.

Democracy: noun

1. the political orientation of those who favor government by the people or by their elected representatives 

2. a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them (republic; commonwealth)

3. the doctrine that the numerical majority of an organized group can make decisions binding on the whole group (majority rule)          

Therefore, we must to stop blaming God for our stupid decisions period. To be continued…

Also, please cheerfully give your financial gifts to this orphanage, large or small to Pastor Henry Lubega @ Reach A Hand Children’s Ministry And Orphanage: Or use wave.com , a quick and easy way to send money to Africa. You will need this phone no. +256703678764

You can also purchase anything from Amazon.com or Target.com through this website.

(NKJV UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED)

2nd Timothy 3: 16 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

First, I want to make this clear; whether you agree with it or not, your amen will not make it any less true. Keep in mind, and this is not my truth, it’s the truth that is all around us that many refuse to acknowledge. The present-day church known as The Body of Christ has allowed us to become as corrupt and divided as our Government. In fact, if it were not for the evangelical voters, Hillary Clinton would be our President. We may have an entirely different set of issues in The White House, but I’m sure nothing like we are witnessing today. The Revelation of Jesus is unfolding right before our eyes, and I am confident that she would have swiftly and immediately responded to this pandemic and listened to science. Christians are still trying to speak to the virus and send it back to the pit of hell from whence they believe it came. However, it did not come from hell; it was born out of sin and corruption. In the Old and New Testaments, we see miraculous signs consistently. Have you not ever wondered why we don’t? We are not like those men and women because we are a church and a nation puffed up with too much pride, and a president with very little humility. He has the audacity to intimate there will be a vaccine for COVID-19 before a special day (11/03/20), only for political purposes. For the most part, today’s church has (“the mo money blues blues”). I want to be clear; not all churches have sold their souls just to be in his orbit. Some evangelicals know more about the Republican Party than they know about their Bibles. TV Evangelist that I had so much respect for, that I listened to and admired for decades has flipped the script on me. That is why Trump has gained the evangelical vote so easily. Billionaire businesspeople should be leading us to a prosperous and healthy America. But it seems prosperity in this country is reserved for to topheavy few:

Ephesians 4:11 “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

This administration would not be creating such a big stink about mail-in voting. Trump’s biggest fear is that people will see through his cellophane veneer and vote. Look at us four years later. Is America Great Again? Is it, really? Our country always touts about being a superpower, the greatest nation in the world, as if we should be in some sort of competition. Our Heavenly Father placed us here to walk according to the things of the spirit, not of the flesh. We are here to do His will, not our own. When our sinful nature is unchecked, we are prone to adultery, fornication, backbiting, and hatred; we open ourselves up to a spirit of delusion. The Apostle Paul wrote these words to the church in Galatia. They were very close to falling out of God’s grace by listening to godless men feeding them disinformation and half-baked truths. These are a few of his words:

Galatians 5: 19 “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

Donald Trump has shown nothing but contempt for Christian values. We know that Trump is an adulterer; while his current wife was pregnant, he cheated on her. These are works of the flesh, not of the spirit, maybe an unregenerated spirit, but not one born of The Spirit of God. Let us skip to the word lewdness because I know some will defend this man by saying, “well, maybe he didn’t know Jesus then,” or “well, we all sin.” Yes, we do sin from time to time. However, 1st John 1: 9 instructs us to confess our sins, and we will be forgiven and cleansed from all unrighteousness. That means we have right standing or in a right relationship with God, and we strive to do the right thing. Donald Trump has publicly admitted that he has never asked God for forgiveness, so how can he be in a right relationship with Him? Nevertheless, there are Christians who want this man to lead this country for another four years, and have us believe that he is an ambassador of Christ.

Ephesians 4: 29 “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

The word ‘corrupt’ in verse 29 in the original Greek from the Thayer Definition: ‘sapros’ meaning:
1) rotten, putrefied
2) corrupted by one and no longer fit for use, worn out
3) of poor quality, bad, unfit for use, worthless

Matthew 23: 23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! 25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”

Jesus said these things a most important but always neglected when it came to the religious leaders and the Roman Government to whom the Jews were accountable. These three words were still cast aside like pearls before swine, “justice and mercy and faith.”
I want you to have an idea of what our LORD Jesus, the Kings of all King meant when He used those words:

1. (Strong’s #2920 — Noun Feminine — krisis — kree’-sis ): primarily denotes “a separating,” then, “a decision, judgment,” most frequently in a forensic sense, and especially of Divine “judgment.” For the variety of its meanings, with references, see CONDEMNATION, B, No. 3.
Notes: (1) The Holy Spirit, the Lord said, would convict the world of (peri, “in respect of”), i.e., of the actuality of, God’s “judgment,” John 16:8,11 . Cp. 2 Thessalonians 1:5 . (2) In Romans 2:5 the word dikaiokrisia, “righteous judgment,” combines the adjective dikaios, “righteous,” with krisis, the two words which are used separately in 2 Thessalonians 1:5 .

Romans 3:13 “Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17 And the way of peace have they not known: 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (KJV)

2nd Timothy 2: 22 “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. 24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”

2nd Timothy 3: 1 “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” 

It’s so strange that Evangelical Christians are turning to this man when we should be getting as far away from him as possible, but that’s just my opinion, take it or leave it.

The Apostle Paul wrote these words by inspiration of the Spirit of God to his spiritual son Timothy, who was now responsible for a flock of his own. Being responsible for others is no small matter and not be taken lightly. The flock looks to the Pastor or Government for mature leadership, not dictatorship, nor authoritarianism. Whether you are a Christian or not, these principles should be applied across the board, that is, if you want a successful congregation or business.

In 2nd Tim. 2: 22 Paul wrote, “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness.” Of course, as Christians growing up is essential to our relationship with Christ. He is always calling us up higher. Often we do not listen because we want to hang on to the lust of the flesh. However, if we want to walk with Him, we must desire the things He desires for us, maturity.” To be continued…

Also, please cheerfully give your financial gifts to this orphanage, large or small to Pastor Henry Lubega @ Reach A Hand Children’s Ministry And Orphanage: Or use wave.com , a quick and easy way to send money to Africa. You will need this phone no. +256703678764

You can also purchase anything from Amazon.com or Target.com through this website.

(This is a re-post. It was done originally written at the beginning of this pandemic. I finding that there are many Christians who need to read this message with open eyes and an open heart)

24. This post was born out of a group text with some friends of mine.

Coming from a place of love.

Matt. 5: 44 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”

Thayer Definition: perfect=teleios, which means:

1) brought to its end, finished
2) wanting nothing necessary to completeness
3) perfect
4) that which is perfect
4a) consummate human integrity and virtue
4b) of men
4b1) full grown, adult, of full age, mature

My wife and I were in Smart & Final the other night and saw the cutest thing. A young mother and her tiny (maybe 3 yr. old daughter) both wearing masks because of the virus. We were wearing gloves and a mask. The little girl pointed at me and my wife Karla saying “look Mommy, they have a mask too.” Obviously, at her age, she didn’t really understand the gravity of the situation, but her mother did and so did we. They wouldn’t know this, but I’m a 67-year-old man, diabetic, had a liver transplant about 16 years ago, and will be taking meds that have compromised my immune system for the rest of my life. Physically, this for me is a health risk.

I am literally a candidate for COVID-19. I have no desire to prove to anyone how strong my faith is in the finished work of our LORD Jesus Christ because:

He has us covered every which way but loose. However, I’ve had a few colds and the flu a couple of times since becoming a Christian and I’m fairly certain you have too. Henceforth, how I feel about Donald Trump and his handling of this pandemic is not the issue. What bothers me is some Christians propagate the idea that they are above it all. Much of what we see worldwide is the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. Que sera sera, whatever will be will be (or whatever God has spoken will come to pass). I respect the CDC and the cautions they are asking us to take. My true concern is that little girl, her mother, and respecting their boundaries as well as mine. Christians let’s get real, if you’ve dealt with allergies, colds and or the flu, you don’t walk on water. God forbid that I should be the reason that child or anyone else were infected by COVID-19 because I believe I’m covered by the blood of Christ. I used the analogy of Matthew 5 because I believe Jesus was teaching all of God’s kids to be wise as serpents but harmless as a dove.
This pandemic for me is not about fear mongering or being paranoid. I have no fear of death at all, I think those who know me have heard me say so on several occasions. But I am concerned about people who may not have the same faith as myself. I practice social distancing out of faith which works by love. I want to take Trump out of the equation because the Bible says:

Psalm 118:8 “It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man.
9 It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in princes.

I try to keep my ideology regarding politics to myself because they could cause division between members of the Body of Christ…my family. In conclusion, everyone just stay safe and stay in love. As far as one-world government is concerned, the bible says it’s going to happen whether we like it or not, why? Because God is omniscient and He said these things will happen. We can plead the blood until the cows come home, no matter what we do, His Word will always come to pass and there is nothing we can do about. Even so, if we are still here when prophecies from the book of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the Book of Revelation come to pass, we will be affected. That’s the rain falling down on the just as well as the unjust.
I love my family, the body of Christ…peace out.