But you are A CHOSEN PEOPLE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD’S OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 1 Peter 2:9 NASB
Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to slander no one, not to be contentious, to be gentle, showing every consideration for all people. For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He richly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This statement is trustworthy; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and beneficial for people. But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are useless and worthless. Reject a divisive person after a first and second warning, knowing that such a person has deviated from what is right and is sinning, being self-condemned. Titus 3:1-11 NASB
Have you ever really READ the book of Jeremiah? I mean in the sense of not just viewing it as the prophet Jeremiah's description we have come to know as the weeping prophet but to see interlaced the warnings of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Those same warnings to the false prophets are no different to those people then over Israel than the false teachers in the Church today.
Read well what is in the New Testament but keep in mind what lesson of LIFE in Godliness there are in the Old Testament.
We aren't to live in this world the same way as the rest of the world. So why, in their own 'vision' of the Church are so many obviously false teachers trying so hard to make the Church like the rest of the world?
Why do people like those thousand plus so-called pastors and so-called Church leaders reject so much of what has worked for centuries within God's plan for the true Church?
Why do they actually perpetuate flavors of 'acceptable' hatred?
Yes you can see it. You might even be guilty of it. I know that in my younger days I have been.
We do much harm to the gospel by creating and maintaining 'acceptable' white lies in the Christian life. Things that if you were honest and were trying to really live the Christian life the way God intended you would never have participated in.
Either the Word of God is as real, valid, the same yesterday, today and forever or it isn't.
The real truth stings hard and deep. We cause much harm to the truth of God by integration of the world's views of inclusion and acceptance into the Church.
So what kinds of things? Something as simple as sports brings out the same, very same, levels of malice, anger, and sinful behavior as those who live in the darkness of sin without hope in Christ. Don't even go there to say it's all in fun. Where in the Bible can you show me acceptable forms of malice, anger and sinful behaviors that lead anybody TO the cross for salvation?
It honestly angers me to read about rivalries. Many years ago when we first moved to where we are leaving, I was told that I HAD to become a Ohio State University fan. This too from a Sunday School Teacher. In latter years I have been bombarded by other followers of Jesus telling me that same thing. I was horrified and appalled to see a video of a church service where they intentionally played the OSU song, then transitioned to a worship song calling out to see Jesus.
We have wondered where the power of the Church has gone in the last hundred years.
We have seen a few quoting 2 Chronicles 7:14 "and My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
We have seen the inclusion of homosexuality within the Church as if somehow God's views on it don't matter anymore.
We see so-called visions of so-called Church leaders along a path that doesn't have Christ Jesus as the Head of the Church.
We see all of this yet they wonder why the power of the Church as described in the Bible isn't happening.
People aren't being taught what repentance is within the Church.
People latch onto bad psychology by excusing their behavior in saying "That's just the way I am."
Do you live a live of duplicity?
Is there a shred of :
But you are A CHOSEN PEOPLE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD’S OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 1 Peter 2:9 NASB
In your life?
Realize that the more you accept the things of this world into your thinking on life the more you invite the Holy Spirit to intervene in your life to draw you back to God. But know that the Spirit has limits on people who intentionally choose to have a hardened heart.
He will remove people from this world who are in the way of the plan of God to seek and save the lost in this world.
1 John 2:15-17 "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God continues to live forever."
You see if your actions provoke people to anger because of living for Jesus that's to be expected. Jesus said if they hated Me they will hate you because you testify to Me.
If your actions of provoking people to hatred, anger, malice, and have nothing to do with being a light in this world, then know this: YOU ARE SINNING! Nobody in Hell is laughing! Nobody in Hell is laughing it up over hurtful comments they made to others.
I have eluded to my Wife and I moving. Taking a leap of faith. We have been forced to come to terms with letting go of many worldly things. For me, after we move, I will be letting go of even more things.
It's a reminder back to a real vacation we took long ago. Took a week and got away. No plans other than to unplug and unwind. The realization hit us both as to just how much we didn't miss our 'stuff'.
I want to learn more about Jesus. I want to be who He wants me to be as a man of God.
To do so, to be to this point, has meant letting go of my stuff and my ways of life.
It pains me to hear people who claim to be Christians who claim to espouse the love of God tearing down someone else over a stupid rivalry. To see people claiming to be Christians showing more love and adoration for a team than they do the Savior of their lives.
The reality of this world is Satan wants worshippers and doesn't want people worshipping Jesus. He will seduce mankind however he's allowed to in order to make it happen. After th Rapture of the Church, mankind will be forced to worship Satan's chosen one. You who are reading this and have not received the free gift of Salvation through Christ Jesus alone and are still here after that...you will be forced to do that or die.
Before anyone says that's impossible, you're living through something once thought impossible for the last 15 months.
You who are claiming to be Christians reading this really need to get your act together and start doing what the Bible says. Separate yourself from the ways of this world and quit figuring out how to integrate the world into your beliefs.
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