Saturday, October 27, 2007

# 224: Spiritual Substance

This post is extremely short and to the point. As we understand the word “substance,” it is something real. Basic matter is real. Substance has solid qualities. That would seem to disqualify anything that is spiritual as having substance. Not so. The best example of spiritual substance is the God who made the universe out of nothing physical (spiritual substance). That is the Almighty God many of us put our faith in. Of course, atheists, etc. believe life ends when we die; they believe genuine Christians are having delusions. If they only knew what they are missing out on: life at its best.

Also, good evidence of spiritual substance is our thinking process. Although our ability to think in cognitive ways originates in our mind, thoughts and memory, etc. are the workings of a physical instrument which encases the mind, our brain. A better definition of the mind: thoughts, perception, feels, wills, intellect and the seat of our consciousness. None of these attributes are physical. Therefore, the workings of the mind are spiritual, yet they all exist. What I am attempting to say is that invisible attributes do exist which have spiritual substance.

Another aspect of the spiritual realm is sin. What is sin? A condition of being guilty of continued offenses against God, religion or good morals. Sinners may forget or not be aware of their sins. People may be forgiven of their sins by the one offended, and yet those sins are spiritual stuff that does not go away. Therefore, at death, the sins we committed—whether they are forgiven or not by God or man/woman—still cling to the sinners (complete and detailed files compilied on every individual that always did and always will exist). They are in the hands of the creator, God Almighty. We will all be judged according to what those files tell the Judge on the last day, the judgment day.

All the good a person does is also spiritual substance. Whatever good Christians have done, which is also part of the spirit world attributed to the Holy Spirit, even if forgotten, at death, they still cannot be taken from our files. As it says in Galatians 5:22, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." ------ All of these are evidence of our love, belief and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ. These virtues are all part of the spirit world, which display themselves with action. This is also the place where God and all His angels abide, along with Satan and his evil angels. Ephesians 6:12. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

All that has ever been done or thought of since the beginning of time is recorded in the spirit realm for eternity. No one can keep any secrets from this Godly spirit world. Therefore, if you desire to please God and be obedient to His will, before you think of or do anything that is contrary to what is good and holy, think again. It is being recorded verbatim for all to see when the time comes.

Now the question comes up: What is going to happen to the sins of those who belong to God and will live for eternity? This is the wonderful part of God’s plan. There is a way to remove the wrongdoings of God’s saints. All the sins of genuine believers were taken by Jesus Christ and became a part of Him. For our sins, He was killed and sent to a spiritual prison in hell. 1st Peter 3:18-20. But because of His perfection, that eternal death could not hold Him. He had to be freed; death had no power over a sinless person. [Paraphrased]. That was the only way to obliterate our sins for all eternity.

A nice part of being freed from our sins is that we will never be reminded of them, since they won’t exist anymore. We will be in that spiritual place we have been longing for: God’s presence, where even the thought of sins is eradicated. We will be given spiritual amnesia concerning the evil that was so prevalent on this earth.

As you can tell, the spirit world of God is eternal and invisible, which we cannot see with our earthly eyes, and is made up of invisible substance, while the physical world is inferior and temporal. Scripture is silent, to a large degree, as to the spirit world, other than calling it heaven. The little we may have learned from this post can help us to realize that even though we are continually surrounded by the physical world, it should not be the primary realm of importance for us to strive for. We worship a God who is invisible; therefore, let us dwell, pray and meditate on things that will make the invisible substance as real—which it is—as the material world. I am sure there is so much more to the spirit world which is not mentioned in this post. But possibly this post may give us food for thought and action.

In ending, when it comes to what does and doesn’t have substance, physical substance—with which we are well acquainted—will be abolished and everything will be made new. Revelation 21:5. "He who sits on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’" That “new”’ stuff is made of spiritual matter, our new home, and will be with us forever. Amen.

This next paragraph is taken verbatim from post # 210: "Forty Interesting and Shocking Notes." I thought it would add a few thoughts to spiritual matters.

42) Thoughts are a critical component of God’s invisible realm. They have an extremely long shelf life, till the end of time (judgment day). They just hang around waiting to manifest themselves, by making their home in receptive individuals. For that reason, whatever we wish on others will in time come full-circle and we will pay the price/receive the benefits—good or bad—when what we secretly wished on others ends up in our lives. Galatians 6:7. "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." Actually, this is a universal law. For that reason, and for love’s sake, we should wish good things on all other people, if possible, even our enemies. That also is a variation of this principle: "Love your neighbor as yourself." If we love, we will be loved, if not by humans, by God. This is something to remember: Once a thought is manifested, try to destroy it. It can’t be done! (I didn’t say to forget it.) Have we ever wondered why a certain disagreeable or blessed event may have happened to us? Think back; most likely, we wished that same thing/s on a certain person or persons, possibly years ago. This principle is for real; believe it.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

# 223: The Cross

Though we hear much of the cross of Christ in Scripture, the cross is the least preached when it comes to the cross the disciples of Christ are instructed to bear. The cross as used in modern times as an ornament around the neck or as a pin, along with the subtle worship of the cross by many who call themselves Christians, is a disgrace to the actual meaning of a cross.

If I am not mistaken, the cross as an object/ornament of worship was started by the Roman Catholic Church. That belief/practice supposedly was to fulfill the command to carry our cross daily. That practice could be one of the most widely practiced desecrations of Holy Scripture.

Against that background of use, this post will unequivocally display the meaning of the cross as described in the New Testament. Let's start by giving Webster’s meaning of the cross in context as it is presented in Scripture. "Cross: any trouble or affliction that one has to bear; also, anything that thwarts or frustrates."

First are the verses that command Christians to take up their cross in order to qualify as followers of Jesus:

Matthew 10:38. "And anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me."

Matthew 16:24-25. "Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.’"

Mark 8:34-35 is identical to Matthews 16:24-25, except Mark made a little addition: "whoever loses his life for me and for the ‘gospel’ will save it." Mark also uses the word “save” instead of “find.”

Luke 9:23-24 is identical to Matthew 16: 24-25, except Luke adds the word “daily”: "take up his cross ‘daily’. . . "

Galatians 6:12. ". . . the only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ." As the word “cross” is used in Scripture, it signified suffering, hatred, persecution and trouble.

Luke 14:27. "And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple."

Plainly, the cross is a word symbolizing disagreeable circumstances; that is the stigma the cross represents. No one in their right mind purposely would want any of these unpleasant conditions to come their way. That is the main and only reason the truth of the cross is not preached or practiced in these modern times. We want our lives to be pleasant and easy.

Ask yourselves this question: Why did many, if not most, of the religious leaders and many of the Jews hate Jesus Christ? One very simple answer: John 7:7. "The world cannot hate you but it hates me [Jesus] because I testify that what it does is evil." Are we as disciples of Christ commanded to make Jesus our role model? Yes, at least 6 verses require that He be our only paradigm. This above verse is telling us, in no uncertain terms, that if we live and act as Jesus did, we will have our cross, which may be with us daily.

Also, John 7:7 is the powerhouse of a verse that inspired this author to go public with the evil the religious world is and has been doing from the beginning. Being as bold as this blog has been, especially against the religious hierarchy, has made this the most hated blog/website or any other Biblical Internet information center in the complete World Wide Web. And the only reason is because it exposes the shenanigans (cotton-candy-and-holy-bull gospel) the majority of organized religion has been engaged in by brainwashing the laity into believing what they preach is gospel truth. What they proclaim from the pulpit may sound reasonable enough to the spiritually naive, but what they don’t preach converts their silence into a pleasant but demonic heresy.

In the next month or two, a post will be published simply entitled "Omissions," telling what most have never heard and will never hear from the pulpit. This post on our cross is one of them which we are commanded to bear. Of course, if the majority who are not aware of or turn a blind eye to (remain silent) what is being passed off as genuine Christianity, they will continue to believe that carrying their ornamental cross around their neck is enough evidence to display they are Christians. Ha-ha!

The New Testament dictates that we, as disciples of Christ, must bear the bad circumstances the cross symbolizes. Again, why don’t we see these evil things happening to those who take on the name of Christians in America? I ask this question: What are these generic "christians" doing that would infuriate—as Jesus did and this blog does—any of those in high religious positions? Simply put: nothing. That is the crime against God which we are now exposing. The only thing is, what weight will this “still-small voice” carry among millions of people that like their religion the way it is? And if some believe it is not our place to rock the boat, that may mean that they may be part of the problem or that they are indifferent (a subtle form of hatred) to Biblical truth. And yet, I am sure there may be other ungodly, though seemingly logical, reasons for our inaction and silence.

Before we get into describing the tough part of the Christian life, let’s look at the wonderful life that will become a reality when we play by the rules. Above and beyond the difficulties our cross will bring us, the Christian life can only be describe as “life at its very best.” This sounds like a contradiction in terms. Here is the reason why: Jesus Christ will be living His life through us, by His Holy Spirit. What is it like when we live for the desires and motivations of another (Jesus Christ)? There is so much good which is derived from living the Christian life as it was meant to be, that it overrides and is able to glorify the difficulties of our cross. How? Because we have been allowed to participate in God’s Divine Nature. This fact is an incredible truth, to actually be sharers in God’s nature. 2nd Peter 1:4.

First and foremost, the realm of love we are living in: This God-type (agape) love we receive from God allows us to live with an attitude of unbelievable security: not only the security we have for all eternity, but a love that gives us strength and confidence, regardless of what the world throws at us. What I mean is that we become invincible—or it at least seems that way—against all the schemes and plots of the devil. I believe it would take volumes to describe all that God’s love is able to accomplish. The best way to describe this love is that it is not even close to the human love many of us live by. If human love was valued at one dollar, the love we receive from God is worth one billion dollars, and even that is not a good comparison. That love gives us the ability and desire to love our hurting neighbors and even our despised enemies. This love must actually be experienced to be understood.

Then comes the completeness we become aware of. What is meant by this is that we don’t need or desire the admiration and approval of others to make us feel good about ourselves. In short, we don’t need the things that bring satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment that the world so dearly needs: things that puff us up inside; in our own small way, we feel as if we must keep up with the Joneses (keeping in style with all the latest fashions, etc). The best way to describe this completeness is that, we Christians are so full of God-given greatness which nothing outside of us can complement. Let me tell you a secret: We all unknowingly desire this completeness, and in an attempt to satisfy our desire for wholeness, we pile up material things and attitudes so that the world will think we are the greatest. Continuing with the secret. . . we can tell how empty people are of real value on the inside by the amount of material things they have accumulated. Inwardly wealthy people (genuine Christians) don’t need—or better yet, don’t desire—any of that stuff, since they are inwardly satisfied with spiritual treasures.

And thirdly, this one is important for people who are concerned mostly, if not only, with their own spiritual welfare. We were not saved, born again, sanctified, justified, etc. by God as a means in itself. Though our holiness is necessary and important to God, it is a means of bringing others to God by how we live, what we say and how we love. That must be the Christian’s first and main concern. You see, we don’t count. Don’t get me wrong; God loves us with an undying love. But His concern is more so for the souls of the lost; somehow through our continued effort, God can convince them that His way is the only way to living a complete life.

These Godly attributes are the things that make our cross nothing more than pesky mosquitoes, if you will. We will survive the mosquitoes. And even if they bring our human body to the grave, we lose nothing, but actually gain real life. We must at all times keep in mind that this life is only a prelude/prologue to eternity. For that reason we must not place too much emphasis on this life, but keep our energies on all that God commands. For they are what will keep us walking the line Jesus Christ marked out for us, even though no one loves it when it seems the whole world is out to get us (the cross). It is in God’s plan, and for our own good, to bear the cross. If there is no cross in the lives of some, that is a good indication that their lives are not being lived in compliance with a God-ordained necessity, be it in the first century or in our present freedom-of-religion type of atmosphere. Let me paraphrase John 7:7. If the world hates us, it is because we testify that what it does is evil. Of course, we won’t know what evil the religious world is doing if we don’t make our life one with God’s Word, the New Testament. Don’t believe this blog, except for the New Testament verses; then check for yourself to see if they are in context with the rest of Scripture.

There are many, many verses that clearly describe the vile events that will follow those who willingly take up their cross daily. The following 25 verses are such: They may be boring and unreal in this culture with our freedom of religion. In America, that freedom we so treasure may have contributed to our lackadaisical attitude in continuing to proclaim and live what Christ started. And yet, when people in America and elsewhere adamantly live a lifestyle of obedience as commanded in the New Testament, many disagreeable situations (the cross) will follow them.

The majority of church-going people will never hear a sermon on these verses from the pulpit, regardless of how loving and godly the preachers may seem.

Romans 8:17. "Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his suffering in order that we may also share in his glory."

Acts 14:22. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God."

2nd Timothy 3:12. "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."

Hebrews 12:7. "Endure hardships as discipline: God is treating you as sons."

Matthew 10:22-23. "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another."

Matthew 24:9-10. "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other."

Matthew 5:44: "But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you . . ."

2nd Corinthians 1:3. "Praise be to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."

Luke 6:22. "Blessed are you when men hate, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man."

Luke 21:17-19. "All men will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will save yourselves."

Luke 21:12. "But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you."

Luke 11:49. "‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of them whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’"

John 15:18-20. "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belong to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you . . . If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also." Who Is Jesus referring to by the word “they”? Is it not the religious leaders? Things haven’t changed much in the last 2,000 years. Many of them are still the culprits.

John 17:14. Jesus speaking to our Heavenly Father: "‘I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am not of this world.’"

Acts 11:19. "Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen. . . ."

Acts 12:1 "It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them."

Romans 12:14. "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse."

1st Corinthians 4:12. "When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it."

Romans 8:35. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardships or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?"

2nd Corinthians 4:9. ". . . persecuted but not abandoned . . ."

Galatians 5:11. ". . . why am I still being persecuted?"

1st Thessalonians 3:4. "In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted."

2nd Timothy 2:3. "Endure hardships with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus."

2nd Timothy 4:5. ". . . endure hardships, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry."

Revelation 2:3. "You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary."

All these will be the result of carrying our cross, which most often is a blessing in disguise. There are at least two reasons we don’t see this cross in America: This country has become a nation of religious tolerance because of our freedom of religion, and secondly, the cross we are commanded to bear is not preached from the majority, if not all, of organized religion. Our cross has several specific purposes: Romans 5:3-5. "And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

Finally, even though this post on the cross, which openly displays what every genuine Christian must be prepared to bear, has been in the Bible for over 2,000 years, I am certain this teaching will seem new and therefore may be rejected by most, believing it is not relevant in our modern society. This may seem true, but if a good number of disciples of Christ started to become adamant about desiring to live as Scripture requires, and start exposing what many churches remain silent on, they will, in no time, be carrying their crosses. Amen.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

# 222: Need God?

As the last few words were being written, to this author’s surprise, many of the precepts in this post were new to him, as they might be to some of the readers. The question comes up, Where did the source of this information come from? Become a part of this blog. Feedback would be appreciated.

All life, especially human life, is needy. Our needs are many. We all have basic needs such as food, water, clothing, shelter, etc. Then we may have needs that start out as “wants,” but in time, some of these “wants” somehow are converted into basic needs.

The fewer needs we have or desire, apart from the basics, the better off we are. This may sound strange to some, and yet, if we examine our needs closely, we will discover that we become dependent on the very things that are supposed to enrich our lives. This fact indicates that the more dependent we are on our needs, the more our lives become enslaved by them. (Our needs and desires possess us, instead of us possessing them).

Therefore, looking at life from a Godly point of view, those with fewer needs are, in a real sense, wealthier than those who are dependent (dependency exposes weakness) on more of whatever needs have been acquired. That fact seems to say that fulfilling our desires and needs, even though they satisfy, makes some people poor though they may have piles of money in the bank.

There is a verse, Matthew 5:3, that would defy understanding from a worldly perspective. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Why would God bless the spiritual poor? Wouldn’t you think God would bless those who are rich in spiritual commodities? The answer may sound like a riddle, but not so. Those who are in desperate need for all that God offers are the blessed poor; they are poor because they, to a great degree are completely dependent on God, while those who believe they are spiritually rich in God’s sight may be of little or no account to Him. Again, that seems to be an oxymoron. A continual need for God, along with the lasting wealth He offers, is of great value to God, Christ and the human respondents.

Need and love are partners. If and when love and need are separated, they both will cease to exist. Love is no more than words when there isn’t need for that love. In order for us to love God as He requires, which is with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, there has to be a strong and growing need for Him. Without a display of that love and need for God, we are only fooling ourselves. We display that love for Jesus by being obedient to His teaching. John 14:23-24. "Jesus replied, ‘If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching . . . He who does not love me will not obey my teaching.’" These verses and at least four more identical verses in John, Chapter 14 and 15, describe a binding connection between love and obedience. Without love, there can be no obedience; without obedience, there is no love; without a need for both, we may be delving into nothing but beautiful yet empty religious words. The awareness of our spiritual needs starts our Divine ball rolling, which under the right conditions will never stop.

Why does God love His children with a special love? Because He, in a way, needs them. That statement is not a sacrilege. Without us to love Him, He would, in a sense, not be a God of love. Even as Almighty as God is, His love for us must be attached with need. If God’s love was not combined with need for His earthly children, then who would continue His Son’s work? Therefore, it is a privilege and honor to be loved and needed by God through Jesus Christ. Human love must be mutual for each other in order to function properly—love combined with need makes the two, one—Divine love does the same, but to an even greater degree.

Do you and I have a deep, all-consuming love for God which springs from need and makes us one with Him? Before we can answer this question, we must first of all be honest with ourselves, and second, find out what ways are we dependent on Him. This is a critical question. Remember, our complete Salvation works this way: Faith in Christ and all He has done for us comes first; that faith, if genuine, produces love and need for our heavenly Father; finally, that faith along with our love-need combination for God, produces obedience. Take just one of the above criterion away and we end up with a bunch of powerless words. Said another way, those requirements cannot be compromised. I did not make up these absolutes; this Biblical blog is more than descriptive, in bringing them emphatically out into the open. This test will tell us if we are just fooling ourselves. It is bad enough to be fooled by others (Satan working through the lives of many deceptive church leaders), but even worse is to fool ourselves. Who wants to play the part of a fool?

Several of the major problems in Christianity are: We—including this author—do not love/need God as much as is required, nor do we love our neighbors as ourselves. If that isn’t difficult enough, we are commanded to love our enemies. I can tell you from experience; it isn’t an easy task to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, along with loving our neighbors and enemies. They are the main criteria that unequivocally tell us we are worshiping the true God. To my knowledge, no other religion incorporates those three.

That is where the hard part of being a genuine Christian comes into play. Besides love for other humans, which isn’t always peaches and cream, I ask this question: Why does God expect/demand the type of passionate intensity in our love for Him which should make all our other loves seem like hatred?

Answer: Anything less would endorse/espouse mediocrity; Christianity could not and would not function as required with half-baked followers. Then some would ask: "Who can actually love God to that degree?" God’s high standard is such that no matter how holy and devoted people may be, they still will not reach the zenith of love for God; there will always be need for more. That would imply that one can never come to the point where he/she can start resting on one’s laurels. There will always be a need to strive to a higher degree of love for God: That Holy Grail is perfection.

This all-encompassing love for God is the main foundation for all else that follows. Even faith in Christ for Salvation would be null and void without an active desire to continue to love God as described in the aforementioned manner. Put another way, it could be summed up in these few words: "From first to last, Christianity is a religion of Divine love for God and neighbor." No more, no less.

Every genuine Christian is at a different level of love for God. A person just born again today (being saved) may not be aware of the importance to have love for God and our need to receive His love to survive in a world-in-rebellion that is dominated by self-interest. But in a very short time, he/she will become aware of the need for our mutual love relationship, which we must have with our Creator. That is an absolute. Of course, it all hinges on whether one is a genuine Christian.

This type of setup for loving God makes every believer qualified to have their names written in heaven, regardless of what level of love for God they are at. Only one dire word of caution: no stonewalling; there must be growth in love for God at all times. Love for God is never dormant; it is like having one foot on a banana peel and one in hell. It is a crying shame that there are many in a stagnant relationship with God, which is no relationship at all.

Loving God with all our faculties is an active venture of continually negating many worldly things and attitudes we had been engaged in; though they may not be sinful in themselves, they rob us of what is needed to devote prime time to Godly activities. This unpleasant part of Christianity—which isn’t unpleasant at all once we actually are starting to experience the life of Christ—is what many denominations are silent on; they somehow or another circumvent this most crucial part of God’s plan of Salvation with feel-good holy bull, which many accept as truth and therefore may be denied passage into real life.

In conclusion, as one can tell, there is need in every phase of the Christian life. Become aware of those needs and then pray to God that He inspires us to fulfill them. All life is needy in one way or another. Let us examine our lives to see if we truly need God. He needs us, although His need is not desperate, where our need for Him must be whole hearted; halfhearted love will never do to please God. Please, for your sake, keep your love for God alive and growing. That is the secret to living the Christian life to its fullest. Every human on earth needs God’s love, although the majority are not aware of that fact. Remember, love is the solution to every earthly problem. Let your need for love (God’s love) be known by loving God and those in need. That is the Christian life. Amen and amen. God will bless all who take the words in this post to heart and put them into practice. jc@exposing-pseudo-Christianity.org

Saturday, October 06, 2007

# 221: Be on Guard

Living in a world where just about everyone is looking out for their own skin, it is extremely necessary to be on our guard from people who want to take advantage of us for their own selfish interests. Even though the majority of the world’s population is honest, quite often their honesty is self-motivated.

There are millions of us being scammed by con-artists and unscrupulous people on the Internet. Their kind is growing by leaps and bounds. Identity theft is always on the increase. It is difficult to guard ourselves since we use our credit card whenever possible. And all it takes is for one thief to get hold of our credit card number, and they can, with false identity, rob us blind and make our future a living hell in trying to clear our name.

But the most prevalent and successful of all con-artists—abbreviation for confident man/woman—are those who are accepted by the majority as upright and loving people. These are the ones that are almost impossible to detect. I am talking about many of the religious leaders around the world. They will say and do anything to get our money and devotion. One of the ways they do this is to “whitemail” us by using Holy Scripture in no uncertain terms: If we don’t give to the cause of Christ—actually, it is their own cause—we will go to hell.

The main reason for the origin of this blog is to expose pseudo- Christianity. They are the ones we must be on our guard against. Many of them are as slippery as deadly snakes. They are killers of our souls, the most important part of us. They know exactly what to say and not to say that seems in agreement with the Holy Bible. They emphatically use holy words from Scripture as the upright clergy uses. Matthew 16:6 and 12. "‘Be careful,’ Jesus said to them. ‘Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’” It is repeated in verse 16; then the apostles understood what He was saying: "Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Luke 12:1 says: "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." Webster says that hypocrisy is: “a pretending to be what one is not; a pretense of virtue, piety, etc." Also read Matthew, Chapter 23, to see what Jesus thought of the religious leaders. It is no different today in many churches.

In that case, how are we to tell the difference between those who would give their lives to save our souls, and those that have been lovingly exploiting us since who-knows-when? The answer is not cut-and-dry; it depends on one’s desires. If one is intimately familiar with the New Testament and has a desire to be obedient to what it commands, most likely they can’t be tricked. For those who are not acquainted with New Testament Scripture, there is little hope for them of knowing the difference.

Another excellent way of telling who is who is to look at the ones who preach material wealth and prosperity and the good things in this life according to the Old Testament; they are the slippery snakes along with those who preach how easy it is to be Christians: Just accept Christ as Lord and Savior and you are heaven-bound. The “‘once saved, always saved” crowd, and there are millions of them, especially the Baptists, etc.: Billy Graham has been their main spokesman since the 1950s. Click on post # 152: “Billy Graham: Man of God?” Every false preacher has his own ploys ; so as to keep his/her seats full and their coffers overflowing. They use the holy name of Jesus Christ to their own advantage. They are attractive, always smiling: lazy experts, shrouded in deceptive greed.

Then there are those (the laity) who live in a worldly way, accepting most of what is going on in the world as okay for them to indulge in, be it sports, visual entertainment, making life as easy as possible, or always looking forward to having a good time. They would be easy prey for slick-mouth preachers. The largest group, who may never know the difference are those who keep their religion in their back pocket and never once think of God, Christ or Godly things during the day. The only time God comes to their conscious mind is when in a church building or in desperate need and yell out, "O God, please help me."

There are many more indications of false religious leaders, and the New Testament could, and most likely would, expose them all. As I have said dozens of times, read the New Testament and put into practice what is commanded; then God and I guarantee that you will be on the straight and narrow road to heaven. Any less is putting one’s own soul (spiritual being) into deadly danger.

Another evil force we must be constantly on guard against is demonic terrorists. They are the silent terrorists who don’t bomb large buildings but kill their enemies (God’s people) with sly, subtle and insidious ways. We all are prone to this evil force. Our country is on guard against Islamic terrorists, and rightly so. But the bigger and more deadly force comes from the enemy within. Listen to what Luke has to say in Luke 12:4-5. "I tell you my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body [Islamic terrorists, etc.] and after that can do no more. But I will show you who you should fear: fear him [God] who, after killing the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him." Proverbs 1:7. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." The Old Testament gives several hundred verses that exhort us to fear only the Lord God Almighty, while the New Testament tells about a dozen times to fear the Lord. Here is just one: Acts 10:34- 35. "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right."

This above section of scripture has been distorted because of a misunderstanding in several ways. It does not mean we should not guard against those who mean us harm, but more importantly, we are to guard ourselves against having a lack of fear of Almighty God. Along with that, Jesus is indirectly saying that, as grievous as the death of our physical body is, the death of our soul (inner spirit) is a million times greater in value.

Also, Jesus is implying when we are in the good grace of our Savior, death is not to be feared. That doesn’t mean we should kill ourselves, which would annihilate all the good we have done so far. Of course, there is a time when life is more precious than other times: when we have small children who need a father and mother, a spouse whose life depends on our survival, or people who totally depend on us; it would be devastating to them if we were to die. For most genuine Christians, it would be beneficial to go with the Lord. In most cases, the ones who suffer are those left behind.

When all things are considered which are of primary importance, we must be constantly on guard as to all our actions to make certain they conform with all that New Testament Scripture commands, while also having an awesome fear of our God, since He has no choice but to send us where we don’t desire to go when our lives do not conform to His law of love. Our lives on earth will tell Him how we desire to act when in His presence. His mercy and grace, as wonderful and essential as they are, cannot bend the rules, even though He is a God of love. For that reason, we must always be on our guard, making certain our church leaders are on the up- and-up. And again I must emphasize that the New Testament is the only source of truth, when it is read with a pure heart and not attempting to justify our preconceived beliefs.

Just remember that the Holy Book has been read by thousands, even millions of people, and just about everyone comes up with conflicting views as to what it teaches. You and only you must be certain your understanding is the purest, holiest and most loving, which can be given to what it is attempting to teach us. That in itself is an awesome task, to say the least. I personally have been doing that for over 40 years. That is the reason some of what is written in this blog may seem farfetched. We must always remember that if Jesus Christ did nothing else, He turned the world’s values, which are derived from our sinful nature, upside down.

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is no small task; it will take every fiber of our internal fortitude to live in a way that pleases the one who loves us and gave Himself for us. Isn’t that what every person who calls themselves Christian should be doing? This is a solemn warning: Be on your guard.