Tuesday, February 16, 2010

# 296: The Worldwide Hoax of Epic Proportion, Part 1

This post will display beyond a shadow of a New Testament (NT) doubt that the Christian religion as it has been preached and taught for centuries—via its leaders—is not the complete gospel. There are multitudes of intricate verses and sections which are not popular to those who go to church (the laity); therefore, they are almost never, if ever, included in the sermons or in church teachings.

How far off-track many who claim to be disciples of Christ have gotten from living as the New Testament dictates. It really isn’t totally their fault. The religious leaders from the first century until now have been making it as easy as possible for all who claim Christianity.

Never forget this: The only genuine source of how Christianity must be lived is found nowhere else but in the NT of the Christian Bible. All who stray from the holy criteria either by the written/spoken word or deed are heretics.

That action automatically and without anyone’s knowledge makes the many promises of God’s love and eternal life, etc., invalid. This is a harsh judgment, but nevertheless true, as you will clearly see and understand. For anyone to change so that their lives and belief will conform to these so-called hidden verses will be extremely difficult, because that Godly teaching has turned the human value system upside-down.

This post will go through the 27 books of the NT in a comprehensive way never before attempted. It will only quote the many verses that are seemingly nonexistent. The personal comments will be placed into brackets so as not to confuse anyone.

The majority of the NT is a documentary of the Christian life in the first century and personal letters to certain churches, along with some addressed to specific individuals. The historical part will not be mentioned; only the verses that are pertinent and have been ignored by church leaders will be quoted. By negating these important verses, it made having genuine faith and love for God and Christ nonexistent, regardless of how many words of faith and love are spoken.

I can understand why people were ignorant of what Scripture taught before the 14th century; they had to rely on the spoken words from pulpits, since copies of the NT were not printed until the 14th/15th century, and only the extremely rich people could afford them. But now there are no excuses since bibles are to be had in every bookstore, etc.

The Apostle Paul gave all of us several warnings referring to people claiming to be Christians, having only a form of godliness but denying its power. These upcoming verses accurately describe our 21st century. 2nd Timothy 3:1-5. “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves [this is displayed in women more than men], lovers of money [why do we need a “cost of living index” that must keep rising yearly to keep our country stable? Because we love money], boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy [very few know what the word “holy” means anymore. It means to be separate from unnecessary things that are ungodly], without love, unforgiving, slanderous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God [this has increased in the 20th century to a great degree, and has continued unabated in the 21st century], having a form of godliness but denying its power.”

Acts 20:29. “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on our guard!” [Are we on our guard for preachers who only want to entertain us?]

By the way, the majority of these upcoming verses have been mentioned throughout this blog, some multiple times. All verses will be taken from the New International Version of the New Testament.

Before I get to the verses, let’s tap into a likely conversation between Satan and Almighty God before the beginning of time.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Satan: Even though you are an Almighty God, you can’t stop me from tricking many, hopefully all those who will claim to worship you.

God: You don’t have to tell me that; I knew your schemes before I even created you. You know, I couldn’t stop you since I gave all living entities a free will. But know this: There will be a few whom you cannot fool; they are the ones who will believe and act upon all my detailed instruction in a book that I will give them.

Satan: I don’t believe that. I want and will have everyone to be with me forever. This is how I will do it: I will form many churches that bear your name. I will get that book and stealthily encourage my silver-tongued henchmen to teach and preach comfort/sugar-coated messages that don’t require much, if any, effort, while downplaying the challenging sections that require diligence and endurance. As if you don’t already know it, most people are unknowledgeable and gullible when it comes to religious matters.

Here is an interesting fact: All modern up-to-date Bibles address the Holy Spirit as the Counselor, Helper, Advocate, or Divine Helper. The only one that addresses Him as the Comforter is the King James, which was first written in the 16th century. That was because much older manuscripts were not yet discovered that reveal the true mission of the Holy Spirit, which is to counsel and instruct.

One of the most natural desires of all humans is to desire comfort. And the spiritual comfort we receive from becoming a Christian is to be loved by God and Jesus Christ along with the certainty of eternal life. But the comfort of making the Christian religion easy by remaining silent on hundreds of challenging verses is the diversion that made our holy religion a mockery.

The first book of Matthew 3:8. “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” 3:10. “. . . and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” 5:3. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” 5:11. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you because of me.” [My question is this: Why or who would want to persecute Christians in America? The general public accepts Christians as good and honorable people. Atheists are the only ones who verbally attack us, which really doesn’t hurt.] 5:39. ‘“But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person.” 5:42. “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” 5:44. “Love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you.” 5:48. “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” 6:19-21. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 6:24. “You cannot serve God and Money.” 7:6. “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls before pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.” [To be able to understand who are pigs and dogs and who are not, this verse requires verse 10:16. “be as shrewd a snakes and innocent as doves”]. 7:13. “Enter through the narrow gate.” [This verse implies that where the multitudes are going is not the straight and narrow. Only a few will make it]. 7:21-23. “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will say to them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” [This verse dogmatically teaches that just because a person is doing great things in the name of Christ doesn’t mean he/she is automatically a genuine Christian. One must look at one’s life and teaching to see if it conforms with the scriptures that this post is bringing to the surface]. 10:8. “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” [Why don’t we see any of these happening nowadays? When someone is doing great things for Christ, they must accept only minimal donations (just enough to get by) so that the person will remain humble. Money has the ability to puff up the holiest of people]. 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.” [Our government says, “No, we will not flee; we will be the greatest and strongest nation in the world.” Does that make America a Christian country as many claim?] 10:34. “I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies will be members of his own household.” 10:37-39. “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” [Nothing must interfere with doing the Lord’s work, not even our dear love for family. The cross Jesus is talking about is not a wooden or ornamental cross; the cross was and still is a symbol of suffering, pain and death. They are the consequences of being a disciple of Jesus Christ, even in our country]. 11:25. “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.” [Several places in Scripture, Jesus addresses his disciples as children, meaning uneducated and common people]. 12:8. “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” [Is He still Lord of the Sabbath? The Sabbath, the 4th commandment in the Old Testament, is Saturday, the 7th day of the week. Who changed it to Sunday, the 8th day of the week? Not the NT; it was most likely the religious leaders of the early centuries, as a way of separating their new religion from Jewish teachings. Check out post # 137: “Something To Remember.” 13:23. “What was sown among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.” [Other than leading a pure and holy life, all Christians must bear Christian fruit/works. No fruit implies no Salvation]. 19:21. “If you want to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”[Of course, except all the essentials necessary to keep our own families from going to the poor-house]. 19:23. “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” [This complete blog does an excellent job of explaining why it will be difficult for the wealthy to enter heaven]. 21:43. “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you [religious leaders] and given to a people who will produce its fruit.” [Chapter 23 clearly tells how Jesus labeled, in no uncertain terms, the religious leader as the scum of the earth, as they really were. It is no wonder they had Him killed]. 24:4. “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ’ [I represent Christ] and will deceive many.” 24:10. “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many.” [How can a Christian tell when someone is a false prophet? Only one way: by comparing what is preached and practiced by the teachings and commands in the NT. And not so much by what they teach but by what they don’t teach, as this post will continue to openly display]. 24:13. “but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” [Standing firm to all that is taught in the NT will sometimes not be easy and doesn’t happen automatically as some “Once-saved-always-saved” churches believe]. 28:19-20. “Therefore go make disciples of all nations . . .and teaching them [us] to obey everything I have commanded you.”

[The book of Mark is very similar to Matthew’s gospel. Therefore, I will not quote the identical verses again]. 3:35. “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” [Are you and I doing ALL of God’s will?] 9:23. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” [Is that verse still valid today?] 9:42. “And if anyone causes one of these little ones [His followers] who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.” [About whom might Jesus be talking if it wasn’t the religious leaders?] 10:15: “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” [The one thing that children lack is doubt; that is what makes their faith so special. How can we remove doubt from our lives?] [Even though the next two verses are well known, I will still quote them]. 10:24-25. “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” [Jesus is saying it is impossible for a camel to go through an eye of a needle. And it is impossible for a rich man to enter heaven.] 11:24. “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer [If it is according to God’s will], believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” 12:30-31. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is like this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” [I have heard it said by several pastors that to obey them with all one’s ability is utterly impossible. What a lie. By believing that lie, the complete foundation of God’s plan of Salvation is corrupted]. 13:11. “Just say what is given you at that time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.” [Since the two most reliable early manuscripts do not have Mark 16:9-16:20, I will not quote from this section].

The book of Luke is the most detailed of all the four gospels. It reveals a treasure trove of pertinent information. 1:50. “His mercy extends to those who fear him.” 1:51. “he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.” 1:53. “He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” 3:8-9. “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. . . . and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. [Jesus is not concerned with edible fruit but people who claim to be Christians but do not produce good fruit/works]. [The devil speaking to Jesus] 4:6: “I will give all their authority and splendor, for it has been give to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours.” [The devil is still speaking] 4:10. “For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” [That verse comes from Psalms 91:11-12. That verse implies that the devil knows the complete Bible. This evil creature knows every trick in the book. Satan the devil most likely is the smartest entity in our world apart from our Almighty God. That is the reason he has the multitudes following him and many of them in the name of God and Christ. If anyone is not obeying and practicing what the NT commands, chances are it will be impossible to separate from his ironclad grip. Please don’t forget this: You are not fooling around with a pussycat but with the ingeniously persuasive god of all evil]. 4:13. “When the devil had finished all his tempting, he left him until an opportune time.” [The devil never gives up. Here is another bit of information: Satan has a harder time keeping his unbelievers (atheists) in his ranks than the religious, especially those belonging to organized religion who belong to him.] [The 6th chapter of Luke is similar in several ways to Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount. I will quote just a few verses. 6:20-21. “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.” 6:24. “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.” 6:25. “Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.” [I am guilty of that one]. 6:26. “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.” [I wonder how Billy Graham thinks about this one, since just about everyone think he is a great man of God]. 6:27. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” 6:46. “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” 8:3. “These women were helping to support them [the disciples] by their own means.” 9:62. “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back [dwells of all the worldly pleasures one has/will miss, or thinks they are permanently justified as they look back at all the good works they has done] is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” 11:27-28. “‘Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.’ He replied, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”’ [To emphasize and demand obedience with punishment of excommunication has been nonexistent, to my knowledge, in all denominations except Jehovah’s Witnesses]. 2nd Corinthians 10:6. “And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.” 12:1. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees [modern religious leaders], which is hypocrisy.” 12:12. “for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” [This verse is important enough to repeat. We don’t have to rely on the clergy to teach us since God’s Holy Spirit will teach us. A vast amount of material in this blog did not originate from this author. I write it down without any pre-knowledge of what to write. Since the majority is not in conflict with God’s Word, I assume it is the Holy Spirit speaking through me]. 12:15. “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” [How often have you heard a preacher warn against greed? Of course they now call it prosperity]. 12:19. “And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’” [Isn’t that the desired motto in America?] 12:32-34. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for the father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” [How many religious leaders advocate/agree with these three verses?] 13:24. “Make EVERY EFFORT to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you will try to enter and will not be able to.” [Are you and I making every effort to enter through the narrow door? If not, what will happen to us?] 14:33. “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” [When was the last time you heard this verse being preached?] 14:15. “What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.” [To the unregenerate, this is the most stupid verse that Christ ever preached. My question to you is why are highly valued things detestable in God’s sight? Answer: because their enticing attraction keeps people away from Jesus Christ]. 18:8. “However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” [Why would Jesus ask such a provoking question?] 21:15. “For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.”

[The gospel of John is unique in several ways. We will tap into a few of them]. 3:36. “Whoever believes in the Son of God has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” 4:25. “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and truth.” [How does one worship in spirit and truth?] 6:28-29. “What must we do to do the works God requires? Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.’” 6:45. “They will all be taught by God.” 6:40. “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” [How come the majority of churches believe that as soon as believers die, they go straight to heaven?] 6:66. “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.” [Are these disciples that left Jesus still going to heaven, as the “once-saved-always-saved” believe?] 7:7. “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil.” [As disciples of Christ, He is our only role model; that means we should be doing the same as He did: testifying that what the people of the world do is evil; then they will have reason to hate us also]. 8:31. “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” 10:28-29. “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” [This is one of the verses used to substantiate “eternal security.” Only thing; disobedience to NT commands by any Christian would make this verse non-effective.] 12:48. “There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.” 14:15. “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” [To obey not only the commands that make one feel comfortable, but also the commands that this post is bringing to light that seem impossible to implement in this me-first world.] 14:21. “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.” 14:23-24. “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching . . . He who does not love me will not obey my teaching.” [It could not be any clearer than that]. 15:2-4. “I am the vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit. . . . Remain in me and I will remain in you.” [Are you and I bearing fruit, and what is the quality and quantity of that fruit?] 15:8. “This is to my father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” [The only way God, others and we will know for certain if we really belong to Christ is if we are bearing MUCH fruit. Let’s stop fooling ourselves in hoping that God’s grace and mercy will take up the slack; it can’t happen. Nothing can take the place of bearing fruit, because the fruit is what keeps the Christian ball moving.] 15:16. “You did not choose me, but I chose you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” 15:20. “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” [Why don’t we see persecution in America at this time?] 16:13. “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.” [We, who can read, don’t need church leaders to teach us how to live and believe any more than we need a hole in our heads]. 16:33. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.” [The reason we don’t have trouble is because the majority of Christians blend in very well with how the world lives.] 17:20. “My payer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me [us] through their message. . .”

The book of Acts is basically the history of the early Christian church. 5:32. “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” [If anyone claims to be indwelled with the Holy Spirit but doesn’t start to obey these partially hidden verses that are being presented in this post, forget it; you must have the wrong spirit]. 5:42. “Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.” [How come we are not doing the same thing?] 14:22. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” [Are we excluded from hardships or is something radically wrong?] 16:13. “On the Sabbath [Saturday, not Sunday] we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer.” 19:11. “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul. Handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.” [Why don’t we see this type of healing nowadays?] 20:35. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” [This verse is referring to helping the weak and the needy, not rich churches]. 26:20. “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.” [Again, it is our deeds that are conclusive proof that our repentance and conversion are real].

Some sections of the book of Romans are the most difficult to fully understand, especially the 7th chapter. I will do my best to help in its understanding. 1:5. “to the obedience that comes from faith.” [To those who profess Christianity but don’t obey the verses that are not easily implemented without some sort of sacrifice, their faith is weak or nonexistent]. 1:17. “a righteousness that is by [active] faith from start to last. . .” 2:6-7. “God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.” 6:11. “In the same way, count yourselves as dead to sin but alive to Christ Jesus.” [Believe that your desire to sin has been destroyed]. [The 7th chapter of Romans, as it is understood by many who claim to be Christians, has done more damage to the gospel message than any other section of the NT. I have gone to great lengths to explain what the Apostle Paul was saying. Click on post # 248: “The Knack of Making Sin Acceptable.” It is lengthy and may have to be read several times to be fully understood.] 8:9. “And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” 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.” 12:2. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” [This is a tough call that is repeated through the NT]. 12:14,17, 20. “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” “Do not repay evil for evil.” “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.” 13:8. “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another. . .” [Debt is the most deceptive type of poverty; making yourself and others believe that you have plenty]. 16:26. “so that the nations might believe and obey him—to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.”

1st Corinthians is an instruction manual to a newly formed church in Corinth. 1:27. “But God chose the foolish things of world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of world to shame the strong.” [That sounds like me: foolish and weak]. 2:16. “But we have the mind of Christ.” [Do you and I have the mind of Christ?] 4:16. “Therefore I urge you to imitate me.” [The apostle Paul, the most saintly man in the NT except for Jesus Christ]. 4:20. “For the kingdom of God of not a matter of talk but of [Christ-like] power.” 7:19. “Keeping God’s commands is what counts.” [That is exactly what church people are not taught to do, because of the silence of the clergy.] 7:35. “but that you might live in undivided devotion to the Lord.” 10:12. “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall.” [If you are a Baptist, you don’t have to be concerned; you have “eternal security”: “Once saved, always saved.” Sure! 10:24. “Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.” 11:1. “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” 14:34: “Women must remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak.” 15:2. “By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.” Again, the Baptists, etc., don’t have to believe this verse. I am being facetious]. 15:58. “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” [Has anyone ever heard that verse preached from the pulpit and enforced?] 16:22. “If anyone does not love the Lord—a curse be on Him.”

# 295: The Worldwide Hoax of Epic Proportion, Part 2

2nd Corinthians 2:11. “. . . in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” 2:17. “Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit.” [For modern church leaders, “profit” is the name of the game]. 4:2. “we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, we set forth the truth plainly.” [That is exactly what this blog has been attempting to do for almost five years]. 4:4. “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” [Make sure your belief is coated with Christ-like action; otherwise it might be unbelief]. 5:15. “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” 5:20. “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” [Are we living as ambassadors of God?] 6:10. “poor, yet making many rich [spiritually]; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” [of real value]. 8:9. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” [Spiritually]. 9:7. “for God loves a cheerful giver.” [This verse is quoted by the clergy more than any other verse in the complete NT. And any fool can see why]. 10:6. “And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.” [The reason I repeat this verse is because if punishment were administered in modern Christianity for infringements to Scripture, our religion would be a whole new ballgame]. 11:13-15. “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is no surprise, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” [Expert con men/women find it easy to play the confidence game with gullible religious people and make it their lifetime career. Don’t let this shock you. The ones that seem the most lovable and considerate, especially those who are handsome/beautiful like Joel Osteen and his wife, are the best in their field. All they want is your money so that they can continue with their easy and respected life. They are not fools; they will continue to tell you exactly what you desire to hear. The only way you can find out what their true colors are is to ask why they don’t teach the verses that this post is bringing to the surface]. 13:2. “On my return I will not spare those who have sinned earlier or any of the others, since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me.” 13:8. “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.” [The criteria for that test must be all the instructions in the complete NT]. 13:11. “Aim for perfection.” [Sure; who is perfect?]

Galatians is a troubling church for the Apostle Paul. 1:8 “But if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned.” 1:10. “Am I now trying to win the approval of men or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” [Pastors who are trying to please people are not servants of God.] 2:20. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” [Can you and I say the same thing?] 4:19-20. “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you.” [Is Christ formed in you yet? If not, why not?] 5:6. “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” [If there is no obedience, there is no love. If there is no love, there is no faith]. 5:16. “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” 6:9. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Ephesians is Paul’s most optimistic letter. 1:19. “. . . and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” 2:1-2. “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” 2:10. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do.” [Are church-going Christians doing what is commanded in this verse?] 2:22. “And in him [Christ Jesus] you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” [Are we a dwelling in which God can live?] 4:23: “to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” 5:1. “Be imitators of God.” [I can hear some saying, “You must be kidding”]. 5:6-7. “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.,”

Philippians 1:6 is a very popular verse with slackers, who thinking this verse can override their lack of obedience to these unpopular verses. 1:6. “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” 2:3-5. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” 2:12. “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” [How many are trembling with fear while they continue to work out their salvation?] 3:15. “And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.”

Colossians 1:10. “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work.” 1:23. “if you continue in your faith. . .” 3:5. “. . . and greed, which is idolatry.” 3:24. “. . . since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.” [Our reward is the promised inheritance].

1st Thessalonians 2: 4. “We are not trying to please men but God who tests our heart.” [We can’t hide anything from God]. 4:9. “Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourself have been taught by God.” [God is the Teacher]. 5:16. “Be joyful always; pray continually [How can anyone pray continually?]; give thanks in all circumstances [especially when bad things happen to you], for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

2nd Thessalonians 1:8. “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord. They will be punished with everlasting destruction.” 2:9. “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved.” [Do you love the truth or try to ignore it?] 3:6. “In the name of the Lord Jesus, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.” 3:14. “If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed. Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.” [Is this the way it goes in your church?]

1st Timothy 2:12. “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.” [Is this true in your church?] 4:1. “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” [And still call themselves Christians]. 5:15. “Some [widows] have in fact already turned away to follow Satan.” [Do they know they are following Satan or are they following their own sensual desires?] 5:20. “Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that others may take warning.” [This will never happen as our modern churches are set up. They don’t want to scare other sinners away from their churches.] 6:8. “But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” [My, how far have we strayed from how the Christian life should be]. 6:10. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” [It is not that they love money, but what money can buy and what it can do for them]. 6:20. “Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith.”

2nd Timothy 2:3-4. “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.” [This verse says that real Christians must not get involved in civil or even government affairs because they are contrary and infringe into Godly affairs]. 3:7. “always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.” 3:12. “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” 4:3. “Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

Titus 1:16. “They claim to know God but by their actions they deny him.” [Boy, if that isn’t true nowadays]. 3:10. “Warn a divisive person once, and warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him.”

Philemon 1:6. “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you may have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” [No sharing, no understanding].

Hebrews was written to a Jewish audience, and still we can get some vital instruction from it. 2:1. “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we heard, so that we will not drift away.” 3:6. “But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.” 3:14. “We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end the confidence we had at first.” 3:18-19. “And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.” [This verse clearly teaches that disobedience and unbelief are one and the same thing]. 5:9. “He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” [Disobedience is the most grievous action that separates us from God’s promises]. 5:14. “But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” [Are you a mature Christian? If not, chances are great that you cannot distinguish good from evil]. 6:12. “We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure.” [This next verse could be one of the most used and abused verses in the NT; anyone can see why]. 10:25. “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit if doing.” 10:26. “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.” [If anyone thinks they can deliberately sin and then somehow believe they will be forgiven, you better think again]. 11:6. “And without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who EARNESTLY seek him.” [emphasis added]. 12:14. “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” [Are you and I making every effort to be holy?].

[James is one of the toughest books on genuine faith when it is not combined with Christian works/deeds]. James 1:12. “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” 2:5. “Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eye of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?” [It sounds like this verse excludes all other classes of people from being rich in faith. The poor have good reason to love him, and from that love springs a rich amount of faith]. 2:18. “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” 4:4. “Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” [The word “world” refers to the activities, etc. that unbelievers engage in].

1st Peter 1:16. “Be holy, because I am holy.” 1:22. “Now that you have purified yourself by obedience to the truth.” [Continued obedience to the gospel allows us live up to the purity we by grace received from God]. 2:16. “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil.” [Evil in God’s sight is doing things that the people of the world engage in]. 2:21. “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” 3:9. “Do not repay evil for evil or insult for insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” 4:18. “And, ‘if it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and sinner?’”

2nd Peter 1:5. [Paraphrased] “For this reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness, knowledge, self control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. They will keep you from being effective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1:10. “Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things you will never fall.” [Some say, “Why do we have to be concerned about verses like this if we have eternal security?” This is an ongoing disaster; some people who think they are “christians” really believe they can never lose their salvation, even if they deliberately disobey NT commands]. 2:14. “they are experts in greed.” [Read the paragraph that precedes this short verse in 2nd Peter]. 3:14. “Make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.” [With at least half a dozen “make every effort” verses in the NT, living the Christian life is not going to be a “walk in the park” as some church leaders who preach a sugar-coated gospel insist]. 3:17-18. “Be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.” [Even though genuine Christians have a secure position, we still can fall into the arms of Satan].

[The book of 1st John repeats over and over again the deadly harm from being a friend of the world and disobedient to Christ’s commands]. 2:3. “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.” 2:6. “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” 2:15. “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 2:27. “You don’t need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing [The Holy Spirit] teaches you about all things. . .” 3:6. “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning.” 3:8-9. “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin.” 3:24. “Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them.” 4:16. “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” 5:3. “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.” [The apostle John makes his point, even though he is very repetitive].

2nd John 1:6. “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands.”

3rd John: Nothing of interest.

Jude 1:16. “They follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.”

Revelation: [Regarding the seven churches, those who overcome all the evil in the world will be rewarded with eternal life.] 14:12. “This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commands and remain faithful to Jesus.” 20:12. “The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.” [To verify that their faith and love were genuine]. 22:12. “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.”

Now that you know the whole truth, it will set you free, but only if you put into practice this new found truth. If not, you will continue to be a slave to your sins of omission. John 8:32. Paraphrased.