Sunday, September 2, 2018

What is true worship to God and what is not- Greek/Freemason Rebuttal PART 3

"I worship God through my membership in my organization" is a common statement heard from members of Greek/Freemason organizations when told their organization is one of Satan's evil attempts to deceive people. Is it true? Can a Christian claim they are worshiping the true God, Jehovah by the activities they partake in through their fraternity/sorority? What does the word of God say? What does it mean to "worship? These questions will addressed in the next points in this post series and those who have an ear to hear will hear from God the truth. Because this is a complex topic, this post will be broken down into four posts.

**This info sets the stage for each post:
First, what does it mean to worship in practical terms. Merriam defines worship as "to honor or reverence as divine being or supernatural power" or "two regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion".

John Piper (2016) gives this statement about worship of God, " The inner essence of worship is to know God truly and then respond from the heart to that knowledge by valuing God, treasuring God, praising God, enjoying God, being satisfied with God above all earthly things. And then that deep, restful, joyful satisfaction in God overflows in demonstrable acts of praise from the lips and demonstrable acts of love in serving others for the sake of Christ." (emphasis added)

Delesslyn Kennebrew (2012) wrote, "Worship is to honor with extravagant love and extreme submission(Webster's Dictionary,1828). True worship, in other words, is defined by the priority we place on who God is in our lives and where God is on our list of priorities. True worship is a matter of the heart expressed through a lifestyle of holiness." (emphasis added).

Giving sacrifices is a form of worship. In the Bible worship is defined in these scriptures:

Hebrews 13:15 "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name."

Romans 12:1-2 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Many who profess to be Christians and defend staying a member of their Greek/Masonic organization claim they are not idol worshiping, but again, we have look at what it means to 'worship'.

**This info sets the stage for each post

Point 7. If it quacks like a duck, swims like a duck, walks like a duck, is it a giraffe?

Many Christians believe that their initial rituals are godly because their rituals have Bible scriptures and God and Jesus as part of their rituals, but what many forget, Satan knows scripture too and when God is mentioned, what God are they actually referring to?
.
Here are a few lines from some of these organizations initial rituals, are these idolatrous or not?

Alpha Phi Alpha - "The hand of ALPHA PHI ALPHA shall defend and guide him from all sides as he goes"The candidate shall kneel and eat the food prepared by the gods for ALPHA PHI ALPHA men. ALL CHAPTERS are reminded that brutality and carelessness were never intended, and are not condoned and do not comply either with the spirit or intelligence of Alpha Phi Alpha, of Alpha Phi Alpha, the light of the world!

Omega Psi Phi- "My friends, we are now about to go through the most sacred part of the entire initiation; you are about to take upon yourself an oath which will bond you most intimately to every brother of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, and enlist you in a cause with
which you will at all times be expected to sympathize, whose principles you will uphold and defend, whose name you will honor, and to which you will give your full support, Think well of what you are doing; think of the responsibility you are taking upon yourself, and of your obligation to the Fraternity.
The taking of this oath (in direct contradiction to Matthew 5:33-37) is not a matter of mere formality, but a far more serious transaction. It is the centralizing of all the higher forces within one upon a great principle in the presence of Almighty God , the keeping of which immediately decides the man. On bringing you from the darkness of selfish and self-centered lives in to the fullness and light of life in Omega,

Alpha Chi Omega- "The nature of our Ritual is that of an art form-a pageant, a dramatization of our ideals set against a backdrop of classical Greek mythology. The message spoken by our Ritual therefore appeals to more than just our ears and our minds; to an extent it is also permitted to have a visual appeal and to stir our aesthetic sensibilities. It maybe considered spiritual in the sense that music or art or drama or poetry touch the spiritual aspects of our nature, but it is never to be viewed as a religious ceremony .
Iris leads the initiates to the temple door after they have been robed and the introduction to the Initiation Ceremony has been conducted.
To initiates: You, a Child of Darkness regarding the mysteries of our ancient sisterhood, have come form the Outer World seeking our inspired teachings. You are about to be conducted into the presence of those who are convened in the Temple of Light where the mystic rites of Alpha Chi Omega will be revealed to you."

Delta Sigma Theta- We believe in a spiritual life but we leave to the individual the selection of the medium for its outward manifestation.
A fire—mist and a planet A haze on the far horizon
A crystal ball and a cell, The infinite tender ski,
A jellyfish and a saurian, The ripe, rich tint of the cornfields,
And caves where cavemen dwell— And all the upland and lowland
The a sense of law and beauty The charm of the goldenrod,
And a face turned from the clod, Some of call it Autumn,
Some of us call it longing, and others call it God.
And others call it God.

Delta National Hym:
Delta! With glowing hearts we praise thee Delta Sigma Theta! We rejoice thee!

For the strength thy love bestow, Delta Sigma Theta! We pledge thee loyalty,
For the glowing grace of thy sisterhood, Devoted to truth; a bond our youth,
And the power that from it flows. That keeps our hearts clean and pure to the end.
Keep in us a strong endeavor, The bright gleam of thy vision has lighted the world;
And our souls to rapture raise. Delta Sigma Theta! Our Own!
Delta lights the flame, and ever
Warms our hearts her bonds to praise.

Delta! With loyal hearts we gather
To renew our vows of love;
In the forceful bond of devoted trust,
As our womanhood moves on.
Strengthen in us, old and younger,
As our ranks increase and grow;
Delta’s ideals, ever stronger,
Glorious in triumphant power.

Alpha Delta Kappa- It is important, as a member of ALPHA DELTA KAPPA, to know that these Greek letters signify qualities which we, as ALPHA DELTA KAPPA sisters, strive to emulate. They are represented by the mythological goddesses ATHENA, Demeter and Proserpina.

Before you is the Greek symbol ALPHA. ALPHA stands for ATHENA, who was in control of the air and the heavens. She was the GODDESS OF WISDOM, her name meaning “mind.” The Greek symbol ALPHA is the first in our name trilogy.
ATHENA had as her symbol the olive tree. Olive green was her color; therefore, in ALPHA DELTA KAPPA we take olive green as one of our colors.
The second symbol of our trilogy is the Greek DELTA, which signifies DEMETER, GODDESS OF SOWING AND REAPING known as the GODDESS OF THE EARTH.
As educators, our aim is to sow the desire for learning in the minds of youth in order that the benefits of knowledge and experience may be reaped by them and shared with their fellow men.
Demeter was symbolized by a sheaf of corn, and yellow was her color. Therefore, one of our colors is golden yellow, which, combined with the olive green of ATHENA, constitute the official colors of our sorority. When they are in combination, we are reminded that, as members of ALPHA DELTA KAPPA, our aims shall be the sowing and the reaping of knowledge.
The third symbol of our trilogy is the Greek KAPPA. It stands for KORE, whose Roman name is PROSERPINA GODDESS OF SPRING.
Mythology relates that she spent the spring and summer seasons on the earth making it beautiful with crops and flowers. Thus, as educators, we strive to awaken the minds of youth so that their lives may become more beautiful through the inspiration imparted to them. Proserpina is represented by the cornucopia, the symbol of plenty.
The purple violet has been chosen as our symbolic flower because it is most indicative of spring.

Are Alpha Phi Alpha, Omega Psi Phi, Delta Sigma Theta the light of the world or any other Greek/Masonic organization the light of the world? What does the Word of God say, Jesus says "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not work in darkness, but have the light of life" John 8:12.

Are Christians to have anything to do with crystal balls, mystic rites, eating foods of gods, align themselves with Greek gods/goddesses?

"There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these are an abomination to the LORD" Deuteronomy 18:10-12. (emphasis added).

All of these Greek/Masonic organizations have similar initial rituals and they all have some of the same qualities shared with witch coven rituals- ie candles, kneeling, darkness to light, exclusivity, secret handshakes/signs, oaths to their organization, Gnostic type of rhetoric 'now that you have become a member of XYZ fraternity/sorority, you now are 'special', you have secret knowledge unknown by the uninitiated. Again, some of these Greek letter organizations have some Bible scriptures and make references to God/Jesus along with the references that they are now representatives of the organization, NOT GOD! Ex Masons have revealed that part of their initiations they vow to not tell any of the secrets or they will be killed and cursed. Masons worship the Great Architect of the Universe (GAOTU)- ie Satan.

What is it to worship? "Oh come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker" Psalm 95:6. (emphasis added). Are Christians to "strengthen" themselves in the doctrines of men (their sorority/fraternity) or the word of God? Are Christians to hide the doctrines of God?

God will not be mocked, He is merciful, loving, just but also righteous and holy and hates idolatry and other sins. As believers, we are to study God's word and apply to every aspect of our lives, if something in my life does not align with what God says should be in my life, why I am keeping that thing/person/activity?

This is the word of God for those still unsure about their membership in their Greek/Freemason group or are thinking about joining one, don't listen to me and all the others who have woke up to the truth, listen to God!

God commands that His people be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people." Therefore, "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean and I will receive you. I will a Father to you, and you be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty." 2 Corinthians 6:14-18. In the initiation ceremonies you are yoking yourself to your 'brothers' and 'sisters' REGARDLESS if they are are a believer in Christ or not (which many are not).

This is point 7 of 10 in this series.

If anyone is interested in more information please click on this link:
https://www.outfromamongthem.com/

There is going to be a Day of Judgment, and God will judge everyone who has ever lived, His wrath is going to poured out on all the wicked and ungodly. The eyes of the unrepentant wicked need to be opened and the ears unplugged so they can see and hear the truth. In order for the children of Satan to become children of God they must believe The Good News , Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, born of a virgin; Jesus lived and died but He rose from Dead, and now offers anyone who will believe in Him Salvation. Salvation is a free gift from God, anyone who will believes in the shed blood of the risen Savior, Jesus, will know and have a real relationship with the true God. You can't work for it or buy because the price has already been paid with the Blood of Jesus Christ and Believing in Jesus gets us into the Kingdom of God and saves us from the righteous wrath of God. But that is not all, He gives us a new heart and mind NOW, and we receive some of His blessing from heaven NOW and are equipped to be able to live a life that is holy and acceptable to Him NOW. (Romans 6:9; 10:9-13, Ephesians 2:8, Isaiah 7:14, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave. (Romans 10:9-10)

2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus. (Mark 1:15, Matthew 4:17, Acts 3:19)

3. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord and God. (Romans 10:9)

4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ. (Acts 16:31)

This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived.

Bible verses related to this post: Proverbs 4:23; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Chronicles 29:11; Psalm 105:1; Psalm 16:2; Psalm 95:6; Matthew 5:15-16; Isaiah 12:4; Psalm 73:25; Psalm 9:2; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Psalm 103: 1-4; Psalm 63: 3-4, 7-8; Psalm 100; Acts 17:30; Ephesians 2:8-9; Psalm 47:6-7: 2 Corinthians 9:7; Matthew 22:37; Matthew 5:37; Matthew 5:33-37; Matthew 5:16; Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 6:21; James 4:4; 1 Corinthians 5:11; 1 Corinthians 10:20-22; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Galatians 3:28; Matthew 20:25-28; Romans Chapter 1; 1 Corinthians 13:1-3; Matthew 7:21-23; John 8:12; Deuteronomy 18:10-12

References: https://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/worship; https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/what-is-worship; https://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/bible-answers/spirituallife/what-is-true-worship.html; http://www.stichtingargus.nl/vrijmetselarij/g/greekindex.html

What is true worship to God and what is not- Greek/Freemason Rebuttal PART 2

**This info sets the stage for each post

Point 4. Membership

How does one become a follower of Christ? Who is welcome to become a Christian? "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent," Acts 17:30. (emphasis added).

To become a member of a Greek/Freemason organization you have to be selected by the members.

Is a Christian selected by God based on what they do or who they are? "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28).

To become a member of a Greek/Freemason organization you must meet their selective criteria to look a certain way, be a certain skin color, be financially secure, have done community service, make good grades in school, and have a "good" reputation. If a person does not meet all these qualifications their petition to become a member will be denied; and, membership dues cost thousands of dollars, and to continue to remain a member, members will continue to spend thousands of dollars on yearly assessments, dues, paraphernalia, and other activities to promote the fraternity/sorority/lodge.

What is the process for becoming a Christian? Is it done in secret, in the dark with candles, kneeling at an altar, saying pledges and oaths to the church that the person is a part of? To become a Christian there is no ceremonial type activities at all (aside from public water baptism), but to become a Greek/Freemason a person will have to go through a ceremony, make oaths and pledges to give their heart and loyalty TO THE ORGANIZATION!
Jesus warns for His people to NOT make oaths in Matthew 5:33-37 "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely but shall perform your oaths to the LORD.' "But I say to you, do not swear at all; neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. "But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,'No,' for WHATEVER IS MORE THAN THESE IS FROM THE EVIL ONE." (emphasis added).

Many try to deflect the issue about taking oaths saying things like, "You make oaths when you say the pledge of allegiance" or " You make pledges on your job" so there's nothing wrong with making pledges to their organization. Saying the pledge of allegiance or making a pledge at work are vastly different things than pledging your heart, mind, soul, and strength to an organization. I don't go around singing, "Oh, XYZ company, I love thee Oh, XYZ Company." People don't know what company I work for unless I wear some company t-shirt. And I don't pledge my heart, soul, strength to my job. God does not prohibit jobs, actually He expects able bodied people to work. Employers have expectations and as an employee me pledging to abide by that employers expectations is not idol worship; (now it is possible to turn a job into an idol but that is not the point of this post) and saying a pledge of allegiance to uphold the laws of the country I live in is still not the same as pledging my heart, mind, soul, strength.

Point 5. Identity

Another form or worship is good works, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16.

Does God look on the outside of a person, does He judge a person based on their clothing, skin color, bank account, prestige, education? No, God is no respector or persons. To be a part of these organizations you have to be deemed worthy by them, which is seeking acceptance by people, this is in direct opposition to the fact that God has already called His true followers worthy, we do not need to be accepted by man.
How should the public/non-believers identify a follower of Christ? According to Jesus, a true follower of His will be know by the 'love' that they show one another and genuine good works. Jesus makes it clear that just because a person does what is considered good works in the world does not mean those works meet God's standards, in fact Jesus calls them "works of lawlessness" (Matthew 7:23). Also, the love Jesus is talking about is agape, self-less, self-sacrificing love. If a person sees another person wearing a shirt, jacket, hat or anything else with that organizations emblems, what or who is that person going to acknowledge and identify first? If you see a guy wearing a shirt with Alpha Phi Alpha on it, you will assume this guy is member of this organization. Why do members wear paraphernalia? Is it to bring glory to God? Or is it to bring glory to themselves and their organization?

When new members are initiated into one of these organizations a common thing is for them to be given 'new names' called line name, another contrast is God gives His people new names like He changed Saul to Paul, and Abram to Abraham. Do these new line names represent newness in Christ or not? NO!!!

Point 6. Collusion

"Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you now know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." James 4:4. Many will profess they see the evil fruits of their organization (pride, lust, revelry, fornication, witchcraft, anger/rage, selfishness, covetousness, hazing) but they believe God wants them to stay to be a witness to their fellow members and they try to use scripture to justify this like the story of Daniel who was a slave in Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom. They miss the point that Daniel was not there by choice, he was a slave. People join Greek/Masonic organizations of their own freewill. Christians are called to a life of complete obedience to the Kingdom of God, to be holy, separate, to expose the works of evil but not make friends with it. The bible warns about colluding with the world, worshiping the things of this world and people, and participating in the sins of those who don't know God. Christians who are walking in the light are to not even eat with another believer who deliberately continues to live in sin, "But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner-not even eat with such a person." 1 Corinthians 5:11 and " Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?" 1 Corinthians 10:20-22.

These are points 4 thru 6 of 10.

If anyone is interested in more information please click on this link:

https://www.outfromamongthem.com/

1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave. (Romans 10:9-10)

2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus. (Mark 1:15, Matthew 4:17, Acts 3:19)

3. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord and God. (Romans 10:9)

4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ. (Acts 16:31)

This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived.

What is true worship to God and what is not- Greek/Freemason Rebuttal PART 1

"I worship God through my membership in my organization" is a common statement heard from members of Greek/Freemason organizations when told their organization is one of Satan's evil attempts to deceive people. Is it true? Can a Christian claim they are worshiping the true God, Jehovah by the activities they partake in through their fraternity/sorority? What does the word of God say? What does it mean to "worship? These questions will addressed in this post and those who have an ear to hear will hear from God the truth. Because this is a complex topic, this post will be broken down into four posts. This is post 1.

First, what does it mean to worship in practical terms. Merriam defines worship as "to honor or reverence as divine being or supernatural power" or "two regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion".

John Piper (2016) gives this statement about worship of God, " The inner essence of worship is to know God truly and then respond from the heart to that knowledge by valuing God, treasuring God, praising God, enjoying God, being satisfied with God above all earthly things. And then that deep, restful, joyful satisfaction in God overflows in demonstrable acts of praise from the lips and demonstrable acts of love in serving others for the sake of Christ." (emphasis added)

Delesslyn Kennebrew (2012) wrote, "Worship is to honor with extravagant love and extreme submission(Webster's Dictionary,1828). True worship, in other words, is defined by the priority we place on who God is in our lives and where God is on our list of priorities. True worship is a matter of the heart expressed through a lifestyle of holiness." (emphasis added).

Giving sacrifices is a form of worship. In the Bible worship is defined in these scriptures:

Hebrews 13:15 "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name."

Romans 12:1-2 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Many who profess to be Christians and defend staying a member of their Greek/Masonic organization claim they are not idol worshiping, but again, we have look at what it means to 'worship'.

Point 1. Life and Death are in the Tongue

Throughout the word of God it is clear God expects His followers to praise Him and a common form or praise is in singing songs. "Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding" Psalm 47:6-7.
Most of every church has a music ministry. What are those songs supposed to be about? Do choirs sing about the specific church denomination? Do they sing about the accomplishments of the church? No, for the most part, many sing praises to God/Jesus, songs about His grace, mercy, love, songs of thanksgiving.

When Greeks and Masons sing songs who are they praising? Who do they proclaim when it comes to their "good works"? Who gets the credit for their "good works"? Most if not all Greeks/Freemason have songs/chants that are proclamation of the 'greatness' of their organization and its members.

Here are a few examples of some the songs sung by these Greek/Masonic organizations:

Delta Beta Hymn Alpha Kappa Alpha
Delta Sigma Theta, how we love thy name I think I shall never know
And they blessed Sisterhood another love that thrills me so
Thru the coming years may we bring thee fame Dwells in my heart by night, by day
And ne'er forget the things for which you stood. as does my love for A.K.A.

Freemason Phi Beta Sigma
May freedom, harmony, and love Phi Beta Sigma sings in part of "Oh Sigma
Cement you in the grand design; Dear"...we raise our hearts in song, we
Beneath the Omniscient Eye above, pledge our loyalty...Phi beta is the life.
The glorious Architect divine

Point 2. God loves a cheerful Giver

Another form of worship is giving, being generous. Now, I understand that today, many churches today are nothing more than Satan's playgrounds where the money given is to just support the pastor's lifestyle, but for churches that are not ruled by Satan, the members give up their earnings for the furthering of God's kingdom. The money, time, resources are used to preach the gospel, tend to orphans, widows, help those in and out of the body who have various problems.

Where does all the money, time, resources go from members in Greek/Masonic organizations? Is it to spread the gospel? It is true some of them feed the homeless, have programs to help children, widows, but again who gets the credit for these activities? I know for a fact that many of the so called "good works" are nothing more than activities to promote humanistic activities to cater to the elite. One example, a chapter I was in holds a yearly scholarship pageant. What would be the result of all the activities to support this pageant, did we give out much money in scholarships? No, literally the event itself would cost near $100,000 dollars but we would only end up giving out about 17% of that in scholarships, all the rest went towards the event itself in expensive hotels/decorations/etc.

Point 3. Heart Ownership

The greatest commandment Matthew 22:37, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" and "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" Matthew 6:21. EVERY one of these Greek/Freemason have some song, chant, oath about their heart belonging the the organization. What do members of these organizations treasure? Many profess to treasure their organization, their songs and chants talk about their heart,mind, everything being given to the organization and they believe this is not worship?
These organizations demand that a persons's heart and loyalty belong to the organization. Followers of God are to above all else, guard our hearts with all diligence for out of them spring the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23).

These are points 1 thru 3 of 10. If anyone is interested in more information please click on this link:

https://www.outfromamongthem.com/

1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave. (Romans 10:9-10)

2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus. (Mark 1:15, Matthew 4:17, Acts 3:19)

3. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord and God. (Romans 10:9)

4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ. (Acts 16:31)

This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived.

Saturday, June 2, 2018

The Transforming Power of Pain

When sitting down eating a bowl of cereal or eating a sandwich with bread, most do not stop to think about about how the ingredients of their meal were made. Wheat is one of the world's most common food commodities found in many things to include cereal and bread. How wheat grows and sustains itself is one of God's fascinating creations.

Before wheat in a field can become a slice of bread it must first go through a grueling process. To get the edible part of the wheat plant it must first have it's head cut off, then the head must be beaten down (threshing) to remove the good part, the grains, from the rest of the head (Lamb, 2008; Wikipedia, 2018); after the threshing, the grains are then taken to a mill where they undergo more trauma to be separated into three elements by crushing the grain by either being ground by stones or a machine (Lamb, 2008).

Wheat is a self-sustaining plant, as one plant dies it metaphorically gives birth to a plant embryo which grows up in the same soil to become a new plant; the tools used may have changed, but this wheat growing process has been going on like this for thousands of years (Lamb, 2008). Farmers do everything they can to keep weeds (tares) out of their wheat crops.

This world is the wheat field of God, true Christians are the good wheat planted by God, unbelievers are the tares planted by Satan. (Matthew 13:24-30)

The life journey of wheat can be compared to a true follower of Christ.

Just like the wheat plant that must die for its species to continue to exist, Jesus Christ had to die so that those who will believe in Him could live forever as well. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4); and, just like full grown wheat plants must die so they can give birth to other wheat plants, Christians must die to self so that their life can become a harvest to help many others.

Without death there is no proliferation or continuing on because there is no new birth, a person who rejects God and continues to live in sin is a tare, a tare dies but it is not a death to give life to others, but instead it's a death into everlasting destruction and unending pain. (Revelation 21:8, Matthew 25:46).

I do not understand why many who claim they are Christians question God/their faith when bad things happen to them when God tells us in His Word, in 1 Peter 4:12, Acts 14:22, John 16:33, and 2 Timothy 3:12, that believers in Christ will suffer persecution, experience various trials/trouble, and must suffer much while on this earth.

A truth that is lost on so many is that it is through pain and the right kind of death we become the life sustaining and life giving children of God. If we will allow Him, God will use our pain to help untold amounts of other hurting people. This world is the threshing floor of God, the sickle and stones used on us are the trials, tribulations, the abuses, the betrayals, the heartbreaks.

Look a couple of 'wheats' and their threshing processes that gave birth to great harvests:

Karen Hands ministry: https://www.facebook.com/KarenHandsministry/

Karen is an acquaintance of pain, growing up physically, emotionally, verbally abused by husbands, rejected by family, God met her miraculously when she was on the edge of giving up on life, she had been so beaten up by those who were supposed to love her. She could have given to the lies of Satan that her suffering was useless, but she choose to believe God instead and her painful past has now given birth to the saving grace of the homeless and destitute in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

Charles.Mulli: https://www.facebook.com/MullyChildrensFamilyabout/?ref=page_internal

Abandoned by his family when he was just 6 years old, Charles had been brought up in a one bedroom hut in the slums of Kenya. He often went to bed hungry and in terror from witnessing his alcoholic father mercilessly beat his mother to near death. He woke up one morning finding his family gone. At a very young age he was living on the desolate streets, Satan tried to poison his young mind to hate God and people, but during his teenage years, he found Christ at a crusade. Charles' 'death' to self, in giving up any desires for revenge and or bitterness against his parents/God AND he gave up a very lucrative lifestyle, and has allowed God to use his pain to help thousands of children over the past 30 years who have been abandoned/abused on the streets of Kenya. (Jenkins-Moore, 2018; Mully-the Movie).

These are just a few examples of men and women who did not allow their painful pasts to stop them from truly forsaking all to follow Christ which is the charge for all who call themselves Christian.
What does a completely sold-out to Christ Christian receive in return?

God is a redeeming and rewarding God, as seen in another example from the Bible, Joseph knew about the transforming power of pain. He was rejected by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused of rape, spent many years wrongfully in prison, BUT God, never left his side, and Joseph went from slave to 2nd in command of a nation. Joseph demonstrated how to use the power of pain when he forgave his brothers for their wickedness against him when he said this: As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this-to preserve the lives of many people. Genesis 50:20. Joseph's pain saved a whole nation.

And so many others like- Job, Paul, Ester, Elijah, and the ultimate sufferer Jesus Christ our Lord did not allow the trials of their life to overtake them.

Today we can choose to allow ourselves to despise the grace, mercy, and love of God and harbor anger, bitterness, resentments about what God has allowed to happen to us or we can choose to allow the pain to transform us into mighty agents of God where our deaths give life to many others. The pain we are suffering is making us into the people God means for us to be.

There is power in our pain, I plan to be wheat on this earth until that time of separation comes. The pain we experience will work together for our good, it is never wasted. Praise God! - Brother Jamal Hampton.

1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave. (Romans 10:9-10)

2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus. (Mark 1:15, Matthew 4:17, Acts 3:19)

3. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord and God. (Romans 10:9)

4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ. (Acts 16:31)

This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived.

Bible verses related to this post: 2 Corinthians 4:8-18; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Matthew 13:24-30 ; Revelation 21:8, Matthew 25:46; 1 Peter 4:12; Acts 14:22; 2 Timothy 3:12; John 16:33: Luke 18:29-30; Genesis Chapters 37, 39 through 50, and 50:20
References: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/botany/wheat2.htm
https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/botany/wheat1.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threshing
https://www.facebook.com/KarenHandsministry/
Jenkins, L. June 2018, Father to the Fatherless in the Living Magazine

Monday, May 7, 2018

A Preview of World Without The True God.

As the rate of those who believe the Bible is true and are real followers of Christ continues to decline, what the world will be like when Satan's one world government comes into full power is quickly becoming a realization. As many in the Church of Christ, no matter the denomination, stay silent while the liberal, Satanic agenda pushes more sinful laws and outlaws truth, the world is welcoming Satan with open arms. The Satanic motto promoted by the wicked Aleister Crowley "Do what thou will" is being accepted by more and more people every day.

What is a preview of a One World Government where the Bible and what it says is outlawed? Let's look at the state of current affairs.

Why are thousands of people dying monthly from drug overdoses? Why do people turn to opiates, alcohol, cocaine, benzodiazepines for comfort?

In one year, drug overdoses killed more Americans than the entire Vietnam War did

2015 was the worst year for drug overdose deaths in US history. Then 2016 came along.

By German Lopez@germanrlopezgerman.lopez@vox.com Updated Jun 8, 2017, 1:17pm EDT

Why are thousands of adolescents a month trying to kill themselves? Is not the godless public school system giving the kids what they need? Is not teaching them that they are nothing more than molecules or evolved animals not helping their self esteem?

Leading causes of death

Leading causes of deaths among adolescents aged 15–19 years:

Accidents (unintentional injuries)
Suicide
Homicide

If the hedonistic sexual doctrines that homosexuality, beastiality, pedophelia, fornication, is so good, why is the rate of HIV/other sexually transmitted infections increasing? Thousands of miserable, lonely, people, why are they not satisfied with just "hooking up"?

2016 Sexually Transmitted Diseases Surveillance- STD's Increase Across The Country for Third Year

Music artists promote verses from the Satanic bible. Concerts with up-side-down crosses and other horrific imagery, all in the name of "entertainment" with many who believe they are Christians in the audience, singing, clapping, and dancing along as demons infiltrate their soul.

Pastors promoting, supporting, applauding movies about fornication, murder, witchcraft, adultery as if there is nothing wrong with any of these activities, it's just "entertainment".

As the world gets sicker, more depraved, and people continue dying from murders, diseases, drugs, the true Christians must wake from their slumber, remove the scales from their eyes, unplug their stuffed ears, and melt their cold hearts to return to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To stop listening to Satan's henchmen that preach you can live a life of sin and still be blessed, that God is a forgiving God and that everyone gets to go to heaven.

God is going to judge this world and He does protect His own, His enemies He will utterly destroy on this earth and in hell. Hell is not preached on the TV Faith based television stations neither is it preached in most pulpits in America today. Hell is joked about by musical and entertainment artists. None of them will be laughing when they come face to face with their Creator.

1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave. (Romans 10:9-10)

2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus. (Mark 1:15, Matthew 4:17, Acts 3:19)

3. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord and God. (Romans 10:9)

4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ. (Acts 16:31)

This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived.

Bible verses related to this post: 2nd Thessalonians 3:31: Matthew 24:22; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 20:12; 2 Timothy 3:1-3
References: https://www.drugabuse.gov/ https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/6/6/15743986/opioid-epidemic-overdose-deaths-2016 https://www.cdc.gov/std/stats16/default.htm https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/adolescent-health.htm

Monday, March 19, 2018

The Pain Olympics

"You just don't understand what I've been through" is a common response from those who reject to believe that God loves them and has a purpose and plan for their lives. Why can't we often see past our own pain to see the truth of God's word? Is our human suffering any greater than God's? The way people try to compare sufferings is like they are competing in a "pain Olympics" that there are awards for gold, silver, and bronze for who has the worst pain. So who would God says has the worst pain?

Is it the young woman who was sexually molested by her father when she was a child?

Is it the loving husband whose wife left him for another man?

Is it parents who lost their child in a car accident or that child killed themselves?

Is it a 25 year old, physically fit, executive diagnosed with a rare cancer whose life completely changes to where she is now not able to work and is completely dependent on others?

Is it a 9 year old boy who is kidnapped from his home and sold into sex trafficking?

Whose pain is worse?

Is their pain relevant to the Gospel of Christ? This is where most will stop listening and turn away in an angry, severely offended, condemning manner saying things like, "How can you disregard their suffering" or "You are belittling their situations".

As Christians, are we to be concerned about hurting people's feelings or saving their soul?
Did Jesus placate those following Him, was He worried about hurting their feelings? I will proclaim that Jesus did not care one bit about their "feelings", He often told them to STOP depending on their feelings and instead to THINK/BELIEVE the truth, irregardless of their situations:

"Which of you by worrying can make themselves 1-inch taller? " Matthew 6:27, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" Matthew 6:34.

"Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it" Luke 17:33

"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell. " Matthew 10:28.

Isaiah 41:10 ESV /

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV /

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Not once in the entire Bible does God ever applaud feelings, give a pass for feelings because of horrific circumstances, or make statements like, "I understand how you feel". Time and time again He would say, "Why are you feeling that way?", for example, in 1 Kings Chapter 19, when the prophet Elijah had just demonstrated God's awesome power against the evil prophets of Jezebel, he had them all killed, Jezebel threatened to kill him and Elijah got scared and ran away. did God respond to him and say "I understand Elijah, why you are feeling sad and alone, Jezebel is trying to kill you, and you have done nothing wrong".

Who gets the gold medal for the worst pain ever?

He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has taken up our pain and carried our sufferings; Yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him and afflicted, But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for out iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was put upon Him and by His stripes we are healed...And The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:3-6

Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, died that the ungrateful, wicked, hypocritical, sinful man could live. God did not ask us to change first, He offered Himself first. The pain that He must go through since the beginning that His creation rebelled against Him is unimaginable, that no matter how good He treats His creation, we still reject Him. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!" Matthew 23:37. But thank God, that because of His benevolence, we do not get what we deserve. His love for us is so amazing that He can love us in spite of our sin and rejection of Him!

Pain and suffering are part of the human condition because of sin. This earth and humankind are cursed and until that curse is lifted, all kinds of tragedies will continue to happen to us. Yes, some sufferings are worse than others, but no human suffering can compare to God's.

The consequences of suffering from a humanistic view point ends in nothing but futility, a wasted, useless life.
The consequences of suffering in God's kingdom is that God can make ANY situation work out for our good to those who love Him and are called (and accept that call) according to his purpose. Romans 8:28.

There is going to be a Day of Judgment, and God will judge everyone who has ever lived, His wrath is going to poured out on all the wicked and ungodly. The eyes of the unrepentant wicked need to be opened and the ears unplugged so they can see and hear the truth. The Good News is Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, born of a virgin; Jesus lived and died but He rose from Dead, and now offers anyone who will believe in Him Salvation. Salvation is a free gift from God, anyone who will believes in the shed blood of the risen Savior, Jesus, will know and have a real relationship with the true God. You can't work for it or buy because the price has already been paid with the Blood of Jesus Christ and Believing in Jesus gets us into the Kingdom of God and saves us from the righteous wrath of God. But that is not all, He gives us a new heart and mind NOW, and we receive some of His blessing from heaven NOW and are equipped to be able to live a life that is holy and acceptable to Him NOW. (Romans 6:9; 10:9-13, Ephesians 2:8, Isaiah 7:14, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave. (Romans 10:9-10)

2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus. (Mark 1:15, Matthew 4:17, Acts 3:19)

3. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord and God. (Romans 10:9)

4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ. (Acts 16:31)

This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived.

Bible verses related to this post: 1 Kings Chapter 19; Isaiah 53:3-6; Matthew 23:27; Romans 8:28; Isaiah 41:10; Proverbs 3:5-6; Matthew 10:28;Matthew 6:27;Matthew 6:34; Luke 17:33
References: biblehub.com