Faith is not required of humanitarians; it is for Christians

Posted by D.L.Fuller on

humanitarian

I attended a bible study yesterday where we dug into the book of Galatians chapter 1. One of the issues that the Apostle Paul addresses in the chapter is the act of perverting of the Gospel of Christ. As we discussed that subject in the bible study and how it is still a problem today, someone asked, “Why do churches pervert the gospel?” This is an important question because to really embrace the solution you have to understand the problem. The problem stems from people interpreting the person of Christ and His gospel through their humanistic view point. Though YESHUA did things we consider humanitarian, His reasons and objectives went far deeper than just meeting basic human needs. Unfortunately, people’s humanistic orientation stops them from seeing the full person of YESHUA. It also stops them from grasping a full understanding of His gospel. The gospel of Christ will always create a healthy sense of hopelessness to the humanitarian or carnal viewpoint, as in Matthew 19:25, when His disciples ask, “Who then can be saved?” False doctrines come from men trying to humanize the gospel so that it fines wider acceptance. This does not minister the grace of GOD, it frustrates it. The grace of GOD comes in at that point of hopelessness and says, “with me, all things are possible”, which teaches us that we have to stop relying on ourselves and have faith in GOD. When was the last time you heard a sermon end with the words “go, and sin no more”?  Probably not ever, but it is was how YESHUA closed ministry in the book of John chapters 5 and 8.

The enemy of doing what is right is doing what we think is good. Doing what is right is a matter faith and obedience, doing what is good is a matter of our own reasoning. Humanism is the enemy of righteousness. Humanism is focused on human values and secular concerns, righteousness is focused on godly values and heavenly concerns. There is nothing humane about what was revealed in the book of Revelations, but it details a future we all need to be preparing for. Spend some time meditating in the book of Revelations and pay attention to the letters to the Churches. Our witness of YESHUA must reflect Him as Christ the King as well as the Lamb of GOD.

The Church needs to get away from “Febreze” Christianity. Today, Christians want to spray the blood of Christ like “Febreze” over the mess of everyone’s lives so that the smell is not as awful as it really is. I think people forget it’s not the smell that kills, rather it is the rotten hearts and deeds. Salvation is the power to save lives through “Changing” lives. That is the message that has been lost. Everyone smells good in church but people are still getting divorced, still being abused, still addicted to pornography and living in sexual immorality, still in love with the world. What we tolerate tends to proliferate. There is no fear of the Lord. That is what is missing today. There is even a false doctrine for “The fear of the Lord”. The humanistic doctrine says, “It’s a reverential fear.”

The grace of GOD is nothing less than the precious and costly blood of His dear son. The Church needs to move away from the “Febreze” mentality. Here is what New Testament scripture says to debunk the false and humanistic doctrine of “reverential fear of GOD”. Hebrew 10:28-31:

“He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Those same hands are gentle, kind, patient, merciful, healing, and life giving. Proverbs 19:23 says, “The fear of the Lord tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.” Yahweh promises that if we humble ourselves, His hands will lift us out of trouble.

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When Loving Gets Difficult

Posted by D.L.Fuller on

roses in the trash

Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].  It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. (1st Corinthians 13:4-8/Amplified Bible classic edition)

Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant. It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured. It does not rejoice at injustice, but rejoices with the truth [when right and truth prevail]. Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening] (1st Corinthians 13:4-8/ Amplified bible).

It should be effortless to love our spouses this way, after all, we are to love them as we love our selves. If we have entered the covenant of marriage with them, then we should already be convinced that they always, or at least the majority of the time, have our best interest at heart. Yet there are wars and fighting’s among the married in Christ. What is the problem…Division! Everything about marriage is toward unity and oneness, yet division is permeating in marriage. What does it mean to be divided? Here is the definition from Merriam Webster: “Separated into parts or pieces,”

also “directed or moved toward conflicting interests, states, or objects.”

The word “Divorce” mean to sever or separate. When couples get legally divorced, it is simply the manifestation of their disunity.

One of the definitions above states that divided means, “directed or moved toward conflicting interest, states, or objects.” The key word in the definition above is “conflicting.”  Conflicting means opposed to one another or resisting one another. So, becoming divided happens when a force, either from without or within, moves or directs a couple to interest that are opposed to one another, or this force is causing a couple to be moved into opposing states of mind or being, or the things or objects that they each desire are opposed to one another.

The conditioning of the world causes people to celebrate quantity over quality. People talk about themselves or other couples being married for 30, 40, or 50 years, and it is assumed that these are great unions, or good marriages. Not necessarily so. We seldom know the inner workings of other people’s relationships. We are not always privy to how much compromise or pain was endured. Furthermore, just because a couple never gets a legal divorce doesn’t mean that they have remained married in the true sense of biblical marriage. Christ taught in Matthew 5:27-28, that if a man looks at another woman to lust after her, he has already committed adultery in his heart. Many people who are legally married have actually divorced in their hearts, because they are no longer submitted to one another in unity. They live lives of opposition, in disunity, but still live together and have occasional sex. Some married couples are in such disunity that they no longer have sex, or they may even sleep in separate beds. All this while legally still married. Some couples are divided, but they stay in marriage for the children, or due to financial dependency. These are all very sad and unfortunate circumstances, and do not come close to our Father’s vision for marriage or becoming ONE.

Many people get married having no idea what it really means, or what it will require. Marriage is just one of many things that people get involved in without research, or fully reading the manual (BIBLE- Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth). Existence is the result of biological circumstance, but to live is to answer a call to a vision given by GOD. Being married is just a legal matter, but becoming ONE is a supernatural act only realized through the power of GOD. Unity comes to fruition as a couple submits to His vision for their lives, while living moment to moment by faith. It is impossible to fulfill the requirements of life’s callings without GOD. That which we accomplish in our own strength award us the praise and approval of men, but it is what we accomplish by faith  that please GOD.

There are no 10 steps to a happy marriage, or 20 steps to a successful life; only seeking life through faith in GOD, moment by moment, and day by day. Anything else is manmade and falls short of GOD’s glory. This is what Romans 3:23 is referring too; the sum of our lives when lived in our own strength. On the contrary, the life we live through faith in GOD’s ability is glorious. In the second year of my marriage, I realized it was beyond me. This was even before having children. I fell on my face and cried out for GOD’s anointing to fulfill His vision for me as a husband, and a father.

The “Love” spoken of in 1st Corinthians 13:4-8 is impossible to embody without abiding in GOD, because He is “Love.” We will never be the husband, wife, father, mother, or person we were called to be until we surrender to the governance of GOD’s love, by faith.  Husband, do you think it is impossible the love your wife in sacrificial love the way Christ loves the church…It is unless you surrender to the Word and the Spirit, and allow GOD to do it through you. Wife, do you believe it is impossible to love your husband with sacrificial love as the church loves Christ…It is unless you surrender to the Word and the Spirit, and allow GOD to do it through you. The cost is the same for all…It will cost you everything you have and then some…but you were made for this and the reward is beautiful beyond description.

Stop trying to figure it all out and start focusing on just being in GOD. The rest will work itself out. Through being born again in Christ, we have 1st Corinthians 13:4-8 within us. We just need to work it out, moment by moment, through the awareness given by the Holy Spirit. The motivation to do the work comes from the joy of the vision that GOD sets before us. If the work seems to difficult, then the vision needs to be restored. To have the vision restored, it is necessary to spend some time with GOD in solitude, so you can hear Him. The just shall live by faith, and faith comes from “hearing” the Word of GOD. You will not see clearly, until you hear clearly. In marriage, the husband and wife must have intimate time with GOD, not just with one another, if they are to succeed in fulfilling the vision of GOD for their union. This is the part that is most neglected. A couple can date each other, and have all the intimacy with each other that they can handle, but the love of 1st Corinthians 3 will only come from intimacy with GOD. The Love that never fails is the Love that is sourced from faith in GOD.

holding hands

 

Where are you in HisStory?

Posted by D.L.Fuller on

Crowns

History is defined as a record of significant events ordered in units of time (Merriam Webster). Time is the lab for an experiment put on by YAHWEH. According to Merriam Webster, an experiment is a procedure carried out under controlled conditions to illustrate a known law. During the time of your sojourn here on earth, YAHWEH is trying to teach you some important universal laws pertaining to life. There are precautions throughout the bible regarding time. We are encouraged not to be idle, and to make the most of every moment.

time capture

This experiment in time is built around one main character, and it is not you. It is Yeshua, The Word of YAHWEH. The Holy One that came down from heaven in the flesh, and was sacrificed, and raised again from the dead, and ascended on high with the power of life and death. The whole bible is a testimony of YAHWEH’s faithfulness and love, centered around the person of Yeshua. When I ask where are you in HisStory, I am really asking, where are you in your understanding and knowledge of who He is in relation to you. Just to be clear, your understanding of Yeshua has nothing to do with who He is, because He is self-existent, but it has everything to do with who you are and the life you live, both now and forever.

If you are reading this, you are in one of three places in HisStory. YAHWEH made it simple for us. He gives us important information repetitively, in different forms and formats. The three locations are repeated in different formats and are specifically related to our time here on Earth. We are either in Egypt, the Wilderness, or the Promised Land.

Egypt is the place where we are dominated by an Evil ruler, and our lives are spent fulfilling and expressing his dark and evil will. The physical example of the evil ruler is Pharaoh of Egypt, following the death of Joseph. The actual spiritual oppressor in the world is Satan, as indicated in 2 Corinthians 4:4, and Revelations 12:9. When in the bondage of Egypt, your life revolves around clay, the dust of the earth, symbolic of carnal living. You are a slave to sin.

hebrew-slaves

The wilderness is a place away from Egypt, and beyond the dominion of the wicked ruler. It is where the opportunity is placed before us to pursue the life YAHWEH intended for us to live. A life in communion with Him. On the other hand, it is where we could decide to build our own kingdom, and refuse to be under any authority, and forsake our heritage as the people of YAHWEH, and live as a ruin of Egypt, unwilling to be cleansed of its clay. The physical example of the wilderness is the vast Wilderness of Sin referred to in Exodus 16:1. The spiritual Wilderness of Sin is in our soul, consisting of our heart and mind. It is the place that produces our perception and our actions.

The Promised Land is the place that we enter after we have accepted the covenant to live as YAHWEH’s people. In the Promised Land, we go about with the help of Yeshua, transforming everything in our lives into the Kingdom of YAHWEH; battling and casting down everything that resist His will. The physical Promised Land is the land of Canaan, on the other side of Jordan, depicted throughout Exodus chapter 3 as in verse 17. The spiritual promised land is our redeemed soul, consisting of our transformed mind and renewed heart. The process of taking this Promised Land is illustrated in 2nd Corinthians 10:3-6. Yahweh captured the physical Promised Land by using Joshua. The name “Joshua” is an English translation of the Hebrew name “Yeshua” and it means, “YAHWEH-Saves”. Since the New Testament was first translated into Greek, “Joshua” was translated into the Greek name “Ieasous”. “Jesus” is the English form of “Ieasous”. I prefer to use “Yeshua” when referring to my Savior, because it is a phonetic translation of the Hebrew original and it is a clear indication that He comes in the name of “YAHWEH”. I went through that just to show the link between the role of Joshua and Yeshua in HisStory. When you know this truth, it reveals repetition in HisStory and the harmony of the gospel.

So, given these descriptions, and being completely honest with yourself, you should be able to place yourself definitively in one of these three spaces. Though these are high level views of the three phases of our journey through earth-time, they are sufficient to establish everyone’s location. If after your reflection, you can identify your location, I want to offer counsel respective to each residence.

Egypt: Life in the flesh, the clay pits of Egypt, maybe all you know, but you were meant for so much more. There is sweeter and more abundant life waiting beyond the wilderness. The path through the wilderness may seem impossible, but the Heavenly Father will be with you every step of the way, just like He was with the children of Israel when they marched from Egypt. Egypt faced the wrath of YAHWEH and fell. Just as Pharaoh and his armies were drowned in the Red Sea, the blood of Christ has defeated Satan and his hordes. Accept the tender mercies of YAHWEH through the blood of the Passover lamb, and leave Egypt, or face the eventual wrath of YAHWEH as all those who oppose His Kingdom.

sinai-wilderness

The Wilderness: Learning to walk with YAHWEH in the spirit is hard on the flesh. If you stay focused on carnal things, your life will be just like living in a desert, there will never be enough to drink or eat. The conditions around you will never be enough. However, if while in the wilderness, you stop and ponder all the miracles YAHWEH has performed to keep you alive, you will see His goodness. This awareness of the glory of YAHWEH around you, will change your heart from being bitter to being grateful. You will be in awe of how He walks with you in the day and in the night. You will be blessed by the daily provisions for life that come from seemingly impossible places. This is where we accept the new covenant to become the people of YAHWEH. You will be born again from an Egyptian slave, to a child of YAHWEH’s Kingdom. Yahweh will invite you into His presence, and write His laws upon your heart, so that you can know His will and have sweet fellowship with His spirit. The journey through the wilderness is the cross we all must bear, in order to reach the Promised Land. Read 1 Corinthians 10 to understand the importance of focusing on YAHWEH through the wilderness.

Canaan Land

The Promised Land: The place where abundant life is possible. When you understand the effects of drought and famine, you know for a land to flow with milk and honey, life has to be abundant. The promised land is the Kingdom of YAHWEH, where there is righteousness, peace, and joy. It is a land filled with crops and vineyards we didn’t have to plant, and wells we didn’t have to dig. It is ours for the taking, the gift of YAHWEH to the people of His covenant. This is exactly what the life of Yeshua is to us. We get the benefits of His righteous life. We get to enjoy the spoils of battles that He has won. As the children of Israel followed Joshua to inherit the promised land, so do we follow Yeshua. Yeshua has rendered the enemies of our souls powerless. All we must do is accept His assessment of who the enemies are, then engage in battle, and cast them down. In the physical, the enemies were Hittites, Jebusites, and Canaanites and so on. In the spiritual, they are lust, greed, envy, hate, pride and so on. As we cast down these enemies in our souls, in their places comes righteousness, peace, and joy!

This time is all about Yeshua, not because you are not significant, but because you are! He loves you immensely, and desires for you to have life in abundance. Yeshua is the way, the Truth, and the Life, and He is exalted that all may find Him. During this experiment in time, it has been shown repetitively how corruption and death ensues when men forsake the laws of YAHWEH, and refuse to submit to His dominion. The faithfulness and goodness of YAHWEH has been shown repeatedly throughout HisStory. My sincere hope and prayer is that you find your place in the Promised land.

How to Live in A Society Of Broken Hearts

Posted by D.L.Fuller on

walking on broken glass

Life on earth is traumatic. Sin creates debt, and the hearts of everyone have been heavily taxed. There is a saying, “Hurt people, hurt others.” We have all been impacted by the rejection, hate, envy, covetousness, strife, and contentions flowing from the broken hearts. The lifestyles of extremism in the world today are a symptom of this broken. The failed attempts to self-medicate and to compensate for the weary heart is evident in the cries for more…more…more. Ecclesiastes 4:1-2:

“So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter. Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive.”

The grace of GOD has provided a balm for our hearts, a peaceful and soothing ointment poured from above, the Comforter. Yeshua the Christ said, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” (John 16:7) The Holy Spirit, also known as the Comforter, has been sent from Heaven to console us. Comforter consoles us by fortifying our faith and hope, through bringing us to a deeper knowing of the Father’s love. Our hearts were made for the infinite love of the Father. The re-introduction of this holy knowledge to our hearts brings healing and restoration. This heart restoration gives us a greater capacity to be patient, hopeful, kind, merciful, compassionate, and empathetic. I have found when I become lacking in any of these virtues, it is only a sign that I am I need more time in communion with the Holy Spirit. The commune with the Holy Spirit in prayer, in meditation, and in studying the Word. Lately I have found meditation to be one of the most effective ways to restore my well-being. Yahweh tells us in Psalm 46:10,

“Be still, and know that I am GOD: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”

In the age in which we live, there is a lot always going on around us to keep our minds occupied and running. Even when we are physically still, our minds are often far from at rest. I love this 10th verse of Psalm 46 because it gives special instruction on how we are to be still. We are told to holt all things and focus our consciousness on the knowledge of GOD. When I meditate, rid myself of all other thoughts and focus in on the awareness of who and what GOD is to me as His child. I focus on His face in the person of Yeshua. I focus on His beauty seen through His glorious creations. I focus on His loving essence revealed through His laws, precepts, and counsel. It is here that I find a rest like no other place. If I do not prioritize this time and seek it with intentionality, I will never slow down long enough to give my mind, soul, and heart time to rejuvenate.

The drive for bigger and better things, greater success and acceptance, more sensory stimulation is displaced desire for the comfort that only GOD can provide. The ministry of the Holy Spirit can be seen most clearly in the nurturing care of a loving mother. Her main focus is the well-being of everyone in the family. Proverbs 4:23 says,

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

The sin, along with many of the other faults in our life, will continue to plague us, until our broken hearts are renewed. Yeshua says in Matthew 11:28,

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

This rest is the promise of comfort that comes through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

False Doctrine Can Be Like Cholesterol in the Body of Christ

Posted by D.L.Fuller on

Blocked Artery

In His zeal for His Father’s house, Christ went into the temple and made a scourge of cords, then proceeded to drive out the money changers and those that were in the temple selling sacrifices to be offered to GOD. As the account goes, Christ turned over some tables and made quite a ruckus while ridding the temple of this perversion of a sacred practice. We need to have the same zeal today regarding a lot of the perversions that go on in the church; however, we can’t approach it the same way, as the temple and the perversions are dynamically different. We are now the temple of GOD. GOD no longer dwells in a temple built by the hands of man, but in a temple made of living stones, the body of believers in Christ.

Christ promised that if any man would love Him, then He and His Father would come and make their home inside him. Christ still has the same zeal for His Father’s house, whom we are. He cleanses us by filling us with His Holy Word, and by delivering us from unclean principalities and powers. Christ comes into our souls with the light of truth, and topples belief systems built on foundations of lies, and drives out unclean spirits of lust, pride, greed, violence, and dumbness. One of the most damaging lies polluting the temple of GOD today is the belief that the Fathers children are all sinners. This lie has been received, with such wide-spread acceptance in the body of believers, that it is has become a major blocker of the arteries of the body. This lie is hindering the life of Christ from flowing into all areas of the body, hindering healing and growth. If as a born again believer, you bow down to the false principle that you are just a forgiven sinner, you leave the door open for sin to rule in your life. If you believe you are a sinner, then you will sin. GOD made us in such a way that our bodies conform to our belief. You may have heard it stated this way before, “Mind over matter”. If you accept that lie, you will always be vulnerable to the powers of lust and pride. You will remain a slave to sin. Though Pharaoh has been defeated, and his kingdom fallen, you will remain in Egypt, shackled to much of your old life.

Now for the GOODNEWS! Let us allow Truth to tear down the lie. During the early church, when the revealed gospel of Christ was first being preached, many of the Jews of that day didn’t see the superiority of the New Covenant in the blood of Christ. They were reluctant to let go of the old law of “sin and death” under Moses, to enter the new law of “spirit and life” under Christ. The law of sin and death was put in place to facilitate a life of sin, because at the time, no other life was available. However, now that the life of Christ has been made available to all that have faith in His resurrection power, there is a way to escape the life of sin in the blood line of Adam. We have to suffocate and bury the old man who was in the image of Adam, through the baptism of repentance. Then we have to take up our cross daily to make way for the resurrection life of Christ.

Everything made in creation came through the Word of GOD. When you abandon your old life in surrender to Christ, this same power calls you a new creation of GOD, made in His likeness. This same Word has created a new you, but you have to receive it. The Word of GOD is powerful, but you have to believe, so that your mind can be renewed and your transformation can take place. This part of the Gospel of Christ has been oppressed by the powers of darkness, and it is time for it to be spread throughout the body of Christ. The acceptance of this Truth can unblock the arteries in the body of Christ, so that the fullness of His life can quicken every part of the body. This will cause the glorious light of the risen Christ to break forth in the earth through His body, the church.

Here are a few scriptures people use in the wrong context to support the lie that the born again in Christ are still sinners, ruled by sin.

Romans 3:23

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

True context: Paul is declaring there is no distinction between Jews or gentiles when it comes to the need for salvation through Christ, because all “have” sinned and need redemption through the blood of Christ; whether you have been practicing Judaism, paganism, or whatever in your past, you have sinned. Pay attention to the context of past sin as he says, “all have sinned”. This is frequently used in the context of equalizing all believers as present sinners. Paul even refers to Christ in this block of scripture as the propitiation for “past” sin.

Romans 3:11

“As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one”

True context: Paul is quoting scripture from the book of Isaiah in the old testament, regarding mankind before the workings of Christ. This old testament prophecy was never meant to describe the state of the resurrected church of Christ. In the same scripture it goes on to say,” there is none that understand and there is none that seek the Lord”. If the first part applies, then the second part has to be true for the church today as well…thank the Lord that it doesn’t.

Read the entire chapter of Romans 3.

1 John 1:8

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

True context: We are all in the process of being healed and cleansed from the rudiments of this world. If we say we have no traces of Adam left in us, we don’t understand how far man has fallen into darkness, nor do we realize how righteous and pure GOD is, in whose image we are made. Having sin is different from sin having you. The bible says in Romans 6, “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” Just because you are inclined to do something doesn’t mean you have to yield to it. Confess the inclination to your Father GOD and He will cleanse you of it.

I have cited a few of the most popular verses, used out of context, to support the false belief that the salvation of Christ is in effect forgiveness without deliverance from the condition that causes sin. He who the soon makes free is free indeed. The thief comes only to kill, steal, and destroy. Let nothing or no one rob you of the victorious life promised you by Christ.

 

 

Cooling Hearts: The Worst Type of Climate Change

Posted by D.L.Fuller on

Cold heart

When I was in my late teens and I started to process the inhumanity of slavery and other civil rights violations, I found it very hard to reconcile both the indifference to, and acceptance of, hateful social behaviors from professing Christians. I couldn’t imagine the thought process that would allow a Christian to actively participate in chattel slavery. Neither could I understand how a church could segregate the congregation, designating blacks to sit up in balconies or to the rear, while reserving seats on the main level and in front for whites. It all became clear as I grew stronger in my understanding of the word of GOD. I began to understand the dynamics of how spiritual darkness exploits pride and selfishness to blind the mind and harden the heart.

In Matthew 24, the Savior’s warns those that would follow Him, to take heed that no man deceives you. He goes on to say that in the last days there would be MANY false prophets, or false messengers. He also said there would be many to come in His name professing they were the Christ, and many would be deceived. Based on this, it is not surprising that you can have many calling themselves followers of Christ, yet living and professing things contrary to the heart and character of Christ. The deception is real. Christ prophesied that the effects of this would be that iniquity would abound, and the love of many would wax cold.

Today, as I look at the viewpoints of MANY professing Christians, and the lies being spewed on many media outlets, I am reminded once again of the prophecy of Christ. Though I knew it was possible, it is still heartbreaking to see people you once thought of as strong Christians, succumb to the deception, and to see the evidence of their love turned cold, as they promote the hateful rhetoric of darkened minds. It is difficult to watch the witness of Christ smeared, as those once identified as loving Christians condone or be indifferent, to the inhumane treatment of people of color in our streets and at our borders. Any Christian that would call an immigrant seeking asylum in this country an invader, has been deceived and has lost touch with the merciful and compassionate heart of GOD.  An invader is one that comes for conquest and plunder, to take land by war. Here are a couple of pictures of actual invaders:

Colonist Killers

Calvary Raging

Helpless immigrants are called invaders, while those in the pictures above are referred to as patriots, pioneers, settlers, pilgrims, and the founding fathers… Such darkness.

To make inhumane policies acceptable to the masses, you first have to make the subjects of the policy inhuman. American history is replete with examples of this deceptive propaganda; Native Americans portrayed as Savages, African abductees declared 2/3 human, Civil Rights leaders accused of being anti-American socialist (considered by some the same as inhuman), Muslims labelled as terrorist, illegal immigrants now framed as criminal invaders. The cooling of Christian hearts in this age is nothing less than the progression of the foretold apostasy. Christians who are seduced away from the love that is in Christ, by having their affections shift to the things of this world. The heart of Christ tears open veils, destroys gates of hell, breaks apart bonds and shackles, and releases the captives, so from where does the notion to imprison the helpless and to build walls of separation from needy come from …not from the Savior that gave His life to save ALL mankind. Historically, the cooling of the Christian heart has proven to be the most destructive form of climate change. Only deep devotion to Christ can keep the heart ablaze with Love.

The bible says in Ephesian 5, there is a mysterious correlation between the institution of marriage and the relationship between Christ and His Church. The couple to be married are encouraged to leave their father and mother, so that they may cleave to one another, and form a new union. Christ left heaven to join His Church, now His Church has to leave the world to join Him.

Discretion Holds the Church’s Virtue

Posted by D.L.Fuller on

a bride leaving

The Bible is called the “Good Book” because it reflects the will and character of a good GOD. The Bible must be interpreted with that in mind, meaning, it must always be interpreted from the perspective of that which is virtuous and good. The perversion of the gospel occurs when evil people try to justify wicked deeds by citing scriptures out of their true context. It is always destructive to the conscience of men and detracts from the integrity of the bible. It is one of the main reasons many people do not trust the bible as an authority. Many people go by what they have heard without ever verifying the facts for themselves. The deceiver, also known as Satan, uses ignorance to perpetuate lies.

An example of the misuse of scripture is how people in power have tried to use Roman 13 to get citizens to accept or submit to unjust and wicked government policies. A student of the bible would only have to recall the over throw of Egypt for the oppression of the Israelites, the deliverance of the three Hebrew men who defied the government of Babylon, or the deliverance of Daniel from the lion’s den for defying the King’s decree to commit idolatry. The author of Romans 13 himself was charged not to preach the gospel of Christ by the governing authorities of his day, yet he defied the decree and was imprisoned and beaten. After his release, Paul continued to preach the gospel, until his eventual execution. The obvious application of Romans 13 is where government policy does not conflict with the principles of GOD.

I see people conflicted and contradicted, as they call themselves Christian, and then try to reconcile their political party views with the teachings of Christ. It can’t be done. There are places where the policies of both republicans and democrats go against the teachings of Christ. If you really know Christ then you know this is true. I am not saying that a person shouldn’t exercise the responsibility to vote. Dr. Martin Luther King put it best, “laws do not change a man’s heart, but laws can govern the heartless.” That may not be Dr. King’s quote verbatim, but it captures the understanding he was relaying. I pray, preach the gospel, and I also cast a ballot, but I do not claim any political affiliation, because none of them align enough with my values as a follower of Christ. I would never adulterate myself by joining a political party, whose loyalty is to the tenants of its policies more than the word of GOD.

The teachings of GOD fortify us against the spoiling of our Christian morals and ethics, by steering us away from compromise. The word of GOD teaches us not to love the world. The world in this context does not refer to creation in general, but rather the social system of man which has orphaned him from the values established by the righteousness of love. Society today is governed by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. As children of GOD, we are called to be in this society but not a product of this society. The bible puts it this way, we are to be in this world but not of this world. As the word of GOD teaches, the only way to come out of this world is to be born again; to be born of the will of GOD, instead of the will of man. Many people say they love GOD, yet have the values of this world, they are deceived. They are deceived because the god they love is the god of their imagination, but not the true and living GOD. As the book of 1st John teaches, you can’t love the light but continually walk in darkness. You can’t abide in the Spirit of Love and actively hate your brother. You can’t be joined to the is world, and joined to GOD also, it is adulterous. In this context, the bible teaches that you can’t have to masters, you must love one and despise the other. Another way to say this is that you can’t have two governors, you should be governed by one and resist the other.

James 4:4 says it very clearly, “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not 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.”

Though the call for a separation of affection is clear in scripture, you will seldom hear it taught in churches, or encouraged by people who say they follow Christ, especially not during an election year. Why….because people still love the world. People still love the world because their mind has not been renewed. Their mind has not been renewed because they spend more time focused on the things of the world than they do the things of GOD. Add to that, when most people do turn their focus to GOD, they draw from a source that has been adulterated by the values of this world, like most large churches (not all, but most). If your church leadership endorses a political party, it has been adulterated with the cares of this world. There is only one government that should have a platform in the congregation of believers, that is the Kingdom of GOD. Also, your main source should be the Spirit of GOD with in you. The congregation of believers are there to confirm and bear witness to what the Spirit is revealing to you in your own studies. I am not encouraging the forsaking the body of Christ, I am promoting uncompromised intimacy with GOD, that we each may become members of His body.

I will end with this; the Church is called the bride of Christ. As we are His bride, to stay pure, we should be joined to no other. We have been espoused to a jealous GOD so keep your heart pure. Remember the parable of the wise virgins that awaited the bridegroom in Matthew 25, how the bible says they made themselves ready and went forth to meet the bridegroom. Part of the readiness of the bride is a going forth, a separation, to be closer to Christ. Also remember the love letters sent from the Spirit to the bride in the book of Revelations chapter 2. There were key warnings for her to return to her first love, and to repent of adultery, and fornication. All of these deal with being vigilant to make sure we keep our hearts pure, and that we don’t unite ourselves with anything outside of Christ.