Bible Nuggets 4 - Works without Faith

Today's question is so preposterous that my head almost popped off!  Let's see if you can see what's wrong with this question before you read my response...

Question:  Pastor Keith, I believe that works are SO ESSENTIAL to our walk with Christ that I can't think about anything else.  All I want to do is feed the hungry, give a cool drink of water to anyone who is thirsty, clothe the poor, visit those in prison, tend to widows, fight for social justice, and pretty much just get involved and do anything I can to help those who are so marginalized that I need to do something or I tend to lose sleep over it!  What more can I do?

Answer: Whew.....

Are Demons real and are Demons here today?

Today I would like to bring to you both a story and a small teaching.

It's important that I make it abundantly clear, that this teaching is not something for you to build doctrine upon, it is however something that you need to know, because most Pastors either can't or won't teach this to you.

Last month, in the middle of the night, I was awakened from a sound sleep. I opened my eyes looked around (in the dark), intently listened for strange sounds and I saw and heard nothing. So I went to roll over and go back to sleep. That's when I realized that I was unable to move.

My immediate reaction was to panic, I struggled to move both my arms and my legs, and while I could technically "move them", I was not able to control them. It was as if I was being restrained! The only problem, was that I could neither see nor feel anyone or anything restraining me, I just couldn't move.

I strained and strained, struggled and wiggled. I tried everything I could, in order to just "change" my position. That's when I had a thought, I wondered if I was dreaming. I was most certainly NOT dreaming.

After what must have been 2-3 minutes in this panicked state (it felt like forever), I had a thought. I had from time to time read about or heard about "demonic forces", but never gave it much thought. From my experience, only crazy people actually had "encounters" with demons. So after thinking that it might be possible that I was "under attack", I called upon the Lord and in that very instant I was released! I jumped out of the bed (just to further prove to myself that I wasn't sleeping) and I went downstairs, walked outside and got some fresh air and began to thank God for His love and His Grace. I went back inside and went back to bed. The next day, as further proof that this had actually taken place, both my arms and my legs were red and sore. So sore that I could hardly move them. It was as if I had gone to the gym and instead of working out for an hour, I had done it for 6 hours! There was no doubt that all of this had happened.

About a week later, the same thing happened again, except this time I "felt like" I was able to deal with it a little bit better. I didn't panic, I didn't struggle, I just laid there (of course I tried to move, but was restrained). Except this time, I was able to "sense" something, that I wouldn't have been able to the first time. I could sense that this was the SAME demon attacking me again. So like I said, I laid there, patiently and quietly. As I laid there, I wondered silently to myself, "What does he want? Doesn't he know that there's 'No Vacancy' here?" In case you are not aware, once you have the Holy Spirit indwell within you, there's no "room" for an evil spirit too.

So after a minute or two of silent thought, nothing was happening. I couldn't help but wonder what it could want (can you blame me?). So I let another minute pass and I called upon the name of the Lord and again, this evil spirit departed and I had complete control of my limbs back again.

The very next day, I contacted Pastor Jeff (Who you may know from our Discipleship Series) and I recounted both of these experiences to him, in order to get his advice on this matter. I waited to ask anyone about this, because I wanted instead to get my answers from God directly. So after having waited and then having been attacked again without answer, I went to Jeff and asked him for his direction.

We spoke for more than an hour about his personal experiences and the experiences of others. We talked about "Medical theories" and some other worldly views on the matter. Apparently what I had experienced is very similar to many 1,000's of attacks that take place every single day.

A couple of days later, I received the phone call, telling me that my mother had passed.

A couple of days after that, I went back to God (yet again), and asked Him why He had permitted for me to be attacked. Finally God responded and said to me, "The demon that attacked you, is the demon that has been within your mother for the past 40 years". I was both shocked and at the same time, not even remotely surprised. I had always suspected that my mother had something wrong with her, I just didn't know what.

To have God reveal this tremendous event to me blew my mind. To be able to finally comprehend what had been going on in my life for the past 40 years was an amazing revelation for me.

So let's fast forward again, to this week!

Monday morning, 7AM, my "visitor" is back. Or at least that's what I thought! Same thing happened, rudely awakened, restrained and since I've had this happen twice before, I just laid there, quietly waiting. Except this time, there was something markedly different. I don't know how I know, but I know that this is another demon! There was just something different about this visitor.

So just as before, I waited a couple of minutes, silently. I just can't help but want to know what they want. Although I'm not going to ask. If they decide to tell me, I'll listen, but even then I'm not sure that I'd believe what they had to say anyway. In any event, I wait and nothing happens, so I call upon the name of God and they leave me.

So now I go to God and ask Him, "What's going on Lord? Why are you permitting me to be attacked by demons?" I was immediately answered with, "The first demon that visited you was looking for a new home. This new demon is looking to destroy your family!" He then told me one other thing that I'm not willing to reveal at the moment. I will however tell you that this demon is currently possessing another family member and is also looking for a "new home".

So this time, I immediately contact two Pastors that I trust with information like this. First, I contact Pastor Beau (who you also may recognize from our Discipleship series). I can't help but feel that fellowship regarding these issues is critical. I just know that keeping this to myself is wrong. Remember, everything that God lets happen is designed to bring Glory to Him. So if I keep quiet, who gets glorified? Nobody.

So I filled Beau in on the first two "visits" and then catch him up. Of course Beau is not surprised to hear this information, as the devil always wants to kill, steal and destroy. That's what he does! (John 10:10).

Before I called Beau, I did some homework. I went through Luke 11:24-26, Mark 9:14-29 and especially 1 Corinthians 12:10 & 1 John 4:1. It was critically important to me, that I allow all of what God has to say on this matter deeply abide in me. If only more Christians would seek to be Disciples, we'd have far more people walking with God than we do today.

So I spoke to Beau and got his input. He was adamant about Mark 9:29 and since he was already in the middle of a fast, he promised to be in prayer over this evil spirit for me and my family as well.

So fast forward (and long story shorter), I asked both Jeff and Beau a question. You see, God doesn't say a whole lot about dealing with these kinds of issues. Yes, what He does say is great, but there are not a lot of details. So I asked both of them how they felt that 1 Corinthians 12:10 applied in this situation. I wanted to know if they believed "Discerning of spirits" had anything to do with "evil spirits". They both said multiple things about that passage, but they both agreed that YES, that gift is expressly covering my issue as well.

They both told me that I have been gifted with this ability to, "have a peek behind the veil". Just for clarity, I did speak to each of them separately, neither knowing what the other said. The fact that they were both giving me the exact same information was 100% confirmation for me that I was doing the right thing(s).

So I (like so many before me), asked them WHY in the world would God give me this gift?? You see, even though Paul teaches us to "desire gifts", I have never really thought about having any. I always felt that if God needed to gift me with anything, that He'd do it, regardless of whether I wanted something or not. They both told me to just keep in prayer and total reliance on the Holy Spirit. Which is what I would have done anyway.

They also reminded me, that God gives us gifts and sometimes they're only given to us temporarily! I can't even begin to tell you how many "phony faith healers" are out there, who were able to be used to heal one person, then started a "healing ministry" and then never had the gift again. Yet they keep at it, ACTING like they're running around with the permanent gift of healing.

In any event, here I am today, writing to you about my experiences for one critical reason...

I don't want you to be fooled. Demonic forces ARE present today. Many believe that the only demons that are around today are in movies with Catholic priests! And many more believe that, "the only demons we have is the sin inside of each of us"! These are both untrue. I do not want you to be fooled nor ignorant!

Intimacy with God is so critically important, yet it seems to be almost non-existent and untaught today in churches. If you have no intimacy with the Holy Spirit, I would question if you're a Christian or a Cultural-Christian. I recently came upon that term, "Cultural Christian" and thought it was wonderfully descriptive. How many show up at church on Sundays, only to be interested in how quickly they can go home? How many show up, only to show the other members of their church "just how holy they are", just because they showed up?!

There are far fewer Disciples than there are Christians.

Have you ever wondered why?

If you have, you're in the right place!

A few days ago, I took a poll from a group of Christians and 100% of those that voted said that they know Demonic Possession still takes place. Half of them had first hand experience. If you're not in that 100%, please allow this teaching to encourage you to believe all of what God has to say in the Bible. He's never let me down, He can do the same for you too!

Why did Angels minister to Jesus?

I often share questions I get from other people here in my blog, because I feel it's a waste to not share them with others who may struggle with the same questions.

Question: What does it mean angels came to Jesus and ministered to him? (Matthew 4:11 & Mark 1:13)

Answer: Well, I suppose if you put it in context, Jesus is God and He created the Angels to serve Him and His every purpose. After 40 days in the desert, I would suppose that since He's fully God and fully Man, that He may have needed some "tending to" or ministering. Or to put it simply, they FED HIM! Could you imagine how weak and hungry He must have been?

I try to tell people all the time, that MINISTER should be EQUAL to SERVANT. As a Minister or Pastor, it is our responsibility, indeed OUR JOB, to serve the sheep. Think about it. Pastor is basically Latin for Shepherd. What do Shepherds do? They continually find the best green grass for the sheep to feed on and protect the sheep from wolves and other potential disasters like keeping them away from cliffs and sharp rocks. No matter how you look at it, it's the Shepherds job to SERVE the sheep.

Matthew 20:28 - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

It's only through reading and understanding God's Word that we can truly understand what we should be expecting from our Ministers. Bright white teeth and a wind-tunnel tested hair-do are not requirements of a good Pastor...

I hope you found this helpful!

Predestination - Biblical Fact or Fiction?

Today I was presented with a question I get once in a while, from Christians who are starting to grow in their faith. Many people have such difficulty with the concept of "predestination" that they simply believe that it's not true.

Question: I hear about predestination from time to time and I just can't wrap my head around it. How can everything we do or say be predestined to happen before we actually do or say it? Wouldn't that mean that I don't have the ability to make any decisions, because they've already been made for me? I'd much rather believe that I'm in control of my destiny. The other problem I have, is because I don't really know too much about this subject, I can't really discuss it with other people, so instead I've chosen to stay away from it altogether. Can you help?

Answer: Sister, while I can appreciate your "fleshly need" to believe that you need to be in control of everything that happens in your life, the simple fact of the matter is that God is in control of ALL THINGS, not just the things you'd like for Him to be.

The idea about predestination is actually quite simple and entirely Biblically accurate.

God tells us (through His Word), that He knows the ending from the beginning...

Isaiah 46:8-10 - "Remember this, and show yourselves men; Recall to mind, O you transgressors. Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, 'My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,'

As far as predestining whom gets Salvation and who burns for all eternity, that is also very simply derived from Gods Holy Word.

Romans 8:29-30 - For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

John 18:9 - that the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, "Of those whom You gave Me I have lost none."

Romans 9:11-12 - (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), it was said to her, "The older shall serve the younger."

But you are wise to want to keep away from this issue of predestination. Greater men than I have spent hundreds of years arguing and debating this exact issue. If only they'd read the Bible without interpreting it, they could have been praying together instead of planning the others demise!

Hope this was helpful!

Should a small child share the Gospel with their dad?

God's been keeping me mighty busy lately, with lots and lots of questions.

Today's question comes from a divorced sister with a 10 year old son.

NOTE: This question has been modified from it's original form in order to protect sensitive information.

Question: I have a 10 year old son. I had him before I was a Christian, I considered myself an Agnostic at the time. Well I came to the Lord about 2 years ago and up until our son was 9 years old his father, who is a very devout Atheist, was not involved in his life at all.

My son, who is a Christian, is constantly witnessing to his dad whenever they are together. While I have not yet shown him how to witness, he is talking to his dad about Christ anyway.

My ex had our son with him last week and my son told me when I got him back yesterday that his dad yelled at him to stop telling him about Jesus because he doesn't believe it and since I told him that he couldn't discuss Atheism with our son, then our son wasn't allowed to discuss Christianity with him.

Needless to say it upset my son as he wants his dad to be saved which leads me to my question.

Children are supposed to honor their father/mother. I am showing him how to witness and his father told him he cannot witness to him. But God says to witness.

Where is the line? How should I advise my son? I don't want him to dishonor his father at the same time I don't want him to dishonor God but also he should be able to have fun with his dad without always feeling like he should witness. They should both be able to enjoy their time.

Answer: First of all, your son is 10 years old. As wonderful, smart and loving as he might be, he's only 10 and is obviously being driven by emotion. Your son is probably scared senseless over the fact that his father is on the road to hell. So to say that, "My son is a Christian" is not really supportable at this age and will only be determined once he is not only above the age of accountability, but also by time itself. At best, you could say that your son is "walking in the statutes that you have set". Only time will tell if your son truly and adequately understands the how's and why's of his Redemption and the Atonement that Jesus offers.

The Bible does however offer us some insight, as to how to handle this situation you're dealing with.

First of all, I know you've only been a Christian for a short time, but there is something you should know about Mark 16 before we continue. Verses 9-20 DO NOT APPEAR in the oldest copies of the NT texts that we have. While the information contained in those verses is not technically wrong, it's argued that perhaps they are not written in the inspired way that the rest of the Bible is. I believe that knowing this is important, because when you're in a position to either evangelize or apologize with a non-believer, it might be a good idea to steer clear around those 12 verses and use others to make your case. Again, I'm not saying those verses are "wrong", but the Great Commission outlined in Matthew (which we know is reliable) is markedly different in one big respect. We tend to hang on the "every creature" wording revealed in Mark, when Matthew says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations". There's a huge disparity between "every creature" and "all the nations". The Greek word being used there is "ethnos" which literally means "nations". A more thorough study of the word ethnos, also reveals it's usually used to refer to "Non-Jewish Tribes or Nations". Not the "every creature" that's depicted in Mark. All I'm saying here, is if one day we find a whole bunch more texts and those 12 verses are still missing in Mark, it may finally be decided that they should be removed. Of course if the inverse happens, then we can thoroughly and completely embrace those verses. Either way, I'm praying that the Rapture happens sooner than the time needed to find more scrolls! For more information on the Mark 16 issue, go to this link at the CARM website. (In other words, I'm not making this up.)

So with that out of the way, now we're tasked with "What did God intend for us to understand in regards to the Great Commission"? Were we to go to every nation and convince "the powers" (or rulers) to be baptized? Or were we told to go to every single human being, one at a time? I don't know, so I'm hedging my bets and desiring to do both.

As a matter of fact (and a little off topic), one of our Ministers (Pastor Jeff), will arrive in the Philippines tomorrow, in order to help set up a Birthing Center in a city that is extremely far away from the nearest hospital. Infant mortality is off the charts in this particular area of the country. In any event, most Filipinos are Catholic and Pastor Jeff has become personal friends with the Mayor of this city. God willing, the Mayor will be open to the true message of the Gospel and not what the Catholic church has fed him his whole life. If we can change the leaders we put in place, we can change the people. This has already happened in the USA, under Presidents such as Wilson and Roosevelt. The only problem, is they caused us to begin moving further away from God, not closer.

So back to the question at hand, "Should the 10 year old son obey his father in reference to talking about God or should he press on because the Bible tells him so?"

One of the problems we have, is the MISINTERPRETATION of the 5th commandment. Honor is not a synonym for OBEY. It's a commandment to bring HONOR to your family by your actions. There are times (many as fate would have it), that God would PREFER that you DO NOT OBEY your father.

Ezekiel 20:18-19 - But I said to their children in the wilderness, 'Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols. I am the LORD your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them;

Like I said earlier, your son is 10. He's still below the age of accountability. As such, he can not possibly comprehend anything beyond an emotional level or "how he feels about it"... If he could, you could point him to 1 Corinthians 1:18.

1 Corinthians 1:18 - For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

But no matter how you slice it, your son has already:

• Discussed God and the bible with his father
• Shared the Gospel with his father (albeit against his wishes)
• Been yelled at for his troubles

Your son already approached the line, crossed it and then crossed it some more...
No matter how much your son loves his father, that love will not affect any conversion...

Perhaps you can explain to your son, "Salvation is a choice sweetheart. Just as I have made a choice and just as you will one day hopefully also make a choice, daddy needs to make the choice to accept it ALL BY HIMSELF. You can't save your daddy, only Jesus can. We just need to place all of our trust in Jesus and we can pray that daddy will one day make that choice for himself."

As for the thing about your son being below the age of accountability, it's kind of a parallel to one of the unbiblical practices within Catholicism. The Catholics believe that their baptism at birth somehow offers them their Salvation, even though Acts 22:16 makes it clear that YOU MUST CHOOSE TO DO SO. Neither an infant nor a young child is able to make the comprehensive choice necessary in order to affect them being "born again". A child can no more understand the concept of "free-will" than they could about how dirt is "made". Only God knows that. HE MADE IT! Besides, I know some 50 year old men who still don't understand that their Salvation is a FREE GIFT FROM GOD. They think they have to earn it somehow...

As for what the age of accountability is, is a matter not easily put in numbers. Jewish tradition places that age between 12-14 years old, while the law in the United States says it's 18. While the age that a child truly can comprehend these things is certainly different from child to child, I think it's safe to say that there aren't many 10 year old's who have REALLY been saved at that age. Every time I hear someone say, "So I received Christ at the age of 4 and I was baptized when I was five. Mom says that I went into the church afterwards and then read from the book of Revelation and then explained it to everyone, it was a real miracle!", so every time I hear these outrageous stories, I roll my eyes. Someone lied to this poor kid and now he's passing it along as fact. Anyway, you're his mom, you'll KNOW when he's truly comprehended it all and when he's been saved. For now, all you can do is raise him right, train him in God's ways and pray that he too makes this LIFE ALTERING CHANGE.

I pray that you can appreciate this answer, knowing that I don't believe it's necessary to always give "baby answers" to real issues that people have to deal with in their life. In other words, I'd rather have you think and reflect on God's Word than to have you walk away smiling, all happy and proud of yourself.

Is a Catholic Bible worth using?

In my soon to be released book "But is it Biblical?", I have an entire chapter on "choosing a Bible".

What I do, is point out actual language from a selection of Bibles and show you the how's and why's of which Bible(s) you should use and for what purposes. I also go out of my way to warn you against certain Bible translations.

Today's question comes from a young woman in Pakistan that recently converted to Christianity! God Bless her!

Question: I've been reading the Bible (Catholic Version), is it reliable and okay to read it? Is there any difference in teachings or the words from other versions of the Bible? I've been researching,and I found out that the Bible was adulterated and changed with the passage of years and the Jews have changed the Word of God in the Bible, is it true? Is there any reliable version of the Bible that has been 'unchanged' and same when it was first written. I'm using the NRSV Catholic Bible, just for your reference. Also, I heard that the NIV is bad to read, but I heard a lot of people use if because it's easy to read. Is it good too?

Answer: I'd be remiss if I didn't at least tell you something about that Bible you have in your possession...

It contains books that not only Protestants and Jews don't agree with, but they haven't agreed with them since the early 1st century.

For example, the books of Tobit and Judith don't exist in a "proper Bible". Neither does the "book of Wisdom" for that matter.

My advice to you, if you have the ability to, is find one of these Bibles: NKJV, KJV, NASB, ESV (and in that order as the ESV is a worst case scenario). Jesus said, "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light", reading this Catholic Bible may make you find yourself questioning certain basic things like Salvation, Grace & Freedom in Christ. Needless to say, it is not considered "reliable", as you had asked...

As for the NIV issue, I cover this quite thoroughly in my book. I've had some quite heated discussions with people regarding the NIV as well.

From my perspective, any Bible that goes out of it's way to LEAVE THINGS OUT or change Scripture in such a way as to weaken it or make it seeker friendly, is a Bible to avoid.

Missing Verses from the NIV:

Matthew 12:47
Matthew 17:21
Matthew 18:11
Matthew 21:44
Matthew 23:14
Mark 7:16
Mark 9:44
Mark 9:46
Mark 11:26
Mark 15:28
Mark 16:9-20
Luke 17:36
Luke 23:17
John 5:4
Acts 8:37
Acts 15:34
Acts 24:7
Acts 28:29
Romans 16:24
PLUS MORE!

So how many missing verses does a Bible have to have, in order to consider it rubbish?
I say *1*...

And then there's MAJOR issues like 1 John 5:7...

NIV - For there are three that testify:
NKJV - For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.

Why did the NIV leave more than half of verse 7 out, and why oh why is there a CRITICAL teaching missing here?

Another big thing, is the NIV only mentions the "Blood of Christ" about 80 times, while the NKJV & KJV reference it more than 100. Most of the NIV readers I meet and speak to in my Ministry are completely clueless, as to the redeeming nature of His Blood.

There are more than 60,000 words missing from the NIV. Which words are missing, that would further your maturity in Christ? Do you know?

I've been using this example to try to make people understand WHY Bible choice is so important:

If you've got a glass of water and there's one small drop of POISON in it, will you still drink it?

I teach every week on my show, "Be like a Berean... Never believe anything I tell you, LOOK IT UP FOR YOURSELF and be CONFIDENT that what you have learned is TRUE. Not because I said so, but because God said so..."

Women and Adultery...

Today I came across a great question and decided that I should share this question and teaching with you. I slightly modified the question to better suit the format of my blog:

The Question:

Many men struggle with the issue of pornography, and in general, this struggle is well known. There's a struggle most women face that is not nearly as well known, and it is not nearly as "clear-cut" as to whether or not it is sin. Personally, I tend to think that if it takes away from God's glory or if there is any question as to whether it is right or wrong, it is probably best to abstain altogether. The specific struggle is masturbation (regardless of how it is performed) for sexual pleasure.

I know of a handful of professing Christian women who struggle with masturbation and there doesn't seem to be any clear "Thou shalt not" in the Bible. I believe it is wrong because it is likely to cause difficulty within the marriage union, but I am trying to defend my view to someone else, I'm not entirely sure how to defend it biblically.

This issue has never been addressed outrightly by most Pastors that I know of, and the issue only seems to come up within circles of women.

The Answer:

I am most definitely one of those Pastors who DOES address this issue...

As a matter of fact, this weeks show is on "Marriage & Relationships", so I'm thrilled that you brought up this topic, because now I will make sure to discuss it! (if the direction of the show and the Spirit leads)

As for your Biblical answer, there couldn't be any better of an answer than what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6!

1 Corinthians 6:12-20 - All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For "the two," He says, "shall become one flesh." But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

Allow me to restate:

All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? Flee sexual immorality. he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

We must always remind ourselves that "all things are lawful"! Paul tells us elsewhere that if it's not a sin to us, then it isn't a sin (See Romans 14:14 & Titus 1:15). The key here, is if you feel that you need to pleasure yourself, what kind of pride are you displaying? (See 1 John 2:16) If you are truly a Christian and you indeed have the indwelling Holy Spirit within you, you would know that it's sinful. Paul hammers this point home in the very next chapter!

1 Corinthians 7:8-9 - But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am; but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

Paul was no dummy, he knew full well, that the fallen nature that is within each of us has a tendency of getting in the way of our relationship with God (See 1 Corinthians 7:28).

One of the things that bothers me today, is that there are a great many younger women out there (25-40 some-odd years old) that have made a decision NOT TO MARRY, but not for Paul's reasoning (See 1 Corinthians 7:29-33). They decided not to be married, because they either don't want to be told what to do (by a man) or because they're concerned about giving up their personal freedoms in favor of marriage or they're concerned that their husband will somehow abuse them. While these things are certainly valid to be "concerned about", placing these fears above God, makes them more powerful than God. Did you not learn that God has not given us the Spirit of Fear?

2 Timothy 1:7 - For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Be lead by the Spirit in all things and God will lead you to whom HE would have you marry! Amen?

But as for women and masturbation, just remember that the "flesh is dead" and you can not perfect it. If you truly have the Holy Spirit within you, then He will change you... I guarantee it! (I did a teaching on "not perfecting the flesh" and it can be found HERE, for those who are interested.)

As you can plainly see, many of the answers to your questions can be found within 2 simple chapters. I would encourage everyone to re-read these chapters and passages and to always be like a Berean when anyone comes to you with Biblical advice!

I hope you find this quick study helpful and I pray that this week's show (which is going to be hugely controversial) goes over beautifully and brings much Glory to God!

Do you really want me to lie to you?

No matter how much you ask, no matter how much you plead, I will not lie to you in order to make you feel better...

The one thing that separates Silverworks Ministries from the other Pastors you've met, seen on TV, heard on the radio or anywhere else, is that our Ministers DO NOT INTERPRET SCRIPTURE. Yes, we know and understand what they teach in Seminary as Hermeneutics; and we here at Silverworks Ministries translate scriptural truth by using ways and words which allow everyone to properly understand and comprehend what God is saying, we do not however use Hermeneutics to interpret it (a.k.a. change it) into what WE want it to say.

While there are certainly some pieces of Scripture (Revelation as an example), that requires a deeper understanding of Scripture in order to comprehend it, 90% of the Bible can be read and understood to mean exactly what it says.

What I would ask (if you really feel that you need to be lied to), is WHY? Why is it that you need to hear about lollipops, rainbows, puppies and daffodils in order to "feel" more "connected" to God? Why do you need to ignore 99% of Scripture in order to feel better about yourself? Do you not know that you as an individual do not matter in the grand scheme of things? Do you not know that it's God that matters above all else?

What I would suggest (if you feel that you need to read inspirational Scripture all the time), is that perhaps you need to spend more time working on discipleship than reading your devotionals. It's through real, bona fide discipleship that you will come to not only understand WHO God is, but also understand who YOU are in Christ!

Many of today's Ministers are misleading the sheep in DROVES! People like Joel Osteen & Joyce Meyer will have you believe that "you can name it and claim it" or that "words are containers for power" or even that "God wants you to be rich with money, cars, every desire of your heart". How can they teach these things? How is it that they can get away with it? They can teach it and get away with it BECAUSE MORE THAN 90% OF THE PEOPLE WHO CALL THEMSELF CHRISTIANS DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS.

If you don't have the time to read the Bible, then it's like saying "I don't care about what God has to say". If you don't care about what God has to say, then how is it that you've allowed God's Words to abide in you? You can't let something abide in you if you don't know what it is! Since most Christians do not have an intimate relationship with God, the only Words they'll ever get from Him ARE IN THE BIBLE. And since they don't read it, they'll never know what God has to say, only what people like Osteen, Meyer, Parsley, Copeland, Bell and others have to say on the matter.

While I most certainly am not trying to elevate either myself or any of the other Ministers here, I do want you to try and understand what it is that separates us from everyone else. If you really need to have a 24/7 stream of "happy thoughts" thrown at you, then you're probably not a Christian. If you need to constantly hear about how God "wonderfully and carefully made you", then you're probably not a Christian. If you believe that Jesus is a liberal hippie that doesn't pass judgement on all of mankind and that everyone goes to Heaven, then not only are you probably not a Christian, but you also have absolutely no idea who Jesus is.

We'll be more than happy to teach you. Go to http://www.butisitbiblical.com and listen to our shows. The message we bring to you is designed to get you in sync with God, not to get God in sync with you.

Mormons and Catholics are NOT Christians...

I really wish that CNN, MSNBC & FoxNews would ask ME whether or not Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are Christians.

It would be my pleasure to tell them what both God and the Bible have to say, regarding their two sets of beliefs. And then, I'd be more than humbled to be able to proclaim for all the world to hear, that neither of them is actually a Christian.

Galatians 1:8 - But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.

And to drive the point home:

Galatians 1:9 - As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

Or how about something even more powerful:

2 Corinthians 11:4 - For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted --- you may well put up with it!

As the author of the soon to be released book titled "But is it Biblical?", I can clearly say that neither the Catholic church nor the Mormons teachings of Jesus MATCH what the Original Greek & Hebrew has to say on the matter. The only way that these "religions" can stick to their claims is for them to use their own mangled translations. And in the case of the Mormons, base it on a fictional tablet (that nobody except Joseph Smith has ever seen) that contains a language that nobody has ever heard of and nobody has ever seen anywhere else. EVER.

Angry? Why? Is your pride telling you that I must be wrong? Is your pride really more in control of your life than God is? If I told you that the Indianapolis Colts were the worst NFL team in 2011 (and you were a fan) would you get mad at me for saying it, even if it were true? (it is true by the way) In the same way, I can tell you without any hesitation that the Catholic church is based upon controlling it's members and the Mormon church is based upon a foundation of lies.

To say that the Mormons are Christians because they "believe in" Jesus, is like saying that "I'm a pilot, because I've been in the cockpit of a plane"! The Mormons come "preaching another Gospel" AND "another Jesus", just like it teaches in 2 Corinthians & Galatians. All you need to do, is know the Full Gospel for yourself and you too can see what I see.

To say that the Catholics are Christians, because (after all) they've got Crucifixes and statues all over their churches is like saying that "Because I have a Corvette, that I'm the CEO of General Motors"! The Catholic church comes "preaching another Gospel" too, and even though it's totally different than what the Mormon's teach, it too is totally different from what the Bible teaches! All you need to do, is pick up a "proper" Bible, learn the Full Gospel for yourself and you too can see what I see. NO OPINIONS REQUIRED.

I cover many of these things in my book and we actually touch on some of these issues in Episode 4 of the radio series.

Rick Santorum is a Catholic, not a Christian.

Mitt Romney is a Mormon, not a Christian.

As an American voter, if you feel in your Spirit that one of these candidates is potentially better for this country, then vote for them. But don't do it because you think that they're something that they're not.

So come on news stations and reporters, ask me along with my Ministry team...

Not to boast, but they'll be the most correct answers that anyone has seen in a long time...

Do all born again believers receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit?

I received an awesome question today and I just wanted to share the answer with my readers. I felt that it might be a somewhat common question (for other reasons) and just wanted to make sure that there is a good solid and Biblical answer available for it.

The Question (part 1): Do all born again believers receive the power of the Holy Spirit in fullness?

The Answer:

YES! YES! YES!

The Question (part 2): I am doing a bible study right now that focuses on Matthew 28:16-20 and 

Acts 1:1-8 when Jesus is giving the disciples the great commission and promising them the Holy Spirit before they embark to carry out the commission. This will give them the courage,boldness and authority they will need to witness.

Acts 19:2 - He said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" So they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit."

It appears then, that one can be a believer without receiving the Holy Spirit?

Actually, the answer to that question is in the very next verse...

Acts 19:3 - And he said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?" So they said, "Into John's baptism."

Let's remember, John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. That particular group of disciples in Ephesus hadn't yet heard about the gospel of their salvation! This of course is in Acts 19:4-5, the next 2 verses...

Acts 19:4-5 - Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus." When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

The Question (part 3):

Just wondering if this could be the reason for people's reluctance to share their faith....they are true believers but haven't received the Holy Spirit or the fullness of the Holy Spirit that gives them the boldness and desire??

Not at all.  It doesn't say anywhere in scripture that EVERYONE is supposed to be out and evangelizing.  True, the great commission DOES emphasize a command for us to do it, but God goes out of His way to say that some of us are more gifted than others at this or that.  To be honest with you, if you're not very good at it, I'd prefer you watched or just stayed home.  Sometimes having someone who isn't very good at what they're doing can destroy what would otherwise be grand... Isn't discipleship fun?

OOH! As a side note to Acts 19:1-5, Paul actually discusses this exact event in Ephesians 1:13-14! I get so excited when I find things like this. What Paul wrote is confirmation of what Luke wrote in Acts!

Excellent question... Be encouraged!

Being "Imitators of Christ"...

I'd like for everyone reading this thread to consider what I am about to share with you today...

Lately, I've been reading posts both here and in many other places regarding what I'll call "legalism" or "flesh purification" (it's hard to pinpoint what to call it). And today the Holy Spirit put it on my heart to share this with you. (it may look long, but it's a quick read)

There are too many Christians who falsely believe that we are to somehow and miraculously BE LIKE Christ in the flesh!

How often do we hear:

• Don't listen to this kind of music
• Don't watch television
• Don't go to "R" rated movies
• Don't drink alcoholic beverages
• Don't...
• Don't.....
• Don't.......

Now as a Pastor, I would never advocate sin (or sinning), but I feel compelled to reach out to those of you who may be more mature in Christ and might be ready to understand (once and for all) the whole Biblical Truth regarding this issue...

First, we must start with the missing piece in the chain of these commonly quoted Scriptures, such as: 1 John 2:15-17, Ephesians 5:1-11, 2 Corinthians 6:17, among many others...

2 Corinthians 5:16 - Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.

Do you see what that says? It says "Even though we have known Christ in the flesh, we don't anymore!". How can Paul say, "they don't any longer"? He said that, because what was flesh is now Spirit! (Every single Bible commentator has missed this)

Now, Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 11:1 "to be imitators of him, inasmuch as he is an imitator of Christ", Ephesians 5:1 too, tells us to be "Imitators of God"... But how can we do this in the flesh I would ask you? We can't! Jesus is not flesh and we "no longer know him as flesh". It is our works "in the Spirit", not the outwardly, that teaches, "do not touch, do not handle, do not eat, etc" (Colossians 2:21) Is not "lusting after the flesh" the same as "lusting to change the flesh"? Spending all of your time concerning yourself about touching, tasting, handling becomes a form of "idol worship" if you believe what Paul teaches in Colossians 2.

Finally, the below words exemplify what I am attempting to share with you today...

Philippians 3:3 - For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh...

Paul teaches us again and again that "the flesh is dead" (Romans 6:11, Romans 7:4, Romans 8:10, etc). If the flesh is indeed dead, how is it that we still seek to "perfect the flesh"? If your flesh is indeed dead and Christ was nailed to the cross along with ALL OF your sins (both past, present and future ones too), then what more can you accomplish, that Christ's sacrifice did not?

Please, if you hold another understanding of Scripture, please do not dismiss what I have shared outright. I would encourage and exhort each and every one of you to not take my word for anything I have written here today, but please be like a Berean and search the Scriptures for yourself to find out if the things I have told you are true.

Your feelings vs. God's Word

Christians have a problem the world over.

The problem, is that somewhere along the line, many of us have decided that what we feel about what the Bible says is more important than what the Bible actually says. Really?

Many Pastors will have you believe that you must interpret the Bible in order to make sense of it. Even worse, they'll also tell you that you should be "applying the Bible to your life". Really?

a) If you interpret the Bible, you'll never know what God has to say, only how you feel about it.
 

b) If you sit there and turn the Bible into a "self help book", you've just exchanged the Bible from "that which speaks of Christ" into "a set of patterns and rules" that will bring you to salvation.

Someone I know likes to say, "If you can learn how to read, the Bible reads like a children's book!" While that may be an oversimplification, he does have a point. If you can learn to stop interpreting everything you read and just read it for what it says, you'll be doing yourself a huge favor.

As for the Bible being a "self help book", Paul tells us that "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Do you see what Paul is saying? He's saying (in plain words) that you can not do anything and that your salvation is a gift of God due only to your faith in Him.

So don't wrap yourself up in what I call, "Commandment Worship". Paul tells us that the law is to be a schoolmaster to us, not a RULE BOOK of instructions on what "we can do". The commandments are a great thing to be used as a "moral blueprint" for society, but "religiously following" those commandments is a waste. You can't.

Galatians 3:24-25 (KJV) - Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

So back to the original issue... Does God care about your feelings? Sure! Any good father would care about their childrens feelings... The thing we must remember though, is no matter how strongly your child feels about something, as a father, you need to be more concerned with the big picture, than whether or not your son or daughter likes your decisions.

So when you apply it to God, it works out the same. God tells us that "His ways are above our ways". What this means, is that no matter what you or I think about any given issue, God's perspective on it is probably different. You can feel as strongly as you want to about: abortion, earthquakes, hurricanes, terrorist acts, wars, or whatever else it is that strikes a nerve, but at the end of the day, if you don't, won't, or can't wrap your head around the single fact that GOD IS IN CONTROL OF EVERYTHING, then you're really setting yourself up for disappointment and even worse, you're setting up everyone who you share your faith with for a life filled with confusion and an endless cycle of them doing it to others too. But from a more immediate concern, you're setting yourself up for constant and continual disappointment, because you're less concerned with GOD'S WILL and more concerned about your own will.

You'll thank me (not that you need to) if you can find a way to just accept the fact that God is in control of all, and how you happen to feel about it is irrelevant. If you think that because I've said that, that I'm uncaring or unkind, then you really don't understand love. While we're told what love is (very clearly I might add) in 1 Corinthians 13, if you don't realize that love (at the heart of the word) means that YOU CARE, then you're missing the point of it all. Just like a parent loves their child enough to prevent them from getting hurt or from sticking a fork in an electrical outlet, I too love you enough, to at least try to warn you of the dangerous paths that you may have set yourself up to walk.

Abortion is Murder!

If you don't understand by now, abortion is murder.

A fetus has a heartbeat by the ripe-old age of 17 DAYS!

It says in Leviticus 17:11 - For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.

At 17 days old, that "baby" is circulating IT'S OWN BLOOD.

I was speaking to a Bishop of a church today and he told me something that wound up being good. It was good, because it reminded me that all of us are fallible! (including myself) He said to me something that should be a reminder as to WHY I tell you in my book, "Never put your Pastor on a pedestal! They're no different than a plumber, a lawyer or a computer repair person. Some of them know what they're doing and some will make your problem worse, because they just don't know what they're doing."

He said to me, "To be honest with you, if my daughter got raped, I'm not sure what I'd tell her to do. I would probably tell her to get an abortion". So I asked him if we could have a discussion about the topic and he refused to hear what God had to say on the matter. He then continued to tell me, "If I came home and found a thief in my house, I've got a gun right here. I would probably shoot him if I found him robbing my home".

To quote my daughter: O_O

Are you kidding me? These are the kinds of things I expect an atheist to say. And more than that, these are the kinds of things that I expect someone who doesn't know the Word of God to say!

In my show tomorrow night, we'll be discussing "Finding a Church". So if you've ever heard your Pastor say something as ridiculous as I heard today, it may be time for you to find a new church. If you're a new Christian or you've had trouble finding a church that you feel called to be at, tonight's show may be just what you need to get you set.

The Link: Thursday 11/17/2011 - Biblically Speaking - Finding a Church

We'll have the chat room open and we'll be taking calls from the audience too. We're also still giving away a signed, numbered pre-release copy of my soon to be released book, "But is it Biblical?" and of course we've also got the book for sale! Be one of the first to have it and place a pre-order today.

Matthew 18 - Dealing with a sinning brother

There are *3* short verses in the Bible that discuss HOW we should handle interpersonal problems. Not only are there verses all over the Bible that teach this, but these *3* verses were spoken by Jesus Himself!

All of Christendom should learn these few short verses. Not only will it prevent small issues like misunderstandings, but they can prevent lawsuits, hate and even WARS if the situation isn't handled Biblically!

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Here is a short expositional view of Matthew 18:15-17: - Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.

Jesus says that if your brother sins against you (upsets you, steals from you or makes you think they've done something wrong against you), you should go directly to your brother and tell him what it is that upset you. If your brother hears you (or understands your position and apologizes or otherwise explains the situation) then you have gained your brother (or fixed the problem), then you're done. This single step is missed in problem resolution 99% of the time. That old sneaky "flesh" of ours gets in the way some times and we jump to conclusions and blame people for things that didn't actually happen or if they've accidentally happened. Each of us MUST seek to give our brother the opportunity to straighten out the situation, one-on-one. If you chose to skip this step, you are absolutely going to create whole new problems, bigger than the first! If that's your intention, then perhaps you've got bigger problems than you think? This is why it's so essential to handle things Biblically.

16 - But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.'

You must go to your brother with an open mind and be ready to listen to what he has to say. But if you go to your brother and he ignores you, belittles you or otherwise tells you that you're wrong and you are not able to make your brother appreciate how you feel or why you feel that way, Jesus tells us to grab 1 or 2 other brothers who are witnesses to the issue or have personal knowledge of the issue and tells us that we should attempt to make a clearer case, so that our brother may better understand what it is that they've done. If you do this and your brother hears the 2-3 witnesses, then you have gained your brother like in verse 15. If you don't approach your brother in the Spirit of love, if you approach your brother as an "angry mob", if you can't approach your brother in "all humility", again, perhaps there are bigger problems than your brother has created?

17 - And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

Jesus tells us that if you have taken 1-2 witnesses with you to speak to your brother and he refuses to admit or acknowledge his wrongdoing, you should THEN and ONLY THEN bring the situation to the attention of the church. At that point, you are devoid of actual witnesses, but you then bring it upon their hearts and their minds that they make decisions on the issues based on how they feel. This is usually a Christian's first step in the problem resolution chain and instead of amicably fixing the problem, you have now had people who weren't involved in the first place making judgment calls on things that can only be based on how they "feel about" the situation. Very rarely will the "whole of the church" decide to handle things Biblically, but instead, emotionally. Very little good ever comes from this step and should be reserved for only the most heinous and unforgivable acts. Jesus goes on to say that if your brother refuses to hear the whole of the church at this point, you should probably try to share the Gospel with your brother, because if he's not willing to love his brother as himself, then he's probably not a Christian and this may be your opportunity to evangelize him and get him in line with God's Will and not his own. Finally, Jesus says that if your brother still refuses to listen, he should THEN be treated as an outcast at that point.

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If your brother stole your oxen, your car or even your wife, I can see you going to the church as a whole. If your flesh is on fire for revenge or the ability to "put your brother in his place", perhaps you've got deeper issues than whether or not your brother has "sinned against you"?

Jesus tells us in Matthew 10, that if you get blamed or accused by your brother of something other than what you actually did, at that hour, you shouldn't worry about what you speak, because it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. Following the steps the way Jesus lays out is a guarantee that we maintain the Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Peace. If you've accused your brother (even in your heart), and you're in the wrong, you owe it to yourself and to your brother to obey Jesus' instructions in these verses. Amen?