A year already? Holy Moly!

Sometimes it's hard to believe how quickly time flies!

If you had asked me, I would have told you that it's been only 6-7 months since my last post, but looking at the list clearly shows me it's been a year!

Are you a Christian or a Disciple?

WARNING: God's Word has been known to be offensive to those living outside of God's perfect Will.  Read to your own edification!

QUESTION FOR CHRISTIANS

Do you call yourself a Christian?

Why?

Does Jesus tell you anywhere in Scripture to "Go out and become a Christian"?

Did you know that the word "Christian" can be found only 3 times in the whole Bible...?

And 2 of those times, it's used in a discussion surrounding suffering or death!

Yet many of you will use that "title" alone in order to describe yourself.  Something that you either deem as a badge of honor, inferring your rebelliousness to the world at large or simply just to show people how "good" or "righteous" you are...

But I'm here to tell you today, that Jesus Himself was more concerned about DISCIPLESHIP than He ever was about you attending church, joining a religion or making up or following your own ways and practices, thanks to what the United States calls "Religious Freedom".

Should new Christians Witness?

While I'm sure that this is going to be a hot-button issue, it's something that I believe needs discussing.

Should a babe in Christ share their faith (or witness) to non-believers? And even better, Should a babe in Christ offer Spiritual guidance to other believers?

Jesus calls upon us to "go into all the world", but did He mean for new believers to do this too? Some would argue that since He didn't place any restrictions on this, then the answer is simply, "Yes". While I believe it's essential that we keep everything Biblical, we also need to look at the mechanics of this too.

Would a University hire a 6 year old to teach Quantum Mechanics? No? Okay, why? Certainly they've been taught how to add and subtract. Certainly this math is easily figured out too, right?

Would a software company hire a 12 year old to teach classes to people, who wanted to learn how to use their software? Not in the real world they wouldn't. Why? Well, for starters, I don't know ANY 12 year old's who could do this effectively. Sure, they may understand how the software works, but should they really be in a position to teach it to adults?

I could give example after example about what makes a good fit and what doesn't, but I think you understand what I'm trying to explain. New Christians are called "Babes in Christ" and Babes require multiple feedings a day, they stick their fingers in things they shouldn't, they put things in their mouth that don't belong there (especially their foot), so they're not really in any position to "feed" other babes (or anyone else for that matter).

Biblical support?

Deuteronomy 11:2 - Know today that I do not speak with your children, who have not known and who have not seen the chastening of the LORD your God, His greatness and His mighty hand and His outstretched arm ---

And just as important an issue, is the issue surrounding new Christians who would profess to know and understand the answers to things that "fathers" don't even know the answers to. I'm dealing with this one person right now, who's been a Christian for about 2 years, but they have no idea that they're a babe. NONE. They go out of their way to answer everyone's questions, even though they should be SILENT and sit back and listen and learn. It's not that they should be silent because they're a babe, they should be silent, because they don't realize that they're giving out the wrong answers to questions that actually have "correct" and "incorrect" answers. They should keep silent, because they ask questions that reveal their "babeness", yet they would speak as if they know it all and are in a position to offer Spiritual guidance to others that may be further along in their growth than they are.

Biblical support?

2 Corinthians 12:14 - Now for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be burdensome to you; for I do not seek yours, but you. For the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.

Now don't misunderstand me, I'm not trying to prevent the Gospel from being shared and I'm certainly not trying to prevent you from exercising the Great Commission either. All I'm trying to do is to appeal to your conscience, that there are some things that little children are better at, than babes and there are some things that young men are better at than little children. Which of course means that there are some thing that fathers are better at than young men. And not just "better at", but assigned to do by God!

Pride keeps us from revealing where each of us are in our walk. Our flesh doesn't want to believe that we're a "babe", but instead believe that we're fathers. We're not called to be boastful or prideful. We're not called upon to take jobs or responsibilities that we're not "called to do". This is one of the primary reasons that our churches are so broken. First they're full of Elders who are babes in Christ and secondly, they're run by Pastors who have lots of "school knowledge", but have no Spiritual Discernment.

I pray that if you're reading this and if this sounds even remotely familiar, that you pray over what I've shared with you today and you stop what you're doing. God doesn't share the Glory with men, EVER. If you'd stop trying to puff yourselves up and humble yourself before God and men, you'd be walking with God the way He expects you to and not the way that you want to...

Instead of seeking your own personal self satisfaction, you should be humbling yourself before someone more mature in Christ than yourself, to learn HOW to properly share your faith. It'll be the difference between the false teaching that "God has a wonderful plan for your life" and "Let me tell you about God's plan". If you see those two examples as the same, then that should stop you in your tracks. They're not the same. Not even close.

All children (especially babies), need to be taught things, whether it's about not drawing on walls or not sticking a fork into a light socket. Witnessing is no different. Your inability to know the difference between right and wrong can wind up being the difference between having a successful witnessing encounter and one that forever scares someone away from 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.

Circular Reasoning & Christianity

Alright -- What do you call a Christian who doesn't know what the Bible says?

CONFUSED

How often do you hear an Atheist proclaim, "Circular reasoning is never going to convince me that there's a god. You're going to have to do better than, 'The Bible says that there's a god, therefore the Bible is true'."

Guess what, they're right!

When Jesus tells us to, "Go into all the world and make disciples of every creature", did you think He maybe meant for us to be able to accurately and adequately be able to do so?

The sad part, if you believe what the Christian Media tells us, these days, most Christians don't share their faith. I suppose if they're going to do it wrong, then we should be grateful.

What I will usually do, to explain to an Atheist who believes that Christians are only able to argue using circular reasoning, is use some LOGIC. (Atheists love logic!) I'll ask them what they call a book that was written more than 3,000 years ago, that has been proven correct again and again? They'll usually claim, "coincidence". That's when you ask them a new question. You ask them, "What do you call it when we're talking about 100's of things, approaching more than 1,000 things?" That's when they'll start to listen.

Now that you have their attention, don't drop the ball! Let's use some more logic!

Ask them what Science means. The more knowledgeable Atheist will tell you that "Science is the study of the observable". Now I love science! Think of all the medical & technological discoveries we've made over the past 200 years! But here's the rub... Most of scientific research gets relegated to what we call "Scientific THEORY". It's called "theory", because the Scientists are trying to prove that what they believe is correct. That's great! It's exactly what you need when you're trying to make breakthroughs! But here's the other rub, if science is the study of the observable, then given our original idea that we started with, how would they classify the Bible?

If there are indeed more than 1,000 things in the Bible that have been proven true, then are we able to say that "they've been observed as true"? If they've been observed as true (either by historians or even through the news today), then can't we say that the Bible has been proven reliable?

Think about it, how often is science wrong? ALL THE TIME. But again, that's how we learn...

Now think about how often the Bible has been wrong... To date.... NEVER.

Remember, this is when the Atheist will tell you that, "The Bible teaches that the world is flat!". This is a 100% untruth! Even today, when we refer to something that will affect the whole world, we use the term, "The four corners of the Earth". Does that mean that we believe that the earth is flat? Does that further mean that we believe that a SPHERE has CORNERS? Certainly not, it's just a "saying" that has survived for a long time. I suppose we could all stop using it, because it's not very accurate, but then again, I suppose as long as the people you're talking to know what it means, then it's ok?

The key thing to remember here, is that either the Bible is 100% correct, or it's 100% wrong. I would think that the most ardent Atheist would like that sentiment. Well, one of the things I like to teach, is that the Bible DOES NOT contain any contradictions, no matter how many "smart people" tell you otherwise. If the Earth was flat, then why does God say this, "Isaiah 40:22 - It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in."

So don't be intimidated by someone who seems "smarter" than you are...

At the end of the day, all the intelligence a man can have will fail him....

Hmmm.... Is there actually an "End of the day"? I suppose that's another "old saying" that really isn't very accurate. Should we stop using it too? Perhaps we should say, "When the sun goes down" or "at the next 11:59PM"? No. I'll stick with the original. It just sounds better to me for some reason... :)

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?

I'm back!

Brothers and sisters, I have been very busy over the past few months, but the Lord has been hard at work too.

I am in the process of finally releasing my book and I've also been approached by a wonderful, Spirit filled sister to do a Radio Show!

We had our first episode tonight and it was so much fun!

Click HERE to listen to last night's show...

And also keep abreast of the rest of the shows and maybe even buy a book HERE.

I'll try to keep better updates!

Blessings,

Keith

I'm writing a Book!

I just began work on my book.

Book you say?

About 9 months ago, I was talking to a friend and it hit me, that people have a really hard time explaining God. I'm not kidding. And when I say people, I don't just mean your average Joe, I mean Pastors and Preachers alike. Sure, they know all the basics, all the characters and the plot, but they don't do a very good job of EXPLAINING GOD to people who have NO FOUNDATION at all. Trust me, there are more people without a foundation than there are people with one.

Anyway, I'll update on it's progress as I go...

I've been thinking a lot about publishing... I know some people from my CPE days, but if that doesn't work out, I don't mind going the self-publishing route. If anyone is interested, please give me a shout...

What is a Christian?

Years ago, if someone said that they were a "Christian", you'd have a good idea of what that meant. Without someone explaining it to you, you knew that meant that they believed in the God of the Bible and that the Bible was the overriding authority used to determine what was "of God" and what was not.

Not any more.

Sadly, the "New-Agers", "Universalists" and the "Emergent Church" have "hijacked" the term "Christian" and have twisted and contorted it to mean whatever it is that makes them happy...

You see, the Bible wasn't written to make you happy... Really... The Bible was written so that you'd have Gods words to help you address HOW to worship Him and HOW to understand just who He is.

Now I understand there are those who don't believe in God, and I pray for those people. I also reach out to them with an ongoing Christian Outreach Ministry that I run for the Glory of God. So if you are one of those who hasn't yet figured out HOW to have a relationship with God yet, you're in the GREATEST DANGER of "False Christianity" I have ever seen.

If someone tells you that, "Jesus is love" or "You've got a God-Shaped hole in your heart that only Jesus can fill" or if they tell you, "God is totally forgiving and loving and there's nothing you need to do but trust in God" then all they're doing is the work of SATAN.

The bottom line, is none of that New-Age mumbo jumbo is IN THE BIBLE. Those people think they're doing Gods work, but they're only doing it for their own self-glorification OR unknowingly for Satan. There's no two ways about it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those "fire and brimstone" preachers, but the bottom line, is if the Bible says it, it's true. That doesn't mean you throw common sense away, it just means that MAYBE, JUST MAYBE you don't know everything and MAYBE you need to do some homework.

I've had people ask me, "Do you believe in Slavery? Because God sure does." That's just ridiculous. Yes, the Bible makes reference to slaves going all the way back to Genesis. It also says, "Romans 8:28 - And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." In other words, don't worry about it, that's Gods job.

In the US today, too many people are worried about "worldly" things. And I understand why. People say, "Who's going to pay the bills? " or "Who's going to clean the house?" or "Who's going to do this or that, if I don't do it?" I agree. Some things require US to take care of certain things. Other things do NOT. Worrying about slavery or equal rights or homosexuality or any number of other worldly things is a waste of our time. We should each be taking care of OUR responsibilities and let God take care of His.

It says in, "Philippians 3:16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind." We can't all be right if we all have our own viewpoints about Christianity. In my opinion, Religion gets in the way of our relationship with God. In my lifetime, I have never seen religion UNIFY people, it only separates us further. (unless you're talking about terrorists. religion seems to unify them)

As I see it, Christianity is "Jewish Lite". Oh yeah, allow me to explain....

1. Jesus is Jewish, right? (yes)
2. Jesus said, "Matthew 5:18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.", right? (yes)
3. Jesus reminded us of the 10 Commandments from God, right? (yes)

If I stop at just those 3 examples, let's ask a question: Did Jesus come to teach us Christianity? No.... As a child, Jesus taught at the Temple. What did he teach? Scripture! What's "Scripture"? The same "Word of God" that ALL CHRISTIANS learn as part of the Old Testament AND the teachings that are in the New Testament. At the beginning of Jesus' Ministry, he goes into the Synagogue and reads from ISAIAH! Judaism and Christianity are NOT mutually exclusive of one another, they are EXACTLY the same. The only difference, is that the Jewish majority refuses to accept Yeshua as the Messiah. Who can blame them? To admit that Jesus is/was the Messiah would put them in a very bad position. Was it not the Pharisees who had Jesus (an innocent man) murdered by the Romans? (notice that I did not say "the Jews") The day that the Jewish majority stands up and admits their wrongdoing, for utterly failing to identify and worship the Messiah, THEN and only then, will Jesus return. The sad thing, is they don't really need to admit it, GOD TOLD THEM THAT THEY WOULD DO IT 3,000 years before it happened! But still, "not one jot or one tittle"...

But I digress, I'm somewhat off topic.

Some have told me that I have no compassion. HUH? Why? Oh yeah, because I remind people about the law. That makes me a "Legalist", right?

NO, it does not.

A legalist is someone who believes that, "they are saved BY the law". I don't believe that. I know better. All Christians should, but they don't. It's that pesky "religion-thing" getting in the way.

What did Paul say, "Romans 2:12 - For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law." So what does that say? It says, Whether or not you care about the law, if you sin (which you will), you're going to be judged by the law and you're going to PERISH. You know, die, cease to exist, move on, etc...

Well that stinks, right? But wait, what else did Paul say, "Romans 3:19 - Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." What does that mean? It means, God gave you a way to KNOW when you're sinning and if you'll just shut up for a minute, He'll explain it to you. Don't believe me? Read the next verse, "Romans 3:20 - Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
See?

So what does all of this mean? Paul says, "Romans 3:31 - Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law." Getting it yet? Ok, here's the bottom line, "Romans 7:7 - ...I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "You shall not covet."

Get it now? How can you possibly "know sin" without the law? YOU CAN'T! Man isn't wise enough to know sin with their mind or their heart, just look at what God said here, "Jeremiah 17:9 - The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?" Using your "feelings" to determine right and wrong can never work, because everybody has their own opinions at to what is right and wrong.

One of the greatest lines in the whole Bible is here, "2 Timothy 3:16 - All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

How much more simple could God have made it?

ALL SCRIPTURE, not some.
ALL SCRIPTURE, not just the parts you like.
ALL SCRIPTURE, not just the parts that don't convict.
ALL SCRIPTURE, not just the parts that don't judge.
ALL OF IT will, "thoroughly equip the man of God.

So back to my point.... As far as I'm concerned, you are free to believe whatever you want to believe. Free will is oft misunderstood as "the ability to choose whatever you want". But that isn't really what it means, it's "the ability to choose whether or not to believe in God".... God created us to worship Him. If he had created a bunch of people "pre-programmed" to love Him, what joy is there in that? He gave us the freedom to choose. How happy would you be if people CHOSE to love you, not because you made them, but because they had the freedom to choose?

In conclusion, if you don't believe that the Bible is the Inerrant Word of God, don't call yourself a Christian. If you don't believe that Jesus meant what he said, don't call yourself a Christian. If you don't like what the Bible says, don't call yourself a Christian. If you think you can "earn your way into Heaven", PLEASE don't call yourself a Christian.

As a Christian, you are saved by Grace alone, through faith alone. Yes, it is said that faith without works is dead, but someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works...

Paul summed it up here: Romans 11:6 - And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

Confused?
Don't be...

Paul was just saying that, "If you're saved by grace, then you're not saved by works; if you're saved by works, then grace is no longer grace. And if you're saved by works, then you're not saved by grace; because then Gods grace is no longer grace..."

Get it now?
If not, pray and the Holy Spirit will reveal it to you...
Without the Spirit, most of the Bible won't make sense...
Why do you think there's so much debate? lol...