Threats Fail to Silence Truth

We're in the age right now where the people, the "reverends", the judges and the legislators make life hard on Christians. Right now Christians in the United States are persecuted, but admittedly, mildly so, but it will get worse as the ends of days gets nearer. However, persecution has always been, even from the time when Christ was here. There's something about the name of Jesus which makes evil men become defensive.

Acts 4:14 "And beholding the (made whole) man which was healed standing with them, they ( the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees) could say nothing against it. 15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, 16 Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it. 17 But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. 21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done. 22 For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was shewed."

There are several ;points to these passages:

• Everyone saw a man crippled for life stand upright (verse 14) 
• Even the skeptics were convinced (verse 14)
• The skeptics self authorized the silencing of those who were magnifying Jesus (verse 16)
• The skeptics were convinced that a miracle occurred (verse 16).
• The skeptics knew that the people of Jerusalem saw it too. There was no way to deny that it happened. There were just too many witnesses to say otherwise (verse 16)
• They made a plan to conceal the miracle from spreading (verse 17).
• The plan expanded: that no man speak in Jesus name (verse 17).
• Those in power commanded that the disciples not speak Jesus' name nor even teach truth about Jesus.(verse 18).
• Peter and John declared that God's law was superior to the law of men (verse 19).
• Peter and John declared that they must speak the truth, meaning that concealing the truth is spreading a lie (verse 20).
• The skeptics and the authorities intimidated the disciples by threats (verse 21).
• Because they had done no wrong, the authorities were forced to release them (verse 21)
• Those who stood for truth were those who prevented further persecution (verse 21).
• Why? Because almost all the witnesses believed the truth and gave God the credit (verse 21).
• The proof was in the pudding: This old guy, crippled for 41 years was healed! Truth prevailed among those who witnessed it (verse 22)!

I'm not sure that a comparison needs to be made to the times right here as exists today; it's just too obvious! Maybe this sentence should conclude the comparison.

However, I'll proceed!

Everyone saw what happened then. Likewise, today, even when miracles are witnessed, science is given the credit. Skeptics then, at least were more honest than those today! The skeptics then made no attempt to credit fate, herbs nor the environment for the miracle. Today skeptics would find something else for the miracle. The first inclination of people, even Christians, today is to find any reason other than God for great things happening; those which are beyond explanation.

In this case, the work of God was undeniable. The miracle was done in Jesus' name and Jesus healed the man! Everybody saw it, and even the skeptics believed! 

Can you imagine; some of the authorities went home that night and had this conversation: "Honey, I saw the most unbelievable thing today. A man crippled for life was healed. He didn't take any medicine nor food, no one treated him, but after being crippled for 41 years, he stood and walked as well as I do! The disciples worked wonders with power. They only had to call on their dead prophet Jesus. They said his name 'Jesu' and the man not only walked, but had an inexplicable joy!" To which his wife replies "So you believe what you saw?" He respomded :Yes, we all believe it was a miracle!" She asked "Then why are you attempting to silence what surely is of God?" His answer "Because it doesn't fit in with what I've always believed!"

Everyone believed what they saw. It could not be explained away! If we compare the skeptics of then to those now, at least then there was some integrity in espousing truth! Just think of now. Hillary Clinton and her spokesmen would "spin" what happened. It doesn't matter how obvious the truth would be; they can deceive even the elect (Christians) by the skill they have in deception!

Hillary would say "Fundamentalist Christians today advancing the cause of Republicans, staged a miracle to benefit their own right-wing beliefs. They found a man, previously cured by great doctors, had him continue a facade of  being crippled for life, said Jesus' name, then claimed that Jesus did the healing! Because I'm not easily fooled and don't buy their deception, neither should you! You can't fool science! You can't fool educated people!"

It is to be noted that Peter and John were called "unlearned and ignorant" (verse 13), and most of the skeptics were surely educated. The skeptics took a superior attitude. These skeptics were much like the progressives of this day; we're not to be fooled by the facts! It's the narrative which is of utmost importance!

"Narrative" is a word assigned a new meaning. Today a "narrative" is the conversation which favors the initiative. Truth is not to interfere with the goal of the plan. For instance in the 2012 election the narrative was: 1) Obama as promised removed our troops from Iraq and there was no further need for them there, and 2) terrorism is contained. All his spokesmen were to follow this narrative regardless of what was happening. If they didn't the people would learn of their failures and vote Republican. No mention was to be made of truth and all were to further the lie. It worked. Obama won the election. His people took truth and changed it until lies became truth.  That method of lying is called "spin", hence the need for O'Reilly's, The Factor, "No Spin Zone"!

In the case of the miracle, even the skeptics knew that "spin" would fail. There was no attempt to develop a narrative (see Hillary's above). They accepted the truth, but made an attempt to contain truth so it would do no further damage to their own theology. When truth fails, people turn to threats!

Even today, if people can't be silenced about God's truths, the authorities use threats! Today, it's fines and/or jail time. Recently, Rowan County, Kentucky clerk Kim Davis was jailed, not for a crime, but to silence her belief. Judge Bunning used the ultimate threat to silence her. She was jailed. The authorities didn't want her faith to cause others to do the same. Governor Beshear was the "captain of the temple" who colluded and Judge Bunning was the Sadducee who did the intimidation!

To society, to the people and to the authorities there is one name especially intimidating to them. It's the name of Jesus which repulses even the most tolerant of people. Tolerance stops with the speaking of Jesus' name! It doesn't bother society much at this time that people have faith in Jesus; they just don't want his name spoken in public nor taught!

The "wall of separation of church and state" is the biggest lie ever foisted upon the American people! Rather than preventing the use of God in government our Constitution guarantees the right to speak Jesus name anywhere, anytime and by anyone! Kim Davis was acting within her guaranteed rights!

Right now, threats work pretty well in silencing most people! Kim Davis has been hard to silence. By tricky maneuvers she has been quieted. The skeptics have threatened her: "You will go back to jail!" 

Societies desire is to keep people ignorant of God. When Christians are silenced there is no threat to their own power nor vices. Weak Christians allow themselves to be silenced. Although society labels Christians "unlearned and ignorant" that's merely what they wish that we were!

Those "uneducated and ignorant" men of Acts wrote the most profound words ever written by any men! They spread the religion of the servant who would become the king who many worship and most have heard and have been influenced! As learned and educated men looked down their nose at those who simply believed truth, learned men today despise us simply because we believe in and call on Jesus! That's the truth! 

Oh, by the way, Kim Davis claimed that God's Law has precedence over the laws of men. So did Peter and John!

Ignorant Christians!

 In this episode of the adventures of the apostles they are still consorting with the Jewish "people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees (Acts 4:1).

Let's first examine who these people are: "The People" are those traditional religious skeptics who had always to be shown a miracle to believe, yet still questioned God. These are those of the same attitude who followed Moses and doubted, and followed Peter and doubted, and with doubt, always wanted to turn back to where they had been before. They have a type of religion, but are a rebellious people. They are those who God created grace to save! God throughout history always tried to save them from themselves, because it was their own self that they followed.

Because of their rebellious hearts they were easy to lead astray, or maybe lead their leaders astray, as the Jewish people did to Aaron while Moses was on the mountain. They loved the pomp and circumstance in worship, caring little for whom they worshiped!

It seems that when Jesus was around, these people were always there; not to follow Jesus, but to be seen by men. They were those who challenged every move Jesus made claiming, "He doesn't fit very neatly into the Jewish box!", not realizing it's his box to size and shape! These same people were there with Peter and the others who had been filled with the Holy Ghost, not to encourage and love, but to refute and humiliate! It seems those who are filled with the very Spirit of God, seem foolish to others!

The "priests" are those educated in The Law (The Penteteuch; the first five books of the Old Testament). The Torah had not yet to be assembled, being the rabbinical commentaries on the Penteteuch. Since the Torah included the oral transmission of commentary to the Law, the Jewish priests were the source of knowledge for all the works required to be saved. Since commentary had yet to be written and because it was transmitted orally, the priests had the opportunity to make the Law what they wanted it to be. Indeed God's will became a dynamic instrument to use against the people and the priests of the day and as such, they were more than educators; they were condemners. In effect they were leaders of a lynch mob to extricate those who failed to fit their concept of the nature of God.

The priests with the cheers of the Jewish people were the mob who caused Jesus to be crucified. Now they arrived just in time to condemn the Holy Ghost; the same Spirit which was with their prophets throughout history! Here they came to call out "ignorant' disciples, when it was they who were the ignorant ones!

The "captain of the temple" is the temple policeman. He is the strong arm of the Law. These are the same policemen who escorted Jesus around when he was indicted for heresy. When priests and temple officials were perceived to be in danger, they were the body guards, in effect, to insure that the actions of the priests were enforced. When people didn't fall in line, they enforced the Law, which by the way, was enforced without love! They were a sort of "PC Police" in vogue at the time, only "political correctness" was what the priests deemed to be correct. Yes, it wasn't merely religious law, it was political as well! In effect, they were there to arrest the apostles and other disciples if they were found to be out of step with how the priests interpreted the Law!

The Sadducees were a political group who influence both religious and political law in the Sanhedrin. They were the Democrat Party of the day, if you need to think in contemporary terms. (I guess that makes the Pharisees the Republican Party and the Essenes those who are aloof from it all!) Politically here are their duties:

The Sadducees oversaw many formal affairs of the state such as (Wikipedia):

• Administered the state domestically
• Represented the state internationally
• Participated in the Sanhedrin, and often encountered the Pharisees there.
• Collected taxes. 
• Equipped and led the army
• Regulated relations with the Romans
• Mediated domestic grievances.

They were the influential wealthy trend-setting elite of the day! Josephus said that they were fatalists, believing this life is the end of it all, hence there is no resurrection of man nor Jesus. In effect they were skeptics surely influenced by philosophy who took the religious and made it the irreligious. They are those who put up the wall between church and state. These folks were the Barry Lynns of that day (Americans United for Separation of Church and State). These elite educated men were those who came to crucify Jesus again by condemning all memories of this "heretical man" who claimed that he was God and who they thought "These fools believe that he yet lives!"

That's the audience, or more correctly, the accusers who came to persecute this little group of Christians whose sole crime was spreading truth, hope and love! Does that sound familiar? It has always been the same. In all those lands where disciples ventured in the "Great Commission", there were always these types ready to squelch the truth and stop Christ in his tracks! They always failed, but as they tried, there very actions convinced people to believe. Their evil was much less convincing to most than the love being taught by those who profess Jesus!

Acts 4:8 "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, 9 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; 10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. 11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus."

Here we have the message for today. Peter got filled with the Holy Ghost. Peter was changed! Rather than holding hands with the lynch mob as he did when Jesus was crucified, now he's the one the mob is after. Peter didn't deny this time. This time he stayed true to Jesus! "Do you love me Peter?" Now, yes he does!

The lame man was made "whole". This group of skeptics came to examine this miracle. The God to whom they were accustomed hadn't done a miracle until Jesus for 400 years! They saw Jesus time and again do miracles. It was all supposed to end with Jesus's death. It didn't! Why? Because Jesus still lived then as he still lives now. His Spirit descended after his body ascended and now lives within the corporate temple of his disciples.

"Made whole" is much more than being restored to health as in "made well". "Wholeness" is physical and spiritual.   It's to save,  to keep safe, and to rescue from danger or destruction! When Christ makes a person whole, as we find from Luke with the leper, he's restored in the flesh and spirit (Greek: sojo). This formerly crippled man walks again and now he believes! He's the enemy now. He's one of those Nazarenes! He's in collusion with them, faking his own restoration (sic)! Does this sound familiar? Even today those who doubt God doubt miracles!

Peter didn't take credit for the miracle. This was so un-Peter-like! When James and John presumed that they would sit by Jesus in the kingdom of God, the soon coming earthly kingdom, Peter was one of those who was indignant that he would be overlooked! Now here's the same narcissist giving Jesus the glory! This deed was done "by the name of Jesus Christ". You see the Holy Ghost IS the Spirit of Jesus who lived in the soul of Peter and those who were filled with the Holy Ghost. God is still with us! Emmanuel lives within his temples; all Christians who call on the name of Jesus to be saved!

One of the clues that "wholeness" is spiritual as well as physical is in this phrase: after making reference to the cripple now standing, Peter remarks "neither is there salvation in any other". The same Jesus who heals the lame is the one whose name saves! The crippled man was healed from lameness, but more importantly, he is saved!  It takes faith in Jesus whom these same folks caused to be crucified, to save! He's the only way, and "yes, you ignorant Sadducees, Jesus was resurrected and because he was, others can be saved!"  Salvation is resurrection; forever!

These teachers, those powerful and those in the herd "perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men". These scholars, educators, church leaders and authorities "perceived" that they were observing ignorant uneducated followers of Christ, soon to be called Christians, for "they had been with Jesus". Yes, even then, being a follower of Jesus was a stamp of ignorance and the uneducated. The elite today still think that Christians are ignoramuses who care only for their guns and Bible!

If you can't see the parallel between what just occurred with Peter and John as the same which happens today, maybe you too are part of the herd! God is always the same and people are predictable. As Solomon said "There is nothing new under the sun." (Ecclesiastes). The one big difference is that we're nearer to the time of our salvation, and at that time people and institutions become more evil. Even the elect will be deceived. The church, here represented by the priests, will be part of the deception. God knows who they are! The crowd didn't call these men "ignorant". They merely perceived it and God knew their minds!

Sometimes when I commence to tell a person about Jesus, I perceive that my words are unwelcome. I can't read minds, but the Holy Ghost allows me to perceive their thoughts through their attitudes. I can tell that the unbelieving people to whom I speak of Jesus are those who would persecute me for just knowing Jesus. Nothing has changed. Persecution still exists and it makes the church grow!

Persecution: What Grows Christianity

We all hate the contemporary freedom to ostracized Christians and demean God. It's in vogue to belittle anyone who has faith in Jesus. Those same people praise other religions and are inclusive of even the most fearsome! Christians are hated for rebuking sin while Islam is praised as "a peaceful religion" in spite of their founder being a camel pirate, pedophile and tyrant! (I guess I should now write my will!)

Christianity has always been despised, with few exceptions, as a threat to the status quo! Let's look at an example:

Acts 4:1 "And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, 2 Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide. 4 Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand."

If it were not for persecution of Christians  Christianity would still be a middle-eastern sect of the same stature as Zoroastrianism! Rather than denigrating those who persecute us, we should be thankful for Christ's sake. Persecution seems to be the method God has chosen to make his children multiply; and it has been effective! It's not that God causes persecution, but he allows it!

Matthew 5:10 "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

If we bear our persecution, it appears that we are to be rewarded! No, it's not seventy-two virgins, but it is even better than that! It's eternal life with God in heaven. (Note: Those virgins would have to be sea hags to service an old bearded sweating Arab who kills people for joy!)

Mortal persecution is being "baptized in blood". It's those who have died for righteousness sake. Required reading for all Christians, especially in this time, is Fox's Book of Martyrs. Starting with the apostle's who died in persecution for their faith and ending with those who are currently dying for Jesus' name, puts the entire idea of dying for Jesus into perspective! Even in this civilized world, pagans are as bloodthirsty now as in the dark ages.

But look what happens with persecution. The leaders of the synagogue (church), the people and the government all joined hands, had that meaningful "conversation" which evil people seem to always have; then ended the conversation with persecution. Why? Because they "being grieved that they taught the people" (verse 2), truth as it was! The truth about Jesus and the resurrection! How silly a notion that Christians believed the eternal life myth (sic)! These so-called do-gooders in the name of evil were some of the first "PC Police". What the disciples were teaching was at odds with popular thought. It was their own thinking which was "right",  and they were so intolerant that they could not even allow others to have their own thoughts! The same as now, free speech is what speech the opposition deems correct.

Nothing has changed today! We still have the PC Police and it's still not "politically correct" to talk about Jesus unless it is using his name in vain!  Why? Christ is a threat to the very existence of those who are in rebellion to God's will. People say they like "hope" and "change". If they truly desired that, it would be Jesus they seek out, not bloviating politicians! These thought speech are still here today and are always ready to challenge the truths which threatens their own pleasure.

The authorities "laid hands on them" (verse 3). This wasn't a laying on of spiritual hands, but the hands of dark forces. However, the power of principalities dims in contrast to the Holy Spirit. The disciples were led to jail, for their own protection, of course, until the next day! The people heard what the disciples did and favored what was said, but because the teachers were persecuted, five-thousand believed. Persecution makes church growth because it contrasts evil with righteousness!  Discerning people can see good and it's truth that has more power!

John 8:32 "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

Ironically, as the teachers of truth were confined, their bondage set five-thousand free! "Persecution" is a multiplier: (a few) x (persecution) = (many). Right now I am a Christian because my antecedents were persecuted. Those persecuted at Pentecostal opened the gate for my own belief because they grew overnight!

Today, we're being persecuted more than ever. It comes after a lull in church growth. However, the more liberal churches, progressives, the government and Islam hates us, the more the people will seek truth. The fat lady has yet to sing (Sorry! Not PC), and the kingdom of God will grow until we're raptured. Then the persecution by the church, government and a terrorist reign will kick into high gear! One promising thought! Those dead in Christ and those living won't see the end-of-time persecution. We'll be safely in heaven where the PC Police can never harm us!

The Mystery of God: The Mystery of Christ

God gave the Holy Ghost to the Jews at Pentecost. Yes, it's there: The Jews were the first Pentecostals! Why? They were and are God's chosen people:

Acts 3:26 "Unto you first (the Jews) God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities."

Throughout the world people don't like that Jews are God's chosen people! However, because Jews are persecuted, reinforces to me that the God is real and that  scripture is true. Part of that truth is that God "raised up his Son Jesus" to bless the Jewish people! However, there was a purpose to the intent of God: It was to "turn everyone of them from their iniquities"!

Jews tried by themselves to turn from sin, or lives of iniquity. The Pharisees did a bang up job in everything, but they failed to love. Their role in the gospels was in antagonizing Jesus and foiling his ministry! Even with that, God made the Holy Spirit available to the Jews first! This is a promise made early on:

Deuteronomy 14:2 "For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth."

Remember, from the beginning God had one plan! Some believe that The Law was Plan A and it failed. God doesn't need a backup plan; there was no Plan B and Jesus certainly isn't a reserve to call in when the starter cripples! Plan A is Jesus Christ. That plan was always "salvation by grace"!

Because the Jews turned over Jesus to be crucified, they have been vilified throughout history, even by Christians. Of course, their vilification came even earlier than that. God gave them Canaanland and the kingdom of God, the kingdom of David was all the Levant, "the land of the rising sun"!

Now for a short political discourse:

I've wondered why we all say ISIS, but the administration says ISIL. ISIS designates Syria. ISIL designates all the Levant. Actually, Obama is more correct on this one, because ISIL already includes most of David's kingdom including Israel, the West Bank, Gaza and all the rest. (David's kingdom came to the River Euphrates). The immediate goal of ISIS/ISIL is the entire Levant, including Israel. The long-term goal is the world!

Now back to the Jews as God's chosen people:

The purpose of Jesus Christ was to "turn very one of you away from your iniquities".  He "turns" sinners because he blesses sinners. In this case the sinners were the Jewish people he came to bless.

The blessing is salvation by a blood sacrifice. That sacrifice was well known by the Jews. Therefore, when Jesus shed his blood for them, they should have immediately recognized the promised blessing!

The Abrahamic Covenant is the best case of God's promise of a blessing to the Jews:

 Genesis 12:1 "Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."

This passage reveals "the mystery of God". On the surface who did God promise to "bless"? The Jews. (Hold that thought for a minute.) In this passage God promised to bless the Jews. Of course the advent of Jesus (Acts 3:26 above) was the first blessing, but then the Jewish people were again blessed first by the advent of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2).  The Jews were promised a chosen status: God making them a great nation and he followed through with that. Ownership of Israel is the desire of the religions of the world, and in their persecution, the Jews have truly been blessed. God isn't through with them yet!

(Now back to your holding that thought). On the surface it appears that God's blessing was for the Jews only! However, dig deeper:  "in thee all families of the earth be blessed"! The "hidden promise" in the Abrahamic Covenant is that Jesus will bless everybody in the world! Plan A not only was salvation by grace, but also salvation for all who will receive it!

The Abrahamic Covenant was a mystery in Abraham's time (The Mystery of God). Abraham knew what it meant. The Word told him! Jesus revealed the "mystery of Christ" right there in the covenant with Abraham! Paul revealed it to the rest of us:

Ephesians 3:2 "If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: 3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 6 That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel..."

Abraham was told "in thee (his seed) shall all the families of the earth will be blessed"! It was God revealing to Abraham the "mystery of Christ" centuries before Paul revealed it to the Ephesians! Remember my contention that God always had one plan; Plan A. The "dispensation of grace" is part of the mystery of Christ. Salvation was never by The Law, but by grace! Paul said "in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men"! Abraham knew if he listened and understood the promise made by The Word!

Then the second part was that the "gentiles should be fellow heirs" of the blessing of Abraham; Jesus Christ! ("All families of the earth be blessed"). God's Plan was always one plan; that the blessing, salvation, is available for all!

Yes, it was for the Jews first. Revelation 1:20 says that the Jews are the "first fruits". True to his word, they were the first to receive Jesus and the first to receive the Holy Ghost. They communed with God and were special. They still are! Then Paul turned away from those whose hearts were hardened by The Law and turned to the gentiles!  Thereafter, the rest of us are blessed too!

Matthew 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."

Jesus said that his gospel shall be preached to all nations. That's because his blood is a propitiation for all sins of all the people of the world! After the world has heard, then the end shall come. The Jews had their chance first, then the gentiles. Once all the gentiles have heard, there is no further need to say more! The end shall come.

Back to Acts 3:26: Jesus was the blessing to the Jews, but the blessing had a purpose. It was to change the hearts of the people.  When people are saved from iniquity (sin), then it's implied that they quit sinning! The purpose of Jesus' sacrifice wasn't to save people so they could continue in sin, but to provide a way to turn from sin. The Holy Ghost, being "the Comforter" is our ally in turning from sin. We merely put on God's whole armor and let the Holy Ghost help us fend off the evil ones.

The Jews had problems with change. They were used to being superficially obedient, but the change Jesus sought was love. Jesus fulfilled The Law. He became the reason that people obeyed the commandments rather than another way to salvation. People were so bound by doing righteous things that they were done without love.  Loving God and others is obedience! Like the Jews, gentiles have the same problem, but we can't even keep The Law, as well as failing to love others!

All About Love

You've heard this before, but bear with me! In English there is one word describing our emotional attachment to another human being. That word is "LOVE". Of course "Love makes the world go around"! From a physical standpoint love can't really do that, but from an emotional standpoint it is certainly important! The concept of love is so important that the entire Bible is about love. Because of that, the concept of love is important because some people either choose not to  or are incapable of love!

"Unloving Christian" is an oxymoron!  "Unfriendly Christian" is a facade"!

The paramount concept of holy scripture is:

John 3:16a "For God so loved the world..."

That's important scripture because I know that I am hard to love! God loves me anyhow, knowing that most people fail to love him back. "For God so agapao the world..."  the word from the original Greek which describes the profound love that God has for us! He does expect something in return! (Dr. David Jeremiah is wrong about that!):

Matthew 22:36 "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

God DOES expect something in return for his grace! He expects our love. Dr. Jeremiah clearly misstated God's expectations. Better said would be "God loves all his creation to the extent that he gave his only Son for all of us!" That's divine love. That's agape love.

Implied within the scripture is that "love" isn't optional; it's an obligation because it's commanded. Jesus clearly indicated how much we are to love God: "with all thy heart, and with thy soul, and with all thy mind". It is to be pointed out that agape love is love with all our being for God. With our "heart" it's a sincere love, with our soul, it's a spiritual love, and with all our mind, it is the focus of our love. God is to be our first love; the most important in our lives!

That type of love is described by Jesus and is how we are to love God. In that Jesus IS God, we are to love him that intensely! Figure #1 below shows God-type agape love in the top circle.That's the only type of love that we can have for him. True, we have a friend in Jesus, but his love is much ore than that type of love!

Also, from the scripture above, we are told how to love. God wrote "rules for love" in stone and called them The Ten Commandments. The same scripture asks the question "Which is the great commandment IN THE LAW?" The Law is God's Law, those same Ten Commandments. They tell HOW we are to love. It's by doing and not doing certain things. Again, being commandments, they are not optional. Loving God is: 1) to have no other gods besides him, 2) have no idols, 3) honor God's name and 4) keeping God's day holy.

Loving our neighbor, the second to greatest is: 5) honoring our parents, 6) preserving life, 7) keeping our marriage pure, 8) working for what we have, 9) being honest, and 10) not being jealous or lustful. Yes, we are to keep these Commandments within the "Covenant of Grace" which we're in now! Doing these things is how we love God and neighbor then and now!

Agape is not an emotion. Sure our "heart" includes our emotions, but The Law is things we are to do, and are consequently works. Love isn't an emotion. Love is works that we must strive to do. As such in our zealousness, we do get emotional, but we can show God love just by doing his will. It's not bad that people cry for the love of God or they shout with joy, but even those who are ascetic can still love the Lord. Agape love isn't measured by tears or yelps; it's measured by compliance to God's will!

FIGURE #1: ALL ABOUT LOVE

The double orange line demarcates (Figure #1) those "spirit-filled" from those not. Below the lines are those born again, and those above the lines, before they're born-again.

The "Self" is shown in the left circle. The infidel "Self" is the "other god besides God". As such the "Self" operates on the pleasure principle.  Who does the Self want to pleasure? It's him! It's each one's Self/  Love of Self for those who are "Old Persons" is a type of eros love. That is the physical and sensual love between two people and can be love of one's Self. Eros is pleasuring the senses. We can pleasure our own Self and in fact, self-love is the love of which God is jealous. After the old sinful person is "born-again" as a new creature, that person's nature changes. (If your nature hasn't  changed, then have you truly been born again?)

The "Old Person" was one who placed utmost importance in pleasure, having erotic love for their own satisfaction. The "New Person" buries the sensual (physical) pleasures, as paramount anyway, and replaces self-pleasure with both love of God and love of others. This is obedience to The Greatest Commandment and the Second like unto it! 

Because of self-love a person wants to save his idol for posterity, and then when God receives that person into his kingdom, gratitude for his grace should be forthcoming. We are "born-again" because of self-love, then truly Christians love God for his salvation. In effect the gift is desired and loved because it does good for the Self, but out of gratitude for the gift, the Self loves the giver! That's a must:

1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments:

Which one's are we to keep? All of them! I suppose that any type of righteousness is covered under The Ten Commandments.  We aren't to pick and choose. We are to do them all! (No multiple choice obedience!)

Before we continue with love, let's look at unrepentant man. In opposition to those who say those with low self-esteem hate themselves, their self pity would seem to be because they value their own self so much that they can't bear the hurt. Yes, what I am saying is that a "lack of self-esteem" is really having too much esteem for one self! Those who focus on others, including God, are the ones who are the functional individuals. (See Herrin Daily Thought Christ Esteem: The Answer to Self-Esteem )

In order to murder oneself, pleasuring would have to bottom out. Indeed the person who has the most despondency is one who fails to get pleasure from anything. His own idol fails him! He doesn't hate himself. He loves himself to the extent that he can't bear the pain his idol is suffering! God agrees that it's not the hate of self that is mankind's problem:

Ephesians 5:29a "For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it..."

Hey... I'm just the bearer of what God says! I know it's in opposition with all that we've been told, but who are we to believe, Truth or Deception?

In Figure #1 the circle on the left is the erotic love of self, and is part of the old person. Hating the self is not a problem for anyone. It's the self-love, even the act of destroying the self to avoid further pain to the one a person loves.

By the way, eros-type love is not in the Bible, but is described in the Song of Solomon. David had this same type of "love" for Bathseba when she exposed her flesh on the roof and David watched her. However, I don't see erotic type of love as merely sexual, but whatever pleasures the senses.

Now, we look at how we love others. This is philio love. It's used in the Bible. An example of this type of love is the friendship between King David and Jonathan. You won't find the word there though! Why? It was written in Hebrew and philio is a Greek word. Philio love is loving another as oneself. Even those who are not Christians can have that type of love, but for a Christian, it is a requirement! You can see from Figure #1 that even unsaved people have philio love (center circle above the lines). As a subset of brotherly love (love of others) is storge love which is love of family. Although it's not shown in Figure #1, familial love is very real and special!

When we are born-again we must stop hating others, family or otherwise. John's Epistle says it very well:

1 John 4:20a If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar.."

I know people who claim to be Christians, but hate me. According to this verse, they can't love God and if they say they do, they lie! I know that I'm not very lovable, but people are required to work at loving, even the unlovable!

And before we proceed, there is a fatal virus in the air. It's been here for over 2000 years. Many people have always hated Jesus. Why? Because he requires that they change and people love their own self too much to change! Jesus interferes with the erotic love our little gods have for their self!

The Jews claimed that they loved God. They still do! Here's Jesus' truth about that:

John 15:23 "He that hateth me hateth my Father also."

It's dangerous, stupid and prideful that anyone doesn't love Jesus. He never ever did anything wrong! His crime is that he existed. Because of his existence, people were convicted of their sins, and some people would rather hate the one who loves them rather than change the self. Their eros love is so powerful that they won't relinquish it for even the preservation of their "self'. In other words, people destroy their Self for eternity just because they love their selves so much. (People are in the flesh; pleasure; self-gratification!)

Unsaved people, even with their spouses, are capable of philio love, actually storge, and eros love as well.  (See Figure #1 right circle above the lines). Of course people pleasure and lust for their spouse. Likewise, most often, even non-Christians have a special bond with their wife. Husbands and wives are expected to be friends (philio love), but also have that added closeness by being a family unit (storge).

Now let's jump down under the line to the "New Person" in Christ. Something should change! Agape love can be added to each of the circles of the "Old Person" and put in the circles of the "New Person". First, off let's continue to consider those married. Marriage is symbolic of a relationship with Christ. Of course Christians are the bride and he's the groom. Although we don't love each other as God has the capacity to love, Christian couples have a special bond because of the sanctity of marriage, ordained by God. They become one in holy matrimony. Sure they focus on each other, but if the eyes of both are on God, philio, and even eros love, comes easily! (It's a known psychological fact that those who feel guilty because of sin a Christian may not even be able to perform!)

In the upper half of Figure #1 I show a broken arrow between God and the Self (the individual). Since the unsaved person has no trust in Christ, there is no love there, hence communion is broken, Regardless, the arrow still points toward the self (individual). Even though we're still sinners God does love us! That arrow in reality, points toward the New Person as well, but that's implicit! The one deeper in sin actually has the capacity to love God even more, once he becomes a New Person, because he is forgiven the most! Look how much:

Luke 10:27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love (agapao) the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

This passage is Luke's version of the Greatest Commandment. The bond between the saved person and Jesus is agape-type mutual love! Agape love is added to the individual and philio love and agape love exceeds any remnants of love of self! The living sacrifice was made to God and the flesh (pleasure, eroticism) was snuffed out (or at least under self-control with the aid of the Holy Spirit).

The philio love that the New Person has is a communion with others. It's in response to "loving thy neighbor as thyself". Yes, Christians can have a special brotherly-type love for their own selves! We can love ourselves because God made us that way! It's not to pleasure, but to care for God's creation. It's in our purpose and attitude. If we do things to preserve what God made, we're okay with philio-type love of ourselves. It's that erotic pleasure oriented love which is man's problem!

In addition, the New Person has communion with God. God even moves in with us spiritually speaking! We become his temple and God becomes part of our daily life. Maybe with the closeness we have a little storge love for God too, but it's more profound. He's our heavenly Father and our Friend, but he's an awesome God, so agape love supersedes familiar or philio love!

Then we not only have a philio love for others, but a commanded agape love:

John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love (agapao) one another, as I have loved you.

Jesus says to love others as he has loved us! That love is agape! Sure we still feel camaraderie, but there becomes a spiritual closeness. It's easy to feel love with our brothers in church, but even for those unsaved, it's a Godly love.  Think in terms of "I love this man so much that I cringe at the thought of him going to eternal damnation!" It's this type of agape which drives "The Great Commission"! It's the love of the soul! It goes right back to how we're to love God: mind, hearts and soul! We love even the unsaved that much... if we are truly lovers of God and obedient to him! (Remember that agape love is a work. It's not easy, but we're to do it!)

Philio and agape love are in the New Testament, written in Greek. The words are not there in the Old Testament (written in Hebrew), but the same concept is there. Here's an example:

Proverbs 19:8a" He that getteth wisdom loveth (Hebrew: ahab; "have affection for"as we love God) his own soul..."

Ahab, in the Hebrew has exactly the same meaning as agape in the Greek. Yes, we can have ahab (agape) love for our own self. Once our idol, the Self is washed clean by God, and the eros (pleasure) toppled, then we can love who we are. It's a healthy spiritual self-love because it's of God. We recognize that we are what we are because we are of God. The New Person is no longer the Self. It has been sacrificed! Now that New Person is a temple of God. That temple replaces the idol that once was. It's all part of God''s plan. He planned well!

Toppling the Self: Erecting Jesus

 What if? What if Peter and the apostles took the credit for things God did? Not only would we be praising Peter today, but God who died for us, would have been just a footnote in history. However, Peter saw to it that he didn't get the credit for miracles!

Acts 3:12 "And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?"

Peter healed the lame man at the gate called Beautiful.  He never said "I command you to walk!" or "I can help you!" Here's what happened:

Acts 3: 6 "Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk."

Peter diminished his own place in the healing miracle. He confessed his poverty (no silver of gold), thus implying his lack of stature, but he still had something to give the poor crippled man. Peter had his faith! If with his faith he could move mountains, he surely could have faith enough to heal the lame. Peter took no credit for the miracle that was about to happen. He said "in the name of Jesus". Credit was given where credit was due. This act by Peter exonerated his previous betrayal of Jesus, but in the meantime something happened to Peter. He got the Holy Ghost!

As Peter was filled with the Spirit of God, the spirit went into the container intended for the spirit. No, it wasn't the stomach for fine wine, but the soul for fine pine. I know, you're thinking "Pine!" The intent is not to confuse, but when people "pine" they have a strong desire for someone not presently there! The pining Peter had was for righteousness, and the Holy Ghost came to him and filled his soul!

When the Holy Spirit came into Peter (and the others) it was because they were of one accord. For the really dense, this means that Christians got along with each other. The common accord was unity in Jesus. Within Jesus there should not be dissension, arguing, jealousy, in-fighting and the like. Preparing oneself for the reception of the Holy Ghost must happen. God doesn't come unto those who are doing evil. His Spirit is for those who want to be filled!

When a container is filled with something, it must first be one of two things: 1) Either it's already empty, or 2) if not empty, it must be emptied. Before the Holy Spirit comes in the temple must be cleansed. The evil lurking therein must be purged. I submit that the Holy Spirit evicted the evil within Peter before he came in!

Matthew 9:17 "Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved."

The old bottle was broken when Peter became a Christian. Christ's blood covered Peter's sin (denying Jesus thrice). When that happened the bottle was made new and was ready for new wine (The Holy Ghost).  It would appear that those made safe in Christ are indeed visited by the Holy Ghost, but on a subsequent occasion the filling takes place. Regeneration (making safe) discards the dangerous "old bottle" and then the "new bottle" is a cleansed container for the filling of the new wine!

Peter's denials were Peter still appeasing his idol. He was protecting his own self from being toppled by the zealot Jews who would kill him. In denying Jesus, Peter kept his idol erect. He served both God and self. That's the "other god" who makes God jealous! Peter was born-again. However, as all humans do, Peter protected what was important to him: himself. We all do that! Jesus understands because he suffered extreme temptation for forty days. He empathized with Peter.

Then Jesus said to Peter and his disciples: "That's enough!" Then he sent himself back, in spiritual terms, to comfort Peter and the rest. Jesus' is in heaven, but his Spirit must have a tabernacle. It's in the church and we are the church. As such, the Holy Spirit kicked evil out and came unto the believers who were in one accord, and filled them!

After the filling, Peter's idol was toppled! The filling of the Holy Ghost evicted the Old Peter and the New Peter came on strong for Jesus. Peter no longer denied Jesus, but denied having any power himself! The focus was off Peter and on Jesus! I call this Christ Esteem. It's how Christians are to envision their own role in life! The Old Peter would have said "I made you walk again!" That's self-esteem. The New Peter said "It was Jesus who made you walk again!" As the lame man walked again,  Peter loved Jesus again!

For a more comprehensive commentary on self vs. Christ esteem see Self Esteem vs. Christ Esteem.

Church Growth: Or Death?

In the early church, after receiving the Holy Ghost new Christians were changed! That's what a Christian is supposed to do! If we claim to be a Christian, but have a bitter heart, then we fool ourselves. When people are at odds when one walks into a church, the tension in the air can be felt! What state of mind must a Christian have who can't even get along in the social media, let alone in person? What type of person is the Christian who never says "I'm sorry!" or one who fails to truly forgive?

Christians are at times just plain calloused. One told my friend, her first time at church, "You're in my seat!" For me, I visited another church and ate with them. When I walked into the hall with about 100 seats, I sat by the only three people who were there before me. Another man came in and said "You're in my seat!". I apologized and moved over one chair. He said "You're in my wife's seat!" I emitted a look of befuddlement. The nice people across from me said "Come sit with us!"

You see, the church has BIG problems. We can't get along. Each person looks out for oneself. By now, you know that I interpret "other gods" as "the self". Christians say that they go to church to worship God, then sit there an appease their own idol!

Oh, what are we to do? How should Christians behave? After being filled, Christians in Jerusalem did this:

Acts 2:46  "And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved."

Do you want your church to grow? If so, cast out yourself! I'm not talking about you, but your attitude! As you can see, Christians are to "serve", not only God, but others! When we truly love others, truly cherish their company and get rid of our critical spirits, the church WILL grow! It will be added to daily. People will sense the love of the people and have a desire to be a part of that love!

Almost anyone will say that doctrine has little bearing on why they attend a church. Many aren't even aware of the peculiar doctrine of the church they attend.  Many go to a church or denomination because their parents or relatives did, or because their extant friends do. However, most people choose a church because they have a sense of belonging there. They feel the love of the Christians assembled there. Why are we even required to assemble in church? After all, we can worship God at home. We are to assemble together for unity and out of love and friendship (Reread Acts 2:46-47 above)!

Churches are dying because Christians fail to love! Sure, they love those in their cliques, but others are invisible to them. There are classes in the church. Those classes divide. What I mean by "classes" are "differences" among the Christians. Here are some class distinctions:

1. Socio-economic
2. Education level
3. Age
4. Gender
5. Race
6. Marital status
7. Personality
8. Position in church (offices)
9. What's important to each
10. Activities
11. Children's ages
12. Proximity of homes to each other.
13. Pride vs, Humility
14. Life when  not at church
15. Any many more!

The devil uses differences to destroy! Some walk into the church wearing their finest. They prance around so all can admire their fortune. They decorate their idol so that others admire it. It's not God they magnify, but their own self!

Others live in a fine home and spend lavishly to have fine things. Their residence becomes their temple. That's also because their own idol lives there. Unfortunately, when one dies, these things remain behind! Let go of that temple now. Wealth will mean little in the kingdom of God!

Education means much to many. Some have a superior attitude because of that degree posted on the wall.  Some get puffed up and prideful in their knowledge. God us omniscient. God, with his profound knowledge, is not impressed! I have a Master's Degree. I have been blessed by God with opportunities. It wasn't easy, but hard work. However, because I am degreed doesn't make me smart. Even if one is smart, knowledge doesn't make one wise. The wise man depends on God and submits, holding God, not the self, in high esteem!

Others don't have the same education. Many Americans are blessed with a diploma. However, to hold the education level against another is prideful. We should always be pleased that our neighbors have had the opportunity to improve their lives. Just as pride in education is wrong, being resentful of others who have it, is also wrong. I've always been happy when my friends succeed. I am glad that they get an education, a new home, a new car, and have plenty of food. Because I do not covet what others have, God has blessed me. He loaned me much in this life and soon I will leave it all behind!

Interests are a great divider. One church I attended was a sports oriented church. Most activities were centered around playing, watching or talking sports. Even the sermon analogies were sports oriented. People who cherished sports were united. Those who cared little for sports were isolated and alienated! I like sports, but they have their place. My friendships are not based on such shallow things.

We all have our own personalities. Some dominate the crowd. Others are wall-flowers. If Christians hang out merely with those of the same personalities, they are out of balance. Can you image how dull a marriage would be if husband and wife were identical/ The same goes for friends. Shallow people seek friends just like they are! It's easy to appease the others idol when it's just like yours!

Prideful people are in the church. Yes, many Christians have excessive pride. Just listen to how many precede sentences by "I".  They empower their little god by magnifying it! Since I don't use off-color language just let me say, "These are the ones whose feces is not foul!" They are many!

Many have daily lives much different than their Sunday lives. During the week I hear many Christians cursing, gossiping, drinking spirits, and just being mean. Others vote for candidates who are at odds even with their own proclaimed belief!  These are called "Sunday Christians" and they are many. They tithe one day of week to God  by being obedient one day. God is not impressed!

Christians gossip. That's the most insidious type of hate because often it's a lie they propagate. Gossip is a sub-conscious way that your idol undermines another perceived stronger idol. Gossip is the work of hating. It's using an unfair metric and abusing friendships. Pride drives gossip and pride destroys. If we think our neighbor has something against us, before we even pray, we are go to that person and make it right. People who love must say "I'm sorry!" sometimes even when the fault does not lie with them!

On the other hand, we may have something against another person. Before we praise God, we are obligated to make amends. Love is being contrite enough to realize that your own sins are just as great as another's. Self-righteous people may say they "forgive", but their actions speak louder! Forgiveness is accompanied by a renewal of love. Without love all the apologies and forgiveness in the world is without meaning. Without love one cannot forgive!

You can examine the others from the list and do your own introspection. I think you'll find, as I did, that you come up short! You (and I) need to change. We need to unify and love each other. We need to forgive, include and be glad for others, even imperfect people!

Look around. Your church is probably dying. Why? It's because of you! It's because of me! We all go to churches where love is not important. Even yours! Churches split because of things from this list. I have quit going to churches where just one person failed to love me. It bothered me that just one Christian despised me. That interfered with my ability to worship and praise God. I tried hard to make amends, but some hearts are so hard, they can't really forgive. They can't really love because there is no love in their hearts. I believe what many Christians need is a baptizing in deep waters. We need to be washed clean and filled with the Holy Ghost, but our own idols just won't let him in!