It is God's desire that His love is suppose to be imparted into our children First off, it is supposed to be transferred from the parents into the children; this is the responsibility of the parents. The parents are supposed to transfer God's love that they have received from Him and transfer it into their children. Let me explain how this is done below.
Let us examine people in general before we go on with our children. All the people in the world can be split up into three groups. There are the few people that are totally made good by Christ's Holy Spirit residing and living in and through them. Then there are the multitudes of people that have a mix of good and evil, and then there are the few that are completely evil. The extent of how good or how evil a person is is determined by how much of God's love/truth they have accepted in their life.
To a certain extent, God has poured out his Spirit onto all people. This is why you won't find very many people that are totally evil. Even the ones that don't believe in God, they will almost always believe in some of God's truth. When anyone believes in any of God's truth, it will produce some good. Most of us know many people that aren't Christians, but we can also see some good in them while we can also see some evil in them as well. This mix of good and evil will only produce works that are tainted with evil (bad fruit). This is what God calls "dirty rags". But we have to admit, there is some good in almost everyone. So, we also have to admit that God's Spirit of goodness is also partially in these people, because God is the only one that is good and all good things can only come from Him. Most people reflect the world they live in, where there is good and evil. God has created an environment in this world where there is both good and evil. He did this so we could all have a choice between the good and evil. Most people pick both. But for the ones that choose only good, they search out God to receive a full filling of His love, which in turn produces only good fruit out of a pure love.
Now, getting back to how God's love is transferred to other people, including our children. God's love is transferred to others by sharing God's truth and living His truth. What a person believes will determine what love a person will live by. If a person is truly living by God's love, that love of God will be transferred to others that they have a relationship with.
When we believe God's truth, we will then live by that truth. When we live by God's truth, it will produce only pure love. Belief in God's truth will bring a person to a point of being totally free of their self love and empowered to live by God's love alone. Anyone that totally believes in God's truth will live by that truth and can only act in God's love.
God's love and God's truth are one and cannot be separated. When we share God's love with people, we are sharing God's truth. When we take the time to share God's truth with people, we are showing God's love to them. God's love is actually God's truth in action. This is why the first and second greatest commandment is:
Matt 22:37-40 - Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." NIV
God's commandments are to "LOVE" - To have and share God's love. All the Law (all of God's Truth) and the Prophets hang on these two commandments (to have and share God's love). If we go and share God's truth, but do not have the action of showing God's love, the truth we share is empty and possibly damaging. This is why God primarily calls us to have the action of His love, because then we are also showing others the real truth. We must show others the truth by the way we love. Then they will believe in God's truth, because they see it in action through His love flowing through us. In this way the lost can experience God's love and in turn believe God's truth and be found by God.
So, what comes first, God's love or God's truth? It is very important that we first believe in God's truth, otherwise we can't come to know the true love of God. Belief in God's truth will produce obedience to God, which will produce God's love in us. It is very important that we get "whole" ourselves in God's love before we try to help others. If we aren't fully believing in God's truth, then we will not be able to witness to others with the love of God. Anyone that is not believing in God's truth will not be obedient to God, and will not be able to have the full love of God to share with others. It is only through faith in God's truth that we are led into God's love. Once we have become obedient to His truth (commandments), God comes to live with us in the form of pure love and truth (the Holy Spirit). It is then that God empowers us to witness to others in His love.
As parents, if we are full of God's love, we will then transfer God's love into our children. The children will see and experience God's truth and love in action by the parents and then the children will believe in God's truth also, which will produce obedience in the children and result in receiving God's love for themselves.
Blessings,
Michael W Reid
Friday, June 3, 2011
The Beast and the Harlot
I was listening to the news this morning (6/3/2011). They were discussing why our country is going down the drain. Our schools are turning out less educated kids and our country's financial system seems to be tumbling into another recession or maybe a depression. They are looking at what we have to do to make our country great again.
The truth is, they don't have a clue why the world seems to be falling apart. Almost no one is recognizing that we have lost our love for God and have thrown Him, His truth, and His morals under the bus for our own personal gains.
It is the "Beast and Harlot" story all over again. The human nature of people never changes and they keep being blind to their own selfishness and greed. They don't learn from the past, so they end up being fooled by their own human reasoning into do the same foolish mistakes again.
Rev 17:8 - The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast , because he once was, now is not, and yet will come. NIV
This has happened before and it is happening again. We have turned materialism and money into a beast, so that mankind can prosper and the ones enjoying and riding this beast of materialism and money is the harlot. The beast is the worldly materialism and money that almost everyone has given their life to acquire. The harlot/woman/prostitute riding the beast represents Babylon.
Babylon is happening all over again because people have turned from loving God to loving money and things. This time around the harlot or woman riding this beast is the United States. We once were a God fearing and God loving country, but have turned our love over to another and committed adultery against God.
The love of the people of this once God fearing country has now grown cold. We have removed ourselves so far away from God that most in the United States don't have a clue of why the blessings of this country are disappearing. Not only that, but we have gotten a lot of the world to commit adultery with us. Almost every nation in the world wants to have the life that the Americans have, while at the same time they are jealous of the United States and want to tear us down and take our riches away from us. Our love of money and materialism has spread through out the world.
Rev 17:15-18 - Then the angel said to me, "The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God's words are fulfilled. The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth." NIV
Babylon has risen again, and it will also fall again. We are the Babylon this time; as a nation we have turned our love to money and things, and far away from God. But be assured God's plan is right on track.
Isa 1:21-27 - See how the faithful city has become a harlot! She once was full of justice; righteousness used to dwell in her — but now murderers! Your silver has become dross, your choice wine is diluted with water. Your rulers are rebels, companions of thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow's case does not come before them. Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty, the Mighty One of Israel, declares: "Ah, I will get relief from my foes and avenge myself on my enemies. I will turn my hand against you; I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities. I will restore your judges as in days of old, your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City." NIV
Now, whether this is the last Babylon time, or it will happen again before the very end is up to God’s timing. But woe to the inhabitance of Babylon.
Blessings,
Michael
The truth is, they don't have a clue why the world seems to be falling apart. Almost no one is recognizing that we have lost our love for God and have thrown Him, His truth, and His morals under the bus for our own personal gains.
It is the "Beast and Harlot" story all over again. The human nature of people never changes and they keep being blind to their own selfishness and greed. They don't learn from the past, so they end up being fooled by their own human reasoning into do the same foolish mistakes again.
Rev 17:8 - The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast , because he once was, now is not, and yet will come. NIV
This has happened before and it is happening again. We have turned materialism and money into a beast, so that mankind can prosper and the ones enjoying and riding this beast of materialism and money is the harlot. The beast is the worldly materialism and money that almost everyone has given their life to acquire. The harlot/woman/prostitute riding the beast represents Babylon.
Babylon is happening all over again because people have turned from loving God to loving money and things. This time around the harlot or woman riding this beast is the United States. We once were a God fearing and God loving country, but have turned our love over to another and committed adultery against God.
The love of the people of this once God fearing country has now grown cold. We have removed ourselves so far away from God that most in the United States don't have a clue of why the blessings of this country are disappearing. Not only that, but we have gotten a lot of the world to commit adultery with us. Almost every nation in the world wants to have the life that the Americans have, while at the same time they are jealous of the United States and want to tear us down and take our riches away from us. Our love of money and materialism has spread through out the world.
Rev 17:15-18 - Then the angel said to me, "The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God's words are fulfilled. The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth." NIV
Babylon has risen again, and it will also fall again. We are the Babylon this time; as a nation we have turned our love to money and things, and far away from God. But be assured God's plan is right on track.
Isa 1:21-27 - See how the faithful city has become a harlot! She once was full of justice; righteousness used to dwell in her — but now murderers! Your silver has become dross, your choice wine is diluted with water. Your rulers are rebels, companions of thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow's case does not come before them. Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty, the Mighty One of Israel, declares: "Ah, I will get relief from my foes and avenge myself on my enemies. I will turn my hand against you; I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities. I will restore your judges as in days of old, your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City." NIV
Now, whether this is the last Babylon time, or it will happen again before the very end is up to God’s timing. But woe to the inhabitance of Babylon.
Blessings,
Michael
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Keeping God First – Not Second
We are called to love others more than ourselves or as ourselves, but not to love them more than God or in place of God. Many people get caught up with trying to do the second greatest commandment before they have done the first greatest commandment. God's commandments don't go like this:
The first and greatest commandment is to 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' And the second is like it: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
This is not the correct priority of God's commandments, but most so called "Christians" end up trying to do them this way.
If we try to do the second greatest commandment before we do the first greatest commandment, everything gets messed up. Instead of getting positive results we get chaos and hatred from the ones we are trying to help or love. When we try to love them, we instead end up misdirecting them and causing them more harm. We usually end up directing them away from God instead of closer to Him.
No one can understand how to love as God until they first love the source of all pure love. Because most don't love God first, we end up trying to love others with our own self love and what we understand as love. This only causes more problems for them and us. If we're not loving God first and above everyone else, then we should take heed when we trying to help anyone else.
Matt 7:3-5 - Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. NIV
If we still have sin in our life, because we don't love God with all of ourselves, then we shouldn't try to help others with getting rid of their sin. We will usually only make the sins of everyone involved even greater. If we have a plank in our own eye and try to get the speck out of someone else's eye, isn't there a good chance we might stab or hurt their eye even worse? This is like the blind leading the blind. If we still have sin, then we should not lead others until we have gotten rid of all sin in our own life first. The only way to conquer all sin in our life is by loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. No one can sin in this kind of love.
God’s word says to leave the spiritually dead alone, at least until you have followed Jesus in His foot steps first.
Matt 8:21-23 - Another disciple said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead." Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. NIV
It is not that Jesus didn't love these people that were spiritually dead, but Jesus knew the disciples were not ready to help these spiritually dead yet. First they must follow Christ and become like Him, and then they would be able to help in bringing these spiritually dead to life, life in Christ.
God always has to come first in our life. God always has to be our first and greatest love. If God is not the love of our life, then we will only be blind sinners leading other blind sinners astray.
God's Blessings to you,
Michael W Reid
The first and greatest commandment is to 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' And the second is like it: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
This is not the correct priority of God's commandments, but most so called "Christians" end up trying to do them this way.
If we try to do the second greatest commandment before we do the first greatest commandment, everything gets messed up. Instead of getting positive results we get chaos and hatred from the ones we are trying to help or love. When we try to love them, we instead end up misdirecting them and causing them more harm. We usually end up directing them away from God instead of closer to Him.
No one can understand how to love as God until they first love the source of all pure love. Because most don't love God first, we end up trying to love others with our own self love and what we understand as love. This only causes more problems for them and us. If we're not loving God first and above everyone else, then we should take heed when we trying to help anyone else.
Matt 7:3-5 - Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. NIV
If we still have sin in our life, because we don't love God with all of ourselves, then we shouldn't try to help others with getting rid of their sin. We will usually only make the sins of everyone involved even greater. If we have a plank in our own eye and try to get the speck out of someone else's eye, isn't there a good chance we might stab or hurt their eye even worse? This is like the blind leading the blind. If we still have sin, then we should not lead others until we have gotten rid of all sin in our own life first. The only way to conquer all sin in our life is by loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. No one can sin in this kind of love.
God’s word says to leave the spiritually dead alone, at least until you have followed Jesus in His foot steps first.
Matt 8:21-23 - Another disciple said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead." Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. NIV
It is not that Jesus didn't love these people that were spiritually dead, but Jesus knew the disciples were not ready to help these spiritually dead yet. First they must follow Christ and become like Him, and then they would be able to help in bringing these spiritually dead to life, life in Christ.
God always has to come first in our life. God always has to be our first and greatest love. If God is not the love of our life, then we will only be blind sinners leading other blind sinners astray.
God's Blessings to you,
Michael W Reid
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
The Flesh
Most people are looking forward to getting their new incorruptible body when they pass on. They think, if only I could be rid of this fleshly body and have my heavenly perfect body now, and then I wouldn’t keep doing the things I know are wrong. This is the thinking behind the understanding that no can be perfect until we die. It’s because of this evil fleshly body. That’s the real problem. Is it really?
Let us take a look at the physical fleshly body and try to see if it is really evil or not.
As adults, unless some chemicals in our body are out of normalcy, we have all experienced the sexual desires. So, we should ask ourselves, is the sexual drive good or evil? God created a sexual drive in us. What if we didn’t have the sexual drive, what would be different? Even the animals have the sexual drive programmed into them by their creator. Are the animals evil or good because of this? If something can be used for either good or bad, does that make it evil?
All flesh, people and animals have the need to eat to survive. It is a requirement to eat, so is the flesh good or evil because of this? If some people eat to much, does that make the need to eat evil? If someone doesn’t eat enough, does that make the flesh evil?
Everyone needs to learn to protect their flesh from harm; otherwise a person wouldn’t last long on this earth. Why do we teach our kids to stay away from fire if we think the flesh is evil? God has put certain senses into the body to warn us from harming our bodies. If our flesh was evil, why would God build in protection systems into it? If someone intentionally wants to hurt their flesh, do we consider this self infliction action evil or good?
We can see God’s creation with our fleshly eye’s, is that somehow evil, or does God want us to share in His creation?
We can hear with our ears. Are the sounds we hear with our ears automatically evil somehow? Are the birds singing, the sounds of the waves, or a mother’s disciplining words to her child’s ears evil somehow?
With a fleshly physical body, we can do physical work and earn money to buy the food we need. Does the body make us love money or does it just help us provide for our needs? We can physically hurt other people with our flesh, but we can also help others in many ways. So is the flesh good or evil?
Does the physical flesh make us lie or is it some other force?
Does the physical flesh make us covet something that is not ours, or is it from some other force?
Is it the physical flesh that rejects God’s laws and love, or is it the love of self that rejects the goodness of God?
Is it the physical flesh that wants to be god instead of accepting the one and true God, or does the physical flesh listen to another god?
Why does God’s word say about Christians: “Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?” (1 Cor 3:16 NIV) How can the physical flesh be considered God’s temple in a Christian if the flesh is evil?
God’s Word can help us sort this out. Even though the physical flesh has to eventually die, because of the fall of man, the physical fleshly body is only a temporary housing for the spirit within. The spirit that is contained within the flesh is what controls the fleshly body. The spirit within is what makes the fleshly body do it’s good or evil works. The good or evil desires are from the spirit and not from the physical flesh. The physical flesh of a person and the spirit of a person are separate from each other, but it is the spirit that controls the flesh.
I have found some faulty interpreted areas in the words of the NIV bible, but in this area of describing the “flesh”, it has the correct translation. The King James Version of the bible uses the word “flesh”, but the NIV uses “Sinful Nature” in the place of the word “flesh”. The KJV is not wrong, but must be understood correctly. See the differences below between the two versions.
NIV - Gal 5:16-21 - So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
KJV - Gal 5:16-21 - This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
The “sinful nature” is the spirit of the flesh. It is the dead spirit that is born along with the physical fleshly body. It is called a dead spirit, because it is separated from God because of the fall. Everything apart from God is considered dead. Even though the spirit of the flesh and the physical flesh were created at the same time, they are distinctly different. One is spiritual and one is physical, even though they were talked about as if they were one identity. Under the new covenant with Christ, the dead spirit in us can be replaced with God’s living Spirit, but the body is physical and is not replaced and eventually turns back to the dust from which it came.
There are only two kinds of spiritual natures, the sinful nature and God’s pure love nature. It is between these two spirits or natures that all spiritual wars are fought. The nature that wins in you will be the one you feed.
The nature/spirit of our soul when we physically die is the spirit that goes on into eternity. What eternity realm it enters, depends on which nature we have.
Draw close to God and His righteousness and His nature will be added onto you.
Michael W Reid
Let us take a look at the physical fleshly body and try to see if it is really evil or not.
As adults, unless some chemicals in our body are out of normalcy, we have all experienced the sexual desires. So, we should ask ourselves, is the sexual drive good or evil? God created a sexual drive in us. What if we didn’t have the sexual drive, what would be different? Even the animals have the sexual drive programmed into them by their creator. Are the animals evil or good because of this? If something can be used for either good or bad, does that make it evil?
All flesh, people and animals have the need to eat to survive. It is a requirement to eat, so is the flesh good or evil because of this? If some people eat to much, does that make the need to eat evil? If someone doesn’t eat enough, does that make the flesh evil?
Everyone needs to learn to protect their flesh from harm; otherwise a person wouldn’t last long on this earth. Why do we teach our kids to stay away from fire if we think the flesh is evil? God has put certain senses into the body to warn us from harming our bodies. If our flesh was evil, why would God build in protection systems into it? If someone intentionally wants to hurt their flesh, do we consider this self infliction action evil or good?
We can see God’s creation with our fleshly eye’s, is that somehow evil, or does God want us to share in His creation?
We can hear with our ears. Are the sounds we hear with our ears automatically evil somehow? Are the birds singing, the sounds of the waves, or a mother’s disciplining words to her child’s ears evil somehow?
With a fleshly physical body, we can do physical work and earn money to buy the food we need. Does the body make us love money or does it just help us provide for our needs? We can physically hurt other people with our flesh, but we can also help others in many ways. So is the flesh good or evil?
Does the physical flesh make us lie or is it some other force?
Does the physical flesh make us covet something that is not ours, or is it from some other force?
Is it the physical flesh that rejects God’s laws and love, or is it the love of self that rejects the goodness of God?
Is it the physical flesh that wants to be god instead of accepting the one and true God, or does the physical flesh listen to another god?
Why does God’s word say about Christians: “Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?” (1 Cor 3:16 NIV) How can the physical flesh be considered God’s temple in a Christian if the flesh is evil?
God’s Word can help us sort this out. Even though the physical flesh has to eventually die, because of the fall of man, the physical fleshly body is only a temporary housing for the spirit within. The spirit that is contained within the flesh is what controls the fleshly body. The spirit within is what makes the fleshly body do it’s good or evil works. The good or evil desires are from the spirit and not from the physical flesh. The physical flesh of a person and the spirit of a person are separate from each other, but it is the spirit that controls the flesh.
I have found some faulty interpreted areas in the words of the NIV bible, but in this area of describing the “flesh”, it has the correct translation. The King James Version of the bible uses the word “flesh”, but the NIV uses “Sinful Nature” in the place of the word “flesh”. The KJV is not wrong, but must be understood correctly. See the differences below between the two versions.
NIV - Gal 5:16-21 - So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
KJV - Gal 5:16-21 - This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
The “sinful nature” is the spirit of the flesh. It is the dead spirit that is born along with the physical fleshly body. It is called a dead spirit, because it is separated from God because of the fall. Everything apart from God is considered dead. Even though the spirit of the flesh and the physical flesh were created at the same time, they are distinctly different. One is spiritual and one is physical, even though they were talked about as if they were one identity. Under the new covenant with Christ, the dead spirit in us can be replaced with God’s living Spirit, but the body is physical and is not replaced and eventually turns back to the dust from which it came.
There are only two kinds of spiritual natures, the sinful nature and God’s pure love nature. It is between these two spirits or natures that all spiritual wars are fought. The nature that wins in you will be the one you feed.
The nature/spirit of our soul when we physically die is the spirit that goes on into eternity. What eternity realm it enters, depends on which nature we have.
Draw close to God and His righteousness and His nature will be added onto you.
Michael W Reid
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Christ's Rod of Iron
We have all been fools. We have all believed lies, because we have desired lies more than the truth. That is why we keep falling into the same traps of the devil, over and over again. Man has not changed and God and the devil have not changed. So the devil’s lies that worked before, will keep on working as long as man keeps his sinful nature.
I am mainly talking about the reason Jesus was rejected upon His first coming. Men were expecting a different kind of savior and king, a physical earthly savior. For the very same reason, Jesus’ second return has also been rejected by man. The reasoning or lies of the devil that man wanted to believe ended up having the result of crucifying Jesus Christ on the cross the first time He came. For the very same reason, men have rejected Christ’s second coming. Men are still looking for a physical reigning king. Men have been fools for the devil, over and over again. As long as man clings onto his/her selfishness, we will be fools and take in the devil’s lies for our own truth.
What is this major lie that we have believed about Christ’s return? It is an assumption by man that Christ or God wants to setup His kingdom and reign on earth as an earthly or physical king. An earthly/physical kingdom is the last thing God wants His kingdom to be. God is Spirit and His kingdom must also be Spirit. Just because we are stuck in this physical earthly realm for a small amount of time, doesn’t mean that God wants to be stuck to a physical earthly kingdom. Just because we are in a physical body for now, doesn’t mean that God wants to be limited to an earthly physical body. With God you have to start thinking out of the box – by getting out of your box.
People have been waiting for God to rule over His kingdom with a “rod of iron.” Of course we automatically think of a physical rule of Christ where everyone is kept in line by God’s great power and will conquer all that is evil or bad. Please think again! There are only two great powers that control every person’s heart and actions. They are fear, which is out of loosing something of one’s own self, and love, which is all about giving of one’s own self. So, does the words “rod of iron” indicate that God wants to rule out of fear or love? Most have taken it to be out of fear. We have been fools, this is not God’s way, especially under His new covenant with us. The only one that wants to rule out of fear is the devil, his demons, and the people with the devil’s nature (selfishness). God on the other hand has always wanted to rule His people out of a pure love for Him and others.
People have greatly under-estimated the power of these two loves, the love of God and the love of self. These two kinds of love rule over every spirit on earth, in heaven, and in hell. It is the “love of God” that is the “rod of iron”, for nothing is stronger than pure love. The next ruling power under God’s love is the love of self (the devil’s nature). We currently live in a realm where there is both the love of God and the love of self. If a person is ruled by God’s love which has filled their heart, then they will have the nature of God and will always do God’s will. It is God’s love that will rule everyone in His kingdom. If a person is ruled by self love, then they will think and do as the devil has done from the beginning. It will be the self love that rules and destroys every soul in the devil’s kingdom.
Can anyone point to a time in history when God ruled His people by fear? It is true that everyone should reverently fear God for His greatness, but he has never ruled anyone by fear. God only punishes by fear. God has brought people to the point of fearing Him out of His wrath, usually for their past disobedience, but He always allows them to become disobedient before He sends His wrath. God has always wanted to rule His people by His people loving Him and the people being obedient to Him out of that love. It is only after people weren’t obedient, out of love, that He would send His wrath. God’s plan is not to whip us into shape and into obedience; He wants to love us into His perfect spiritual kingdom. The only ones that God has to discipline and show His wrath to are the ones that are still in the devil’s spiritual kingdom, the selfish and disobedient.
Somehow through our selfish assumptions, man has assumed that there will only be a peaceful or perfect kingdom during Christ’s millennial reign, that there will be no evil. Why did we and why do we still assume this, because we want to believe it. We don’t want to have to fight the evil ourselves; we want God to do it all. We want God to create an environment where everything is perfect, where there is no evil, and there are no temptations for our selfishness to take up on. Why do we keep fooling ourselves, where ever there is selfishness, there is evil. There can be no perfect environment where there is still any selfishness.
During Christ’s millennial reign, the scriptures don’t indicate there is no evil. The scriptures just say that the devil is locked up for those thousand years while Christ reigns. There was still evil during that time, because there were still a lot of people with their selfishness. Selfishness is evil; self love is the spirit or nature of the devil. No where does scriptures mention that Christ reigns over and controls every person during His millennial reign, again we assumed that. We have assumed wrong.
So, all of you that have been fooled by the devil’s tricks and are still waiting for Christ’s second coming, quit fooling yourself and realize that men have already rejected Christ’s second coming for the same reasons that they rejected Christ’s first coming. Christ has already returned and is waiting for more souls to enter His kingdom. If you keep rejecting His return, then you will probably miss out on Him reigning in your heart as well.
The Lamb and the Lion have already lain down together. The Lion of Judah and the Lamb of God have already laid down on the cross together. Don’t let the devil deceive you any longer. His kingdom is here and Christ wants you to fight for it.
As for our near future, we are all to see God’s wrath come upon us, because we have rejected Christ and His kingdom. It doesn’t matter that we were mistaken and deceived, because we let ourselves be deceived. It doesn’t matter if we believe God’s wrath is coming or not, God doesn’t need for you to believe in order for Him to do what He has already decided to do. Even though God’s wrath will not be stopped, any person that still wants to die to his own self love and be filled with God’s love will enter into His eternal kingdom.
Date: 4/20/2011
Michael W Reid
I am mainly talking about the reason Jesus was rejected upon His first coming. Men were expecting a different kind of savior and king, a physical earthly savior. For the very same reason, Jesus’ second return has also been rejected by man. The reasoning or lies of the devil that man wanted to believe ended up having the result of crucifying Jesus Christ on the cross the first time He came. For the very same reason, men have rejected Christ’s second coming. Men are still looking for a physical reigning king. Men have been fools for the devil, over and over again. As long as man clings onto his/her selfishness, we will be fools and take in the devil’s lies for our own truth.
What is this major lie that we have believed about Christ’s return? It is an assumption by man that Christ or God wants to setup His kingdom and reign on earth as an earthly or physical king. An earthly/physical kingdom is the last thing God wants His kingdom to be. God is Spirit and His kingdom must also be Spirit. Just because we are stuck in this physical earthly realm for a small amount of time, doesn’t mean that God wants to be stuck to a physical earthly kingdom. Just because we are in a physical body for now, doesn’t mean that God wants to be limited to an earthly physical body. With God you have to start thinking out of the box – by getting out of your box.
People have been waiting for God to rule over His kingdom with a “rod of iron.” Of course we automatically think of a physical rule of Christ where everyone is kept in line by God’s great power and will conquer all that is evil or bad. Please think again! There are only two great powers that control every person’s heart and actions. They are fear, which is out of loosing something of one’s own self, and love, which is all about giving of one’s own self. So, does the words “rod of iron” indicate that God wants to rule out of fear or love? Most have taken it to be out of fear. We have been fools, this is not God’s way, especially under His new covenant with us. The only one that wants to rule out of fear is the devil, his demons, and the people with the devil’s nature (selfishness). God on the other hand has always wanted to rule His people out of a pure love for Him and others.
People have greatly under-estimated the power of these two loves, the love of God and the love of self. These two kinds of love rule over every spirit on earth, in heaven, and in hell. It is the “love of God” that is the “rod of iron”, for nothing is stronger than pure love. The next ruling power under God’s love is the love of self (the devil’s nature). We currently live in a realm where there is both the love of God and the love of self. If a person is ruled by God’s love which has filled their heart, then they will have the nature of God and will always do God’s will. It is God’s love that will rule everyone in His kingdom. If a person is ruled by self love, then they will think and do as the devil has done from the beginning. It will be the self love that rules and destroys every soul in the devil’s kingdom.
Can anyone point to a time in history when God ruled His people by fear? It is true that everyone should reverently fear God for His greatness, but he has never ruled anyone by fear. God only punishes by fear. God has brought people to the point of fearing Him out of His wrath, usually for their past disobedience, but He always allows them to become disobedient before He sends His wrath. God has always wanted to rule His people by His people loving Him and the people being obedient to Him out of that love. It is only after people weren’t obedient, out of love, that He would send His wrath. God’s plan is not to whip us into shape and into obedience; He wants to love us into His perfect spiritual kingdom. The only ones that God has to discipline and show His wrath to are the ones that are still in the devil’s spiritual kingdom, the selfish and disobedient.
Somehow through our selfish assumptions, man has assumed that there will only be a peaceful or perfect kingdom during Christ’s millennial reign, that there will be no evil. Why did we and why do we still assume this, because we want to believe it. We don’t want to have to fight the evil ourselves; we want God to do it all. We want God to create an environment where everything is perfect, where there is no evil, and there are no temptations for our selfishness to take up on. Why do we keep fooling ourselves, where ever there is selfishness, there is evil. There can be no perfect environment where there is still any selfishness.
During Christ’s millennial reign, the scriptures don’t indicate there is no evil. The scriptures just say that the devil is locked up for those thousand years while Christ reigns. There was still evil during that time, because there were still a lot of people with their selfishness. Selfishness is evil; self love is the spirit or nature of the devil. No where does scriptures mention that Christ reigns over and controls every person during His millennial reign, again we assumed that. We have assumed wrong.
So, all of you that have been fooled by the devil’s tricks and are still waiting for Christ’s second coming, quit fooling yourself and realize that men have already rejected Christ’s second coming for the same reasons that they rejected Christ’s first coming. Christ has already returned and is waiting for more souls to enter His kingdom. If you keep rejecting His return, then you will probably miss out on Him reigning in your heart as well.
The Lamb and the Lion have already lain down together. The Lion of Judah and the Lamb of God have already laid down on the cross together. Don’t let the devil deceive you any longer. His kingdom is here and Christ wants you to fight for it.
As for our near future, we are all to see God’s wrath come upon us, because we have rejected Christ and His kingdom. It doesn’t matter that we were mistaken and deceived, because we let ourselves be deceived. It doesn’t matter if we believe God’s wrath is coming or not, God doesn’t need for you to believe in order for Him to do what He has already decided to do. Even though God’s wrath will not be stopped, any person that still wants to die to his own self love and be filled with God’s love will enter into His eternal kingdom.
Date: 4/20/2011
Michael W Reid
Monday, April 18, 2011
Meaningless Words
The more I talk to people and listen to other people, the more I realize that real communication has become almost impossible. Two or more people can be speaking the same language, but still totally misunderstand what each other are saying.
For instance, when Barack Obama told us that he would bring “Real Change”, everyone understood “Real Change” in their own way. Now that we see the change that the president was proclaiming, most of us will agree it wasn’t the change we understood it to be. Many politicians will use many words in their speeches that have many meanings or have relative meanings, so depending on who is hearing it, it will be taken the way the listener wants to take it.
Words have almost become meaningless. Take the word “believe.” What does “believe” mean to you? Is it something you can accept? Is it something you can understand? Is it something you can touch or see? Does it represent what you experience? Is it something you have because of tradition or family practices? Is it something you were taught in school by others which have a certain belief, so you go with the crowd? To believe, does it have a cost, or is it always free to believe? To believe something, are you required to act on that belief, or can we say we believe without taking any action on that belief? What does the word “believe” mean to you, does it have a different meaning to you other than what I listed? In our world the word “believe” has become almost worthless, because it has become a relative term.
Another word that is confusing is the word “love.” The word “love” is also relative in meaning and we have almost made this word meaningless. It was such an important word at one point, but because of its misuse, it is almost a worthless word now. We can love our shoes, a car, or a house. We can love our pet ant, a tree, a cat, or a dog. We can love our son or daughter. We can love our girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife, or same sex mate. When we say we love our spouse, are we saying we love them like a car, or maybe a dog, or maybe like one of our children? I can say I love my neighbor or my neighbor can say he loves me, but what does that mean? The neighbor might often kick his dog that he says he loves; does he love me like that? I just don’t know.
“Obey” is another word that has become a relative term. Even though we don’t hear or use this word as much anymore. It has kind of become a dirty four letter word. When we “Obey”, is it only something we do when someone is watching? Is it something we do when it only benefits us? Do we do it because we feel we have to or because we want to? Are there consequences to not obeying, or is obeying an option with no consequences or blessings attached to do it? Did you have to obey while you were a child to receive the blessings of your parents, or did they bless you anyway even when you didn’t obey? Do we feel we need to obey a higher power, or are we the higher power that others need to obey? Maybe you feel you need to obey, or maybe obeying is for people lower then you?
The word “Lord” has also seemed to become another four letter forbidden word, because almost no one wants to have anyone be Lord over them, because they want to be in control of their own lives. Many people want Jesus Christ to be their Savior, but the Lord part is just too much to ask. So the word “Lord” hasn’t been used much anymore. In essence, it has been made an optional part of the Gospel.
So, when I say to people that God’s word says Jesus Christ must be the “Lord” of our lives by “loving” Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, they really don’t have a clue of what I am saying, because the words have been made worthless. These words have been made so relative that people can make it mean what ever they want it to mean.
When I tell people that God’s word says that a person must “believe” in Jesus Christ to be saved and be born again spiritually through this “belief” in Christ, they really don’t have a clue of what I am saying, because the words have been made worthless. These words have been made so relative that people can make it mean what ever they want it to mean.
God’s word says if we “love” Him, we will “obey” Him. What does this really mean? What does it mean to you?
It has really come to the point where:
2 Tim 4:3-4 - For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. NIV
Michael W Reid
For instance, when Barack Obama told us that he would bring “Real Change”, everyone understood “Real Change” in their own way. Now that we see the change that the president was proclaiming, most of us will agree it wasn’t the change we understood it to be. Many politicians will use many words in their speeches that have many meanings or have relative meanings, so depending on who is hearing it, it will be taken the way the listener wants to take it.
Words have almost become meaningless. Take the word “believe.” What does “believe” mean to you? Is it something you can accept? Is it something you can understand? Is it something you can touch or see? Does it represent what you experience? Is it something you have because of tradition or family practices? Is it something you were taught in school by others which have a certain belief, so you go with the crowd? To believe, does it have a cost, or is it always free to believe? To believe something, are you required to act on that belief, or can we say we believe without taking any action on that belief? What does the word “believe” mean to you, does it have a different meaning to you other than what I listed? In our world the word “believe” has become almost worthless, because it has become a relative term.
Another word that is confusing is the word “love.” The word “love” is also relative in meaning and we have almost made this word meaningless. It was such an important word at one point, but because of its misuse, it is almost a worthless word now. We can love our shoes, a car, or a house. We can love our pet ant, a tree, a cat, or a dog. We can love our son or daughter. We can love our girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife, or same sex mate. When we say we love our spouse, are we saying we love them like a car, or maybe a dog, or maybe like one of our children? I can say I love my neighbor or my neighbor can say he loves me, but what does that mean? The neighbor might often kick his dog that he says he loves; does he love me like that? I just don’t know.
“Obey” is another word that has become a relative term. Even though we don’t hear or use this word as much anymore. It has kind of become a dirty four letter word. When we “Obey”, is it only something we do when someone is watching? Is it something we do when it only benefits us? Do we do it because we feel we have to or because we want to? Are there consequences to not obeying, or is obeying an option with no consequences or blessings attached to do it? Did you have to obey while you were a child to receive the blessings of your parents, or did they bless you anyway even when you didn’t obey? Do we feel we need to obey a higher power, or are we the higher power that others need to obey? Maybe you feel you need to obey, or maybe obeying is for people lower then you?
The word “Lord” has also seemed to become another four letter forbidden word, because almost no one wants to have anyone be Lord over them, because they want to be in control of their own lives. Many people want Jesus Christ to be their Savior, but the Lord part is just too much to ask. So the word “Lord” hasn’t been used much anymore. In essence, it has been made an optional part of the Gospel.
So, when I say to people that God’s word says Jesus Christ must be the “Lord” of our lives by “loving” Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, they really don’t have a clue of what I am saying, because the words have been made worthless. These words have been made so relative that people can make it mean what ever they want it to mean.
When I tell people that God’s word says that a person must “believe” in Jesus Christ to be saved and be born again spiritually through this “belief” in Christ, they really don’t have a clue of what I am saying, because the words have been made worthless. These words have been made so relative that people can make it mean what ever they want it to mean.
God’s word says if we “love” Him, we will “obey” Him. What does this really mean? What does it mean to you?
It has really come to the point where:
2 Tim 4:3-4 - For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. NIV
Michael W Reid
The Heroes
Date: 12/7/2010
As we remember what happened at Pearl Harbor on its yearly anniversary, we usually remember all the heroes that were lost, or the ones that lost parts of their body for their country. Many lost family and friends in that devastating attack, but there were losses on both sides. Both Japan and the U.S. lost people in that fight, but each side tends to remember and be concerned about the loss on their side of the fight.
Whether it be Japan or the U.S., each side considers the ones that died for their kingdom to be the heroes. The people of United States don’t consider the Japanese people bombing our ships to be heroes, because they were the enemy. The Japanese don’t consider the United States people that died and fought in that fight to be heroes, because the U.S. was their enemy. From each “kingdom’s” point of view, the heroes are the ones that fought to preserve and expand their kingdom’s way of life. Each kingdom in this fight had their heroes and their enemies, even though the other side’s enemy was the other side’s heroes. How people look at things is always a matter of perspective.
So why are all these people called heroes? They all have something in common. Even today’s war heroes have this same thing in common. The thing they all have in common is that they were willing to sacrifice and leave the comforts of their own homes and fight for their kingdom. They left what they considered the good things of their kingdom and fight to preserve or expand those good aspects of their kingdom for others. The US soldier fights to preserve the freedom and what that soldier thinks is good. The U.S. soldier is also willing to fight to expand this kingdom of freedom to other countries. Each soldier, on each side of the war(s), is willing to give the ultimate sacrifice of their own physical life. They are willing to give up all what they understand to be good in their life and never experience it again, so that their kingdom can expand and/or other people of their kingdom can keep experiencing that good. For instance: even though the Japanese clearly won that fight at Pearl Harbor, all those Japanese pilots knew they would not survive the attack. All these pilots were instructed to release their torpedoes and ammunition and then use their own plane to kamikaze into an enemy ship. They had no plans of returning back to the Japanese ships that they were launched from. From my understanding only a few planes returned back to the ships and the planes were not even equipped to land back on the ships. The Japanese saw Pearl Harbor as a great victory for them, but their heroes knew when they took off from those ships that they would not come back. They died with honor, but never to experience the “good” they were fighting for. Each kingdom fights for what they understand to be good, even though the enemy thinks the enemy’s good is the evil they need to fight. They do this to preserve or expand what they think is good.
Fighting for temporary or eternal kingdoms:
Now, let us put these worldly kingdoms that heroes have sacrificed and died for over the many centuries in perspective. For the most part all these earthly kingdoms are temporary. They are not eternal. There are only two kingdoms that are eternal, which is God’s kingdom and the devil’s kingdom. A person can argue that some of these earthly kingdoms are more evil than good and some are more good than evil, but they are all temporary.
Why is it that people will temporarily or forever give up the things that they see as good in this life and go out and fight to preserve or promote those freedoms and earthly good things and not sacrifice and fight for the eternal good of God’s kingdom? It is sad to say, but many of these heroes that have died for the temporary earthly kingdoms, which they have left behind, only come to find out that they were not fighting for the kingdom that has eternal life. Instead they realize they were tricked by the devil’s kingdom by loving the temporary things. God is not a respecter of people or earthly kingdoms. Earthly kingdoms usually get in the way of people realizing God’s eternal kingdom. Jesus said His kingdom is not of this world. So why do we keep stressing about the different kingdoms of this world? It is because the devil wants to keep us busy with the concerns of this world. In that way we keep our minds on protecting the temporary good things of this world and forget about the eternal good things of God’s kingdom. If the devil keeps us protecting and cherishing even the godly temporal things of this world, then the devil wins by default, because our attention has been diverted from the important eternal good things of God’s kingdom.
We have to realize that even if something is considered godly and good in this world, it doesn’t mean we need to acquire or have it. If our goal is to have and work for what is considered good in this world, then we will not fight for what is eternally good, which is God’s kingdom. Even if it seems that something in this world is godly and every person should have it, our goal should not be on attaining it or preserving it for ourselves. Even the things that are considered good and godly can feed our selfish interests and take us away from God and His eternal work for Him. Even the godly good pleasures of this world will bind us to the devil’s kingdom by loving the things of this world instead of God Himself. The way of attaining God’s kingdom is attaining God Himself by the way of Jesus Christ.
God’s kingdom is spiritual and the worldly kingdoms are temporal and of the devil’s kingdom. The only things that are eternal are of the spiritual realms. The only things that enter heaven or hell are of the spiritual nature. Since the spiritual realms are the only things that are eternal, then that is where we should do our fighting. We can’t let ourselves be bogged down by any physical things of this earth, no matter how good they might seem. Don’t let yourself be fooled into thinking that God has blessed you with many good things of this world, when in the spiritual reality; it is the devil that has sidetracked you into loving the world and God’s creation instead of loving only God Himself. Be a hero for God’s kingdom and not for a temporary worldly kingdom.
As Christians we are called to fight, to preserve and expand God’s eternal kingdom, not physical kingdoms. The only way to expand God’s kingdom is to bring more souls into it. This is what God’s plan is. Is God’s plan also your plan? Are you willing to forsake even the temporary good things of this world in order to grow God’s eternal kingdom. God’s says we are to store up treasures in heaven. Well, the only things we can store up in heaven is our soul and the spiritual souls of others. There is nothing else that we can store or bring with us. No matter how good and/or amazing God’s created things are, the only things that enter His eternal kingdom are the spiritual things. So, if you are working to acquire God’s physical created things instead of His spiritual eternal things, then the devil has tricked you. We must not worship or desire the created things, but instead worship and desire the creator.
Michael W Reid
As we remember what happened at Pearl Harbor on its yearly anniversary, we usually remember all the heroes that were lost, or the ones that lost parts of their body for their country. Many lost family and friends in that devastating attack, but there were losses on both sides. Both Japan and the U.S. lost people in that fight, but each side tends to remember and be concerned about the loss on their side of the fight.
Whether it be Japan or the U.S., each side considers the ones that died for their kingdom to be the heroes. The people of United States don’t consider the Japanese people bombing our ships to be heroes, because they were the enemy. The Japanese don’t consider the United States people that died and fought in that fight to be heroes, because the U.S. was their enemy. From each “kingdom’s” point of view, the heroes are the ones that fought to preserve and expand their kingdom’s way of life. Each kingdom in this fight had their heroes and their enemies, even though the other side’s enemy was the other side’s heroes. How people look at things is always a matter of perspective.
So why are all these people called heroes? They all have something in common. Even today’s war heroes have this same thing in common. The thing they all have in common is that they were willing to sacrifice and leave the comforts of their own homes and fight for their kingdom. They left what they considered the good things of their kingdom and fight to preserve or expand those good aspects of their kingdom for others. The US soldier fights to preserve the freedom and what that soldier thinks is good. The U.S. soldier is also willing to fight to expand this kingdom of freedom to other countries. Each soldier, on each side of the war(s), is willing to give the ultimate sacrifice of their own physical life. They are willing to give up all what they understand to be good in their life and never experience it again, so that their kingdom can expand and/or other people of their kingdom can keep experiencing that good. For instance: even though the Japanese clearly won that fight at Pearl Harbor, all those Japanese pilots knew they would not survive the attack. All these pilots were instructed to release their torpedoes and ammunition and then use their own plane to kamikaze into an enemy ship. They had no plans of returning back to the Japanese ships that they were launched from. From my understanding only a few planes returned back to the ships and the planes were not even equipped to land back on the ships. The Japanese saw Pearl Harbor as a great victory for them, but their heroes knew when they took off from those ships that they would not come back. They died with honor, but never to experience the “good” they were fighting for. Each kingdom fights for what they understand to be good, even though the enemy thinks the enemy’s good is the evil they need to fight. They do this to preserve or expand what they think is good.
Fighting for temporary or eternal kingdoms:
Now, let us put these worldly kingdoms that heroes have sacrificed and died for over the many centuries in perspective. For the most part all these earthly kingdoms are temporary. They are not eternal. There are only two kingdoms that are eternal, which is God’s kingdom and the devil’s kingdom. A person can argue that some of these earthly kingdoms are more evil than good and some are more good than evil, but they are all temporary.
Why is it that people will temporarily or forever give up the things that they see as good in this life and go out and fight to preserve or promote those freedoms and earthly good things and not sacrifice and fight for the eternal good of God’s kingdom? It is sad to say, but many of these heroes that have died for the temporary earthly kingdoms, which they have left behind, only come to find out that they were not fighting for the kingdom that has eternal life. Instead they realize they were tricked by the devil’s kingdom by loving the temporary things. God is not a respecter of people or earthly kingdoms. Earthly kingdoms usually get in the way of people realizing God’s eternal kingdom. Jesus said His kingdom is not of this world. So why do we keep stressing about the different kingdoms of this world? It is because the devil wants to keep us busy with the concerns of this world. In that way we keep our minds on protecting the temporary good things of this world and forget about the eternal good things of God’s kingdom. If the devil keeps us protecting and cherishing even the godly temporal things of this world, then the devil wins by default, because our attention has been diverted from the important eternal good things of God’s kingdom.
We have to realize that even if something is considered godly and good in this world, it doesn’t mean we need to acquire or have it. If our goal is to have and work for what is considered good in this world, then we will not fight for what is eternally good, which is God’s kingdom. Even if it seems that something in this world is godly and every person should have it, our goal should not be on attaining it or preserving it for ourselves. Even the things that are considered good and godly can feed our selfish interests and take us away from God and His eternal work for Him. Even the godly good pleasures of this world will bind us to the devil’s kingdom by loving the things of this world instead of God Himself. The way of attaining God’s kingdom is attaining God Himself by the way of Jesus Christ.
God’s kingdom is spiritual and the worldly kingdoms are temporal and of the devil’s kingdom. The only things that are eternal are of the spiritual realms. The only things that enter heaven or hell are of the spiritual nature. Since the spiritual realms are the only things that are eternal, then that is where we should do our fighting. We can’t let ourselves be bogged down by any physical things of this earth, no matter how good they might seem. Don’t let yourself be fooled into thinking that God has blessed you with many good things of this world, when in the spiritual reality; it is the devil that has sidetracked you into loving the world and God’s creation instead of loving only God Himself. Be a hero for God’s kingdom and not for a temporary worldly kingdom.
As Christians we are called to fight, to preserve and expand God’s eternal kingdom, not physical kingdoms. The only way to expand God’s kingdom is to bring more souls into it. This is what God’s plan is. Is God’s plan also your plan? Are you willing to forsake even the temporary good things of this world in order to grow God’s eternal kingdom. God’s says we are to store up treasures in heaven. Well, the only things we can store up in heaven is our soul and the spiritual souls of others. There is nothing else that we can store or bring with us. No matter how good and/or amazing God’s created things are, the only things that enter His eternal kingdom are the spiritual things. So, if you are working to acquire God’s physical created things instead of His spiritual eternal things, then the devil has tricked you. We must not worship or desire the created things, but instead worship and desire the creator.
Michael W Reid
What Is Perfection
I have a good friend that asked me how a person can tell if someone is perfect or not. I thought it was a good question and maybe some others might wonder about this also. So I am sending on my response to my friend to all that might be interested.
“How can you identify when someone is perfect?” Good question. Most would not ask this question, because either they think of this as judging someone, or they don’t believe anyone can do this except God, or they are really fearful of knowing the answer.
To think and act perfect before God, a person must live totally by unselfish love. When a person lives by the love of God, they will automatically be holy and righteous. But the terms “unselfish love, holy, and righteous” can be defined in many ways other than by their true godly meanings. So how does perfection really look in a true born-again believer?
The perfected (sanctified/saint/born-again) believer:
Being perfect is when a person loves God with all their heart, soul, mind, body, and strength: Mark 12:30 - Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. NIV Some might say “I do the second greatest commandment, which is: Mark 12:31 - The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.’ NIV If I do this second commandment, doesn’t that prove I love God by loving others?” The answer is NO. There are probably many people that think they love God by trying to please and love others the way they would want to be loved, but the way a selfish person wants to be loved is not the way God loves us or the way we need to love God. If anyone switches these two commandments around to be like: Love your neighbor with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love the Lord God as yourself. This is how some people might see how to love God, or what they might end up doing sub-conscientiously. People can easily have some form of a relationship with a real physical person, but how do they have a relationship with a God they can’t see or touch. So people resort to trying to love people instead of God. What does all this have to do with being perfect? Unless we FIRST love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; we cannot truly love others as God loves. If we try to love people without having God as our first love, then we will try to please others instead of giving them what they need. When we love others perfectly, we will help them with what they need and not necessarily with what they want. God’s perfect love doesn’t give people what they want, but instead gives them what they need. A perfect person will be willing to give the other person what they need, even when it might cost their relationship; whether the relationship be a spouse, father, mother, brother, sister, son, daughter, or friend.
A perfect person loves God above everyone and anything else. He/she will please their Father in heaven first, even if that love for God causes problems with others being displeased with them. If anyone is more concerned about pleasing someone else more than God, then their love is not perfect. Anytime anyone loves anything of this world, including people, more than God, then that worldly love will make them desire to please what they love instead of God. God’s perfect love is not about pleasing people, but doing what is best for His glory and their eternity. So a perfect person will have God first in their life, then people second, and then things and money after that.
Jesus tells us how to be perfect:
Matt 19:21 - Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." NIV
To understand God’s priorities of how to be perfect, we must read the sections of the verse above in reverse order. Our first priority is to follow Jesus Christ – “come, follow me.” Our second priority is to take care of people – “give to the poor.” Our last priority in life is to acquire wealth – “sell your possessions.” For most of us, having wealth will get in the way of following Christ. Also for most of us, getting to attached to un-perfected people will get in the way of following Christ – when we end up loving other people more than God.
A perfect person will not sin against God’s will. If any person is knowingly sinning against the good and right will of God, then they are not perfect. For they love someone or something else more than God. Their love for themselves, others, or things are really their God. God commands: Ex 20:3 - You shall have no other gods before me. NIV
A perfect person will not worship anything or anyone else other than God. A lot of people put other people up on a pedestal and worship them as higher than other men. One man is no better than any other man or women. The only one good is God. Any man/women can only be considered good if God is perfectly controlling their life. It is not the man/women that has any good value of their own, but only the good of God living in them. To be perfect, a person must consider themselves worth nothing and God worth everything.
A perfect person will always love what God loves and hate what God hates. They will hate evil (selfishness) and always love what is good and perfect. They will hate the sin of a person, but love the sinful person.
A perfect person will have no damming anger for another, but will always return good for evil.
A perfect person will always value the person and not the sex of the other person. Their sexual tendencies will always be overridden by the value they place on the other person. The pure love that a perfect person has, will always value the other person over their own sexual desires.
A perfect person will value other people and the other person’s possessions and not envy what the other person has. If anyone envies other peoples possessions, then they still are selfish and not perfect. The only thing a perfect person needs or wants is God Himself.
A perfect person never steals. Anyone that steals, even for food to eat, is not depending on God for all their needs. God is all we need and He will supply all our needs.
A perfect person never lies. Not even a little white lie. Perfection has nothing to hide. Anyone that lies is still of the devil’s spirit.
A perfect person fears nothing, for he/she knows God is in control of all things. If anyone fears anything, then they have not been made perfect yet. 1 John 4:18 - There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. NIV We are called to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, but after fully being made perfect by the fullness of God’s love, there is no longer any need to fear. A perfect person no longer has to fear God, because they have been made perfectly in Christ’s image (love) and have become one in Spirit with God. If a person is one in Spirit with God, then fear is gone. A person that is one with God cannot fear the perfect love that now fills every part of his/her heart and soul. There is no selfish left and Satan cannot touch him/her any longer because there is no selfishness left for the devil to tempt.
A perfect person always has the choice to return to sin, but since all selfishness has been defeated by God’s love, sin has no power over a perfected person.
A perfect person is a brother of Jesus Christ and is no longer under the priesthood of Christ. The priesthood of Christ is only for the sanctification process to enable a person to become perfect. During the perfection process, Christ is our High Priest, but after perfection Christ becomes our brother instead. A perfect person has the same Spirit of Christ and the spirit of the devil (selfishness) is gone.
Michael W Reid
“How can you identify when someone is perfect?” Good question. Most would not ask this question, because either they think of this as judging someone, or they don’t believe anyone can do this except God, or they are really fearful of knowing the answer.
To think and act perfect before God, a person must live totally by unselfish love. When a person lives by the love of God, they will automatically be holy and righteous. But the terms “unselfish love, holy, and righteous” can be defined in many ways other than by their true godly meanings. So how does perfection really look in a true born-again believer?
The perfected (sanctified/saint/born-again) believer:
Being perfect is when a person loves God with all their heart, soul, mind, body, and strength: Mark 12:30 - Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. NIV Some might say “I do the second greatest commandment, which is: Mark 12:31 - The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.’ NIV If I do this second commandment, doesn’t that prove I love God by loving others?” The answer is NO. There are probably many people that think they love God by trying to please and love others the way they would want to be loved, but the way a selfish person wants to be loved is not the way God loves us or the way we need to love God. If anyone switches these two commandments around to be like: Love your neighbor with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love the Lord God as yourself. This is how some people might see how to love God, or what they might end up doing sub-conscientiously. People can easily have some form of a relationship with a real physical person, but how do they have a relationship with a God they can’t see or touch. So people resort to trying to love people instead of God. What does all this have to do with being perfect? Unless we FIRST love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; we cannot truly love others as God loves. If we try to love people without having God as our first love, then we will try to please others instead of giving them what they need. When we love others perfectly, we will help them with what they need and not necessarily with what they want. God’s perfect love doesn’t give people what they want, but instead gives them what they need. A perfect person will be willing to give the other person what they need, even when it might cost their relationship; whether the relationship be a spouse, father, mother, brother, sister, son, daughter, or friend.
A perfect person loves God above everyone and anything else. He/she will please their Father in heaven first, even if that love for God causes problems with others being displeased with them. If anyone is more concerned about pleasing someone else more than God, then their love is not perfect. Anytime anyone loves anything of this world, including people, more than God, then that worldly love will make them desire to please what they love instead of God. God’s perfect love is not about pleasing people, but doing what is best for His glory and their eternity. So a perfect person will have God first in their life, then people second, and then things and money after that.
Jesus tells us how to be perfect:
Matt 19:21 - Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." NIV
To understand God’s priorities of how to be perfect, we must read the sections of the verse above in reverse order. Our first priority is to follow Jesus Christ – “come, follow me.” Our second priority is to take care of people – “give to the poor.” Our last priority in life is to acquire wealth – “sell your possessions.” For most of us, having wealth will get in the way of following Christ. Also for most of us, getting to attached to un-perfected people will get in the way of following Christ – when we end up loving other people more than God.
A perfect person will not sin against God’s will. If any person is knowingly sinning against the good and right will of God, then they are not perfect. For they love someone or something else more than God. Their love for themselves, others, or things are really their God. God commands: Ex 20:3 - You shall have no other gods before me. NIV
A perfect person will not worship anything or anyone else other than God. A lot of people put other people up on a pedestal and worship them as higher than other men. One man is no better than any other man or women. The only one good is God. Any man/women can only be considered good if God is perfectly controlling their life. It is not the man/women that has any good value of their own, but only the good of God living in them. To be perfect, a person must consider themselves worth nothing and God worth everything.
A perfect person will always love what God loves and hate what God hates. They will hate evil (selfishness) and always love what is good and perfect. They will hate the sin of a person, but love the sinful person.
A perfect person will have no damming anger for another, but will always return good for evil.
A perfect person will always value the person and not the sex of the other person. Their sexual tendencies will always be overridden by the value they place on the other person. The pure love that a perfect person has, will always value the other person over their own sexual desires.
A perfect person will value other people and the other person’s possessions and not envy what the other person has. If anyone envies other peoples possessions, then they still are selfish and not perfect. The only thing a perfect person needs or wants is God Himself.
A perfect person never steals. Anyone that steals, even for food to eat, is not depending on God for all their needs. God is all we need and He will supply all our needs.
A perfect person never lies. Not even a little white lie. Perfection has nothing to hide. Anyone that lies is still of the devil’s spirit.
A perfect person fears nothing, for he/she knows God is in control of all things. If anyone fears anything, then they have not been made perfect yet. 1 John 4:18 - There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. NIV We are called to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, but after fully being made perfect by the fullness of God’s love, there is no longer any need to fear. A perfect person no longer has to fear God, because they have been made perfectly in Christ’s image (love) and have become one in Spirit with God. If a person is one in Spirit with God, then fear is gone. A person that is one with God cannot fear the perfect love that now fills every part of his/her heart and soul. There is no selfish left and Satan cannot touch him/her any longer because there is no selfishness left for the devil to tempt.
A perfect person always has the choice to return to sin, but since all selfishness has been defeated by God’s love, sin has no power over a perfected person.
A perfect person is a brother of Jesus Christ and is no longer under the priesthood of Christ. The priesthood of Christ is only for the sanctification process to enable a person to become perfect. During the perfection process, Christ is our High Priest, but after perfection Christ becomes our brother instead. A perfect person has the same Spirit of Christ and the spirit of the devil (selfishness) is gone.
Michael W Reid
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Yearning for Perfection
I give up. Have it your way. What I mean is, I have been trying to get people to believe that perfection and living by God’s righteous perfection needs to be done before we physically die, but most will not believe this truth. Around 99% of the people that believe in God in our world today believe that perfection cannot be attained until after we physically die. So, I have decided to write to these people in the context of their beliefs and see if their beliefs make sense.
First off, I will not be quoting much scripture since there is not much scripture that goes along with these beliefs. For example, I can’t quote “Matt 5:48 - Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. NKJV”, because people no longer think this is possible in our life time. And I can’t quote “1 Peter 1:15-16 - But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy. NIV”, because people no longer think this is possible in our life time. And I can’t quote “Rev 21:7 - He who overcomes (overcomes sin) will inherit all this (heaven), and I will be his God and he will be my son. NIV”, because people no longer believe that all sin can be overcome or that a person is able to live a sinless life.
I can quote a few scriptures like “John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. NIV” I can quote this as long as a person understands the term “believe” to mean a belief in the existence of Christ and that He died on the cross to pay for all our sins. I can quote this scripture because people believe that Christ did it all and we don’t have any responsibility except to believe in what Christ did on the cross for us. This belief is all about saving them to eternal life, but not about being the Lord of any person’s life. I can’t quote about Christ being the Lord of our lives, because Christ being Lord of our life would require the lordship of Christ to take control of a person, which would mean we would have to give up control of our own life. The lordship of Christ does not fit into this belief because it would require a changed life, a life that would have to die to all the sinful nature. It would mean submitting all to Christ as Lord. People would loose control of their life and this is not believed to be required anymore.
People believe that all we have to do to have eternal life is to take up on the offer of being fully forgiven by Jesus Christ’s sacrifice which paid the cost for all our sins. No repentance, holiness, or perfection by living by God’s love is required. Since Christ did it all on the cross for us, all we have to do is say that sinner’s prayer and that heavy load of the consequences of our sins are removed from us. So only God’s forgiveness is required and all we have to do is take advantage of it. It is a win-win situation for us. Everybody goes to heaven as long as they are forgiven. Everyone that is forgiven is automatically converted from a sinful being to a perfect being at the point of the death. This perfect conversion from a sinful soul to a perfect soul has to be accomplished because nothing imperfect or impure can enter God’s heavenly kingdom. This is the belief of most believers even though this belief goes directly against God’s Word. God’s Word is considered out of date for the time we live in and people believe God has changed to compensate for the changing times.
Either way, people believe we become perfect. It is just a question of when and how. All believers are looking forward to heaven and believe we have to become perfect to enter heaven. So, do we really want to be perfect? Do we really want to be like God? Do we really want to be rid of our evil selfish nature and have it replaced with a perfect holy and righteous nature? Christ’s nature. If we do, how much and how soon do we want to become perfect?
If we believe that our goal is to become perfect and be made perfect by becoming pure love like God is love, wouldn’t we want that to happen as soon as possible? If we believe that we have to die to become perfect, wouldn’t we want to pray to God and have Him take our life as soon as possible so that we could become that perfect soul? Wouldn’t we want to leave this evil filled world for a life in a perfect world as soon as possible? When someone dies, don’t we try to help the grieving ones left behind by saying the one they lost is in a better place? If we believe this, shouldn’t we be throwing a big party because God has chosen to take that person and make him/her perfect and have that soul live in a perfect heaven for eternity?
Do we need to wait to have God take our life or can we end it ourselves? If we commit suicide, we would be sinning against God’s Word, because we would be acting as our own God and killing ourselves. But God has probably changed His law for our times and aren’t all sins forgiven through Christ anyway? Most believers believe that someone that has committed suicide can still go to heaven. It is unthinkable to think a loving God would reject anyone for wanting to escape this evil world. Since this understanding is an excepted belief and even taught by many churches, this might be a person’s way to perfection and heaven. At least we need to commend them for acting on their beliefs. At least they are willing to put action to their beliefs. After all, what ever a person believes, they will act on. If we say we believe in something and don’t act on it, we don’t really believe what we say we believe.
So how soon should we want to physically die to become perfect? Some would argue that we need to have children (procreate) before we die so that the circle of life can continue. There is some logic to this consideration, but for the ones that don’t want to have children or can’t have children, wouldn’t it be best to die as soon as they come to Christ to have their sins forgiven? For the people that want to procreate, it would probably be best to die right after their kids have come to Christ by their children asking for forgiveness for their sins. In this way they would insure that their children are saved to eternal life and the parents could then leave this evil world to go onto the perfect realm of God. With the parents gone, the kids could use the assets left by the parents, grand parents, and so on, to get a good start for them to get ready to have kids of their own.
Some people might think that they need to stay living in this life to nurture and help their children and other people. Well this might sound fine and good, but what does an evil selfish person have to offer anyone else but to share in the consequences of their own sin? We can understand that there is some good in almost everybody, but the selfishness (evil) in a person will always out way any good that a person is trying to do. Since we believe that we never can get rid of our evil nature, then we have to believe that we really can’t offer anything to others that will be good for them. It will always be like dirty rags. We can’t help someone become good or cleaner by wiping them with our dirty rags. Since sin never leaves us until we die, every good thing we try to do will be tainted with evil. Let me give you an example. Say you have a favorite drink, like Mountain Dew, it being pure and good to the taste. Now let us add some sin into that drink. Suppose you go to the bathroom and take some of the feces (poop) from your own body and put it in the drink. Now the drink is tainted and anyone that drinks that drink will not be able to enjoy the goodness it had before it was tainted. Since we still have our sinful nature, when we share with ourselves, we are really sharing a tainted drink to our children and others. Why would we want to do this to people? Isn’t it better if we stop sharing in our consequences of our sins with others and just decide to die and be perfect?
So, after saying all this, why wouldn’t anyone want to die and be perfect? After all being perfect would be like heaven, which represents all of what God is and has to offer us. Being in heaven would be sharing in pure love, righteousness, holiness, and eternal life with God. Why wouldn’t anyone want this as soon as possible? Some might say, “They want it eventually, but they will wait until after they die after a long life.” These people are really saying, “I don’t want all of God right now. I want to still live my own life the way I desire. I want to still be my own God, and after I die I won’t have anything left to loose, so then I will accept perfection.” These people are trying to save their own life for themselves. Or, maybe people might say that they believe in perfection after death, but they really aren’t sure if they totally believe it to the point of wanting to die to get it. The bottom line about all this is, for most people, receiving perfection has to high of a cost – themselves.
So, if you want God and His perfection and you have decided that you can’t be perfected and totally set free of your sinful nature until after death, then you should desire to die so that you can finally be perfected and enter heaven. Come on people, stop fooling yourselves, you need to admit that you don’t want God’s perfection and His heaven and stop calling yourself a Christian, or start believing God’s Word, repent, and live a perfected life by living through the power of His Holy Spirit. Please figure out what you really believe and then show what you believe by acting on that belief.
God gives us the choice of what we want to believe. For me and my house we will believe God’s Word.
Michael W Reid
First off, I will not be quoting much scripture since there is not much scripture that goes along with these beliefs. For example, I can’t quote “Matt 5:48 - Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. NKJV”, because people no longer think this is possible in our life time. And I can’t quote “1 Peter 1:15-16 - But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy. NIV”, because people no longer think this is possible in our life time. And I can’t quote “Rev 21:7 - He who overcomes (overcomes sin) will inherit all this (heaven), and I will be his God and he will be my son. NIV”, because people no longer believe that all sin can be overcome or that a person is able to live a sinless life.
I can quote a few scriptures like “John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. NIV” I can quote this as long as a person understands the term “believe” to mean a belief in the existence of Christ and that He died on the cross to pay for all our sins. I can quote this scripture because people believe that Christ did it all and we don’t have any responsibility except to believe in what Christ did on the cross for us. This belief is all about saving them to eternal life, but not about being the Lord of any person’s life. I can’t quote about Christ being the Lord of our lives, because Christ being Lord of our life would require the lordship of Christ to take control of a person, which would mean we would have to give up control of our own life. The lordship of Christ does not fit into this belief because it would require a changed life, a life that would have to die to all the sinful nature. It would mean submitting all to Christ as Lord. People would loose control of their life and this is not believed to be required anymore.
People believe that all we have to do to have eternal life is to take up on the offer of being fully forgiven by Jesus Christ’s sacrifice which paid the cost for all our sins. No repentance, holiness, or perfection by living by God’s love is required. Since Christ did it all on the cross for us, all we have to do is say that sinner’s prayer and that heavy load of the consequences of our sins are removed from us. So only God’s forgiveness is required and all we have to do is take advantage of it. It is a win-win situation for us. Everybody goes to heaven as long as they are forgiven. Everyone that is forgiven is automatically converted from a sinful being to a perfect being at the point of the death. This perfect conversion from a sinful soul to a perfect soul has to be accomplished because nothing imperfect or impure can enter God’s heavenly kingdom. This is the belief of most believers even though this belief goes directly against God’s Word. God’s Word is considered out of date for the time we live in and people believe God has changed to compensate for the changing times.
Either way, people believe we become perfect. It is just a question of when and how. All believers are looking forward to heaven and believe we have to become perfect to enter heaven. So, do we really want to be perfect? Do we really want to be like God? Do we really want to be rid of our evil selfish nature and have it replaced with a perfect holy and righteous nature? Christ’s nature. If we do, how much and how soon do we want to become perfect?
If we believe that our goal is to become perfect and be made perfect by becoming pure love like God is love, wouldn’t we want that to happen as soon as possible? If we believe that we have to die to become perfect, wouldn’t we want to pray to God and have Him take our life as soon as possible so that we could become that perfect soul? Wouldn’t we want to leave this evil filled world for a life in a perfect world as soon as possible? When someone dies, don’t we try to help the grieving ones left behind by saying the one they lost is in a better place? If we believe this, shouldn’t we be throwing a big party because God has chosen to take that person and make him/her perfect and have that soul live in a perfect heaven for eternity?
Do we need to wait to have God take our life or can we end it ourselves? If we commit suicide, we would be sinning against God’s Word, because we would be acting as our own God and killing ourselves. But God has probably changed His law for our times and aren’t all sins forgiven through Christ anyway? Most believers believe that someone that has committed suicide can still go to heaven. It is unthinkable to think a loving God would reject anyone for wanting to escape this evil world. Since this understanding is an excepted belief and even taught by many churches, this might be a person’s way to perfection and heaven. At least we need to commend them for acting on their beliefs. At least they are willing to put action to their beliefs. After all, what ever a person believes, they will act on. If we say we believe in something and don’t act on it, we don’t really believe what we say we believe.
So how soon should we want to physically die to become perfect? Some would argue that we need to have children (procreate) before we die so that the circle of life can continue. There is some logic to this consideration, but for the ones that don’t want to have children or can’t have children, wouldn’t it be best to die as soon as they come to Christ to have their sins forgiven? For the people that want to procreate, it would probably be best to die right after their kids have come to Christ by their children asking for forgiveness for their sins. In this way they would insure that their children are saved to eternal life and the parents could then leave this evil world to go onto the perfect realm of God. With the parents gone, the kids could use the assets left by the parents, grand parents, and so on, to get a good start for them to get ready to have kids of their own.
Some people might think that they need to stay living in this life to nurture and help their children and other people. Well this might sound fine and good, but what does an evil selfish person have to offer anyone else but to share in the consequences of their own sin? We can understand that there is some good in almost everybody, but the selfishness (evil) in a person will always out way any good that a person is trying to do. Since we believe that we never can get rid of our evil nature, then we have to believe that we really can’t offer anything to others that will be good for them. It will always be like dirty rags. We can’t help someone become good or cleaner by wiping them with our dirty rags. Since sin never leaves us until we die, every good thing we try to do will be tainted with evil. Let me give you an example. Say you have a favorite drink, like Mountain Dew, it being pure and good to the taste. Now let us add some sin into that drink. Suppose you go to the bathroom and take some of the feces (poop) from your own body and put it in the drink. Now the drink is tainted and anyone that drinks that drink will not be able to enjoy the goodness it had before it was tainted. Since we still have our sinful nature, when we share with ourselves, we are really sharing a tainted drink to our children and others. Why would we want to do this to people? Isn’t it better if we stop sharing in our consequences of our sins with others and just decide to die and be perfect?
So, after saying all this, why wouldn’t anyone want to die and be perfect? After all being perfect would be like heaven, which represents all of what God is and has to offer us. Being in heaven would be sharing in pure love, righteousness, holiness, and eternal life with God. Why wouldn’t anyone want this as soon as possible? Some might say, “They want it eventually, but they will wait until after they die after a long life.” These people are really saying, “I don’t want all of God right now. I want to still live my own life the way I desire. I want to still be my own God, and after I die I won’t have anything left to loose, so then I will accept perfection.” These people are trying to save their own life for themselves. Or, maybe people might say that they believe in perfection after death, but they really aren’t sure if they totally believe it to the point of wanting to die to get it. The bottom line about all this is, for most people, receiving perfection has to high of a cost – themselves.
So, if you want God and His perfection and you have decided that you can’t be perfected and totally set free of your sinful nature until after death, then you should desire to die so that you can finally be perfected and enter heaven. Come on people, stop fooling yourselves, you need to admit that you don’t want God’s perfection and His heaven and stop calling yourself a Christian, or start believing God’s Word, repent, and live a perfected life by living through the power of His Holy Spirit. Please figure out what you really believe and then show what you believe by acting on that belief.
God gives us the choice of what we want to believe. For me and my house we will believe God’s Word.
Michael W Reid
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The Promise
Most people calling themselves Christians today have a belief that the hope we have in Christ is the hope of getting to heaven some day. Even though heaven is a place we look forward to, that should not be our hope as Christians. So what is our hope and what is the promise of God?
Today MOST churched people's hopes are to get to heaven. This is not what our main hope should be or what we should strive for. If our main hopes and striving are to get to heaven then we are only trying to save ourselves from hell.
The scriptures say the deposit of the "Holy Spirit" into us is the GUARANTEE of our heavenly inheritance. This is true.
Eph 1:13-14 - In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. NKJV
2 Cor 1:21-22 - Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. NKJV
So once we are totally filled with the Holy Spirit (the promise), then we are guaranteed heaven as long as we don't willfully sin after that point. So the hope we need to go for is the promise that God will fill us with His Holy Spirit AFTER we have come to a point of total obedience (out of love for Him). Once we have the fullness of the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Truth) in us, we no longer have a hope of being in His eternal kingdom, because we are already in His eternal kingdom. There is not a hope of heaven anymore, it is a for sure thing as long as we don't reject His Holy Spirit by willfully sinning against Him. If we willfully sin after being totally filled with the Holy Spirit (the promise), then we have committed the unforgivable sin. Let me explain this with scriptures.
After we have done the will of God we receive the promise (the Holy Spirit).
Heb 10:36 - For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the PROMISE NKJV
Abraham's offspring are the people that have received the promise of the Holy Spirit.
Rom 9:8 - In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring. NIV
God pours out the Holy Spirit into all that have been obedient to the will of God. Then they are the sons of God and exalted to the right hand of God. A son of God is exalted to His right hand when that person has shown himself worthy of the Holy Spirit's filling. This needs to happen in our physical lifetime.
Acts 2:33 - Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the PROMISE of the Holy Spirit , He poured out this which you now see and hear. NKJV
God saves us from the power of our sinful nature to enable us to become the sons of God by eventually receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit after we have done His will.
Gal 3:14 - He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. NIV
Only if we are totally devoted to Christ are we considered Abraham's seed and enjoy in the promised Holy Spirit.
Gal 3:29 - If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. NIV
Life in Christ is the Holy Spirit in a person. Holy Spirit = Life in Christ.
2 Tim 1:1 - ...according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, ... NIV
Once anyone has been fully filled with the Holy Spirit and has become a son of God, then they have been enlightened and have experienced God's eternal kingdom and the powers of that eternal kingdom. If they ever decide to fall away by willfully sinning against the Holy Spirit that is within them, then they are judged unworthy of the Holy Spirit and God's Holy Spirit is taken away from them forever.
Heb 6:4-6 - For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the HEAVENLY gift, and have become partakers of the HOLY SPIRIT, and have tasted the good word of God and the POWERS of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. NKJV
Now one important thing to remember when understanding these scriptures, when a person comes to the saving grace of God and says that first sinners prayer, they don’t receive the Holy Spirit at that time unless they were able to die to all their selfishness at that time. They receive Jesus as their High Priest, but for most people today, they don’t receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit until they die to all their selfishness and be obedient and do the will of God. It is through the power of God’s grace working through Jesus Christ being their High Priest that they have the power to overcome all sin, but they have to make the choice to die to every sinful thing in them. God will not make anyone die to their own selfish nature, but He gives you the power to do so if that is a person’s earnest desire.
When a person receives the Holy Spirit, they receive the knowledge of the truth. The truth is written on their hearts. God's very Word is written on and in their hearts by the Holy Spirit. So, after this happening, if they ever willfully go against that truth that has filled their heart, they will be doomed to an eternal fiery judgment.
Heb 10:26-29 - For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? NKJV
If we keep and stay within God's promise (the Holy Spirit) we are assured a new heaven and a new earth full of righteousness.
2 Peter 3:13 - But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. NIV
For the people, the true sons of God, the ones that have been filled with the Holy Spirit, that have partaken in the heavenly gifts and powers of the heavens (the powers to come), they are already in His eternal kingdom. The only difference that happens after physical death for a true son of God is that they don't have to live in both a righteous and un-righteous world any longer. They will live only in a pure, holy, and righteous world for eternity. Before a true son of God physically dies, they are already living a pure, holy, and righteous life already, but having to endure an un-righteous world until they physically die.
So I say all this to indicate that our salvation has to happen in our physical lifetime (before physical death). When someone says "Completed salvation is not until we reached the other side into heaven", this is an incorrect statement. This is what people want to believe and backs up MOST people's beliefs that we can never be perfect, pure, holy, and/or righteous this side of heaven, which a lie of the devil.
A true son of God has already been judged and found worthy to receive God’s promise of the Holy Spirit, because they have sacrificed all to Him. Once having received the Holy Spirit, we are then worthy to enter and be in God's eternal kingdom. It is the Holy Spirit of Christ that is the key to God’s eternal kingdom. All true sons of God have been judged in this life already and will never be judged again unless they commit the un-forgivable sin of rejecting the Holy Spirit that had totally filled their heart.
If anyone is judged by God after their physical death - it is too late for them. They are destined for the eternal fire.
May God’s truth encourage you to finish the race,
Michael W Reid
Today MOST churched people's hopes are to get to heaven. This is not what our main hope should be or what we should strive for. If our main hopes and striving are to get to heaven then we are only trying to save ourselves from hell.
The scriptures say the deposit of the "Holy Spirit" into us is the GUARANTEE of our heavenly inheritance. This is true.
Eph 1:13-14 - In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. NKJV
2 Cor 1:21-22 - Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. NKJV
So once we are totally filled with the Holy Spirit (the promise), then we are guaranteed heaven as long as we don't willfully sin after that point. So the hope we need to go for is the promise that God will fill us with His Holy Spirit AFTER we have come to a point of total obedience (out of love for Him). Once we have the fullness of the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Truth) in us, we no longer have a hope of being in His eternal kingdom, because we are already in His eternal kingdom. There is not a hope of heaven anymore, it is a for sure thing as long as we don't reject His Holy Spirit by willfully sinning against Him. If we willfully sin after being totally filled with the Holy Spirit (the promise), then we have committed the unforgivable sin. Let me explain this with scriptures.
After we have done the will of God we receive the promise (the Holy Spirit).
Heb 10:36 - For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the PROMISE NKJV
Abraham's offspring are the people that have received the promise of the Holy Spirit.
Rom 9:8 - In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring. NIV
God pours out the Holy Spirit into all that have been obedient to the will of God. Then they are the sons of God and exalted to the right hand of God. A son of God is exalted to His right hand when that person has shown himself worthy of the Holy Spirit's filling. This needs to happen in our physical lifetime.
Acts 2:33 - Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the PROMISE of the Holy Spirit , He poured out this which you now see and hear. NKJV
God saves us from the power of our sinful nature to enable us to become the sons of God by eventually receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit after we have done His will.
Gal 3:14 - He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. NIV
Only if we are totally devoted to Christ are we considered Abraham's seed and enjoy in the promised Holy Spirit.
Gal 3:29 - If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. NIV
Life in Christ is the Holy Spirit in a person. Holy Spirit = Life in Christ.
2 Tim 1:1 - ...according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, ... NIV
Once anyone has been fully filled with the Holy Spirit and has become a son of God, then they have been enlightened and have experienced God's eternal kingdom and the powers of that eternal kingdom. If they ever decide to fall away by willfully sinning against the Holy Spirit that is within them, then they are judged unworthy of the Holy Spirit and God's Holy Spirit is taken away from them forever.
Heb 6:4-6 - For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the HEAVENLY gift, and have become partakers of the HOLY SPIRIT, and have tasted the good word of God and the POWERS of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. NKJV
Now one important thing to remember when understanding these scriptures, when a person comes to the saving grace of God and says that first sinners prayer, they don’t receive the Holy Spirit at that time unless they were able to die to all their selfishness at that time. They receive Jesus as their High Priest, but for most people today, they don’t receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit until they die to all their selfishness and be obedient and do the will of God. It is through the power of God’s grace working through Jesus Christ being their High Priest that they have the power to overcome all sin, but they have to make the choice to die to every sinful thing in them. God will not make anyone die to their own selfish nature, but He gives you the power to do so if that is a person’s earnest desire.
When a person receives the Holy Spirit, they receive the knowledge of the truth. The truth is written on their hearts. God's very Word is written on and in their hearts by the Holy Spirit. So, after this happening, if they ever willfully go against that truth that has filled their heart, they will be doomed to an eternal fiery judgment.
Heb 10:26-29 - For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? NKJV
If we keep and stay within God's promise (the Holy Spirit) we are assured a new heaven and a new earth full of righteousness.
2 Peter 3:13 - But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. NIV
For the people, the true sons of God, the ones that have been filled with the Holy Spirit, that have partaken in the heavenly gifts and powers of the heavens (the powers to come), they are already in His eternal kingdom. The only difference that happens after physical death for a true son of God is that they don't have to live in both a righteous and un-righteous world any longer. They will live only in a pure, holy, and righteous world for eternity. Before a true son of God physically dies, they are already living a pure, holy, and righteous life already, but having to endure an un-righteous world until they physically die.
So I say all this to indicate that our salvation has to happen in our physical lifetime (before physical death). When someone says "Completed salvation is not until we reached the other side into heaven", this is an incorrect statement. This is what people want to believe and backs up MOST people's beliefs that we can never be perfect, pure, holy, and/or righteous this side of heaven, which a lie of the devil.
A true son of God has already been judged and found worthy to receive God’s promise of the Holy Spirit, because they have sacrificed all to Him. Once having received the Holy Spirit, we are then worthy to enter and be in God's eternal kingdom. It is the Holy Spirit of Christ that is the key to God’s eternal kingdom. All true sons of God have been judged in this life already and will never be judged again unless they commit the un-forgivable sin of rejecting the Holy Spirit that had totally filled their heart.
If anyone is judged by God after their physical death - it is too late for them. They are destined for the eternal fire.
May God’s truth encourage you to finish the race,
Michael W Reid
Friday, September 10, 2010
The Enemies of God
Yesterday I was out on an exercise walk when I saw a neighbor that I have wanted to talk with about God. I know this man and his family are professing Christians. I knew they had been upset with many churches in the area, because most of the churches didn’t believe and teach that a person has to repent to be forgiven by God. I know there is no forgiveness by God unless we also repent from our sinful behavior. Since I knew we both had this in common, I wanted to talk with this man. As I was walking by his house, he was in the yard working, so I went over to him and we had a 2 – 3 hour discussion.
I found out that he had found a local Baptist church which did preach repentance and forgiveness. This discussion led into the topic of repentance eventually allowing a person to become entirely sanctified, where they no longer sin, because they no longer have any desire to sin. Since God has done this miracle in my life, I was trying to encourage him and his 23 year old son that entire sanctification was possible and that to enter God’s eternal kingdom a person must be entirely sanctified in this life time. Since they had a Calvinist background, they could not believe this. They indicated that no one could be entirely sanctified in this lifetime and that I was alone in this kind of thinking. I assured him that he was correct in the fact that most churches have taken on the Calvinist belief. Even the holiness churches have taken in the Calvinist view as part of their beliefs. I have realized that even when holiness churches preach holiness, the congregations take entire sanctification as a goal or option. A goal to go for, but believing it never can be reached in this lifetime.
This father and son believed John MacArthur commentary that Romans 7 was indicating that St. Paul was talking about himself in his current state at the time of the writing, when he was totally filled with the Holy Spirit (Born Again), but could not keep from sinning. They believe, as most churches do, that a person fully filled with the Holy Spirit is still a slave to sin and cannot help themselves from doing the evil they don’t want to do. They compare themselves to the Old Testament people, a time before the Holy Spirit filled the hearts of men. What fools they have become. Almost all have let the great power of the gospel become powerless. For they have let it become a lie. Did Christ come to pay the dept for sinners only have them keep sinning? They have turned His grace and the workings of the Holy Spirit into a mockery by saying God doesn’t chose to free us from all sin.
I asked if this father and son had been saved from any sin, where God has taken away even the desire to do that sin. They both answered yes and realized that God had totally freed them from one or more sinful behaviors. Then I asked them, what sin did they think God wanted them to keep? They didn’t have an answer. Then I asked them, why don’t they think that God would want to clean them of all sin like the Bible says? Their answer was amazing to me. They said that God didn’t want to take all their sin away from them, because God uses the consequences of sin to keep people coming back to Him. They also said, if a person ever did come to the point of not sinning anymore, then that person wouldn’t need God any longer. So they believe that God wants every person to keep some sinful nature so that we will always need Him - Even though it is sin which separates us all from God.
Christ says “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed - John 8:36 NIV”, but now the majority is saying we are never really free?
God’s Word says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. - 1 John 1:9 NIV.” Evidently this is no longer true for most churches.
God’s Word says we shall be made blameless through and through. “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through . May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. - 1 Thess 5:23-24 NIV” Evidently this is not believed to happen anymore in our time.
God’s Word says that no unclean/sinful thing can enter heaven and that the only ones to enter His eternal kingdom are the ones that have conquered all sin in their lives.
“Nothing impure will ever enter it (God’s eternal kingdom/city), nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. - Rev 21:27 NIV”
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes (overcomes sin), I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. - Rev 2:7 NIV”
“He who overcomes (overcomes sin) will inherit all this (inherit God’s eternal kingdom), and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars — their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. - Rev 21:7-8 NIV”
If we are to believe the Calvinist theology, then Jesus Christ died on the cross in vain. For if no one can become sanctified and holy through and through, then no one can enter heaven. If no one can overcome all sin by the power of God’s grace working through them, then no one can enter eternal life. If no can come to the point of living a blameless and pure life by becoming one with God’s Holy Spirit, then no one will ever be considered holy enough to see God. If anyone believes the lies within the Calvinist theology, they must also believe that God’s Word is not the infallible truth.
Just like in the Garden of Eden, the devil has once again succeeded by taking the truth and changing it just enough to sidetrack almost everybody into believing it for the truth. Since most churches have adopted these lies into their theology to some extent, it has turned most of our churches into the enemies of God.
Any church that teaches that a person doesn’t have to be fully sanctified and die to all of their sinful nature to enter God’s kingdom is God’s enemy. For they have turned the gospel of Jesus Christ into a lie.
Any church that teaches a person they can never be free from their sinful nature is God’s enemy. For they have turned the gospel of Jesus Christ into a lie and is perpetuating a “hopeless” message.
It is for this reason that God is building His wrath against this unbelieving world. God’s wrath will come soon and most all deserve it, because they have listened to the devil and made His Word into a lie.
Michael W Reid
reidmike@charter.net
I found out that he had found a local Baptist church which did preach repentance and forgiveness. This discussion led into the topic of repentance eventually allowing a person to become entirely sanctified, where they no longer sin, because they no longer have any desire to sin. Since God has done this miracle in my life, I was trying to encourage him and his 23 year old son that entire sanctification was possible and that to enter God’s eternal kingdom a person must be entirely sanctified in this life time. Since they had a Calvinist background, they could not believe this. They indicated that no one could be entirely sanctified in this lifetime and that I was alone in this kind of thinking. I assured him that he was correct in the fact that most churches have taken on the Calvinist belief. Even the holiness churches have taken in the Calvinist view as part of their beliefs. I have realized that even when holiness churches preach holiness, the congregations take entire sanctification as a goal or option. A goal to go for, but believing it never can be reached in this lifetime.
This father and son believed John MacArthur commentary that Romans 7 was indicating that St. Paul was talking about himself in his current state at the time of the writing, when he was totally filled with the Holy Spirit (Born Again), but could not keep from sinning. They believe, as most churches do, that a person fully filled with the Holy Spirit is still a slave to sin and cannot help themselves from doing the evil they don’t want to do. They compare themselves to the Old Testament people, a time before the Holy Spirit filled the hearts of men. What fools they have become. Almost all have let the great power of the gospel become powerless. For they have let it become a lie. Did Christ come to pay the dept for sinners only have them keep sinning? They have turned His grace and the workings of the Holy Spirit into a mockery by saying God doesn’t chose to free us from all sin.
I asked if this father and son had been saved from any sin, where God has taken away even the desire to do that sin. They both answered yes and realized that God had totally freed them from one or more sinful behaviors. Then I asked them, what sin did they think God wanted them to keep? They didn’t have an answer. Then I asked them, why don’t they think that God would want to clean them of all sin like the Bible says? Their answer was amazing to me. They said that God didn’t want to take all their sin away from them, because God uses the consequences of sin to keep people coming back to Him. They also said, if a person ever did come to the point of not sinning anymore, then that person wouldn’t need God any longer. So they believe that God wants every person to keep some sinful nature so that we will always need Him - Even though it is sin which separates us all from God.
Christ says “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed - John 8:36 NIV”, but now the majority is saying we are never really free?
God’s Word says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. - 1 John 1:9 NIV.” Evidently this is no longer true for most churches.
God’s Word says we shall be made blameless through and through. “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through . May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. - 1 Thess 5:23-24 NIV” Evidently this is not believed to happen anymore in our time.
God’s Word says that no unclean/sinful thing can enter heaven and that the only ones to enter His eternal kingdom are the ones that have conquered all sin in their lives.
“Nothing impure will ever enter it (God’s eternal kingdom/city), nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. - Rev 21:27 NIV”
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes (overcomes sin), I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. - Rev 2:7 NIV”
“He who overcomes (overcomes sin) will inherit all this (inherit God’s eternal kingdom), and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars — their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. - Rev 21:7-8 NIV”
If we are to believe the Calvinist theology, then Jesus Christ died on the cross in vain. For if no one can become sanctified and holy through and through, then no one can enter heaven. If no one can overcome all sin by the power of God’s grace working through them, then no one can enter eternal life. If no can come to the point of living a blameless and pure life by becoming one with God’s Holy Spirit, then no one will ever be considered holy enough to see God. If anyone believes the lies within the Calvinist theology, they must also believe that God’s Word is not the infallible truth.
Just like in the Garden of Eden, the devil has once again succeeded by taking the truth and changing it just enough to sidetrack almost everybody into believing it for the truth. Since most churches have adopted these lies into their theology to some extent, it has turned most of our churches into the enemies of God.
Any church that teaches that a person doesn’t have to be fully sanctified and die to all of their sinful nature to enter God’s kingdom is God’s enemy. For they have turned the gospel of Jesus Christ into a lie.
Any church that teaches a person they can never be free from their sinful nature is God’s enemy. For they have turned the gospel of Jesus Christ into a lie and is perpetuating a “hopeless” message.
It is for this reason that God is building His wrath against this unbelieving world. God’s wrath will come soon and most all deserve it, because they have listened to the devil and made His Word into a lie.
Michael W Reid
reidmike@charter.net
Saturday, August 21, 2010
The Majority Is Usually Wrong
The majority of the US was wrong in believing in Barack Hussein Obama! But that is not all that we have been very wrong about!
In the far past, the majority of people in Noah’s day thought they could do any selfish thing they desired without any consequences for their sins. God destroyed them all except for Noah’s family.
In the past, the majority of people were wrong in building the Tower of Babel. They were of one language, thought, and desire. They thought they could do anything. God showed them that they were very confused!
During Abraham’s time, the majority of the people in the cities of Sodom and Gomorra were fooled into the lies of the devil and became very evil. They thought they could delight themselves with every kind of sexual sin they could imagine - Much like many people in our society today. God destroyed them all!
During Moses’ time, the majority of the Egyptians thought they could be gods and rule over and enslave other peoples. Through Moses the real God showed His mighty power and crushed the Egyptians!
During the Roman Empire time, the majority of the Jews (God’s people), misread and misunderstood the scriptures and were looking for a physical earthly kingdom rule to come from God. So they rejected Jesus Christ and put Him on the cross and crucified Him! God showed them they were very wrong and brought forth a spiritual kingdom in the hearts of men.
Now during our times, the majority is wrong again. The church has been broken into as many different denominations as there are opinions. There is very little unity in the church today. Somehow we accept that every differing view of scripture can be the right views, depending on who is interpretating the scriptures. So, in essence we no long have one unifying truth, but as many truths as we want to believe. The church has lost the truth and can no longer show the way for the lost to find true salvation. For this reason, the church has been dying and will continue to die until it comes back to the truth. Through much agonizing struggles to bring the real truth of God’s Word to the church, I have found that even God’s elect, the true born again Christians, cannot bring themselves to believe the true Word of God anymore. The church has become corrupt with the deceptions from within its man made traditions and cannot seem to return to the real truth. The church is supposed to be the salt of the world, but it has lost its saltiness. The church is meant to flavor the world with God’s love and truth, but instead the world has flavored the church with worldliness and deception.
So where is today’s churches going wrong? It is the lack of truth in the gospel that they are preaching. God’s Word says we are set free from our sin by believing in His truth, but this gospel truth is not being proclaimed.
Today’s churches proclaim that no one can ever be totally free from their sinful nature. They teach that a person will always retain their selfish nature and this sinful nature will always have a certain amount of control over a person, even a born again Christian. So people come into the church to be freed from their sinful ways and be a new godly creation only to be told they will never be free from their sinful nature and its consequences. What kind of hopeful message is this? If everyone retains their sinful nature and the consequences from those sins, then what have they gained by coming into the church? Can you guess why our churches are dying?
God’s truth says that when a person is born again (born of God), they are a new creation of God and the old selfish man is gone. This is not taught correctly in today’s churches, because most people have been brainwashed by centuries of church traditions that a person is born again at the initial sanctification point. A person is not born of God at their initial sanctification point, but at the end of the person’s sanctification, when they are totally set apart for God. It happens when a person actually loves God with all their heart and soul. It happens when they have given themselves over to God as a living sacrifice, when they have died to all their selfish ambitions to live for God alone.
If the people of a church are told they can never be free from their selfishness and that they are already born again even though their life still has sin, then the devil has won, because most of these people will not go further and search out God to truly be born of God. The devil is very happy when people are only being partially sanctified, because partially sanctified people will not be able to enter a sin free heaven. The devil knows a person has to be totally sanctified to have eternal life, so a church full of people that are partially sanctified and also think they are going to heaven is all part of the devil’s evil plan. The sad part is that most churched people believe these deceptions.
So, the church as we know it today, a church that is riddled with the traditions of man, must be allowed to die. Unless Christ’s final return happens soon, we must look at rebuilding the church from its foundations, the foundation being the true Word of God. There is only one God and one truth. The truth is not what we want it to be. It is what it has to be – whether we like it or not. The truth is not what we experience, but represents what we need to experience. The truth is not some sort of thing that is relative in time, but is the same in all times. So let us cast away all our selfish reasoning, traditions, and personal experiences (which could be of God or of the devil). We must let the church of today die away, because all of today’s churches have been deceived. They are teaching some truths interlaced with lies from the devil. Let us get back to the real truth, His righteousness, and His holiness. Anyone that follows the current churches of our day might have a small chance of actually becoming a real born again Christian, but the chances are very slim. We need to return back to God’s real truth so that we can be His real church again and bring many more into His eternal kingdom.
Michael W Reid
In the far past, the majority of people in Noah’s day thought they could do any selfish thing they desired without any consequences for their sins. God destroyed them all except for Noah’s family.
In the past, the majority of people were wrong in building the Tower of Babel. They were of one language, thought, and desire. They thought they could do anything. God showed them that they were very confused!
During Abraham’s time, the majority of the people in the cities of Sodom and Gomorra were fooled into the lies of the devil and became very evil. They thought they could delight themselves with every kind of sexual sin they could imagine - Much like many people in our society today. God destroyed them all!
During Moses’ time, the majority of the Egyptians thought they could be gods and rule over and enslave other peoples. Through Moses the real God showed His mighty power and crushed the Egyptians!
During the Roman Empire time, the majority of the Jews (God’s people), misread and misunderstood the scriptures and were looking for a physical earthly kingdom rule to come from God. So they rejected Jesus Christ and put Him on the cross and crucified Him! God showed them they were very wrong and brought forth a spiritual kingdom in the hearts of men.
Now during our times, the majority is wrong again. The church has been broken into as many different denominations as there are opinions. There is very little unity in the church today. Somehow we accept that every differing view of scripture can be the right views, depending on who is interpretating the scriptures. So, in essence we no long have one unifying truth, but as many truths as we want to believe. The church has lost the truth and can no longer show the way for the lost to find true salvation. For this reason, the church has been dying and will continue to die until it comes back to the truth. Through much agonizing struggles to bring the real truth of God’s Word to the church, I have found that even God’s elect, the true born again Christians, cannot bring themselves to believe the true Word of God anymore. The church has become corrupt with the deceptions from within its man made traditions and cannot seem to return to the real truth. The church is supposed to be the salt of the world, but it has lost its saltiness. The church is meant to flavor the world with God’s love and truth, but instead the world has flavored the church with worldliness and deception.
So where is today’s churches going wrong? It is the lack of truth in the gospel that they are preaching. God’s Word says we are set free from our sin by believing in His truth, but this gospel truth is not being proclaimed.
Today’s churches proclaim that no one can ever be totally free from their sinful nature. They teach that a person will always retain their selfish nature and this sinful nature will always have a certain amount of control over a person, even a born again Christian. So people come into the church to be freed from their sinful ways and be a new godly creation only to be told they will never be free from their sinful nature and its consequences. What kind of hopeful message is this? If everyone retains their sinful nature and the consequences from those sins, then what have they gained by coming into the church? Can you guess why our churches are dying?
God’s truth says that when a person is born again (born of God), they are a new creation of God and the old selfish man is gone. This is not taught correctly in today’s churches, because most people have been brainwashed by centuries of church traditions that a person is born again at the initial sanctification point. A person is not born of God at their initial sanctification point, but at the end of the person’s sanctification, when they are totally set apart for God. It happens when a person actually loves God with all their heart and soul. It happens when they have given themselves over to God as a living sacrifice, when they have died to all their selfish ambitions to live for God alone.
If the people of a church are told they can never be free from their selfishness and that they are already born again even though their life still has sin, then the devil has won, because most of these people will not go further and search out God to truly be born of God. The devil is very happy when people are only being partially sanctified, because partially sanctified people will not be able to enter a sin free heaven. The devil knows a person has to be totally sanctified to have eternal life, so a church full of people that are partially sanctified and also think they are going to heaven is all part of the devil’s evil plan. The sad part is that most churched people believe these deceptions.
So, the church as we know it today, a church that is riddled with the traditions of man, must be allowed to die. Unless Christ’s final return happens soon, we must look at rebuilding the church from its foundations, the foundation being the true Word of God. There is only one God and one truth. The truth is not what we want it to be. It is what it has to be – whether we like it or not. The truth is not what we experience, but represents what we need to experience. The truth is not some sort of thing that is relative in time, but is the same in all times. So let us cast away all our selfish reasoning, traditions, and personal experiences (which could be of God or of the devil). We must let the church of today die away, because all of today’s churches have been deceived. They are teaching some truths interlaced with lies from the devil. Let us get back to the real truth, His righteousness, and His holiness. Anyone that follows the current churches of our day might have a small chance of actually becoming a real born again Christian, but the chances are very slim. We need to return back to God’s real truth so that we can be His real church again and bring many more into His eternal kingdom.
Michael W Reid
Monday, February 15, 2010
Who Are We Really and Who Do We Belong To
God has called me as a prophet to bring back the truth of His Word which has been lost over the many years, but I have to admit this has been a very hard and frustrating task. Sometimes I wonder why God picked me for do this task. Even though I didn’t get to choose this gift that He gave me, I will be faithful to do the task that God has set out for me. The main problem with bringing back God’s truth to His loved ones is that the current deceptive things people believe as truth are so ingrained into them that they are not willing to let go of it to receive God’s real truth. I have tried not to offend people and sugar coat God’s real truth as much as possible without degrading the truth, but I realize most people are not getting it and are still heading down that lost path of deception. So I have decided to fight head on against the devil and his lies. I know this will make some people very uncomfortable, but God’s Word must prevail in order to conquer the devil’s evil schemes.
One of the simple truths that we must all return to is discerning who is a true Christian and who isn’t. This letter is not to have any one person tell you whether you are a Christian or not, but for you to evaluate yourself against what a true biblical Christian is. Like most definitions in this world, the term “Christian” has been watered down and made politically correct. In today’s world, we want to include almost everyone into the Christian group. Even if a person’s actions and walk don’t show faith in God’s Word, but they might have said a prayer, even once, then who are we to exclude them from the Christian name - right, or else we might be accused of judging. We must not judge, that is God’s domain, but we are called to evaluate ourselves and others.
I want everyone to understand that being a Christian is an exclusive thing, even though everyone has the option to become a Christian through a relationship with Christ. Becoming a true Christian can be the result of the process that can happen while we are in a relationship with Christ; it is not a single event that most people have come to believe. Most have made the mistake of proclaiming a relationship with Christ as the same thing as being a Christian. God wants and will have a relationship with anyone that accepts what Christ did on the cross, but only the few that fully submit to His Lordship will be called Christians in God’s eyes. The only way to become a Christian is to have faith in Jesus Christ, His truth, and His love. No one can be called a Christian unless they are living by faith in the truth which is found in Jesus Christ alone. If anyone is living any part of their life outside the boundaries of Jesus Christ’s truth and love, then they are not a Christian.
The well accepted definition of the term “Christian” within the Christian circles is to be a “follower of Christ”. Another definition is to be a “disciple of Christ”; we can find this definition directly out of God’s Word.
Acts 11:26 - The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
Other definitions of a Christian include, being a “believer in Jesus Christ”, or any person that is considered a “son of God”. All of these definitions are true and can be used to define a Christian, but how the human selfish reasoning has degraded these definitions is where the problem lies. We need to look at the un-watered down biblical views of these meanings to see if we fit into the Christian profile.
Let us start with examining the definition of being a “follower of Christ”. Anyone that is following in Jesus Christ’s footsteps, as all Christians are called to do, will find themselves in the path of living a sinless and loving life, just as Jesus Christ did when He was on earth and in the flesh, just as we are in the flesh now. We do this by the power of His Spirit living inside us. A follower of Christ is no longer living by the ways of his selfishness, but by the ways of God’s love. If anyone is walking in the footsteps of Christ, then they are walking in righteousness and void of any sin, but if anyone wanders off the path of Christ and sins, then they can no longer be called a Christian, because they are no longer following Christ. Within the footsteps of Christ, there is no sin. Anyone that goes off and is no longer following in the footsteps of Christ is no longer in right fellowship with God until they confess, repent, and get back on the path of Christ. Until a person gets back to following Christ whole heartedly, that person cannot be called a Christian, but if they call themselves a Christian and do not immediately repent of all their sin, then they should be called a hypocrite, or a un-repentive sinner. So in essence, if anyone has sin in their life, they cannot be called a Christian, because there is no sin in Christ. If anyone has sin in their life, they are living by their own selfish spirit and not by Christ’s Spirit.
Now let us take a look at what it means to be a “disciple of Christ”. Anyone that has become a disciple of Christ has been made into the likeness of Christ. For Christ to make a person into a person like Himself, that person has to sacrifice themselves to the work of Christ, just like Christ sacrificed Himself to the work of His Father. To become a Christian (disciple), a person must give up everything they are so that Christ can make them into the likeness of Himself.
Luke 14:26-27 - If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters — yes, even his own life — he cannot be my disciple . And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Matt 10:37-39 - Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
These scriptures clearly state that to be a Christian (a disciple); a person must give up all of themselves to become worthy to become His disciple. If a person is still sinning, then that person has shown to themselves and others that they are not worthy to be called a disciple, because they are acting out their love for someone or something else other then Christ. Usually sin is the act of loving ourselves over God, but sometimes we might actually love something else other than ourselves, but still not loving God with our first love. Our first love represents who we love the most. If we cling to and love anyone or anything over God, then that is sin and this situation will result in sinful acts against God. Again, if we understand that a Christian is a disciple, or a replica of Christ, then we must also understand that a Christian (disciple) cannot live with any sin, since Christ lived a sinless life. As long as we have sin in our life, then we are not a disciple of Christ, but instead we must admit that we are yet a disciple of the devil, at least until we truly repent of all our sins and walk in a way worthy of being Christ’s disciple.
1 John 3:7-8 - Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he (God) is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.
For anyone that truly believes in Christ, they will be called a Christian, but what does “believe in Christ” really mean. Can we say that we believe in Christ and in that belief go and sin against God and/or our fellow man. Is there anything within the realm of believing in Christ that would make us sin? Of course the answer to this question is NO. So when we sin, it shows that we do not believe in Christ, but in someone or something else other than Christ.
When we say we “believe in Christ”, we are not just saying that we believe in Jesus Christ’s existence, we are actually believing in everything that Christ is and represents. Jesus is our Savior, He is God, the Alfa and Omega, the beginning and ending of all things, the Word of God, the Truth of God, the Son of the living God, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, the One reigning in God’s Kingdom, and the One that sees and knows all, etc……
John 12:44-46 - Then Jesus cried out, "When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
John 14:9-10 - Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
A Christian doesn’t just believe that there is a God; a Christian must have the faith in God and all the aspects of God that He has opened up to us. Faith is a belief in the unseen reality of God, His Truth, and His Spiritual Kingdom. We must have the faith to search out God and become one with Him. Many people believe in the existence of God, including the devil and his demons, but they are not one with God.
James 2:19 - You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that — and shudder.
If anyone truly believes in Christ, then they will stop loving themselves through selfishness and love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.
1 Peter 1:8-9 - Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
If we say we believe in Christ (God), but do not love Him over our own souls, then we are liars, because we are still believing and relying on our own selfish souls as the god of our lives, but if through our faith we give all of our heart and soul to God, we will then be joined eternally with Him and only do God’s will, for our selfish will has been crucified with Christ on the cross and our will has been replaced with God’s will. God’s will is that we glorify Him by loving Him and others, even over ourselves.
John 8:42 - Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me.
1 John 4:20-21 - If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
If we sin, our father is not God, but the devil. A Christian cannot sin, because their Father is God, which is without sin, but a sinner’s father is the devil, for a sinner is a slave to his father’s work.
John 8:44 - You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire.
If we are born of God, then we are considered to be God’s son (or daughter), just as Jesus is God’s son. We have become brothers with Christ and joint heirs with Him. When we have become worthy of Christ, then Christ sends the fullness of His Holy Spirit into our heart and makes us like Himself. Anyone that has been born of God’s Holy Spirit, has been renewed with a new unselfish Spirit that does not sin. There is no sin in a life that has been born of God, because they are not living by their old selfish spirit, but by God’s Spirit. There is no more sinful lifestyle in a person that has been born of God’s Spirit, because there is no sin in God and we have become one with God.
1 John 3:9 - Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
A true Christian has been born of God’s Spirit and no longer lives by his old selfish spirit. If anyone is still sinning, then this indicates to that sinful person and to everyone else that they have not yet been born of God, but that they are still living by their selfish spirit that they were born with. If anyone still has sin in their life, then they are not yet a child of God, but still a child of the devil.
1 John 3:10 - This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
John 8:34-35 - Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family (God’s family), but a son belongs to it forever.
The scriptures are clear, anyone that loves and does what is right (doesn’t sin) is a child of God, but anyone that does not love and does not do what is right (sins) is a child of the devil. We need to come to believe in the real truth, even if it doesn’t feel good, and stop letting the name of “Christian” be degraded by letting it be applied to people that are still sinning. Anyone that is still sinning is a child of the devil and it is an abomination to God to call them a Christian. Before we call anyone a Christian, we should take the time to see if they really are a Christian.
Now let us look at how this truth helps the person that is still sinning, but desires to become a Christian. We know that believing in God’s truth will always set a person free from their sin.
John 8:31-32 - If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
John 8:36 - So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
The real truth will keep a person searching for the goodness, love, and righteousness of God until they are made whole by the filling of His Holy Spirit (the fullness of Christ’s Spirit). But the lie of the devil – “that a person is a Christian and eternally saved even though they are still sinning” will stifle a person’s spiritual growth and stop their searching for God, because the lie of the devil is telling them that they have already achieved the righteousness of God to enter heaven. There is hope in God for everyone that continues to search for Him. Let us get rid of the lies of the devil so that people will search out God again and fully submit to Christ as Lord and not just have Christ be their Savior.
With God’s truth and love,
Michael W Reid
One of the simple truths that we must all return to is discerning who is a true Christian and who isn’t. This letter is not to have any one person tell you whether you are a Christian or not, but for you to evaluate yourself against what a true biblical Christian is. Like most definitions in this world, the term “Christian” has been watered down and made politically correct. In today’s world, we want to include almost everyone into the Christian group. Even if a person’s actions and walk don’t show faith in God’s Word, but they might have said a prayer, even once, then who are we to exclude them from the Christian name - right, or else we might be accused of judging. We must not judge, that is God’s domain, but we are called to evaluate ourselves and others.
I want everyone to understand that being a Christian is an exclusive thing, even though everyone has the option to become a Christian through a relationship with Christ. Becoming a true Christian can be the result of the process that can happen while we are in a relationship with Christ; it is not a single event that most people have come to believe. Most have made the mistake of proclaiming a relationship with Christ as the same thing as being a Christian. God wants and will have a relationship with anyone that accepts what Christ did on the cross, but only the few that fully submit to His Lordship will be called Christians in God’s eyes. The only way to become a Christian is to have faith in Jesus Christ, His truth, and His love. No one can be called a Christian unless they are living by faith in the truth which is found in Jesus Christ alone. If anyone is living any part of their life outside the boundaries of Jesus Christ’s truth and love, then they are not a Christian.
The well accepted definition of the term “Christian” within the Christian circles is to be a “follower of Christ”. Another definition is to be a “disciple of Christ”; we can find this definition directly out of God’s Word.
Acts 11:26 - The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
Other definitions of a Christian include, being a “believer in Jesus Christ”, or any person that is considered a “son of God”. All of these definitions are true and can be used to define a Christian, but how the human selfish reasoning has degraded these definitions is where the problem lies. We need to look at the un-watered down biblical views of these meanings to see if we fit into the Christian profile.
Let us start with examining the definition of being a “follower of Christ”. Anyone that is following in Jesus Christ’s footsteps, as all Christians are called to do, will find themselves in the path of living a sinless and loving life, just as Jesus Christ did when He was on earth and in the flesh, just as we are in the flesh now. We do this by the power of His Spirit living inside us. A follower of Christ is no longer living by the ways of his selfishness, but by the ways of God’s love. If anyone is walking in the footsteps of Christ, then they are walking in righteousness and void of any sin, but if anyone wanders off the path of Christ and sins, then they can no longer be called a Christian, because they are no longer following Christ. Within the footsteps of Christ, there is no sin. Anyone that goes off and is no longer following in the footsteps of Christ is no longer in right fellowship with God until they confess, repent, and get back on the path of Christ. Until a person gets back to following Christ whole heartedly, that person cannot be called a Christian, but if they call themselves a Christian and do not immediately repent of all their sin, then they should be called a hypocrite, or a un-repentive sinner. So in essence, if anyone has sin in their life, they cannot be called a Christian, because there is no sin in Christ. If anyone has sin in their life, they are living by their own selfish spirit and not by Christ’s Spirit.
Now let us take a look at what it means to be a “disciple of Christ”. Anyone that has become a disciple of Christ has been made into the likeness of Christ. For Christ to make a person into a person like Himself, that person has to sacrifice themselves to the work of Christ, just like Christ sacrificed Himself to the work of His Father. To become a Christian (disciple), a person must give up everything they are so that Christ can make them into the likeness of Himself.
Luke 14:26-27 - If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters — yes, even his own life — he cannot be my disciple . And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Matt 10:37-39 - Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
These scriptures clearly state that to be a Christian (a disciple); a person must give up all of themselves to become worthy to become His disciple. If a person is still sinning, then that person has shown to themselves and others that they are not worthy to be called a disciple, because they are acting out their love for someone or something else other then Christ. Usually sin is the act of loving ourselves over God, but sometimes we might actually love something else other than ourselves, but still not loving God with our first love. Our first love represents who we love the most. If we cling to and love anyone or anything over God, then that is sin and this situation will result in sinful acts against God. Again, if we understand that a Christian is a disciple, or a replica of Christ, then we must also understand that a Christian (disciple) cannot live with any sin, since Christ lived a sinless life. As long as we have sin in our life, then we are not a disciple of Christ, but instead we must admit that we are yet a disciple of the devil, at least until we truly repent of all our sins and walk in a way worthy of being Christ’s disciple.
1 John 3:7-8 - Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he (God) is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.
For anyone that truly believes in Christ, they will be called a Christian, but what does “believe in Christ” really mean. Can we say that we believe in Christ and in that belief go and sin against God and/or our fellow man. Is there anything within the realm of believing in Christ that would make us sin? Of course the answer to this question is NO. So when we sin, it shows that we do not believe in Christ, but in someone or something else other than Christ.
When we say we “believe in Christ”, we are not just saying that we believe in Jesus Christ’s existence, we are actually believing in everything that Christ is and represents. Jesus is our Savior, He is God, the Alfa and Omega, the beginning and ending of all things, the Word of God, the Truth of God, the Son of the living God, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, the One reigning in God’s Kingdom, and the One that sees and knows all, etc……
John 12:44-46 - Then Jesus cried out, "When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
John 14:9-10 - Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
A Christian doesn’t just believe that there is a God; a Christian must have the faith in God and all the aspects of God that He has opened up to us. Faith is a belief in the unseen reality of God, His Truth, and His Spiritual Kingdom. We must have the faith to search out God and become one with Him. Many people believe in the existence of God, including the devil and his demons, but they are not one with God.
James 2:19 - You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that — and shudder.
If anyone truly believes in Christ, then they will stop loving themselves through selfishness and love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.
1 Peter 1:8-9 - Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
If we say we believe in Christ (God), but do not love Him over our own souls, then we are liars, because we are still believing and relying on our own selfish souls as the god of our lives, but if through our faith we give all of our heart and soul to God, we will then be joined eternally with Him and only do God’s will, for our selfish will has been crucified with Christ on the cross and our will has been replaced with God’s will. God’s will is that we glorify Him by loving Him and others, even over ourselves.
John 8:42 - Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me.
1 John 4:20-21 - If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
If we sin, our father is not God, but the devil. A Christian cannot sin, because their Father is God, which is without sin, but a sinner’s father is the devil, for a sinner is a slave to his father’s work.
John 8:44 - You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire.
If we are born of God, then we are considered to be God’s son (or daughter), just as Jesus is God’s son. We have become brothers with Christ and joint heirs with Him. When we have become worthy of Christ, then Christ sends the fullness of His Holy Spirit into our heart and makes us like Himself. Anyone that has been born of God’s Holy Spirit, has been renewed with a new unselfish Spirit that does not sin. There is no sin in a life that has been born of God, because they are not living by their old selfish spirit, but by God’s Spirit. There is no more sinful lifestyle in a person that has been born of God’s Spirit, because there is no sin in God and we have become one with God.
1 John 3:9 - Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
A true Christian has been born of God’s Spirit and no longer lives by his old selfish spirit. If anyone is still sinning, then this indicates to that sinful person and to everyone else that they have not yet been born of God, but that they are still living by their selfish spirit that they were born with. If anyone still has sin in their life, then they are not yet a child of God, but still a child of the devil.
1 John 3:10 - This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
John 8:34-35 - Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family (God’s family), but a son belongs to it forever.
The scriptures are clear, anyone that loves and does what is right (doesn’t sin) is a child of God, but anyone that does not love and does not do what is right (sins) is a child of the devil. We need to come to believe in the real truth, even if it doesn’t feel good, and stop letting the name of “Christian” be degraded by letting it be applied to people that are still sinning. Anyone that is still sinning is a child of the devil and it is an abomination to God to call them a Christian. Before we call anyone a Christian, we should take the time to see if they really are a Christian.
Now let us look at how this truth helps the person that is still sinning, but desires to become a Christian. We know that believing in God’s truth will always set a person free from their sin.
John 8:31-32 - If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
John 8:36 - So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
The real truth will keep a person searching for the goodness, love, and righteousness of God until they are made whole by the filling of His Holy Spirit (the fullness of Christ’s Spirit). But the lie of the devil – “that a person is a Christian and eternally saved even though they are still sinning” will stifle a person’s spiritual growth and stop their searching for God, because the lie of the devil is telling them that they have already achieved the righteousness of God to enter heaven. There is hope in God for everyone that continues to search for Him. Let us get rid of the lies of the devil so that people will search out God again and fully submit to Christ as Lord and not just have Christ be their Savior.
With God’s truth and love,
Michael W Reid
How Stupid Have We Become
God’s Word says the world is blind to His truth. It has been made very clear to me that it is our selfishness that makes us blind (spiritually blind). There are so many people that have become very smart in worldly temporal things, but have in turn become so very dumb to the real eternal truths of God. It is our own selfishness that ends up making us stupid towards anything eternal and/or any things of real value. In essence, we don’t understand God’s truth, because our selfishness won’t let us accept His truth. God’s truth is really very simple to understand, but because we want to preserve our selfishness, we won’t accept it. If people were to accept and understand God’s truth for what it says, everyone would realize how devastating their current circumstances really are. We would realize who God is, and see for ourselves who we really are. By comparing God to ourselves, we would realize that we are nowhere close to being worthy of God and His kingdom, but rather equal to the dust of the earth. This is what His Word is supposed to do. If we humble ourselves to what His Word says when we realize we are without Him in us, then we will seek His righteousness instead of our own, but this is not what is happening. We have become proud and our selfishness will not allow us to understand God’s Word as truth anymore. We have changed His truth to suit our own evil desires. We have made truth a relative item so that we can change it when ever and to what ever we want so that we can feel good about ourselves.
So, how stupid has our selfishness made us? We have become so dumb down by the devil’s lies (the lies our selfishness gladly accepts as truth) that we don’t even have common sense anymore. What is going on in most of the churches of this world is mind boggling to any sane person. Even people that don’t go to church can see that there is something really wrong with the churches. And we wonder why people don’t come to church, or keep coming to church. They see the hypocrisy between what they already know about goodness and what the church people actually do.
Somehow the churches now believe that a Christian is a sinner and always will be a sinner. I hear this directly from most church goers and even most of the pastors. If this is the case, what makes the churched people any different then the un-churched people? If the un-churched (worldly) people are mostly sinners and the churched people are mostly sinners, what’s the difference and how does this glorify God. If we are to believe that once a sinner, then always a sinner, then what hope does a sinner ever have to be freed from their sins and to be freed from the consequences of those sins? Now many churched people will say they are forgiven for their sins and are going to heaven. Have we become so blind and lost all common sense to believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross so that sinners can be comforted in their sins and that all forgiven sinners can now go to heaven even though they still have a sinful spirit. How ridiculous is this kind of thinking. This kind of thinking has resulted in most churches becoming a sinner’s support group instead of churches that are filled with saints. Also, heaven is where no sin is allowed, so how stupid can we be to think that God would let sinners that are still full of evil in their spirit to enter His perfect sinless domain. People seem to think that the selfish spirit of a person is only in the physical flesh, so they think that when they are separated from the flesh of the body that they will be pure, selfless, loving, righteous, and perfect like God. Again, they are only being fooled by the drinking in of the devil’s lies. It is true that the physical flesh tempts our souls (spirit), but it is our selfish spirit (selfish soul) that takes up on the temptations of the body. Our spirit is not contained within the flesh, but our spirit is made up of our spiritual heart and soul. It is our heart and soul (our spirit) that continues on into eternity. It is only the ones without any selfishness left in their heart and soul that will enter heaven. If a person is full of God’s selfless love, then they are of God’s Spirit, but if anyone still has selfishness in their soul, then they are still of the devil.
So what is the bottom line? Are we going to keep on thinking that Christ paid the cost for all our sins so that we can feel comforted while we keep on sinning, or does God have a bigger plan that most are not willing to accept? Anyone that has not yet been totally blinded and made totally stupid by the devil’s lies will come to the correct answer. Anyone with any common sense left will know that Christ would not have come and died on the cross just to comfort people in their sins and then allow those sinners into His pristine heaven.
Christ came to pay for the sins of the whole world so that anyone in the world could enter into a relationship with Him so that He could be their very own High Priest. Having our sins paid for by Christ does not give us a key to heaven, but having our sins paid for by Christ does allow us to have a relationship with Him. It is through this relationship with Christ as our High Priest that we can grow into a person like Christ. What Christ did on the cross for us allows Him to interact with our evil/selfish spirit to make us into a pure, blameless, and selfless loving spirit. This purification (sanctification) process can only be completed in this life while we are still living in the flesh, but this sanctification process cannot be completed in anyone that is unwilling to let their selfishness die. Sadly we already know by God’s Word, that most will not be able to let their selfishness die in order to let Christ’s life live in them, but God has given us all the same choice. For the ones that strive to have God’s goodness and righteousness in their life, those people will be rewarded with what they have strived for. But for the ones that want to hold on to their selfishness, it is those people that will receive the consequences of that evil they so dearly held so tight to.
By having Christ as our High Priest, we have been given all the power of God’s grace to overcome any and all sin, but most have rejected this power of God’s Spirit in order to keep their own evil selfishness. Most have decided to keep evil in their life even though Christ has made available to them the power to rid themselves of all unrighteousness. Out of the mouths of most church going people you will hear that they agree that God is an all powerful God, but in the same breath they will say that God cannot rid anyone of their selfishness. In a way they are right, God will not rid a person of their sinfulness as long as they want to hold on to it. In John 5:2-9 we see a man waiting for a chance to be healed and sitting by the pool of Bethesda and Jesus asks him "Do you want to get well?" Jesus asked this of the man because Jesus is unwilling to heal anyone that does not want to be healed of their iniquities. So, God has the power and wants to rid us of all our evil/selfish spirit, but it is because of our own selfishness that we will not let go of the evil. If anyone is willing and wanting to die to all their selfishness, then God will rid them of all unrighteousness (all evil) and fill us with His righteousness, which is His pure unselfish love.
It is because of the selfishness of people that people have changed God’s truth to a different truth, to the truths of human selfish reasoning. We have become so blinded to God’s real truth that we now think a sinner is a Christian. This is actually blasphemy to the true meaning of the Christian name and also degrades Christ down to being a sinner. A Christian is a person that has been made Christ like and lives by the Spirit of Christ that is inside him/her. To say a Christian is a sinner is the same as saying Christ is also a sinner, because a Christian is living by the Spirit of Christ alone. Some will say that a Christian has both the full Spirit of Christ and also the spirit of the devil (selfishness) inside them, but don’t believe them, this is a lie of the devil and a selfish person believes this because they want to believe it. If anyone has not killed their selfishness by the power of God’s grace that was made available though the cross, then they are still of the devil and cannot be called a Christ like person. A Christian does not live by selfishness any longer, but only by the love/Spirit of God that has been given to everyone that has truly been born of God.
Michael W Reid
So, how stupid has our selfishness made us? We have become so dumb down by the devil’s lies (the lies our selfishness gladly accepts as truth) that we don’t even have common sense anymore. What is going on in most of the churches of this world is mind boggling to any sane person. Even people that don’t go to church can see that there is something really wrong with the churches. And we wonder why people don’t come to church, or keep coming to church. They see the hypocrisy between what they already know about goodness and what the church people actually do.
Somehow the churches now believe that a Christian is a sinner and always will be a sinner. I hear this directly from most church goers and even most of the pastors. If this is the case, what makes the churched people any different then the un-churched people? If the un-churched (worldly) people are mostly sinners and the churched people are mostly sinners, what’s the difference and how does this glorify God. If we are to believe that once a sinner, then always a sinner, then what hope does a sinner ever have to be freed from their sins and to be freed from the consequences of those sins? Now many churched people will say they are forgiven for their sins and are going to heaven. Have we become so blind and lost all common sense to believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross so that sinners can be comforted in their sins and that all forgiven sinners can now go to heaven even though they still have a sinful spirit. How ridiculous is this kind of thinking. This kind of thinking has resulted in most churches becoming a sinner’s support group instead of churches that are filled with saints. Also, heaven is where no sin is allowed, so how stupid can we be to think that God would let sinners that are still full of evil in their spirit to enter His perfect sinless domain. People seem to think that the selfish spirit of a person is only in the physical flesh, so they think that when they are separated from the flesh of the body that they will be pure, selfless, loving, righteous, and perfect like God. Again, they are only being fooled by the drinking in of the devil’s lies. It is true that the physical flesh tempts our souls (spirit), but it is our selfish spirit (selfish soul) that takes up on the temptations of the body. Our spirit is not contained within the flesh, but our spirit is made up of our spiritual heart and soul. It is our heart and soul (our spirit) that continues on into eternity. It is only the ones without any selfishness left in their heart and soul that will enter heaven. If a person is full of God’s selfless love, then they are of God’s Spirit, but if anyone still has selfishness in their soul, then they are still of the devil.
So what is the bottom line? Are we going to keep on thinking that Christ paid the cost for all our sins so that we can feel comforted while we keep on sinning, or does God have a bigger plan that most are not willing to accept? Anyone that has not yet been totally blinded and made totally stupid by the devil’s lies will come to the correct answer. Anyone with any common sense left will know that Christ would not have come and died on the cross just to comfort people in their sins and then allow those sinners into His pristine heaven.
Christ came to pay for the sins of the whole world so that anyone in the world could enter into a relationship with Him so that He could be their very own High Priest. Having our sins paid for by Christ does not give us a key to heaven, but having our sins paid for by Christ does allow us to have a relationship with Him. It is through this relationship with Christ as our High Priest that we can grow into a person like Christ. What Christ did on the cross for us allows Him to interact with our evil/selfish spirit to make us into a pure, blameless, and selfless loving spirit. This purification (sanctification) process can only be completed in this life while we are still living in the flesh, but this sanctification process cannot be completed in anyone that is unwilling to let their selfishness die. Sadly we already know by God’s Word, that most will not be able to let their selfishness die in order to let Christ’s life live in them, but God has given us all the same choice. For the ones that strive to have God’s goodness and righteousness in their life, those people will be rewarded with what they have strived for. But for the ones that want to hold on to their selfishness, it is those people that will receive the consequences of that evil they so dearly held so tight to.
By having Christ as our High Priest, we have been given all the power of God’s grace to overcome any and all sin, but most have rejected this power of God’s Spirit in order to keep their own evil selfishness. Most have decided to keep evil in their life even though Christ has made available to them the power to rid themselves of all unrighteousness. Out of the mouths of most church going people you will hear that they agree that God is an all powerful God, but in the same breath they will say that God cannot rid anyone of their selfishness. In a way they are right, God will not rid a person of their sinfulness as long as they want to hold on to it. In John 5:2-9 we see a man waiting for a chance to be healed and sitting by the pool of Bethesda and Jesus asks him "Do you want to get well?" Jesus asked this of the man because Jesus is unwilling to heal anyone that does not want to be healed of their iniquities. So, God has the power and wants to rid us of all our evil/selfish spirit, but it is because of our own selfishness that we will not let go of the evil. If anyone is willing and wanting to die to all their selfishness, then God will rid them of all unrighteousness (all evil) and fill us with His righteousness, which is His pure unselfish love.
It is because of the selfishness of people that people have changed God’s truth to a different truth, to the truths of human selfish reasoning. We have become so blinded to God’s real truth that we now think a sinner is a Christian. This is actually blasphemy to the true meaning of the Christian name and also degrades Christ down to being a sinner. A Christian is a person that has been made Christ like and lives by the Spirit of Christ that is inside him/her. To say a Christian is a sinner is the same as saying Christ is also a sinner, because a Christian is living by the Spirit of Christ alone. Some will say that a Christian has both the full Spirit of Christ and also the spirit of the devil (selfishness) inside them, but don’t believe them, this is a lie of the devil and a selfish person believes this because they want to believe it. If anyone has not killed their selfishness by the power of God’s grace that was made available though the cross, then they are still of the devil and cannot be called a Christ like person. A Christian does not live by selfishness any longer, but only by the love/Spirit of God that has been given to everyone that has truly been born of God.
Michael W Reid
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