Unlearned Men

 Unlearned Men

 You are able in Christ

 

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”—Acts 4:13

These were fishermen, laborers, carpenters, craftsmen, and other tradesmen. They were not “Learned”. They were not trained in the religious schools. They did not go to seminary or college and get a degree. They did not have a license from the government or from the Association of International Pharisees. They were not Scientists or Doctors or Lawyers.

They were just regular folk.

But, they had been with Jesus. They had spent time with Jesus and had learned from Him.

They were filled with the Holy Spirit and was taught by Him.

The Holy Spirit will bring us into all truth. He will show us things to come. (John 16:13)

We have no need for any to teach us. The Holy Spirit will teach us and lead us to the people and places He wants us to learn from. (1 John 2:27)

But, there’s this worldly belief that you need to be college educated or licensed in order to serve God, or speak truth.

You don’t

Granted, you don’t want someone performing brain surgery who is not trained.

You don’t want someone building your house, who is not learned in the ways of house building.

But, you can be confident that the Lord will train you and lead you in the way He wants you to go, in order to serve Him.

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”–Prov. 22:6

When we get born again, we become a child of the Lord. Will He not train us up?

You are right where God has allowed you to be.

The purpose is for you to turn to Him, serve others, and learn.

That’s it.

God is molding you into a vessel for His use. He is purging things from you and filling you with good.

We turn to Him in prayer and confession and in all our ways, and He works to direct our paths into the green pastures He promises.

Those green pastures are the places where we serve to build the Kingdom. He provides through our service.

These men were full of the Holy Spirit. They were taught by God, but they also had practical skills, and trades that they could use to live by, or serve others.

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We have to trust that God is doing what He promises He will do. So, He is training us up. He is making a place for us. He is teaching us and giving us wisdom when we ask. He is answering our prayers.

Sometimes we have to open our eyes and see that we are exactly where God wants us to be, and that He is moving in our lives.

It is happening. He is faithful. We can trust Him.

We might not be happy with our life at this time. But, what is God doing?

Turn your mind to spiritual things. Praise God. Get your mind off yourself and on to God and others. Pray that God will bring you a way to serve Him.

Which brings us to the point.

You are able in Christ. Let God guide you to where He wants you to be.

Satan might whisper into your mind, “You aren’t smart enough” or “You can’t do that.”

The enemy might use friends and family to ridicule you or keep you down with snide comments or just a complete lack of support.

The demons might use nameless faces on the internet to tell you to be quiet, you’re not a scientist. Your not a doctor. You failed high school. You’re just a soccer mom, or plumber. You can’t understand these things.

But, keep following God, and trusting God.

The enemy might say, “You don’t have a degree. You are just unlearned and ignorant”

But, with God all things are possible.

He will guide you.

Have you noticed that Satan has great colleges and universities full of money and wickedness working to train workers to help build his Kingdom of the Anti-Christ?

Do you not think that God is also training up His own workers?

And I’m not talking about colleges who claim to serve God. Satan has infiltrated many of those as well.

God trains us through His Word and by spending time with Jesus, through His Holy Spirit. In Him, we have all we need to serve others and build God’s kingdom.

Never let anyone tell you that you cannot serve God or serve others because you are not “learned”.

You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. (Phil. 4:13)

They treated Jesus the same.

“And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

 Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?

And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.”—Matt. 13: 54-57

The people who know you and have grown up with you will often try to keep you down or doubt your worth.

But, God does not. He has called you and will train you, even if you need to go somewhere else to do it.

And please understand that I am not talking about your job here. I’m talking about serving God and others. If God calls you to a certain job or work, you might need to get training from experts.

But, God is the expert on serving God. He is real and He is able to train you. Just believe and serve.

I’m telling you this for a reason.

Because in these last days there is deception all around. Even seminary schools have been infiltrated by the enemy, teaching false doctrine.

In China, preachers of the government licensed churches will snitch on the members of their church who show real belief in Christ. These people are jailed or killed if they preach the truth.

That is coming everywhere. So, if you are called to serve God, you need to know that you do not need a government school, or any school for God to train you.

Not only this, but there will come a day soon when all buying and selling is controlled by the Anti-Christ.

A person will not be able to pay for school or anything without getting the Mark of the Beast.

You need to know, that God can train you and use you even in these difficult times to come.

You don’t need to be trained in Satan’s system, in order to serve God.

Understand, that when the Jewish people were taken captive and hauled off to Babylon, they served God within that wicked kingdom.

We can do the same, as we get closer to those days.

But, there comes a point where we can no longer abide in wickedness.

There comes a time, when we will have to choose the lions den, or the blazing fire instead of denying Christ, or worshiping Satan, the Anti-Christ, or his Image.

You are never “Unlearned and Ignorant” in Christ.

You have been trained by the living God.

And that’s all that really matters on Judgement day.

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Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois.

Cover photo by pexels/Tweesak C.

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On Father's Day

On Father's Day

Father's are under attack 

 

It’s Fathers Day and probably the sermons you will hear today, and the things posted on social media, will be attacks on Father’s. Little jabs talking about how they need to do better, and are the leaders of the household or some other form of guilt and shame.

And we wonder why men do not come to Church or turn to Christ.

The system we live in is waging war against fathers, men and even little boys.

And the church is no better.

We condemn men for their failures of addiction and leadership, but do nothing to help them succeed.

Our answer is to work harder, earn money, suck up the pain and nothing much more.

Let’s look at some realities.

The church has fought since the 1970’s to stop abortion. They have used everything in their power to stop this evil, and today we see laws changing, and hearts turning.

So, acting like the church has no power to change the system is ridiculous. They do.

We have seen churches fight for civil rights. Even today, church leaders and church communities are howling about the treatment of illegal aliens.

And yet, when it comes to speaking out for fathers, we hear crickets.

The battle against fathers, men and little boys continues.

The divorce rate is rampant, and 80% of all children go to the mothers, not fathers. But, it is still considered the fault of fathers and men, when these marriages end, or kids fail in some way.

90% of teachers are women. But, its toxic masculinity that is the problem in our culture.

Where’s the Church?

If the church can control political parties to fight abortion, and stop other things why not use that power to help fathers?

Because its easier to just preach at them on Fathers day.

There’s a meme which shows that on Mothers Day, the church pews are full, but on Fathers Day, they are not.

Why?

Because Fathers at 80% do not have custody of kids. And why would fathers, or men in general want to go get dumped on? They get that all week at work, and every where else.

Can’t they come to Christ for peace? For strength? For growth and power?

But, they get a man telling them the same stuff their wife or ex wife or mother nags them about, while offering no real help or solutions. Except, “Happy Wife, Happy Life”

The church could rise up and demand change in the family courts and in the system at large, just like they have done with other things, but they don’t.

Why?

A woman has the right to abort a child, abandon a child, put a child up for adoption, or raise a child alone. And get called a hero for any of these choices.

But, a man has the choice go into poverty to support the child for 18 years, with no say or control, or involvement, or go to Jail. That’s his choice.

A woman has shelters, and all kinds of support. Often from churches.

Men have nothing, except get a job or be a homeless dead beat.

The church demands that abortions not happen, but reject the poor. They do nothing to really help fathers provide for the children they demanded live. Christians support cutting funds to the poor constantly.

They cut medicaid, and Christians cheer. But, we always have money for more bombs.

I’m not supporting abortion, I’m rejecting the hypocrisy and encouraging support for fathers.

Our society and even the church speaks of equality, but do not really practice it.

I have talked with church leaders who have said, they want to bring mothers into the church, and do that by building up a strong children’s ministry. One of the aspects of the strong children’s ministry is safety for the kids.

That’s great. But, then they go on to say that safety for the kids includes protecting the children from contact with non-custodial fathers, who might visit them.

I’ve been told that this sort of ideology comes from national conventions of children’s church leaders, spreading it nation wide.

What?

Yeah, building up the children’s ministry by helping mothers keep kids from fathers on Sundays.

It makes me puke.

The church treats these fathers, like they are all pedophile deadbeats, full of porn addiction and abuse.

These fathers are often soldiers who fought in wars, men who are pillars in the community. Men who have jobs and have struggled through life, and love their kids.

But, they are deemed unworthy or a danger to kids, and can only see them 4 days a month.

How can you lead a family 4 days a month?

Of course, there are bad actors. But, are they bad because a court decided it, or because a mother falsely accused them?

Keeping kids from fathers is child abuse.

Do you realize that women instigate divorce in the majority of the cases, and gain all the benefits for doing so. The state doesn’t care, because they get top federal dollar for getting mothers on the child support system. That’s why dads only get 4 days a month.

Money.

We sell our children, while the church condemns fathers instead of fighting to help them. I bet if courts started taking kids from pastors, you’d hear them screaming from the pulpit for fathers rights. Maybe then, they would see the corruption and extend grace.

I wonder how many judges and lawyers sit in pews on Sunday, while condemning fathers in court on Monday for no reason.

80% of cases give full custody to the mom. Are 80% of fathers a danger to children? Really?

Those divorced mothers, take the kids into new relationships where the boyfriend or step father often kills or abuses the kids. Look at the stats. How many children are killed by mommy’s new boyfriend?

These strange men are able to have access to these children as much as they want, while the real father must abide by rules.

Meanwhile, the father gets involved with another person and has access to her kids, who she keeps from their real dad too.

And all the fathers pay child support to all the other fathers and wives.

What kind of idiotic mess is this?

And all the church does is tell people divorce is bad.

Duh.

Why aren’t churches fighting to fix it?

They obviously have the power to influence elections, leaders and policy.

I see churches getting on political soap boxes all the time. Organizing marches for this cause or that cause.

What about families or fathers?

Family court could be made non-adversarial, with every case starting at 50/50 custody, no child support. It would bring peace and save lives, and pain.

But, that would stop the money machine.

That would go against the Satanic Marxist agenda to destroy fathers and families.

The war on fathers, and families is from Satan. But, most churches do not understand what is really going on. They think the problem is porn and video games, and men who don’t work. They blame fathers.

The real problem is that churches are ran by folks who have no real understanding of spiritual things.

God’s word says. “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.”—1 cor. 11:31-32

The saints are supposed to judge themselves and confess to the Lord, and let Him work on us to change us. The same goes for our churches and our leaders.

Our failure can be directly linked to the failure of our leaders. If a family fails because of the lack of spiritual leadership of a father, then likewise a church fails without spiritual leaders as well.

Man up, leaders.

Start working to help fathers as much as you focus on abortion, children, mothers, and missions. At least as much as you fight against porn, or social media usage. Children love and need fathers too.

Wheres the church in supporting fathers?

Stop letting the Satanic Marxist ideologies influence the Church. Stop with the philosophies of the past, which beat men down.

Start supporting fathers, men and little boys, as much as you support mothers, women and little girls. We are equal in Christ.

God is our father. Satan wages war on fathers in order to destroy the image of fathers, so he can destroy the image of God the Father. This makes God appear to be another father who cannot be trusted. The figure head for the alleged patriarchy. This works to keep people from turning to God.

The church lets this happen.

Make a decision this Fathers Day to create real change to help fathers, instead of just preaching at them.

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Cover photo by pexels 

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The Ten Virgins

 The Ten Virgins

 Do you have oil in your lamp?

 

Before we start, there are certain things we cannot prove. Bible prophecy is one of them. We can read the verses, and have beliefs and faith, but until it happens we cannot state it as fact.

Ministries have been ruined, friendships destroyed, reputations crushed, simply because of a different interpretation of Bible prophecy.

That is not what God desires.

We do not know exactly how God is going to fulfill the prophecies in His Word.  The Pharisees thought they knew and were wrong. They demanded that “out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. ” (John 7:50-53) And they missed Jesus at His first coming.

It sounds just like many prophecy Bible studies I have been to. Where folks demand that what they believe be accepted and preached.

Second, I do not believe in a Pre-tribulation rapture. My view reflects this. I will no longer argue about such things.

I think that believers will be here until Christ returns and we will be raptured when He comes. The Bible teaches that the Saints are not going to face God’s Wrath. We will not. He will protect us just like He protected the Israelites in Goshen through the plagues of Egypt in the Exodus. That is a picture of the last days.

But, to be more clear. Hell and the Lake of Fire is God’s Wrath. Not physical death. Jesus said, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”—Matt. 10:28

The Bible teaches plainly that “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” —(Psa. 116:15)

God’s Wrath is Hell and the Lake of Fire. Not physical death.

Believers die every day from disease, disasters and persecution. Why would the destruction of the last days be any different?

So the “tribulation period” as they call it, is not God’s Wrath, especially when it comes to believers. He will protect us and glorify us and bring us to Paradise with Him. How is that wrath? Even if it is wrath to the non-believer, it is not wrath to His Saints.

But, to avoid conflict, let’s just say that we are going to face lots of trouble before He comes.

Many Christians are saved and know the Lord. They have a relationship with Him. But, the scriptures teach of false brethren, people who were never really saved.

The reasons for this can be many. But, there are many verses that show people who thought they knew the Lord, only to find that they really did not, and it was too late.

The parable of the Ten Virgins is one of those verses. It can be found in Matthew Chapter 25, verses 1-13.

Basically, the Lord returns and the Virgins who are supposed to be prepared for their bridegroom to come, go out to meet Him.

Jesus is the Bridegroom, and the Church is viewed as the Bride. We are made white, by being washed in His Blood. We are chaste virgins by being cleansed of all sin through Him.

Paul speaks of this in 2 Corinthians 11: 1-3. We can find other references in scripture (Rev. 19:1-9)

The Christians see the signs and hear the trump and come out to meet Him. We do not know exactly what this is referring to. But, Christians know at the time this happens. Notice I say “Christians” not “Saints”. Because all of these people have claimed Christ, but not all know Him. They had head knowledge, and relied on their works, instead of surrendering to the Lord.

We see this because they all come out, and all are called virgins. (Which is a title given to a bride. It is not proof of her virginity, only her alleged position. The proof comes later when consummation occurs. Which in this case, never occurs with the lost.)

All the virgins have lamps, but they do not all have oil.

The five wise virgins with oil, tell the foolish virgins to go buy oil.

Some people believe that the oil is the Holy Spirit, but it plainly shows in Acts 8:8-24 that the Holy Spirit cannot be purchased. Also, Jesus says the Holy Spirit is given to those who ask. It’s not bought. (Luke 11:13)

The oil, is faith. 

Now, you must take this in context. First, all people are given a measure of faith so they can be saved. (Romans 12:3) 

It is believed by some, that people do not have faith until they get it from God, or hear the Word…”Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17)  This verse is referring to faith in Jesus Christ. You cannot believe in Christ until you have been told of Him. Our faith is also strengthened by hearing and believing God’s Word.

All humans have faith. When you sit down in a chair you have faith it will support you. That is faith. “It is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

All humans have faith, but faith does not save you. You must put your faith in the right place. Which is Jesus Christ. 

He calls you. This is Grace. This is hearing the Word. Jesus is the Word. (Romans 10:17, John 1)  Then, you turn to Him (Repent) and give yourself to Him. Confessing Jesus is The Lord. (Romans 10:9-10)

This is salvation. This must be understood to understand the parable of the 10 virgins.

First understand that 5 virgins are wise and 5 are fools.  Fools are always people who do not believe in God. The 5 foolish virgins have no faith in God. They have not put their faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. They have a measure of faith, but not in Christ. They have learned things at church, but never really knew Him.

All the virgins slept while the bridegroom tarried. That is our current situation, We are waiting for Him.

When He comes, the fools are told to go purchase oil.  How do you purchase faith?  You give yourself to Jesus Christ. You are bought with a price. You buy a pearl of great price. You purchase your salvation by giving yourself to the Lord. Then, as you grow in Christ your faith grows as well.  So, as time goes on you have more oil in your lamp.

So, understand that these foolish virgins are in the Church. But, they were never saved. They are there for business or politics, or tradition, or any number of reasons, but they never gave themselves to Christ and are not saved. Their faith never grew from basic human faith. They never were born again. They never became spiritually alive and set free from Sin and Satan in Christ.

So, as the day of Christ’s return draws near, the times of trouble will get worse and worse. Persecution and tribulations will arise and these foolish virgins will not have the faith to endure, because they never knew Him. They are like the seed among the thorns. They are as tares among the wheat. They are like the man wearing soiled clothes at the wedding. They are like the man who has his talents in a napkin. Thieves and robbers who tried to climb up to heaven another way, instead of through Christ.

They will fall away and form the Apostate Church. They will think they are saved, and will think they do God’s service when they kill the real believers.

We can see the beginnings of this today as political opinions sway churches on both sides.

Then, when Christ returns, they will learn that they never had oil. They were never saved, They never knew Him.

And He will confess that he never knew them, “Depart…”   He will say.  “But, Lord did we not do wonderful WORKS?”   He will say “I never knew you” (Matt 7:20-25)

Don’t be a foolish virgin who thinks they are saved by works. Give yourself to Christ alone, and know Him as Lord. Let your walk with Him grow your faith, and fill your lamp with oil, so you will shine His light for all to see.

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Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois.

 Cover photo by pexels. Edited by the writer.

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The Apostles and 70 A.D.

 The Apostles and 70 A.D.

What happened? 

 

 

 

After Jesus ascended alive into heaven the Apostles were emboldened, because they had seen Jesus die and rise from the dead. They knew He is the Messiah. They knew they could trust Him and God’s Word. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and went forth in power.

They began the work of building a ministry and spreading the Gospel as the Holy Spirit led them.

We can read about it in the Acts of The Apostles.

While they spread the Gospel, Satan raised up persecution upon them. Efforts from the religious leaders and the Roman government to stop this growing faith.

But, the apostles continued on, being beaten and killed for the Gospel’s sake.

Like Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.”— John 12:24-26

The persecution of the church pushed the apostles and other believers onward to spread the Gospel more. As the enemy tries to stop them, it just builds and grows. Because, they have seen the truth. They have the Holy Spirit. They are no longer lulled into the lie that the devil feeds those in this world.

God’s Word says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” —Psa. 116:15

Because our death is a witness to those who are lost, as they seek to destroy us and stop us from spreading the Gospel. Our death shows the lost that we trust God, and are convinced of His promises. Our death brings us home to Paradise where we will be forever with Him.

The Father loves to see His children come home.

Death is separation. The Saints never die, we are never separated from the Lord.

We see prophecies of the creation of the Church and the apostles through God’s Word.

First we see the creation of the woman, in Genesis. When God causes Adam to fall into a deep sleep and removed a rib from his side and made a bride for the Man.

Likewise, Jesus died on the cross and He was pierced in the side. Out came blood and water, for the creation of the church. The Bride of Christ, born of the Blood of the Lamb and the baptism in water.

Again, we see Elijah the prophet being taken up alive into heaven, and he leaves his mantle behind to Elisha, who takes up Elijah’s position and does greater things. (1 Kings 19:19, 2 Kings Chapter 2, John 14:12)

Many use this verse of Elijah going alive into heaven as a verse to prove their doctrine of Rapture. But, it is really showing the Lord’s ascension and the Apostles being given His authority and power.

Again, The Apostles felt led to raise up a new Apostle in order to replace Judas.

They wanted to follow the prophecy in God’s Word.

“For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.”—Acts 1:20

The Apostles cast lots and chose Matthias, to fill the position. But, then we hear nothing else from Matthias.

Why?

Because God fulfilled His own prophecy and chose Saul, who became Paul the Apostle as the successor for Judas Iscariot.

As the Apostles and other Saints followed the Holy Spirit the Gospel spread and the Church grew throughout the world.

But, the prophecy of Jesus was growing as time went on.

The Lord had prophesied over the city,

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. (Matt. 23:37-39)

“And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”— (Matt. 24:1-2)

This prophecy from our Lord before His death, tells us the fate of Jerusalem because of their choice to kill Jesus, while choosing Barabbas, the insurrectionist and murderer. The picture of Satan. The Anti-Christ.

In 70 A.D. The Roman General Titus, who would become Emperor, attacked and destroyed Jerusalem. He destroyed the second temple and plowed the city under. Just as Jesus had prophesied.

The city where He was killed. The city that refused to turn back to the Lord, was destroyed. The city who chose the devil, and probably it was this Barabbas who helped stir up the insurrections which eventually led to the destruction of the city.

Which caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to be sent to wander the Earth in what is called the Diaspora.

But, that was not the first prophecy of this event.

Notice how Jesus referred to Himself as “The Son Of Man”

Who is “Man”?

Man is Adam.

Jesus is referring to the story of Cain and Able.

He is calling Himself “Able”.

Able is a picture of Jesus.

Killed by his brethren for envy.

Then, the brother is sent to wander the Earth.

Like Cain.

Who eventually built a city of trade and learning.

Before the days of the Flood, creating a global empire.

And even today it is being built.

To prepare the world for the Anti-Christ to come, following the spirit of antichrist.

While the Apostles and saints follow the Holy Spirit to build God’s Kingdom.

It all moves quickly toward the last days, and the return of our Lord from the sky, in glory.

The battle has raged from the beginning till now, and will end soon.

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Cover photo by pexels/Pixabay

The Road To Emmaus

 The Road To Emmaus

 Our hearts burned within us

 

After Jesus rose from the dead, He spent 40 days on the Earth before He ascended to heaven. (Acts 1)

During that time he was seen by many people. Proving that He was alive.

He appeared to the disciples several times. Helping them to understand what had happened and building their faith for the work they needed to do. (John chapter 20 and 21, Matt. 28, Mark 16,)

One of those times was when 2 disciples were walking on the road to the village of Emmaus, and a man joined them as they walked. (Luke 24)

It was Jesus.

At first they did not recognize Him. On several occasions he was not recognized by appearance but was known. A possible explanation could be that the beating He took from the Romans might have swollen or bruised his face. The other possibility is that his resurrected body was so healed and perfect that he no longer showed signs of age or any physical blemishes. He might have looked years younger.

But often when he spoke or they saw him perform some act, He became obvious to them. Like when you meet someone you have not seen in years, but when they smile or say your name, you see them for who they are.

So, Jesus walked with them and listened to them recount the activities of the last few days. The crucifixion and resurrection.

They still doubted and had fear.

But, Jesus spoke to them.

“O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?” — Luke 24:25-26

Then, beginning at the writings of Moses, which is Genesis through Deuteronomy, and all the prophets, Jesus explained to them where He appeared in the scriptures. All the allegorical pictures of Him. The allusions to the coming Messiah and the prophecies of Him.

Jesus is the central point of the Bible. Virtually everything is a picture of Him.

From the point where God says, “Let there be Light” in Genesis, we know that Jesus is the Light of the World. To where God created the woman, and it is the story of the crucifixion.

God caused Adam to go into a deep sleep (Death)

And out of his side He took a rib and fashioned a Woman to be Adam’s Bride.

Likewise, after Jesus died a Roman soldier pierced His side with a spear and out flowed blood and water.

And the Church, who is the Bride of Christ, is created by the Blood of the Lamb, and the water of baptism.

It’s the same story.

We see in Genesis Chapter 3 where God makes reference to The Serpent’s head being crushed by the seed of the woman. A reference to Christ’s victory over Satan.

We can move forward to Noah, who was righteous because he believed the Word, God gave Him. He built an Ark to save as many as would believe. Just like Jesus saves us from the coming wrath if we put our faith in Him and get on board.

We see the story of the Exodus where the blood of the Lamb was painted on the door posts in order to save everyone in the house.

We see the law of Moses where the sacrifices and sanctuaries are pictures of the coming great sacrifice of Jesus, and that we are clean and hid in Him.

We can go on and on showing the hidden references to Christ throughout God’s Word.

And they were hidden in order to keep God’s plan a secret from Satan and His angels, until the day Jesus was killed and set us free.

They were mysteries from the foundation of the world, for the same reason that He spoke to them in Parables.

“He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”—Matt. 13:11-15

God has set a method for salvation.

Hear His call and turn to Him. Believing Him and confessing Him as Lord. Asking Him to save you in Jesus name. (Romans 10:9-10, Acts 2:38, Acts 2:21)

And the Holy Spirit will reveal the truth to you and grow you in Christ. Working to build your faith.

Jesus is the Door.

If anyone tries another way they are a robber and a thief. (John 10)

If Satan has deceived them with a works based doctrine, they do not really know the Lord. They have never confessed Him as Lord. They have never received grace, because they are trying to save themselves. (1 Cor. 12:3, Rom 11:6)

 They are like the demons who know there is a God, but they reject Him. They do not confess Him as Lord. They are in rebellion and have never submitted to the Lord, and received grace. Those same demons work to keep us trapped in rebellion with them.  (James 2:19)

That is why the Gospel was hid and remains a difficult thing.

In order to prevent Satan and his minions in the war, and to get humans saved the proper way.

But, it is not difficult. It is the easiest thing in the world. Simply submit to the Lord. Turn to Him and confess Him as your Lord. He will do the rest.

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Cover photo by pexels/Lucas Pezeta

Fear Not

 Fear Not

God is with us 

 

“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” –Luke 12:32

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”— 2 Tim. 1:7

“So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”— Heb. 13:6

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”— 1 John 4:18

“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”— Rev. 2:10

When we read these verses we can see that we are not supposed to fear anything. God is with us.

If we believe that God is right beside us, and even in us through His Holy Spirit, then why do we have fear? Our God is bigger than anything in this world, and anything the devil can throw at us.

These verses above indicate that there is a spirit of fear. A demonic entity which harasses us. It says in First John that we are tormented by fear.

Therefore battling fear is Spiritual Warfare. It’s something we can overcome.

The first thing needs to be faith and trust in God, His goodness and His Word.

Nothing else matters.

I harp on this idea of a relationship with God. When we know Him, we know where to turn. We can trust Him. Even when everything around us is terrible and we are in our darkest days we can trust Him. Even though the devil tries to get us to turn from God, and curse God, and doubt Him. We can trust Him. And that is power. For in our weakness we are strong when we turn to Him.

 God is not against us. It is His good pleasure to give us the Kingdom. He is for us.

Say it out loud. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

“God is with me! He wants to give me the kingdom, He is not out to get me. He is my helper, I will not fear.”

Believe it.

We can overcome fear in His Power, His Love and His Wisdom.

We can pray and know He hears. He promises that if we ask anything in His name He will do it. —John 14:14

No doubts. Trust Him. He hears and is moving.

Fear be gone! God is with me!

Love casts out fear. Confront the fear in love.

Do the loving thing.

When faced with fear, love others. Do unto others as you would have done to you. Loving others takes your mind off of self, and onto other people. Use the fear to fuel love. Overcome evil with good.

Remember that God loves you. If we are saved, then we are perfect in God’s Love. Remember this. He loves through us. Let Him love you and love others through you.

The devil threw some of them into prison. They were told to fear not. So, what did they do? How did they overcome fear?

They loved. They prayed for the guards and other inmates. They preached the Gospel and spoke faith to the other prisoners. They comforted the sick in prison. They helped each other. They loved, in the midst of fear and hate, and temptations for anger. They turned prison into purpose. That is how you cast out fear.

Love casts out fear.

Praise God. Loving Him and praising Him casts out fear. You cannot hold fear in your mind, while praising God at the same time.

We also overcome fear through a sound mind. We have a sound mind by knowing God’s Word. By seeking Him for wisdom and understanding and truth. By having faith in His Word. By prayer and His guidance.

We can look at how God has brought us through things in the past, and trust that He will again. We can go and seek out the truth. Study, ask, learn, seek answers. Fear thrives in the unknown.

We can ask ourselves, “What is the worst case scenario? Has God let the worst things happen to me? What if He does? He will be with me through it.”

Overcome and drive out fear through Power, Love and a Sound mind. We can drive it out through Him, and His Word, and Faith in Him and His Word. We trust that He is good and He is with us.

 Spirit of Fear be gone in Jesus name.

Say it out loud. Cast the spirit out.

Remember times when God was with you and saw you through. Trust Him.

Dark times are coming, according to prophecy.

We need to be able to wage spiritual warfare and cast out fear.

Remember during Covid, when the virus was everywhere and fear was running with it? Remember when the vaccine came out and they were forcing people to take it or lose their jobs?

That was a picture of what is coming.

They will say, take the Mark of the Beast or lose your job.

When you see saints being rounded up, and your own pastors turning you in for refusing to bow to the Anti-Christ.

Fear not.

Love not your life unto death. —Rev. 12:11

Fear keeps us down, and keeps us from acting in faith.

Drive out the fear, in Jesus name.

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Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

Follow Him on Free Life Blog: https://myfreelifeblog.com/

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Cover photo pexels/Мария Кашина

False Teachers In The Last Days

 False Teachers In The Last Days

How can we know them? 

 

As we move further into these last days we need to make sure we are not following after false doctrines. We want our faith to be grounded in Jesus Christ and Him alone for salvation. We want to have a relationship with the Lord through the Holy Spirit. We want to be taught by the Spirit and Walk in the Spirit. Not led into deception.

Peter tells us.

“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not” —2 Peter 2

Paul also tells us that there will be false teachers in these last days. (1 Tim. 1: 1-15, 2 Tim 4:2-4, 2 Timothy 3:1-9)

Jesus says the deception will be so bad that even the elect (Saved) would be deceived if it was possible. (Matt. 24:24)

So, it’s important for us to have tools in our pocket to help us.

1. The Holy Spirit will teach us and lead us into all truth. If you are saved and listen to the Holy Spirit. He will impress upon you that something isn’t right. (John 16:13)

This doesn’t mean the teacher who speaks false things is not saved. A person can be saved and be in error on a subject. Just because we are saved doesn’t mean we have it all straight in our minds. 

Pray and ask the Lord to show us what’s up. (1 John 2:27, James 1:5) We want to judge rightly and respond rightly. We want to be Spirit led, but we need to learn what that means. It takes time and a relationship with God to hear His voice. “My sheep know my voice” Do you know Him? (John 10:1-19)

 Make sure your belief is right. Sometimes we get bent out of shape because of a teaching, but it’s our flesh not the Holy Spirit. If you cannot prove your point from the Word, using two or three verses of clear scripture, then you might be wrong.

Remember that not everything is a salvation issue. Some disagreements are not that important.

But, there are many things that do matter. You must learn to listen to the Holy Spirit, and know the Word. We do not know what we will face. But, when we know the truth, we can see the lie.

2. What does the teacher do with Jesus? We are talking about spiritual teachers here. Not the guy teaching you math.

The scriptures give us an easy way to determine false teachers.

They will not say that Jesus is THE Lord. They might admit he is God, but not confess Him as Lord.

It says that “No one  can say Jesus is the Lord without the Holy Spirit and no believer will say anything bad about Jesus. (1 Cor 12:3)

If they do not have the Holy Spirit, then they are not saved.

It also says to test the spirits to see if they are of God. The test is whether they claim that Jesus came in the flesh. Basically, do they teach that Jesus is God, became human and died to save us, and rose from the dead. (1 John 4:1-6)

If they can’t say that Jesus is the Lord, they probably aren’t saved. If they do not know or accept that Jesus is God in the Flesh they are false.

So, you should pray to the Lord to lead you to a teacher He wants you to hear from.

Realize that the demons of hell know who Jesus is. But, they will not confess Him as Lord. They are in rebellion.

Realize that there are false teachers who aren’t saved, and false teachings or doctrines that can come from saved people.

They might teach 90% truth. But in this one area. They are a little off. Is it a salvation issue?

Rejecting Jesus as Lord is major. Believing in infant baptism, or a pre-trib rapture or some other doctrines is not. Understand the difference between salvation issues, and doctrinal differences. Rejecting Christ, is a salvation issue. Going trick or treating is not.

3. A works based doctrine.

Every religion on earth teaches some kind of works based doctrine. That humans need to do this or that in order to reach God and be saved.

But, in Christianity God Himself came down and did it all for us. It is finished.  All we have to do is accept Him, then have a relationship with the Him; which He also does through sanctification and His Spirit.

Paul fought the works based doctrine his whole ministry. People want to add some work to salvation. To either obtain it or maintain it. This is false. Either Christ does it all or He has done none of it. It’s either totally grace or it’s not grace at all.

The demons of hell will gladly keep us struggling with worrying about our sin. Trying to do better while attacking others who disobey. They love nothing more than a bunch of pharisees who burn people at the stake of judgment.

You are saved by grace through faith. Let the Holy Spirit guide and work on you. Give others love, grace and mercy as well. 

We are not saved by Works. (Eph. 2:8-10)

Our sin is forgiven, if we are saved. The works we do are for Kingdom building.

4.  No tough times.

This one is difficult. Jesus said that in this world we will have tribulation. We will have times of trouble. 

He promises to be with us through it. And there are things we can do to make those times better like prayer, faith, spiritual warfare, praise, thanks, abiding, dying to self, giving and serving.

 There are things we can do to make it worse, like running from God, turning to fleshly remedies like booze, drugs and sex, turning to false beliefs, bitterness and anger, among other things.

In Jeremiah, God told Jeremiah that He was going to judge Israel His people.

Now let’s not focus on what they did. Let’s focus on the fact that God let tribulation fall on His people, and that it worked to cleanse the body and drive out those who did not know God.

Jeremiah taught that God was going to let the King of Babylon take over Israel. And if the people trusted Him, God would be with them.

The false teachers taught that God would not let them suffer tribulation. They taught that they were not going to face wrath. That God would deliver them, OUT OF TROUBLE. They stood in the pulpit and taught that God would deliver them from Great Tribulation.

Now, understand that this is a picture of the Last days. The king of Babylon is the Anti-Christ and Satan who will make war with the saints and overcome them. (Rev. 13:7, Daniel 7:25)

This is done to weed out the saved and unsaved. To cleanse the temple or body. He allows tribulation to come on His people. Even if it’s great tribulation, to weed out the tares. Remember Lot’s Wife.

Realize, that yes God delivers us from trouble. But, sometimes He allows trouble for a higher purpose.

Our response to both, is the same. Realize He is with us, trust Him, and draw closer to Him.

Realize that tribulation, even great tribulation is not God’s Wrath.  God’s wrath is Hell and the Lake of Fire. God’s wrath is poured out in one day.

Understand that I am not saying that God kills babies or gives us cancer to teach us a lesson. Those things exist because of death, the fall, a corrupted world, and Satan. The enemy wants us to blame God for these things. That gets us to be angry at God and turn away from Him. It keeps us from praying and drawing close to God if we think he did it to us. That is Satan’s plan. To keep us away from God.

The solution is always the same, turn to God and draw closer to Him. We will learn from the trouble, and we can use it to help others.

5. Not building the kingdom.

Satan won’t build God’s Kingdom. A teacher of the Lord, should be teaching, preparing and sending the saints out to preach the Gospel, serve others and God, building the Kingdom. That’s our purpose as believers. To build the kingdom.

False teachers, will keep you in your pew singing pretty songs and scratching your itching ears with some new teaching.  For what? 

A true teacher teaches what the Holy Spirit leads them to teach. He readies the saints for the battle and growing the kingdom. We all have our part, in different ways, but we will be led to go and build the kingdom.

A church sitting in pews doing nothing is not a threat to the enemy.

In Matthew chapter 25, the Lord gives three parables on what it will look like when He returns. He doesn’t ask about their sins. He asks if they helped others. He asks if they used the talents He gave them. Christians are saved and forgiven, and are supposed to be kingdom building. If they are really saved.

Pray the Lord will help you to escape this deadness in your church. And show you what to do and where to go.

A teacher should confess Jesus is the Lord. They should teach the Gospel; that Jesus came in the Flesh. They should teach that salvation is through Christ alone, not works. They should also teach and lead the saints to build the Kingdom.

 Always, turn to the Lord and He will direct you. When you notice a problem ask Him and be willing to step out in faith, to make changes or do things He calls us to do.

With technology we are surrounded by false teachings and teachers. It can travel the world. Fake pictures and videos edited. Media services telling us propaganda. Governments lying, corporations lying, preachers lying, and its everywhere.

Turn to God, and listen to Him. He is Truth. He is the way. Trust Him no matter what our flesh says. The enemy is everywhere, going about seeking whom he may devour.

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Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger.

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

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Do You Really Know Him?

 Do You Really Know Him?

 Are you relying on your works?

 

“And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”—Luke 18:9-14

This is an important subject. The Lord calls us to examine ourselves, so that we are not lost. We are to judge ourselves so that we are not judged with the world. We turn to Him and confess Jesus as our Lord. We humble ourselves and stop relying on ourselves. We give it to Him. (1 Corinthians 11:31-32, Rom. 10:9-10, Rom. 14:11)

But, if we live under a deception of self-righteousness, like the pharisee in the parable, it makes it hard to see that we have never really known Him. We are not saved.

We are called by Him. And if we are willing, we turn to Him and confess Jesus as our Lord. We are saved forever, we are a new creation, and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us and mold us into the likeness of Christ.

But, the scriptures are clear that there will be tons of church going people who think they are saved, and are not. They never knew Him. They went to church every Sunday. They wore the pretty clothes. They gave tithes. They sang songs. They obeyed all the rules. They feared that God might get them. But, they never really knew Him. They were never broken.

Churches full of people who have never read the Word. They listen to the pastor and everything he says, and go to Sunday school, but do not know Christ. They believe in Churchianity, not Christianity.

 They are taught that they are the bride of Christ and that they will be raptured out before anything bad happens.

But, when you read about the churches in Revelation it is clear that God judges His churches. He removes the lamp stand. Especially if they never really knew Him. (Rev. Chapters 1-3)

We see the Elder Brother in the parable of the prodigal son. He spews hate, because the Father (God) gives grace and love to his brother who has fallen.

“And he (the elder brother) answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.”— Luke 15;29-32

Notice, the elder son relies on his works.

But, he did not know the father’s heart. He thought it was about obedience, not love and grace. He was bitter.

In Matthew Chapter 25 we have three descriptions of what will happen when the Lord returns.

In all of these parables, it is obvious that the Lord is speaking to “Servants” who thought they knew the Lord.

In the first one, 10 virgins have lamps, and wicks in the lamps. But, when the Lord returns 5 of the virgins have no oil (faith) in their lamps. They heard the Gospel, as in the parable of the sower, but did not really confess Him as Lord. the seed fell on stony ground, or was choked out by thorns. They never grew in Him, and had no oil or faith for their light to shine. They buried it under a bushel. (Matthew 5, Matt. 13)

In the second one, the Lord goes away and leaves talents with His servants. But, when He returns, He finds one servant who buried His talents in the ground. The servant believes the Lord is a hard man and doesn’t want to upset Him. So, he did nothing. Again, this servant clearly does not know the Lord or trust Him. It’s not about works, it’s about knowing the master. The servant did not know the master because he did not care about the things the master cared about. If he had, he would have tried to do something to grow the Kingdom.

In the third, the Lord divides the nations into goats and sheep.

“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

³⁵ For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

³⁶ Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

³⁷ Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

³⁸ When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

³⁹ Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

⁴⁰ And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

⁴¹ Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

⁴² For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

⁴³ I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

⁴⁴ Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

⁴⁵ Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

⁴⁶ And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”

There is not one mention of going to church. He doesn’t talk about porn, or fornication. He says nothing about homosexuality or abortion. He never mentions drug use or addiction. 

 Why?

Because if you know Him, your sins are forgiven. Never to be brought back up, and thrown in your face. BUT… if you know Him you would care about the things He cares about. He forgave all their debt. But, they still did not forgive others and cared nothing about helping those in need. (Matt. 18:23-35)

Again, we see the Lord say,

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”—(Matt. 7:21-23)

Again, notice that when they stand in judgement, they rely on the works they have done, not in the fact that they know Him. They were never saved. They never accepted the Grace of God. They never confessed Jesus as Lord. They have relied on being an obedient servant instead of relying on the finished work of Christ, and having a relationship with Him. They took the broad road of works, and not the narrow path of faith in Christ alone.

The worst thing to be is a religious self-righteous person. They think they are saved, because they do all the churchy things, and believe all the churchy rules. They never miss a sermon. They’ve got their favorite pew, and their favorite Bible. They don’t cuss. They don’t watch bad movies, unless it’s approved.

But, they wouldn’t go sit with the stinky homeless. They wouldn’t write letters to inmates. They think the stranger in the church might be a felon or a molester or publican. When they see a family with no clothes they judge that the dad won’t work three jobs, or it’s a single mother with no husband. They don’t help them. They might be sinners. They might be trying to con the good church people in order to get a tank of gas, or get a bill paid.

Who cares if they con us? It’s about love and grace not merit. Jesus died for us, and we are not worthy. We take advantage of his grace, whether we want to admit it or not. We are conning Him. Truth be told.

The worst thing, would be to go to church your whole life, obeying the rules; thinking you’re saved, only to discover that you never really knew Him.

Do not be like the virgins with no oil, when He comes.

Turn to Him and know Him. Taste and see that He is good.

It’s about a relationship, not religion.

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Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger.

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

Follow Him on Free Life Blog: https://myfreelifeblog.com/

Subscribe on Substack: https://substack.com/@chrisbunton

Read His Bible Studies on Blogger: https://chrisbunton.blogspot.com/

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