The Authority of the Believer

Authority! What does this word mean? Just what exactly is the authority the believer has and where does it come from!

Authority: is the right to command and control other people.….collinsdictionary.com

“Authority: the moral or legal right or ability to control.”….dictionary.cambridge.org

The above are two modern day dictionary meanings of the word ‘authority.’

Now, from our Biblical perspective, let’s have a look at the word authority from this scripture verse.

Matthew 28:18 (NIV)

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

In the verse above the Greek word for ‘authority’ is 'exousia' and its expanded English meaning is: power (of a spiritual nature), authority and weight – (Strongs 1849). It is a moral authority and influence over someone or something.

In this verse Jesus is telling us that the authority he carries over heaven and earth has been given to him by the Father. He carries all authority over everything and everyone including Satan and his followers and including the elements of the earth.

Now, dear reader, bear in mind these words that came from heaven, the very throne room of God, especially the words ‘listen to him’ and let’s be fully obedient to this.

Luke 9:35 (NIV)

A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”

Now, where do we as Christians (the Church) fit in to God’s authority plan for us in Christ Jesus? Hear the Word of God!

Luke 10:19 (NIV)

I (Jesus) have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

Similar verses occur in Mark’s gospel as well – Mk 3:15; 6:7.

In the verse above Jesus tells us that he has delegated some of His authority to us so that we can trample on ‘snakes and scorpions’ and to me this is an allegorical reference to Satan and his demonic followers. And not only are we able to trample on them but we will also be able to overcome all Satan’s power as well, and we will not be harmed if we belong to Jesus and we are led by the Holy Spirit!

We are overcomers of this world in Christ Jesus!

1 John 5:4-5 (NKJV)

4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—[a]our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

My question now, dear readers, is: Why isn’t the Church today doing this? And a wrong answer would be: “Because it was only for the disciples at that time.”

The Bible addresses the Church throughout the ages. It is a living word because Jesus is the Word and became flesh to walk among us and to sacrifice His life for our salvation and Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever!

John 1:14 (NIV

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Hebrews 13:8 (NIV)

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

So, because of this we carry that same authority to this very hour. Why aren’t we using it? All we have to do is submit ourselves to God and resist the devil.

James 4:7 (AMP)

So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you.

So, are you fully submitted to God? Is every area of your life submitted to him? If you are holding anything back from Him, I suggest that your release it right now, especially if it is unforgiveness, bitterness and resentment towards anybody!

Are you dressed in the full armour of God and are you living your life in the Spirit?

Romans 8:5-8 (NIV)

5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

Ephesians 4:10-12 (NIV)

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Church! Let’s get ourselves dressed in the full armour of God, fully immerse ourselves in the Holy Spirit and be obedient to His Word in every way! This way we will be a formidable army and will be overcomers in Christ Jesus! We carry the full authority of the Lord with us wherever we go!

Remember our battle is not against flesh and blood (see Eph 4:12 above) so if there is somebody you know or many somebodies who are rubbing you up the wrong way, be aware that the true enemy is Satan, and he could very well be using them to upset your peace and entice you into sin! 

As a believer you need to always be aware of this. Know that your enemy is Satan, not your neighbour, and he uses people for evil – this is why Jesus says this:

Matthew 5:43-45

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Many Christians have adopted a worldly view of things – and here I mean worldly as opposed to the Kingdom of God of which we (believers) are citizens. Many Christians do not realize the spiritual implication behind what is going on in their lives. 

As born-again Christians we are in the world but not of the world. Those that do not live life in the Spirit (read Romans 8), think most everything they encounter on a daily basis is either physical or natural. But in Christ Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit – we are supernatural beings!

The truth is, there is a battle raging every single day in the spiritual realm. That battle is for your heart, your mind and your very life and also the hearts and minds and lives of every other person on earth. God sent Jesus and the Holy Spirit to influence people and draw them toward righteousness and toward Himself, to live consistent with Him so that His blessings can be manifest in their lives.

Satan, on the other hand, is waging all-out war trying to steal the hearts and minds of people away from God. He wants to fill their hearts with his lies and corruption. And honestly, although most Christians recognize this to a degree, I don’t think they fully realize how intense the warfare really is and how much their spiritual inaction only assists the Devil! The Devil’s best friend is not an active sinner but and inactive Christian!

When we attribute much of what is happening to circumstances and therefore passively accept what comes our way. We are actually just ignoring the intense battle that is being waged against us by Satan for our lives. Satan is a liar, a thief and a murderer - he is the father of lies!

John 10:10 (AMP)

The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I (Jesus) came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].

1 John 1:8 (NIV)

The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.

1 Peter 5:8-9 (AMP)

8 Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, be firm in your faith [against his attack—rooted, established, immovable], knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being experienced by your brothers and sisters throughout the world. [You do not suffer alone.]

The choices you make, the things you say, the actions you take or don't take, and what you believe about what is happening around you determines whether God or Satan dominates in your life. Satan cannot control you outside of your will. For those who are in Christ Jesus he cannot do anything without your cooperation and consent. Christians need to be living their lives in the Spirit, not in the flesh. But you need to recognize that you are in a daily battle.

To live your life in the flesh is not pleasing to God!

Romans 8:5 (NKJV)

5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be [b]carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the [c]carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Many people choose not to believe that we are in a spiritual battle, but whether they believe it or not, the fact of the matter is that the battle is taking place daily. Your unwillingness to engage in battle doesn’t mean that the battle isn’t raging; it just means you’re going to lose. 

But once you realize the battle is real, you can then learn to recognize what is going on and take the proper action to improve your situation in Christ Jesus. You can resist the devil and he will flee as long as you are fully submitted to God.

Church, take up the authority you have in Christ Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit and fight the good fight, resist the Devil with all your God-given might through Christ Jesus!

James 4:7-10 (AMP)

7 So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God [with a contrite heart] and He will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; and purify your [unfaithful] hearts, you double-minded [people]. 9 Be miserable and grieve and weep [over your sin]. Let your [foolish] laughter be turned to mourning and your [reckless] joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves [with an attitude of repentance and insignificance] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up, He will give you purpose].

In Ephesians 6, Paul tells us further of our supernatural battle against evil.

Ephesians 6:10-15 (NKJV)

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the [b]wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

These verses refer to Satan’s demonic powers and how we can combat him by putting on the whole armour of God. There’s a chain of command, and an authority structure in Satan’s kingdom. These verses list the different levels. Notice that it says you are not wrestling against flesh and blood. Much that goes on in your life is not just circumstance, much of it is demonic activity and influence.

Ephesians 6:14-18 (NKJV)

14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

It is not the person sitting next to you at work, it’s not your neighbour, and it’s certainly not your husband or your wife or any other human being that’s the problem. 

Anyone who is not spiritually aware can be influenced and inspired and used of Satan to come against you. If you were to recognize that, it would make a huge difference in the way you respond to them and the way you can overcome the situation in Christ Jesus. Our spiritual battle in this world requires us to be living life in the Spirit so that evil can be discerned by the believer and effectively resisted.

The fact of the matter is that people are being influenced and controlled and used by the devil—they really are. This needs to be said because a lot of Christians don’t believe it. Jesus himself gave us fair warning about the amount of demonic activity there is in the world and how it affects all of us, it even brings sickness!

Mark 16:17-18 (NIV)

17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

Matthew 17:15-18 (NIV)

15 “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

17 “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” 18 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.

Matthew 17:19-20a (NIV)

19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith.

Jesus wouldn’t tell us to cast out demons if they were not a real threat and they didn’t exist – they are a threat and they do exist. Just look at the world around you. The evil that men do is controlled by Satanic influence! We, as the Church and as individual believers, need to have faith! We need to put our faith into action and emulate Jesus. We can do this for He has given us the authority to do so. Faith without action is dead and without faith it is impossible to please God!

James 2:14-17 (AMP)

14 What is the benefit, my fellow believers, if someone claims to have faith but has no [good] works [as evidence]? Can that [kind of] faith save him? [No, a mere claim of faith is not sufficient—genuine faith produces good works.] 15 If a brother or sister is without [adequate] clothing and lacks [enough] food for each day, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace [with my blessing], [keep] warm and feed yourselves,” but he does not give them the necessities for the body, what good does that do? 17 So too, faith, if it does not have works [to back it up], is by itself dead [inoperative and ineffective].

Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Dear reader, I would strongly recommend that you read the entire chapters of James 2 and Hebrews 11.

A lot of people honestly think I’m is a little over the top. They think they don’t need to respond to people in a spiritual way. But I can guarantee you that there are times when Satan is speaking directly to you through people. He is using people to get at you. Whether you recognize it or not, this goes on much more than you know. You are in a spiritual war.

You won’t believe how many church leaders I have heard say, “You can’t look for demons behind every tree”, as I’ve watched their eyes glaze over with unbelief.

Deliverance, these days, does not form part of many Church’s ministry! These days Church leaders are afraid to confront the Devil head on because of unbelief and fear, fear of upsetting their congregations – fear of man! This renders their Church’s life ineffective in many ways and stunts personal spiritual growth in their congregation and stunts Kingdom growth in their sphere of influence.

One of the first things Jesus said to his disciples and close followers when he delegated his authority to them was, “Cast out demons and heal the sick.” This still applies to today’s Church because if you look around you and see what’s going on, you will see the world is still an evil place with people doing evil things and sickness of all kinds growing exponentially. 

Sin has increased over the years not decreased. Why do you think this is – more and more demonic activity and the Devil enticing man to sin! Where does the evil that men do come from? Certainly not from God! A demon behind every tree seems quite feasible from where I stand!

Matthew 10:8 (NIV)

7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

There is a supernatural war waging today for your heart and mind and your very life and the lives of your loved ones. In fact, for some of you right now, the devil is trying to oppose the words you are reading right now. He wants to discredit them and cause you to ignore or reject them. The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, is bearing witness in your heart and trying to get you to open up and receive these words. It’s spiritual warfare!

Satan wants your mind, read my blog of the same title on the link below:

https://rayskilton.blogspot.com/2021/01/satan-wants-your-mind.html

To win in this war, you must know who you are in Christ Jesus and the authority you have as a believer. You have the power and authority to do it, and now is the time to use it as the days are evil and are just getting worse.

Don’t be afraid to use the authority Christ has given you for he has promised that nothing will harm you (see Luke 10:19 above) but do make sure that you are living life in the Spirit and be led by Him alone – the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus. Only by living life in the Spirit will we be able to bring glory to Jesus!

Romans 8:8-9 (NIV)

8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.

John 16:12-15 (NIV)

12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

Prayer:
Dear Father in Heaven
In Jesus’ name I declare your majesty and your sovereignty over my life. I thank you, Lord, that you are my Saviour and that apart from you I can do nothing. I pray, Lord, that today you would fill me with your Holy Spirit and protect me and my family from the evil one. Help me, O Lord, to fearlessly take up the authority you have given me through your word and to take my place in your army as a spiritual warrior. Increase my measure of faith I pray. O Lord, that I may imitate you in all things as the Apostle Paul did. Not to my glory Lord, but to yours. Help me Lord to reach the lost to cast out demons and heal the sick in the power of the Holy Spirit and let me bring glory to your name. Amen.

All glory, honour and praise belongs to Jesus!

Jesus the Name above all names!

Remember: Reading this article is no excuse for you not reading and studying the Bible for yourself My word is flawed, the Bible is not!

Last update: 22 January 2024

The Role of the Holy Spirit in the Rapture

The Rapture, End Times and the second coming of Jesus, these terms have always held me in a certain state of wondrous mystery and even a little trepidation, especially in my early walk with the Lord.

What does it all mean?

What’s it all about?

What’s going to happen to the Church?

What’s going to happen to my family and I?

Will we (the Church) go through the tribulation?

These are some of the questions that have buzzed through my mind from time to time. Fortunately for us the Bible has the answer to all our questions. The Holy Spirit reveals all things to us and reminds us of what the scriptures say. But we do need to know the Bible for ourselves, please read and study as often as you can!

Ok so what is the purpose and function of the Holy Spirit in the Rapture?

Let’s start off with one of my favourite passages of scripture from the Old Testament and scripture that I regularly pray into being and scripture that we all know so well:

Joel 2:28-32 (NIV)

28 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams,

your young men will see visions.

29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

30 I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.

31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

32 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said,even among the survivors

whom the Lord calls..

This passage of scripture was also quoted by the Apostle Peter at Pentecost in Acts 2:17-21.

I also believe that God will pour out his Spirit like this in the last days to prepare His Church for the rapture, when those that belong to Him and that are still alive here upon earth will be taken up into the clouds as Jesus comes with a loud trumpet blast. Come, Lord Jesus! Come! Preparing us for the rapture is one of most important functions of the Holy Spirit in the ‘End Times’.

Now is the time (today) for the Church to stand up in faith and fully embrace the Holy Spirit in all his fullness. It is time for each and every believer to immerse himself in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is time for each and every believer to eagerly desire the gifts of the Spirit especially the gift of prophecy so that we can build up and edify each other to do the works that God has predestined us to do. Now is the time for the fruit of the Spirit to be manifest in us and through us to a dying world!

It is time for each and every believer to walk in the Spirit every minute of every day and allow him to take complete control of our lives so that the gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit will be manifest in us and through us at all times.

It is time for healings and the casting out of demons, miracles, signs and wonders, to follow us everywhere we go! It is time for the Church to rise up in the power of the Holy Spirit and win the lost to salvation in Christ Jesus – IT IS TIME FOR THE LAST AND GREATEST HOLY SPIRIT REVIVAL so that the Church will be cleansed and ready for the coming of the Lord, whether He comes now, next week, next year or in the next 100 years. This will only be done through Spirit filled believers moving in His power and His strength! This will glorify the name of Jesus!

Now is the time for the army of God to be mobilised and to put on the full armour of God and ward off the attack of the enemy in these turbulent times!

It is time for the Church to be ready and waiting for the trumpet blast and the coming of the Lord in the sky at any time.

Church! Keep your lamps burning and never let them go out! It is time for all born again believers to keep on being filled with the Holy Spirit and live in a state of permanent revival.

Ephesians 5 :18 (AMP)

Do not get drunk with wine, for that is wickedness (corruption, stupidity), but be filled with the [Holy] Spirit and constantly guided by Him.

Let’s take heed of the mystery that Paul tells us about in 1 Corinthians and be ready for the final trumpet blast of the Lord:

1 Corinthians 15:51-56 (NIV)

51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Rapture - the time when we will hear the trumpet blast of the Lord and we will see him coming on the clouds. The dead in Christ will rise first and then we will be caught up in the clouds with him. The Holy Spirit will complete his work in us and then Jesus returns for us at the Rapture. Our earthly bodies will be changed in the twinkling of an eye to our resurrection (glorified) bodies by the power of the Holy Spirit. Resurrection bodies will also be given to the dead that rise in Christ.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NIV)

13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

The Holy Spirit is called the Comforter by Jesus and the Greek word for comforter is ‘paraklétos’ and has the expanded meaning of counsellor, helper, encourager and advocate. This expanded meaning of the Holy Spirit along with the many spiritual names he has in the Bible like, power of God, fire of God, creative power etcetera, builds for us a picture of strength and comfort that every believer must tap into every day, let alone in the last days.

We can do all things in Christ Jesus who strengthens us. How does he strengthen us? By the power of his Holy Spirit of course, that is why the Lord sent the Comforter to us. We can all tap into the full power of God in Christ Jesus and all we have to do is appropriate it in belief and walk in faith as Abraham did, as Paul did and as Jesus himself did!

It was the Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead and it is the Holy Spirit that will do the same for his followers at the Lord’s Rapture for those who have fallen asleep. Paul wrote about this in the book of Romans.

Romans 8:11 (NIV)

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

Prophecies of the Rapture from the New Testament
In John 14 we see Jesus talking to the disciples just be before he is arrested, and he is telling them that he has to go away to prepare a place for them in the Father’s house – which to me speaks of heaven as that is where God dwells. The Lord then goes on to say to the disciples that because he is preparing a place for them in heaven it stands to reason that he will come back to fetch them – this to me speaks of the Rapture. What do you think?

John 14:2-4 (NIV

2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Now it appears that the disciples seemed to have some trouble in understanding what the Lord meant as Thomas in verse 5 says, “Lord we don’t know where you are going so how can we get there?”

John 14:5 (NIV)

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus’ response to Thomas and the disciples is that they know that the only way to the Father is through him.

John 14:6 (NIV)

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

This response still doesn’t seem to clear things up for the disciples as Philip asks, in verse 8, the Lord to show them the Father.

John 14:8 (NIV)

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

Now this statement from Philip seems to exasperate the Lord just a little bit as he says in verse 9 words to this effect, “Philip, I’ve been with you for all this time and you still don’t know me?” He then goes on to tell them the things that he has told them many times before over the past three years. But strangely enough he doesn’t explain any further about the place he is preparing for them and coming back for them to take them there!

One other thing of significance that he does say though in verse 26 is that the Holy Spirit, when the Father sends him to them, will teach them many things and that he will remind them of everything he (Jesus) has taught them and everything he has said to them.

John 14:26 (NIV)

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

It is not until a few years after the Lord’s ascension into heaven that we get a fuller picture of what the Rapture will entail. We get this enlightenment through the Apostle Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonian Church.

Let’s have a look at the scripture in 1 Thessalonians 4 again, shall we?

1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 (NIV)

14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

So, in the above verses Paul gives us a pretty clear picture of what will happen when the Lord comes for his Church, most commonly known as the Rapture. Let’s put the happenings down in bullet point form:

• The dead in Christ shall rise first, including Jesus’ twelve disciples.

• Then the Church, the ones that are alive on earth at the time, will be taken to meet the Lord in the air.

• He also tells us to encourage one another with these words.

Preparing our incorruptible bodies, resurrecting the dead and transporting us to meet the Lord in the clouds, is all the work of the Holy Spirit. This is confirmed by Paul himself in the book of Philippians.

Philippians 3:20-21 (NIV)

20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

In the above verses Paul reveals to us that at the Rapture our earthly bodies will be transformed by the Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit into our heavenly bodies to be caught up with Jesus in the clouds ready to go with him into heaven – see John 14:2-4 again, where Jesus tells the disciples that he is returning to the Father in heaven and that his Father’s house (heaven) has many mansions and that he is preparing a place for us – his Church, when he comes for us at the Rapture.

Now there are different schools of thought about the Rapture brought about by many learned Bible Scholars over the centuries, right through to today. There are different answers put forward to the questions:

• Does the Rapture and the second coming of Jesus take place at the same time?

• Will born again believers that are alive at the time have to go through the Tribulation or will they be Raptured before?

• Will the Rapture take place before the Tribulation, halfway through or at the end?

As I’ve said before, I’m no bible scholar, I’m just a born again believer that loves Jesus and wants everything that He intends me to have and serve Him on the path that the Father has willed for my life.

Personally, from my understanding of scripture, I believe the rapture will take place before the tribulation. Why on earth would our Heavenly Father want His children to suffer through the tribulation! The tribulation is a judgement of God for those who have not accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour at the point of the Church’s rapture.

Matthew 24:40-42 (NIV)

40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come

What I want to encourage my readers to do is to live life in the Spirit as Paul encourages us to do in Romans 8 and be ready right now to be Raptured.

Are you ready? Are you walking in the Spirit? Are you living your life on the path that the Father has predestined for you right now? Are you ready for the Rapture?

Remember your life is all about Jesus!

We belong to Him!

Prayer:
Heavenly Father
I pray that you will fill me with your Holy Spirit and keep on filling me. I pray that in the power of your Holy Spirit that you would help me to walk on the path that is your will for my life. I pray that you would show me and help me to do the works that you have predestined me to do before I was born. Help me, O Lord, to live life in the Spirit always that I may bring glory to your name, the name of Jesus. Bless me. O Lord, that I may be a blessing to others. Amen.

To Jesus belongs all glory honour and praise!

Jesus, the Name above all names!

Acts 4:12 (NIV)

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Hell Is A Real Place!

Over my many years of being a born-again Christian I have heard many people preaching and teaching about Heaven but not very many preaching and teaching on Hell. In fact, I can’t even remember when I last heard anybody preach on Hell! I wonder why that is?

I suspect it’s probably because most congregants only want to hear about nice things and Hell is certainly not a nice place to be! When Christians talk about God’s love its always about his loving kindness and the fact that Jesus died for our sins because of his great love for us. And this is all good and very true!

But there is another side to God’s love that is also not much talked and preached about, and that is God’s discipline. I believe that when we talk about God’s love it is imperative that we talk about every aspect of God’s love equally and discipline is a characteristic of His love that we all need to heed as well as embrace. We all like sheep have gone astray and even in my walk as a born-again Christian I still need to tow the line and walk in integrity and in the truth of his Word! Amen?

Hebrews 12:6 (NIV)

because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son."

Proverbs 3:12 (NIV)

because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

So, in the two verses above we are told that God disciplines his children, those he loves. Now something many of us seem to forget is that only those of us who are born-again, those who have confessed their sins, have repented of them, and have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, can be called God’s children.

John 1:12 (NIV)

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

From this we see that once we are saved (born-again) we become God’s children and he disciplines us in his great love, grace and mercy. Those who are not saved he does not discipline as they are not called his children and they carry on sinning without any advocacy (anyone to defend them) through Jesus as we who are born-again do! Because of their rebellion against God, they dig their own grave, so to speak!

1 John 2:1 (NIV)

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

The Greek word for advocate in the above verse is ‘parakletos’ and this is how Strong’s concordance describes it: “3875 paráklētos (from 3844 /pará, "from close-beside" and 2564 /kaléō, "make a call") – properly, a legal advocate who makes the right judgment-call because they are close enough to the situation. Paráklētos ("advocate, advisor-helper") is the regular term in New Testament times of an attorney (lawyer) – i.e. someone that stands up in court to defend another. 

After reading the above explanation of the word ‘advocate’ you should have guessed by now that we are talking about the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of Jesus! Jesus – the Righteous One.

Romans 8:9 (NIV)

You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.

Those who are yet unsaved do not belong to Christ and anyone who does not belong to Christ belongs to the Devil! The sins of the children of God, past, present and future sins, are covered by the blood of the lamb. So, although God so loves the World, only those that are fully repentant from the heart and accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour will enter the Kingdom of God. 

Everybody else consigns themselves to Hell as, even though their sin has been covered by the blood of Jesus and no matter how ‘good’ they perceive themselves to be, they have not accepted the gift of salvation by rejecting Jesus as their Lord and Saviour! No sin can enter heaven, heaven is a place reserved for the righteous in Christ Jesus!

God wants everyone to be saved but the freewill choice to accept salvation in Christ Jesus lies solely with man! We chose Heaven or Hell!

Having cleared that up, let’s get back to our topic of ‘Hell is a real place.’

Revelation 20:10 (NIV)

And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

What does Jesus tell us about Hell?

In the parable of the sheep and goats – Matthew 25:31-46 - Jesus tells us that we will all face judgement but those of us who have Jesus as our Lord and Saviour (the sheep – repentant sinners) will go to Heaven and those that do not know Jesus (the goats – unrepentant sinner) will go to Hell.

Matthew 25:41 (NIV – brackets are mine)

“Then he will say to those on his left (the goats), ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Matthew 25:46 (NIV – brackets are mine)

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment (the goats), but the righteous to eternal life (the sheep).”

Jesus speaks of Hell, so we had better believe that it is a real place just as Heaven is, as everything that was created was created through Jesus and for Jesus. Jesus is our everything!

Colossians 1:15-18 (NIV)

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Hell is a place of eternal suffering and separation from God (spiritual death) and was created by God through Jesus for the devil and all his followers both human and angelic. It is a place of weeping and sorrow!

Matthew 13:40-43 (AMP)

40 So just as the weeds are gathered up and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend [those things by which people are led into sin], and all who practice evil [leading others into sin], 42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping [over sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [over distress and anger]. 43 Then the righteous [those who seek the will of God] will shine forth [radiating the new life] like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears [to hear], let him hear and heed My words.

Hell, or the lake of fire, will also be the destination for those who reject Christ – Satan and all who follow him.

2 Peter 2:4-10b (AMP)

4 For if God did not [even] spare angels that sinned, but threw them into hell and sent them to pits of gloom to be kept [there] for judgment; 5 and if He did not spare the ancient world, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought [the judgment of] a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; 7 and if He rescued righteous Lot, who was tormented by the immoral conduct of unprincipled and ungodly men 8 (for that just man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by what he saw and heard of their lawless acts), 9 then [in light of the fact that all this is true, be sure that] the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and how to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge in the corrupt passions of the sin nature, and despise authority.

Those who are disobedient to the teachings and commands in the Bible and reject Jesus will go to Hell! This is a fact, for if you are not for God then you are against him just as Satan is, there is no grey areas in Christianity. 

Many people today perceive themselves to be ‘good people’ and they probably are good people and do good things, but unless they are born-again, have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, they will not go to heaven. Their good works are like filthy rags in God’s eyes because they have rejected Jesus! It is only by accepting Jesus that we receive our righteousness - our right standing and reconciliation with God!

Matthew 12:30 (NIV)

"Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

Isaiah 64:6 (NIV)

All of us have become like one who is unclean,

and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;

we all shrivel up like a leaf,

and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

All of us have sinned that is why we need a Saviour. God sent His son, Jesus Christ, to be our saviour He is the only one through whom we have salvation and can be thus reconciled with God! 

If we don’t accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, our sin remains upon us and we thus consign ourselves to Hell, everlasting separation from God our creator.

Romans 3:23-26

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

The Bible tells us that we will all stand before God and face judgement for the things we have done, good and bad. Judgement day is not a trial it is a day of sentencing!

2 Cor 5:10 (AMP)

For we [believers will be called to account and] must all appear before the] judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be repaid for what has been done in the body, whether good or bad [that is, each will be held responsible for his actions, purposes, goals, motives—the use or misuse of his time, opportunities and abilities].

Those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour from the heart and are not just paying lip service (the lukewarm), spend eternity in Heaven and those that reject Jesus will spend eternity in Hell.

Rev 20:11-15

11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

God has shown His love for man by sending His Son to die for their sins -- to take our punishment -- so that we can go to heaven. The judgment of hell is for those who refuse to accept God's love and forgiveness through Christ Jesus.

God is a God of holiness and justice as well as a God of love. These moral attributes are complementary, not contradictory. When the laws of God are disobeyed there must be a judgement. God's laws demand that sin must be paid for. God can still love someone, but He cannot allow sin to go unpunished. This is the reason that Jesus Christ came to earth, to die for the sins of the world - without the shedding of blood their can be no forgiveness - Jesus shed His blood for us so that we can be forgiven for our sins!

Prayer: 

Dear Heavenly Father

I thank you that you sent your son to die for my sins and that his blood covers me with salvation - Jesus is my Saviour! Thank you Jesus that through your sacrifice for me on the Cross at Calvary, I receive eternal life and reconciliation with God. Thank you Lord that you have saved me from eternal damnation in Hell! Amen.

To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!

Jesus – the Name above all names!

Remember: Reading this article is no excuse for not reading and studying the Bible for yourself! My words are flawed - the Word of God is not!

Last updated: 4 December 2023.

The Holy Spirit Teaches Us All Things

Without the Holy Spirit we would not be overcomers in Christ Jesus!

In John chapter 14 we find Jesus talking to his disciples and telling them that he would soon be leaving them. Now reading between the lines of this chapter I sort of detect that the news of Jesus leaving them has made them more than a little bit nervous and has scared them somewhat, as he says to them, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”

The Lord tells the disciples that he is going back to the Father but that he would come back to fetch them. And he goes on to tell them not to worry about his departure from the world because he is going to ask the Father to send them the Comforter, the Helper, the Holy Spirit who will teach them all things and lead them in all truth.

Now the Greek word for comforter used in verse 16 is ‘parakletos’ (pronounced paraklaytos) and its full meaning besides comforter is: advocate, helper, the one who draws alongside us, consoler and intercessor. So here we see that the Holy Spirit is everything one could ask for and more. He is our advocate and advisor, he helps us to complete our God-given purpose, he is there to console us and see us through difficult times, and he is our intercessor and continually prays to the Father for us just as Jesus does.

From verses 15 to 31 in the table below I will attempt to explain, verse by verse, just how much we need the Holy Spirit as believers and just how, like Jesus, it is absolutely necessary for us to allow the Holy Spirit to permeate every aspect of our beings and in all that we do in our daily lives. But please remember that my words are fallible – the Word of God is not!

John 14:15-31 (NIV)

15. “If you love me, keep my commands.

In this verse love here is the agape love of God that expects nothing in return. We can only appropriate this kind of love in its full measure through the power of the Holy Spirit living in us. We have a direct connection to God through the Holy Spirit alive within us. It is the Holy Spirit who regenerates our spirit and as such we are to follow the commands of Jesus. This means living according to His Word – the Bible. Every born-again Christian’s life-manual. Know the Word = know Jesus = know the Holy Spirit = know God = a changed me, a good and faithful servant of the Lord!

16. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—

Here Jesus is saying to his disciples (and to us today) that when he is gone, he will ask the Father to give them/us another Comforter and He shall give them/us the Holy Spirit who will live within them/us for ever. It is also interesting to note here that Jesus says that the Father will send another Comforter – Jesus being the first, somebody just like him with all His characteristics who will live within them/us for ever. The Holy Spirit in us is how Jesus lives in each one of us.

17. the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

Here Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of truth. The Greek word here for truth is ‘aletheia’ (a-lay-thi-a) and its full definition is: truth, but not merely truth as spoken; truth of idea, reality, sincerity, truth in the moral sphere, divine truth revealed to man, straightforwardness (ref: Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance 225). This is the truth that is God’s and that He wants us to have and we will only have if we have the Holy Spirit living and working in us and through us. Jesus says that the world does not know the Holy Spirit only those that belong to him will know the Holy Spirit.

18. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

Here Jesus again reassures us that he will not leave us alone, but he will be with us always through his Holy Spirit until he comes again! The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus.

19. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.

Jesus assures all believers that even though he is no longer with us in the flesh we can still see him in the spirit. Our spirits are alive and connected to him by the Holy Spirit.

20. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

Here the Lord gives us a word picture of how it is the Holy Spirit that connects him to the Father and us to him and through him we are connected to the Father. And through the Holy Spirit all believers are connected to each other, the same spirit is in all of us – God’s Holy Spirit!

21. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

Jesus states here that those that keep his commands (the teachings of the Bible) are the ones who truly love him and as a result of this we will be loved by the Father. It is through this cycle of God’s agape love that the Holy Spirit reveals Christ to the believers. Those that love Jesus truly from the heart are those that keep his commands – the Bible – Jesus is the Word! The Word is the sword of the Spirit!

22. Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

23. Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.

The answer to Judas’ question is of course through the Holy Spirit being alive within us. Through the Father’s agape love emanating from the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) to us and us loving Jesus in the same way, provides a channel by which the Holy Trinity will live within our hearts. The conduit and connection is through the Holy Spirit – spirit speaks to spirit.

24. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

If we do not love Jesus, we will not obey his teachings in the Bible. Our disobedience is sin!

25. “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

In these two verses the Lord tells us that when he has gone and the Holy Spirit comes upon us, he will come in the name of Jesus and will teach us all things and he will also remind us of what Jesus has already said, that is he will remind us of what is in the Word – remembering of course that Jesus is the Word in flesh.

27. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Jesus is saying here that because he has sent the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to us we will have peace of mind and we need not be afraid of anything.

28. “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.

Here I believe that Jesus is telling us as modern-day believers that although he is not with us in the flesh we can still rejoice because he is with us in spirit once we are born-again and have the infilling of the Holy Spirit – we should be joyful that he is with the Father because the Father is greater than Jesus in the flesh.

29. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.

Jesus is telling the disciples what is about to happen, his betrayal and crucifixion, so that when it does happen, they will believe it!

30. I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, 31. but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

Jesus is telling us that the Devil, the prince of the world, is coming in the guise of Judas’ kiss of betrayal. Jesus is also telling us that the Devil has no hold over him and He loves the Father completely and is completely obedient to the Father. It was the Father’s command that Jesus should suffer and die for our sins, and because of His great love (agape) he is going to the cross willingly so that we might live! Amen! Thank you, Jesus!

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, in Jesus’ name, I pray that you would fill me with your Holy Spirit and keep on filling me. Lead me in all truth, Holy Spirit, and teach me all things, that my lifestyle would be such that in all I do, I will bring glory to the name of Jesus my Saviour. Lead me on the path of righteousness and let me not go astray. Lead me on the path that the Father has willed for my life. Lead me on the path of obedience to your Word, Father. Bless me, Lord, so that I may be a blessing to others. Protect me from the evil one, Lord Jesus. Amen.

To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!

Jesus, the Name above all names!

 

There Is No Fence Sitting In Christianity!

The term or phrase ‘Fence Sitter’ is something that most of us have heard over the years, but, if you are like me, have never really sat and considered what it means in our personal Christian walk, until now!

When I think of the term ‘fence sitter’ my mind is drawn to the verse Revelation 3:16 which doesn’t actually refer to ‘fence sitting’ but speaks of the Church in Laodicea as being ‘lukewarm’.

Now, from a non-Biblical perspective, let’s have a look at what many of our renowned dictionaries say about a ‘fence sitter’ or ‘fence sitting’. The term is described as something like this:

• a person who remains neutral or uncommitted on an issue

• someone who can’t make up their mind on an issue of importance

• someone who supports both sides in a disagreement because they cannot make a decision or do not want to annoy or offend either side

• a person who wishes to stay neutral, to not pick a side, to avoid confrontation.

The Collins Dictionary defines a lukewarm person as this:

“If you describe a person or their attitude as lukewarm, you mean that they are not showing much enthusiasm or interest.”

And gives these synonyms: half-hearted, cold, cool, indifferent

James 1:6-8 (NIV)

6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

This draws me to conclude that the term ‘fence sitter’ and the word ‘lukewarm’ have very much the same meaning in today’s setting.

Being a lukewarm Christian or a lukewarm Church is something about which our Lord issues a very strong warning about when we examine his feelings as shown in the book of Revelation. In the below verses he tells us exactly how he feels.

Rev 3:15-18 (NIV)

15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

Let me try and paraphrase these four verses:

“I know what you have been doing and that your lives and lifestyles are not fully committed to me and that you are still self-serving in many ways. Because you are like this and because you live so far away from my teachings you leave a bad taste in my mouth and your ways turn my stomach. If you don’t change your ways and serve me fully, I will cut you off. You are focused on wordly things and not on Spiritual things. You think that you have gained these things by your own efforts and do not realise that apart from me you can do nothing and are nothing. You have become blinded by the things of the flesh and have ignored the things of the Spirit. I urge you to repent and turn back to me and submit to my teachings. You have moved out of my covering and your eyes have become seared by the lure of world and its temptations and you are no longer able to see and discern the things of the Spirit. Clothe yourselves in me and my Holy Spirit so that you will be able to see clearly again”

The Church in Laodicea had lost it’s way by the lure and temptation of things like money, possessions and position in a worldly society. The had become worshippers of ‘gold’ and only had a half-hearted approach to the things of God. If you are not for God then you are against him! You cannot be camped on both sides of the fence - one foot in the world and one foot in God's Kingdom.

Proverbs 3:5-6

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.

When we look at the Church today it is easy to see that many Churches today are building their ‘ministries’ around prosperity and other such false teachings. New age teachings are rife and are being allowed to permeate, water down and corrupt the teachings of the Bible in the name of being politically correct. The Church today is allowing itself to be moulded by ungodly laws and lawmakers instead of standing its ground with feet firmly rooted in the infallible Word of God and to the glory of Jesus. These Churches, if they remain unrepentant, are soon to be spewed out!

Isaiah 29:13 (NIV)

The Lord says:

“These people come near to me with their mouth

and honor me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me.

Their worship of me

is based on merely human rules they have been taught.

God will not tolerate lip service! He will not be mocked! Those that do not worship Him in Spirit and in truth will be removed from the vine and cast into Hell where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth! We, the Church, need to be producing good fruit in line with the Holy Spirit and to the glory of Jesus!

Matthew 13:41-42 (NIV)

41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

John 15:4-6

4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

Matt 7:20-23 (NIV)

Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

In today’s Church many have been corrupted and led astray by false prophets and teachers who preach the messages of man and not the truth of the Bible. Many have been led astray by teachers who tickle peoples ears with what they want to hear as they have never humbled themselves under the mighty hand of God, or who once did believe but have turned their backs on God! The Church in general have become worshippers of the things of the world that man has wrapped in a pretty and corrupted gospel of lies and misrepresentation and have labelled it ‘Church’. Many people attend Church to be entertained rather than to worship God.

Titus 1:15-16 (NIV)

15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

2 Tim 4:3-4 (NIV)

3 For the time will come when people 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. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

Matt 7:15-20

15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

You are saved by grace and faith alone, faith in Christ Jesus, but a false convert shows no works because they are not a new creation.

Eph 2:8-10 (NIV)

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

James 2:17

 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

James 2:20

You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?

James 2:26

 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

1 Corinthians 5:11 

But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.

The only works we should be doing as Christians are the works that God prepared for us to do even before we were born. Works done in the Spirit and not in the flesh! The woks we do apart from Christ Jesus, our self-righteous acts or works of the flesh, are like filthy rags in God’s sight!

Isaiah 64:6 (NIV)

All of us have become like one who is unclean,

and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;

we all shrivel up like a leaf,

and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

Revelation 3:16 (AMP)

16 So because you are lukewarm (spiritually useless), and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth [rejecting you with disgust].

In the Kingdom of God there can be no fence sitters or lukewarm Christians. We must wholeheartedly give ourselves to God in Christ Jesus and not look back. If we remain lukewarm, we will be spewed out. God has said it and it will be so!

God alone is our provider in all things and He has given us His Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us in all truth but we have the charge from Him to seek first above all things, His and His righteousness which we find in Christ Jesus - our Lord is our righteousness!

Matt 6:31-34 (NIV)

31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

John 16:13-14 (AMP)

But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth [full and complete truth]. For He will not speak on His own initiative, but He will speak whatever He hears [from the Father—the message regarding the Son], and He will disclose to you what is to come [in the future]. 14 He will glorify and honor Me, because He (the Holy Spirit) will take from what is Mine and will disclose it to you.

Prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven

I repent of being a lukewarm Christian and of not giving myself to you with wholehearted love and devotion. Forgive me Lord, I pray. Thank you for forgiving me of this sin and from this time forth, Lord, please help me to be on fire for you, Lord Jesus, always. Lord, I ask that you fan into flame the gifts you have placed within me to do the works that you have predestined me to do and to keep your fire ever burning within me by the power of your Holy Spirit and to the glory of your Name. Help me Lord to live my life in the Spirit and not in the flesh. Help me Lord to be discern what is the true gospel from that which is false. Help me Lord to help others, to encourage them and to build them up to reach their full potential in Christ Jesus. I ask this, Lord, in your precious Name. Amen.

Hebrews 10:24-25

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!

Jesus, the Name above all names!

Remember: Reading this article is no excuse for you not reading and studying the Bible for yourself. My word is flawed - the Bible is not!

Last update: 3 June 2024.