Chapter 9, Part 4

Many Christians look at God as some giant Santa Claus in the sky who they come to with long shopping lists of desires for themselves. God if you just give me a beautiful wife, a beautiful home, or a new car I will serve you. God is not Wal-Mart. The only purpose of prayer should be to develop a closer relationship to God. If you walk close enough to God He will know your needs. If you find God, you will find all of your needs and desires there. Instead of seeking goals and wants, we should be seeking God. It is only in finding God that all those things I seek will be found. He will keep you from the evil one. What happens to your prayer life when God does not provide you with these things you seek? A common mistake made today is that material well being is being interpreted as a blessing or closeness to God. Nowhere is this attitude supported in the scriptures. On the contrary Jesus Christ said, “blessed is the poor.”[1] But again the modern Church has translated this teaching differently. If all my wants are met when will I seek God? Your only goal in prayer should be to seek God and the well-being of others.

What is prayer? Very little teaching is done in the Church concerning this most vital aspect of the Christians life. There are a number of Christians who do not even know what or how to pray. Other than the example Christ gave to us and his disciples they do not have a clue. But in that example is everything we need to know about prayer. The key to all we want to accomplish as a people, as a nation is in prayer. Many in their egotistical foolishness think that the key to resolving the problems of the world are in activities or in technology. As if we need to do for God what He cannot do for Himself. Any work we get to do for God is not for God, it is for our instruction and development. It is to prepare us for Him and His Kingdom. Prayer is coming before the presence of God in humility, not to receive anything. It is the transforming of our will to His will. It is the coming before God with nothing and expecting nothing. There is a reason Christ said, “He knows the things you need before you even ask.”[2] If you do ask, it is in the asking that you are drawn closer to Him. Most of us would be apprehensive to ask a stranger for anything, but would be comfortable asking a friend or family member. God wants that type of relationship with us. This type of relationship can only happen when we allow ourselves to be known by our Creator.

There have been many volumes written about how Christ taught us to pray and in this short space I would not even begin to attempt to cover all the nuances of it. However, I think it is important to notice that nowhere in His example does it mention me! Where is there in the prayer the part where we pray only for ourselves? Throughout the prayer it is us and we, the Lord is giving us instructions to pray for others. Even in the final hours of His earthly ministry Christ prayed for the Fathers will to be done. It was always the Fathers will in prayer. It was through prayer that He and the Father became one. Our goal should be to gain that oneness with the Father.[3]

“Confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one
another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent
prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
James 5:16

The scriptures tell us that our prayers are worth much. The action of prayer does not prepare us for greater works; it is in fact the greater works itself. Time spent in prayer is not wasted. It is saying through our actions that we cannot God, but You can. Not only can You, but we are going to let You. The passage speaks of action following our prayers but with no timetable attached. This has caused many a Christian to fall, their impatience. Instead of spending so much time in conferences and meetings about fornication and sin, we should be spending more time in prayer. Fornication is a sin against God as well as man and to alleviate it from our midst will require God's intervention. Prayer brings God into the equation and that changes any equation. The world may not see the benefit of bringing God into any situation, but we believers should have no problem with that fact. We can preach and have rallies from now until Christ returns and not make the problem any better. In fact we would probably make the situation worse. God and only God can turn this sinful epidemic around and break this viscous cycle that we find ourselves in. Prayer is our way of highlighting the problem, of saying to God; yes God we also see the evil in this and want it removed. Remember the work is the Lords, people who are in a state of sin are not fighting against me, they are fighting against God. The battle is the Lords not mine. I am merely a hired hand who has chosen work in the fields. We should not be like the world and take credit for what God has done. It is the labor of prayer by the saints of God that gets results. Prayer is labor. Labor is not about excitement, it is about accomplishing the job. God needs warriors, prayer warriors. Our people requires saints praying day and night for our redemption as a people.

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[1] Luke 6:21

[2] Matthew 6:8

[3] John 14:2

Chapter 9, Part 3

Prayer

“Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always
ought to pray and not lose heart.”
Luke 18:1

The next tool to overcome this epidemic is prayer. For some reason many in the modern church and many modern Christians feel that praying is doing nothing. The value of prayer is no longer recognized nor is its power. We have lost faith in its effect on our lives and on the world. Our Lord said men ought to pray always and gave a parable to illustrate the point. He spoke of a woman who cried out for justice from an unjust judge and because of her constant pleas he granted her request. He goes on to say, “And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes will He really find faith on the earth.”[1]

So we are to pray continuously. We are to put our case for others before God day and night. This is part of our surrender to God that we do not rely on our own efforts. We should allow God to fix this fallen world and not think that our efforts will succeed without the guidance of God. We should not think that our wisdom and our ways are better than the wisdom and ways of God. God has a plan for this world and our job is to not attempt to substitute our plan for God’s, but to follow God’s plan. The problem for many is that God moves too slow for them. They require speedy results. The parable speaks of God bearing long with us or being patient with us. The thing is that we do not have patience to see God work. If God does not work on our timetable, we go with plan B. We have already discussed earlier how our plan B’s have worked out for us. For an example let us look at the abortion question, there are those who feel they have a right to bomb clinics and kill innocents. Where does God say that we have the right to kill to save? The people doing the violence proclaim to be born again Christians. They have replaced the Word of God with the passion of man. Is it wrong to abort a fetus? In my opinion, the answer is yes. God says to pray for them not to kill them.

One of the main reasons prayer has lost its power is because we have lost our faith in prayer. Our Lord was continuously in prayer.[2] The Bible speaks of Abraham who prayed and a whole family was healed.[3] Not only have many lost their faith in prayer, many no longer have the obedience to pray. So many today believe that Christ did not have any commandments, so there is no need for obedience. Many in the modern church should realize that there is power in obedience. We can do all the things that Christ said we would be able to do if we could only learn to obey. The reason Christ was able to accomplish all He did was that He obeyed the Father in all He did. He only did what the Father commanded Him to do. Today because of our “so-called” medical and social professionals, many have diluted the Word of God. There is now this “easy gospel” where if you do not agree with the Word of God keep shopping until you find a church that says what you want to hear. The pitfall of creating your own religion is you can make it anyway you want it to be. Prayer has become the lost gift of the church. In the beginning everything was done by prayer. The scriptures say that, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers.[4] So we see that the earliest believers were steadfast in prayer and following the teachings of Christ through the apostles. Why do many today think it will be any different for us. I do not think we can overestimate the power of prayer for changing not just the world, but our hearts and minds.

Prayers most important work is not to change the world, although it does that. Its most important work is changing us. It is to bring our thoughts and hearts into the will of God, that we may serve Him and not the other way around. Many prayers today are not for us to be of service to God, but to have God be of service to us. Oh God we need this or that, we need a miracle or some blessing. The apostle Paul did not pray for wants he said, “…whatever state I am in I need to be content.”[5] Do not change the world God, change me. How many of us pray in this fashion? And we wonder why we do not have any power.

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[1] Luke 18:7,8

[2] Luke 22:39

[3] Genesis 20:17

[4] Acts 2:42

[5] Philippians 4:11

Chapter 9, Part 2

One of two things has to be taking place. Either we do not believe that God has the power to prevent us from sinning or we believe it and either do not care or will not allow that power to work in our lives. In order for this power to work we have to allow it to work in our lives, allow being the optimum word. We must cooperate with the Spirit to not only stop us from fornicating but every other sin that we are caught up in. If we know that God has that power but refuse to allow it to work, then we will face the ultimate judgment of God. When we begin this relationship with God, we are given the Holy Spirit through baptism. God interacts with us through His Spirit. This is why Christ said there is one sin that God will not forgive, to blaspheme the Holy Spirit.[1] If there is no Holy Spirit, there is no God.

The beginning of our turning away from the world and our sinfulness is turning towards God. Christ spoke of us having a personal relationship with the Father through Him.[2] That as the Father and the Son are one, so we are one with them. It does not say that they are the same person; it says that they and we are one. Christ told us how God even has the very hairs of our head numbered, sounds as though God already has a very personal knowledge of us.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy
laden and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28

Christ beckons us to Him so that we may find rest from the troubles of this world. He calls us to fellowship with Him and the Father. In order to halt this epidemic of fornication and lawlessness we must have this relationship. None of the man-made solutions; conferences, and wisdom will stop it. Man’s solution is to hand out condoms and birth control pills, which is basically admitting defeat to the enemy. We refuse to use the power that God has so richly given us. We surrender to the worldly wisdom of psychiatrist and social workers, looking to the world to solve the problem of sin. Sin is disobedience to God; period. It is not like just saying no, it is in our very nature. There is no man-made solution for changing our nature. Man reforms, but only God can transform.[3] Man’s reformation is temporary; we reform to accomplish some selfish goal. To get a spouse back, to get out of jail, or to be healed from some dreaded disease. On the other hand, God’s transformation is eternal. When God begins to do a good work, He will not stop until it is completed.[4]

What is a relationship? A relationship is the connection between people. That relationship can be by blood, love, or friendship. Blood relationships, we cannot do anything about. We do not choose our families. Love and friends though, we decide.

How do I develop a relationship? The closest thing we have to the relationship with God in the material world is the relationship we have with our loved ones. Let us use the relationship we have developed with our spouses as an example of how to build a relationship. When you first saw your spouse or loved one what did you do. For most of us we began by talking to them. We then chose to spend time with them. Followed by us allowing them to get to know us, and our getting to know them.

Well in a very similar way, that is how we begin a relationship with the Father. We begin by talking to God or communing with God. I say communing because in truth you do not even have to speak to God. God is spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.[5] I go into this more in the prayer section. God is not impressed by our words, our eloquence of speech no matter how spiritual they may be. God is interested in our hearts. The true test of a deep relationship with God is not in word, but in deed. How often has someone told us they loved us only to disappoint us in their behavior later? We can make our mouths say anything. We want to be judged by our words and not by our actions. In our relationship with God, our words are meaningless. You cannot build a long-term relationship based on lies.

We should begin as a people to spend more time with the Father in true fellowship. We sometimes rely on those fleshly emotional outbursts as proof of our fellowship with God, but I would venture that in deep fellowship with God there are times of silence. We should look more for that type of worship and less to the type that excites our flesh. God is not swayed by our emotionalism; He is moved by our quiet obedience. The enemy has done a good job of distracting us with all the activities of this modern life. It is not the earthly pleasures that the enemy uses alone, he also uses our “churchly” activities. The harvest of the world is God’s, not ours. We pray to the God of the harvest.[6] The enemy in his cunningness has convinced many Christians that their many activities are needed for God to accomplish His mission. When in fact what God is seeking are people who will spend time in His presence bringing the concerns of others before Him. The work of man is for man. The work we are given is to give our lives meaning and to prepare us for our time with the Father. The work is designed to develop character and characteristics that we will need in His kingdom. We spend time with those we want to build a relationship with. Check your schedule. What you spend time doing is what you love, whether that be a person, place, or thing.

As you spend time with the Father you will begin to learn the true character of the Father. He will reveal Himself to you in ways you did not think possible. His Word says He will answer us and show us great and mighty things that we do not know.[7] If you want the Father to reveal Himself to you spend time with Him as His son did. Christ spent time with the Father alone and often. He remained in constant contact and dependence with the Father. Who knew the Father better than the Son and vice versa? In order for someone to get to know us we must be willing to open up and share ourselves with them. In addition, we must be willing to listen to them. When we meet our loved ones we could not do all the talking, we had to listen as well. Are you listening to the Father? In order to listen we must learn to quiet our minds and all the distractions of this world. The Father speaks in a still small voice.[8] He will not scream over the noise of this world. You should be willing to listen and seek Him diligently. The problem with many is that they require an instantaneous sense of gratification. The modern Christian knows little of discomfort, always looking for some sensory pleasure.

We love the noise, but not the silence. We enjoy the sensory pleasure of the music and the choir, but not the quiet of waiting patiently before Him. This true relationship is one, which can endure the silence with peace. The Word says be anxious for nothing.[9] Always, as much as you can be, be at peace within yourself. He who knows the Father knows peace, because the Father gives peace to those whose thoughts are on Him.[10]

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[1] Matthew 12:32

[2] John 17:21

[3] Romans 12:2

[4] Philippians 1:6

[5] John

[6] Matthew 9:38

[7] Jeremiah 33:3

[8] Samuel

[9] 1 Corinthians

[10] Isaiah

Chapter 9, Part 1 How Do We Break The Cycle?

How Do We Break The Cycle?

So how do we as a people begin the process of reversing this epidemic that has caused so much destruction and devastation in our communities? Can we stop what seems to be an insurmountable problem? Do we want to stop it? We in and of ourselves can not stem the tide of this epidemic, it will only be arrested by the supernatural power of God.

“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.”
Romans 8:5

We who have been living after the flesh, how shall we now live in the spirit? We can not, without the power of the Spirit of God born in us through the death of our old nature or old man. It is this power of the redemptive work of Christ that frees us from the death sentence that we deserve. So what shall we do? We can begin to incorporate a few principals in our lives that can lead to change. A change that will not only benefit us, but more importantly our children. I pray that you will consider these principles with an open mind and begin to instruct others in their application. They are all spiritually based and come directly from the Word of God. I hope that they will help our people and our nation to turn back from the edge of the abyss that we seem intent on going over. If we want to live after the spirit there is work we need to be doing. Here are ten principals to developing a more spiritual way of life and hopefully a closer relationship with God.

1) Relationship with Christ

2) Prayer Life

3) Confession of Sin

4) Repent of Sin

5) The Word of God

6) Live in the Spirit

7) Change Thoughts

8) Resist Temptation

9) Fellowship with Believers

10) Marriage

I believe that if we as a people began to use these ten principals, we will not only stop this epidemic of fornication, but also the lawlessness that now permeates our communities. The time for doing nothing has passed for too long we have turned our backs pretending this was not a problem or a problem others had to fix. I once read somewhere, “How can one man lynch another man?” He cannot without the silence of other “so-called” good men. We can no longer be silent to this destruction. Our children’s very lives are at stake. Let us put aside our petty differences and come together with one voice to cry out against this tragedy.

Relationship With Christ
“But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in
that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8

Every time I read or say this verse my heart is overwhelmed with gratitude and conviction. When I could care less about God, when we were in the midst of our fornication, drug/alcohol abusing, adultery, lying, cheating, stealing, coveting, envying, murdering, and any of our other sinfulness, Jesus Christ died for us. This is the essence and beginning of our new relationship with the living God. We love Him because He first loved us.[1] All that we read, hear, and know about God is designed for one purpose. That purpose is to develop a relationship with God. Our purpose on this earth was and continues to be to fellowship with God. Did God need man to help the earth produce fruit? I think not, God wanted a species that He could commune with. It is no accident that we are the only species that aspires to know God. If evolution is true then show me the link between humans and the other animals. There should be some species that connects us to the rest of the animal world. As much as they try, the best they can come up with is the primates and they are a giant leap from man. Conveniently, of course there is not one, it has vanished.

Why is our relationship with God so important? The scriptures reveal that it is this relationship with God that gives us the power we need to overcome our sinful natures.[2] When Adam sinned, he not only broke his fellowship with God, but ours as well. We are born into sin and only God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ can overcome that sin nature. We can never do it ourselves. If we could there would be no need for the ultimate sacrifice. How many times do we tell ourselves we are not going to continue in a particular sin only to find ourselves doing it again. And it seems that the harder we try to stop doing it by our own power the more we do it. The apostle Paul says, “That what I want to do I cannot do and what I do not want to do that is what I do.”[3] Our Lord understood this by His being fully human and suffering temptation. Through His own temptation He is our supporter before God, the Father. That is why He said that the Father would send a Helper with power. If God has the power to raise the dead, does He also have the power to keep us from stealing, lying, and fornicating? Of course He does. So if He has the power why do we continue to live in this sinful state?

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[1] 1 John 4:19

[2] Luke 24:49

[3] Romans 7:19

Chapter 8, Part 6

Ministers of God, we should recognize the damage that fornication is doing to our people. At the rate we are going today there will not be many men left in our communities. We have been an endangered species for some time now. They will either be killed or locked up for many years. We should change how we do things. We should get out from behind the pulpits and get out into the streets. We are at war and under siege. Unfortunately many of us have been cowardice instead of being warriors for God. The Lord says He is with us mighty warriors.[1] We should begin to take the offensive and take back our communities one soul at a time. We have surrendered too much of our communities to the enemy. We have allowed the enemy to keep us captive in our own homes and churches. We should start a nationwide effort to stop this lawlessness that has overtaken our communities. We can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to what is taking place before us in our communities. The change has to begin with the Church. Why the Church you wonder, because our fight is not against flesh and blood, but rulers of darkness of this world.[2] It is going to take an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to overcome this atmosphere of sinfulness and rebelliousness. It is not going to come from the politicians, police, or any government agency. It has to come from the people of God. We must overcome our fear and complacency. Remember these are our children, they are angry and some of them are frightening, but they are still our children and our grandchildren. It is time for us to step up as a community to show them the love they so desperately are seeking. Sometimes love is tough and comes with discipline, so we must be willing to do what it takes to save our children from themselves. To save our people.

“For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, and
people should seek the law from his mouth; For he
is the messenger of the LORD of hosts, but you
have departed from the way; You have caused
many to stumble at the law.”
Malachi 2:78

What is the message that you as a spokesperson for God are sending? Are you crying out against the sin that is being placed right before your eyes? Because of silence to the breaking of the law many are being led astray. The “easy gospel” has many in the Church on the fast track to hell. We should impart to the sheep of God, especially the young ones that obedience is love. We follow the Word of God not out of obligation but out of love.

“Again the kingdom of God is like a dragnet that was cast
into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which when
it was full, they drew to shore; and they gathered the good
into vessels, but threw the bad away.”
Matthew 13:46,47

In an effort to keep the seats full, many modern churches have cast such a wide net that they have allowed all manor of persons into the boat. In the parable all were gathered, but there was a separation once they got to shore. Because many modern churches now gauge their success by the world’s standards: most bodies in the pew, most money in the plate, or biggest building, there has been no separation. Now the pews are full of blatant sin. As the apostle Paul urged the church of Corinth in his first letter we can not allow blatant sin to go unchallenged.[3] Not only have some churches turned a blind eye to the blatant sin, they are putting those people who practice this blatant sin in positions of authority in the body. We are never to measure our success by the standards of the world. Following God must never be based on popularity or on numbers, it is based on the revealed Word of God. We are called to preach to a fallen world the risen Christ. This does not mean that we ignore sin in our midst, on the contrary we must be ever vigilant and vocal. This is not to say that we impose our will on others, God has never imposed His will on us. What gives some people the right to try to impose their version of the truth on others? This is why organized religion has done more to corrupt the world than to save the world. We do not impose the Word of God at the end of a gun. We present the Word and let God take care of the results. If there are those who choose to ignore the truth that is between their God and them. Who among us can judge the hearts of another? It is up to the mature Christian to teach the babes.

When the end comes there will be a separation of the wicked from the just. I pray that you will all be counted among the just, but that requires a complete surrender to God. As the Son completely surrendered to the Father so we must do likewise. Our Lord preached and walked among the sinners, yet did not sin. He confronted sin whenever He saw it and spoke out against it. Never did the Lord impose Himself on those He healed, he always ask what is it that you would have me do? We in the Church should do the same.

A church is a community of brothers and sisters who share love with one another and with Christ Jesus, the Head of the Church. Share the love of Christ and His hatred of sin. Christ is our example of how to love the sinner and still hate the sin. His example to us is not to judge and condemn others, because who are we to judge? The path to the Kingdom of Heaven is narrow, because on the one side we have sinfulness and on the other side is self-righteousness. Both are snares to the followers of Christ. For the Church, self-righteousness is the greater plague. In the days of our Lord they were known as Sadducees and Pharisees.[4] In their efforts to be pious they elevated the traditions of man over the commandments of God. They created all of these man made laws and gave them the same status as the commandments of God. True spiritual power is found in the heart of one believer who through the power of God’s Spirit is able to follow the teachings of Christ, not in all these rituals of the church with all there pomp and circumstance. It is when that one believer realizes and accepts his need for complete dependence on God that the true redemption takes place. Instead the Church has created stumbling blocks to keep the believers from the laws of God.

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[1] Judges 6:12

[2] Ephesians 6:12

[3] 1 Corinthians 5:9

[4] Matthew 16:6

Chapter 8 Part 5

“God who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord
of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.”
Acts 17:24

So where does God dwell? If God does not dwell in temples or churches of stone, He must dwell somewhere. Does God need a building to dwell in?

“To them God willed to make known what are the riches
of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles! Which
is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
1 Corinthians 1:27

If I am not mistaken it says that God dwells in you and in me. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit lives in each and every one of us who have truly surrendered to God.[1] Therefore if I am the temple of the Holy Spirit and a part of God does live within me, why do I need the Church to justify me? The scriptures say that to us is given the mystery. So up until that time no one else knew that Christ lived in us. So what do we do with this precious knowledge? Does the modern church preach this knowledge? Unfortunately, many do not! Many are afraid that the Word of God is too dangerous for mere lay people to have without the guidance of the Church. Besides, who would fill all those mega churches? Who would pay for all those television personalities? In addition, of course we have all those private jets and limousines that need to be paid for. This is not how the early Church was created. In the beginning true believers met in their homes and shared what they had among each other. Do not think that I am advocating not attending church, for that would be the other side of the same coin. The Bible teaches us that we should not neglect coming together to worship and pray, but more importantly to exhort and encourage one another.[2] Imagine how different our lives would be as well as the lives of our children if we met like that today. You and your pastor would have a relationship like Christ with His followers. He would know you and your children and could truly minister to you in a very personal way. Remember the Kingdom of God is about relationships.

I may claim a relationship with Halle Berry, but if I have never spoken with her, never met her, or never spent anytime with her what kind of a relationship do I have? Do we even have a relationship? This is not a relationship; this is stalking! This is the type of relationship many of us have with our church and with God. We attend but we do not know anyone more than superficially. We do not talk to anyone or no one knows what struggles we are going through. God has a place for everyone, pray to God that He may lead you to the place He wants you to be. For some it will be to leave your current place of comfort and go someplace else. Be sensitive to His Spirit, it may be to help out a group of struggling believers to grow. I do not know what God has planned for you, but I pray that you are open-minded to what He is saying and where He is leading you.

“But Peter and John answered and said to them, ‘Whether it is right
in the sight of God, to listen to you more than to God, you judge’,
For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”
Acts 4:19,20

We are called to simply preach what God has shown us and spoken to us through His Word. Instead there are many preachers who are preaching the world. They take isolated verses of scripture and interpret them to fit their worldly view of things. I have heard preachers read one verse and preach on it for an hour. I realize that the Word of God is profound, but I am not sure that each verse requires such an in-depth dissertation. The Bible much like any other book when taken out of context can be used to rationalize any number of behaviors. Many times this has occurred in our history, you have had men who have used the Bible to justify their desire to enslave their brothers or to say that some humans are more human than others. That is like the proposition that some tigers are more tigery than others, how preposterous would that be? Who would take any biologist seriously that made a claim like that? In my opinion if more of our preachers would stick to preaching the Word of God and not this “easy gospel” many of our sinful epidemics would not be epidemics at all.

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[1] Acts 2:38

[2] 1 Timothy

Chapter 8 Part 4

The whole basis of our spirituality is not theological, but relational. The key not only to our eternal, but carnal lives is our relationship with our God, through our risen Savior, Christ. Our Lord said, “At that day you will know that I am in the Father and you in Me and I in you.”[1] He goes on to say, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”[2][3] Many churches in an effort to keep or attract new members are preaching what I call the “easy gospel”. What is the “easy gospel”? It is any gospel that does not include the need for followers of Christ Jesus to obey the laws of the Kingdom of God. Grace can never be preached excluding the obedience that it must produce. Our Lord preached many times that those who loved Him would obey Him.[4] Where is the obedience today? Today it is for many all sizzle and no steak. We want to sing and dance and get the emotional high without the true life change. We want to still be able to fornicate, go to the casino, and cheat in business and still proclaim to be good Christian folk. The “easy gospel” allows that. The “easy gospel” preacher does not care about the final destination of the flock only that the flock follows him. Our Lord spoke of the “hireling” who when confronted by the wolf leaves the sheep to fend for themselves, because he really does not care about the sheep.[5] Only He is the good shepherd, because He died for the sheep. Do not be fooled by this “easy gospel” it is not of the Lord. It is not Biblically based; it is some watered down version of someone’s imagination. We can wax poetically all day about the merits and morals of this doctrine or that one, but in the final analysis, it will be our obedience to the Lord that will determine our fate.

If you have departed from the way it is not to late to come back to the truth, to preach the true gospel of our Father’s Kingdom. The gospel that Jesus Christ and His disciples preached. Each of us is responsible for the doctrine that we teach, if the doctrine you are teaching is not based on the Rock of the Word you might want to reconsider teaching it. Ignorance will not be an excuse with God. He will still hold you accountable. Many preach about a Christ who only wants worship and adoration with no consequences for sinful behavior. He does not punish sin and certainly does not have any commandments. If this is the Christ, you worship or preach, you are following a false Christ. I pray that you begin to start a real relationship with the true Christ in the scriptures. Not some make believe Christ from someone’s imagination.

“If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good
minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith
and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed.”
1 Timothy 4:6

We who love the Church should begin to bring back the true doctrines of Christ and preach them no matter what the cost. That begins with one temple, one soul at a time. We should once again preach honor of the temple of the Holy Spirit. To no longer defile the temple with fleshly desires. To keep the temple pure and not follow after the world. For the world leads the way to destruction and death, but true gospel leads to life. Let us seek after life, for this is the will of God for all of us. Do not be misled by this “easy gospel” that lulls many into a false sense of hope. Christ never said the path would be easy, on the contrary He warned of its difficulty. He likened it to carrying a cross daily.[6] How anyone can take this saying and conclude that following Christ is easy, is beyond my comprehension. We struggle daily against the ruler of this world and against our own flesh. Also, we have it hard because we live in a country where you turn on the television and see all of this “stuff” and all these “celebrities” telling you to buy this thing or that thing. They induce the covetousness that leads many to sin. If this indeed were God’s country would be setting so many stumbling blocks in front of our brothers? It is amazing how we are care so much about the unborn and so little about the children that are born. We love the unborn until they are born.

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[1] John 14:20

[2] John 14:21

[3] Galatians 1:7

[4] John 14:15

[5] John 10:12,13

[6] Luke 9:23

Chapter 8 Part 3

Has fornication produced millions of mitigating circumstances? Of course it has and each and everyone of them are precious and of value to God. Nevertheless, this continual sinning against God must be halted. What kingdom is being preached that allows its citizens to blatantly break its laws. Do any of our churches preach that their members should blatantly disobey the laws of this country? Why then is it all right to preach that we can disobey the laws of God’s Kingdom? When Christ healed the afflicted his command to them was to go and sin no more.[1] Is that your message as a disciple of Christ? Part of God’s plan of salvation is the condemnation and repentance from sin. If every year you are blessing another fatherless child out of wedlock from the same mother, what then is your message? The apostle Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians, that sin must be addressed.[2] Today we have church leaders openly preaching fornication, openly promoting young people living together out of wedlock, and elevating persons involved in these immoral relationships to positions of authority in the church. Just because our culture of today promotes this behavior as healthy and normal does not excuse the church from its responsibility to stand for God’s law no matter what the world says. The modern church should remember that it is through spirituality that we affect the world. It is through these spiritual gifts that God blesses the Church and through the Church the world. If the Church were to harness those gifts God has provided and through the power of the Holy Spirit utilizes them this world would be truly changed for the better.

Today just like almost 2000 years ago the gift of tongues appears to cause controversy for the church, especially in the black Church. Because of its being the focal point of the worship service in many churches, other gifts tend to suffer. The apostle Paul says the gift that should be developed and emphasized is prophesy. Which is the ability to explain and speak on the Scriptures, to use the Word of God to bring comfort, lifting up, and encouraging the listener. If there were more emphasis on that gift maybe, there would be more emphasis on the Word of God and also, on it’s ability to help a fallen world.

“For the love of money is the root of all kinds
of evil, for which some have strayed from the
faith in their greediness and pierced themselves
through with many sorrows.”
1 Timothy 6:10

There is a false doctrine being promoted by many preachers, it is known as the ministry of prosperity. It is a direct contradiction to the Word of God. It says that God wants everyone to be rich, resembling the preachers promoting it. The scriptures speak of knowing a tree by the fruit it bears. You know that these shepherds are incorrect because they are more interested in the wool from the sheep and not the sheep themselves. These ministers are more concerned about prospering their members than saving them. What shall they give in exchange for their souls? Instead of preaching the true gospel of Christ, they preach the gospel of the world. You have many of these mega churches and televangelists preaching prosperity and not the commandments of God. They seem unconcerned with how the sheep are living as long as they continue to produce wool.

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[1] Matthew

[2] 1 Corinthians 5:5

Chapter 8, Part 2

For example racism, except for a few smaller congregations no major denominations denounce the practice of slavery or its later counterpart segregation (Jim Crow). Moreover, many of those that did renounce slavery still thought that some men were more human than others were. It was not revelation of the scriptures that convinced them of their error; it was that the civil laws changed. If the secular world had not changed the laws, the church would not have changed. In addition, largely we are still a divided church along racial lines. How are we planning to worship the same God in heaven when we cannot worship together on earth? We are still caught up in carnality and flesh.

I know there will be some “church folks” who are going to attack me. They will say I am not from any denomination or seminary, and my past life was a sinner’s delight. However, what has happened is that the church has replaced what one learns from God, with what the church says about God. The church has mandated that every preacher must obtain a license. Christ was asked by what authority He preached and taught as well.[1] I don’t claim to be a spiritual giant or some biblical scholar. I am just a simple man whom God has placed a burden on to write about a subject, which is killing my people. Of course, God has never used simple, fallen men to deliver His message in the past. Besides, there is no way I could study the Word of God and come up with any spiritual truths without translations and instruction from the church, is there?

“And in vain they worship Me, teaching as
doctrines the commandments of men”
Matthew 15:9

Many churches have replaced the laws of God with the laws of man. It is now acceptable for Christians to accumulate great wealth, fight in wars, divorce for any and all reasons, and commit almost any sin in the name of following the orders of this earthly kingdom. We are placing the laws of man above the known teachings of God through Christ. So long as some worldly official orders us to do it, it removes our responsibility to follow God. We become absolved of any complicity in the matter. Well I do not believe that for a moment and any Christian truly familiar with the teachings of Christ would not either. True worship requires true obedience. Not to the laws of man, but to the laws of God. We continue to offer false worship in word only, but without any power. Without obedience there is no power. The modern church has lost its power due to lack of obedience. It is becoming obsolete for what God created it for through lack of obedience. The church does not teach obedience because it is not being obedient. Repent all you shepherds who are leading your flocks astray. Remember those sheep do not belong to you. The one true Shepherd will return and seek what is His. Let those with ears to hear, let them hear.

The problem with the modern church is its silence on so many of the issues facing many believers. By being silent it implies approval or unconcern at the very least. The church should once again condemn the sins of this world in a loud clear voice. This fornication should be condemn in no uncertain terms. This allowing our young women to have multiple illegitimate babies without any condemnation should stop. How can you as a shepherd continue to allow blatant sin to continue within your flock? You should begin to once again preach the Word of God, which is purity and abstinence until marriage. We now have deacons and church leaders who are living with women they are not married to and fathering children. I cannot remember the last time I have heard a sermon on fornication and the responsibilities of obeying Christ. It is getting to the place in this country where we have more people living in sin than living in marriage. The Bible teaches us that we must learn to abhor sin.[2] We are to hate the sin. Our Lord has said that we are to love everyone, so we love the sinner and hate the sin. In our effort to love the sinner, we have forgotten about the sin. It is like if someone steals something to eat because they are hungry; we want to acknowledge their hunger as a mitigating factor. However, before we consider that fact we must first recognize the sin. Stealing is against God’s law for any reason. It is not written that you must not steal for profit, it is written that you must not steal.

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[1] Matthew 21:23

[2] Romans 12:9

Chapter 7 Part 9 & Chapter 8 Part 1 The Church

Children need our direction and our support. More than anything, they should have our time and our experiences. We should spend more time with them sharing how they might avoid our mistakes. We should have those who have fallen to come and share their consequences with the younger ones. Simply to show them that you can choose what you want, but these are the consequences. All we should do is present them with the truth and let them decide. No scare tactics or false promises, just give them the facts. I believe that if given the facts, the truth, our children will make the right decisions. The problem is that we hide those who have fallen and present a false sense of reality. People fall, we all do. Let the children see and talk to pregnant unwed mothers and talk to single parents. Let them see the struggles and hear first hand what awaits the choices they make. Let them see the results of fornication without moralizing, but in its pure form. It is funny how we use these techniques for the symptoms (drug/alcohol abuse, crime, and anger) but not for the true cause; fornication. We should be willing to try new approaches to break this cycle. The old ways are obviously not working.

CHAPTER 8

The Church*

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because
you have rejected knowledge. I also reject you from
being a priest for Me; Because you have forgotten
the law of your God. I also will forget your children.”
Hosea 4:6

I would be remiss if I did not make mention of what I believe has been one of the enablers of this epidemic of fornication. Unfortunately, it is the institution that should have helped to curb its effects. The church because of its failure to condemn sin has allowed the problem to escalate. Due to its public silence on this issue, many have taken that silence to mean there has been a change in God’s laws. In its efforts to embrace the world, some churches have forsaken the Word and the laws of God. The church was suppose to give the people knowledge of God and His commandments, instead the modern church has developed this doctrine of complete grace. In other words, they preach only part of the Gospel. They preach that Christ is savior, but not Lord. Yes, Christ died for our sins, but we must also obey Him. This complete grace is not the Gospel of Christ. The gospel of the early Church spoke of the Kingdom of God, that Kingdom has laws like every other kingdom. As citizens of this or any kingdom, we must obey its laws. It is that simple. Anyone preaching anything other than this should beware. Many of today’s mainstream churches preach this grace only gospel. It is easy and sounds nice. It is this preaching that allows this country to claim 90% believers in God, yet lead the world in all the sinful categories. We preach the dying, but not the living. The Bible says we serve the God of the living.[1] The church should set the example for the world, not the other way around. The modern church follows the lead of the world. True Christianity is not based on opinion polls or political correctness, it is based on the risen Christ. Is there any doubt that Jesus Christ left us with commandments? If so, why are we not teaching and obeying them? Has God suddenly for this age changed His mind after thousands of years? Has there been some new revelation that now discounts the commandments of God? The Bible that I read says, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever.[2] The church has allowed itself to be corrupted by the world.

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* The term church is used to describe the mainstream church, there are many churches who are trying to follow the true teachings of Christ.

[1] Matthew 22:32

[2] Hebrews 13:8

Chapter 7 Part 8

The ruler of this world is falling and he knows that his time in this world is short.[1] He is working to steal, kill, and destroy all those he can.[2] He is like a roaring lion seeking whomever he can devour.[3] My little ones do not fall for his tricks, do not allow the media to mislead you. Do not keep company with those who are chasing after the world. They will only lead you astray. The fallen of this world want to get as many as they can to join them. Once you have fallen, you are no longer important. You are only valuable to them so long as you have your purity, so long as you have something that can be taken. Once you lose it, you are now just another “hootchie”. It is exciting to have all the attention, but the attention you are receiving is not real. It is not about who you are, it is about what you have that they want and once gotten from you, you are of no more use. Do not surrender to the world, surrender instead to God.

You are the future mothers of our people. Be strong and be patient. God has a special person for you, someone who will love you and treasure you. Nevertheless, you must wait for them. In this microwave world it seems difficult to wait for anything. Why should you? Your future happiness will depend on it. The reason so many marriages are not lasting today is because many of the participants are arriving already defiled. Therefore they are defiling the perfect institution of marriage that God created. The institution of marriage is not defiled, but the modern participants are. Today not only is the institution of marriage under siege by the gay and lesbian community, but I believe a greater problem is the heterosexual fornication that is going on throughout our society. Where is the outcry of the religious right against fornication? Where are all the demonstrations and denunciations against this threat? Surely, it is a greater threat to the sanctity of marriage than gays. I would ask anyone to do a study on the number of divorces in this country compared to the level of fornication in each generation. I believe they will find a direct correlation between the rising divorce rate and the number of people who defile themselves prior to marriage. The reason our Lord taught against remarriage is because the person once having been with another has become defiled for the original marriage partner.

Also, because of the transformation that takes place during sexual relations there is a transfer of not only the sanctity of ones body, but also of ones loyalty and trust. That trust once broken is difficult if not impossible to recover. When a woman is intimate with a man, especially for the first time, she becomes very loyal and protecting of that man. She will defend him against anyone and everyone, even her family and friends. As the number of sex partners increases the loyalty factor decreases. Loyalty is a key component of marriage, without it the marriage is not stable. Marriage is a tough proposition when everything is done right in today’s society. There are so many obstacles to a marriage surviving, we need to give ourselves every chance to succeed. One of the most powerful tools we bring to a marriage is purity. Our loyalty at that time is unquestionably to our partners.

Parents teach your children purity. Do not surrender them to the world or the logic of the world. Do not let the world convince you that you can not stop them from “experimenting” or having sex. You can, it just requires your interaction and intervention. You will just have to get up off the couch and teach them and train them in the right way to go. Even if you were not pure, surely we can all understand and agree on the value of being so at the time of marriage.

“And teach them to your children and your grandchildren.”
Deuteronomy 4:9

Children are to learn from their parents. Somehow, today we have decided that this responsibility has fallen to others. Instead of teaching our children ourselves, we think they should learn from the television, or their peers, or the athletes and entertainers. We have neglected the spiritual upbringing of our children, we have "farmed out" the job to the schools, the media, anybody but us. The moral education of our children is almost non-existent today. The schools are no longer allowed to impart any values outside the “worldly” values of consumerism. The teaching of creation is all but outlawed. We have taken away the foundation of wisdom by allowing them to believe that the world came from nothing and is speeding along to nowhere. If this is what they have to look forward to it is no wonder they have no moral compass. I can understand the world promoting this view, but we have churches promoting it as well. They teach a watered down version of the origin of the world to appear logical to the world. Instead of changing the world we are allowing the world to change the Church to be more “modern”. Everything modern is not good, many people have replaced God with technology.

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[1] Revelations 12:12

[2] John 10:10

[3] 1 Peter 4:8