I just saw an e-mail titled Church Attendance .... and it made me think...
I once was a regular in church at a small town congregation where everyone knew everyone else.
I knew many people who went to church every Sunday and every Christian Holy day... However, they were not always very "Christian" the rest of the week. I feel it is very fair to say that Church Attendance does not equate to living a Christian Life!
I have met many a person who never attends church and yet they are some of the most loving, kind, giving souls you could hope to meet. They keep HIM in their hearts every moment of every day.... That is Christian Living.
Church attendance is not necessarily a requirement to live a Christian life... Some people only show up on Sunday for show.
I spent many years at odds with Christianity because I could not justify the hypocrisy. I simply could not understand why anyone who went to church regularly would do some of the things I was seeing every other day but Sunday. I gradually drifted away from the church because it was so profoundly disgusting to me that people could claim to be Christians and then turn around and rob, cheat, and lie so easily.
I eventually came to realize that there was only one person I could change... Myself. In this realization, I discovered that if I were to make a difference it would only be by example. I was challenged again by my own demons. I could not be a Holy man if I, myself were living the same hypocrisy I had come to despise.
When I became an Ordained Minister, I did so with every intention of living fully in what I saw to be a Christian way. However, because I am human, I have sinned and erred in my ways. That is why, I, in good conscience cannot stand before a congregation and minister. I feel that while I may be able to minister to the individual, having been honest of my short comings first; I am unfit to preach to the masses. I work daily to be the Christian Minister I would go to worship with... But, until I am satisfied with my self, I will not set foot to the pulpit.
God allows us to be tempted as a test of faith. To live the Christian Life it is understandable that one would stumble and sin now and then. It is to be expected, we are not perfect, we are human.
However, to live a sinners life six days a week and show up on Sunday to sing the loudest and scream Hallelujah does not make a Christian.... Just Saying.... Glory be to God , praise HIM, and cherish those who follow him with TRUE FAITH, rather they attend church or not.... Reverend William Francis Martin.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Blind faith...
Many times in my life I have stumbled along. I have never really had a sense of where I belonged or where I was going. I only found out early this year that I am Bi-Polar. The diagnosis goes a long way to explain my life, but FAITH goes farther....
I "feel" my way through life. Meaning that if it feels right then I tend to go with the flow. I think of it as living on "Blind Faith."
I have always had a strong pull to religion, and I believe wholeheartedly in God as a teacher, healer, and as a protector, and provider. My FAITH tells me when I'm on the right path or the wrong one. I read scripture and pray pretty regularly; but, I rely personally on my instinct. Knowing that GOD will reign me in if I stray too far. I base all of my choices and decisions on FAITH.
Our Lord, Jesus, healed the sick, and stood for the weak... HE provided for the hungry, and HE did it all in FAITH for the sake of HIS Father. Should I do less? I think not.
Oh, I have my short comings. I am a Sinner! I accept this, and ask forgiveness when I know I have stepped out of bounds! Even as a Minister, it is easy to forget ones' self in this material world! It is easy to get caught up in the daily drama and such... The trick is in finding your way back to HIM.
I must admit that I could ever improve. I am not necessarily the greatest son to my earthly Father, let alone my Heavenly FATHER... I am flawed, and so, each day I try to be better than who I was yesterday. My FAITH guides me.... Blindly, I follow HIM. Blindly, and without doubt of HIM, I follow. When I begin to doubt HIM, it is because I doubt my self. I know where to look for the root of the problem. It is not next door or my neighbor downstairs... It is within my self. I have to stop and see what I am doing and check to see if it is right with HIM. It is the sign that I need to check in.
Enough of my rambling for tonight... But remember that if you find yourself questioning HIM, you should look at yourself... You may be doing, or have done something that requires some real amends to be made. Perhaps you simply have not done something you know you should have... GOD'S LOVE is Perfect, HE understands when we make mistakes... but amends must be made... HE WILL FORGIVE... The hard part is in Forgiving yourself....
Good night and Blessed Be in the name of our LORD, Jesus! AMEN
I "feel" my way through life. Meaning that if it feels right then I tend to go with the flow. I think of it as living on "Blind Faith."
I have always had a strong pull to religion, and I believe wholeheartedly in God as a teacher, healer, and as a protector, and provider. My FAITH tells me when I'm on the right path or the wrong one. I read scripture and pray pretty regularly; but, I rely personally on my instinct. Knowing that GOD will reign me in if I stray too far. I base all of my choices and decisions on FAITH.
Our Lord, Jesus, healed the sick, and stood for the weak... HE provided for the hungry, and HE did it all in FAITH for the sake of HIS Father. Should I do less? I think not.
Oh, I have my short comings. I am a Sinner! I accept this, and ask forgiveness when I know I have stepped out of bounds! Even as a Minister, it is easy to forget ones' self in this material world! It is easy to get caught up in the daily drama and such... The trick is in finding your way back to HIM.
I must admit that I could ever improve. I am not necessarily the greatest son to my earthly Father, let alone my Heavenly FATHER... I am flawed, and so, each day I try to be better than who I was yesterday. My FAITH guides me.... Blindly, I follow HIM. Blindly, and without doubt of HIM, I follow. When I begin to doubt HIM, it is because I doubt my self. I know where to look for the root of the problem. It is not next door or my neighbor downstairs... It is within my self. I have to stop and see what I am doing and check to see if it is right with HIM. It is the sign that I need to check in.
Enough of my rambling for tonight... But remember that if you find yourself questioning HIM, you should look at yourself... You may be doing, or have done something that requires some real amends to be made. Perhaps you simply have not done something you know you should have... GOD'S LOVE is Perfect, HE understands when we make mistakes... but amends must be made... HE WILL FORGIVE... The hard part is in Forgiving yourself....
Good night and Blessed Be in the name of our LORD, Jesus! AMEN
Friday, May 11, 2012
No Sermon today
This post is not so much a sermon, and even without Biblical references.
Today is about our interpersonal relationship with each other, and with God.
How often do we forget to call an old friend? How often do we forget to drop by and say "Hello" when we're in town? Too often? How do we maintain a close personal friendship without remembering these simple things? Eventually, well, we just lose contact altogether. Sometimes we are able to revive those friendships by making a conscious effort to reconnect. Certainly it takes a conscious effort to maintain an interpersonal relationship with God as well...
A friend of mine likes to ask "If you spend forty hours a week working for the here and now, and one hour a week working on the hereafter; How likely is it you will actually get in to Heaven?"
If you haven't spoken to an old friend in months or years, How likely are they to jump to your aid if you need help? Some would, some wouldn't... If you haven't spoken to God for the same length of time, he is still there, happy to help! God is eager to forgive and move forward... many people are happy to begrudge the distance and separation that has come between you.
While we forsake God for whatever reason, he is always there, waiting for our return. He welcomes us home without begrudging. HE awaits our return with open arms.
I have been away from the blog for awhile because I have been away from God for a while...
I got lost in the darkness that hovers about, waiting to swallow us up. I found my way back, THANKS TO GOD! HE brought me back to the light... HE instilled in me this concept, that if GOD is our old friend, we should be thankful that he does not begrudge us. We should ever be thankful that we are never truly alone... We can turn to him each and every day for almost anything! How many of our friends would put up with that? How many would call us a user or loser and depart? GOD is there for us from birth to death, every moment of our life... How comforting is that?
Is it not worth more than one hour a week to have such a friend? Is it not worth at least an hour a week to cultivate such a friendship with some one here? We need to nurture our relationships with other people as well as with GOD! GOD forgives, and many TRUE friends do as well... but both relationships require our attention!
If we have TRUE friends here, they are gifts from GOD! Please, spend some time thinking about this. Think about how you relate to your friends... What kind of friend are you? If you are a friend true to God, you are a TRUE friend to those you call friend here...
Enough with the rant and rave... I wish you Light, LOVE, and Brightest Blessings! - William Francis
Today is about our interpersonal relationship with each other, and with God.
How often do we forget to call an old friend? How often do we forget to drop by and say "Hello" when we're in town? Too often? How do we maintain a close personal friendship without remembering these simple things? Eventually, well, we just lose contact altogether. Sometimes we are able to revive those friendships by making a conscious effort to reconnect. Certainly it takes a conscious effort to maintain an interpersonal relationship with God as well...
A friend of mine likes to ask "If you spend forty hours a week working for the here and now, and one hour a week working on the hereafter; How likely is it you will actually get in to Heaven?"
If you haven't spoken to an old friend in months or years, How likely are they to jump to your aid if you need help? Some would, some wouldn't... If you haven't spoken to God for the same length of time, he is still there, happy to help! God is eager to forgive and move forward... many people are happy to begrudge the distance and separation that has come between you.
While we forsake God for whatever reason, he is always there, waiting for our return. He welcomes us home without begrudging. HE awaits our return with open arms.
I have been away from the blog for awhile because I have been away from God for a while...
I got lost in the darkness that hovers about, waiting to swallow us up. I found my way back, THANKS TO GOD! HE brought me back to the light... HE instilled in me this concept, that if GOD is our old friend, we should be thankful that he does not begrudge us. We should ever be thankful that we are never truly alone... We can turn to him each and every day for almost anything! How many of our friends would put up with that? How many would call us a user or loser and depart? GOD is there for us from birth to death, every moment of our life... How comforting is that?
Is it not worth more than one hour a week to have such a friend? Is it not worth at least an hour a week to cultivate such a friendship with some one here? We need to nurture our relationships with other people as well as with GOD! GOD forgives, and many TRUE friends do as well... but both relationships require our attention!
If we have TRUE friends here, they are gifts from GOD! Please, spend some time thinking about this. Think about how you relate to your friends... What kind of friend are you? If you are a friend true to God, you are a TRUE friend to those you call friend here...
Enough with the rant and rave... I wish you Light, LOVE, and Brightest Blessings! - William Francis
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
The Life God Gave...
God gave us life, it is our choice how we shall live it. Would you live yours with God present and Blessing you? Or would you live it without Him?
Gen 2:7 And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Gen 2:9 And out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food. The tree of life also was in the middle of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Deu 30:20 so that you may love Jehovah your God, and that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him. For He is your life and the length of your days, so that you may dwell in the land which Jehovah swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give it to them.
We all wake up to a gift, every morning. We are here because GOD gave us LIFE.
Some of us are happy and successful, some not so much so. What is the difference? The level of confidence? The way we choose our steps? Could it be the way we worship? There are probably many other potential questions we could ask, in the end there is no right or wrong answer.
The real question is... What makes life worth living?
Remember that Jesus is Life....
Joh 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Joh 11:25 Jesus said to her, I am the Resurrection and the Life! He who believes in Me, though he die, yet he shall live.
We can see in the scriptures that our Lord is the Giver of Life, that He wants for us to live Abundantly, and in the end, he wants us to live eternally.
There are many ways in which we could analogize the basic concept here. I have chosen to put it this way. You walk into an all you can eat buffet, pay the fee, and a waitress gets you coffee and an appetizer. You sit at the table staring at the buffet... you want some chicken an potatoes, etc. . But you're afraid that all you can have is soup and bread. You watch all these other people enjoying a huge delicious meal thinking how nice it would be to fill your plate. Finally, the waitress comes by and asks if you're enjoying your meal and notices you have only had soup. She says "Sir/ Ma'am, why haven't you tried some of the roast beef or chicken... there is some great steak over there.." You reply, "I thought I only got the soup and bread for the price." The waitress replies"I'm sorry, I thought you realized that the whole buffet is open for the fee you paid."
There are a lot of people who watch others living on the buffet life offers, while they themselves survive on bread and soup. God has set the buffet before each of us. But there are those of us who have not claimed our plate... There are those who are bogged down and depressed who do not realize that The LORD wants the same for them as He wants for everyone else.
My friends, Jesus died to give us life,a life of abundance.
Do not settle for soup and bread! Partake of the buffet.
A Life Worth Living
Living for Jesus, a life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me.
Refrain
O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee,
For Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself for me.
I own no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne.
My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone.
Living for Jesus Who died in my place,
Bearing on Calvary my sin and disgrace;
Such love constrains me to answer His call,
Follow His leading and give Him my all.
To follow Him,and the Path he has laid out before us brings peace, joy, and comfort.
Php 2:16 holding forth the Word of Life, so that I may rejoice with you in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain nor labored in vain.
We can all have that life of abundance. You can live the life worth living. It is your choice. Eternal life is a gift you must receive. You must choose it, claim it for yourself by claiming Jesus in your heart.
Joh 5:11 He answered them, He who made me whole said to me, Take up your bed and walk.
Joh 5:12 Then they asked him, Who is the man who said to you, Take up your bed and walk?
Joh 5:13 And he did not know Him who had cured him, for Jesus had moved away, a crowd being in the place.
Rev 20:15 And if anyone was not found having been written in the Book of Life, he was cast into the Lake of Fire.
And so I conclude for today... Brightest Blessings to you In the Name of The Lord!
Yours in Christ,
William Francis
Gen 2:7 And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Gen 2:9 And out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food. The tree of life also was in the middle of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Deu 30:20 so that you may love Jehovah your God, and that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him. For He is your life and the length of your days, so that you may dwell in the land which Jehovah swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give it to them.
We all wake up to a gift, every morning. We are here because GOD gave us LIFE.
Some of us are happy and successful, some not so much so. What is the difference? The level of confidence? The way we choose our steps? Could it be the way we worship? There are probably many other potential questions we could ask, in the end there is no right or wrong answer.
The real question is... What makes life worth living?
Remember that Jesus is Life....
Joh 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Joh 11:25 Jesus said to her, I am the Resurrection and the Life! He who believes in Me, though he die, yet he shall live.
We can see in the scriptures that our Lord is the Giver of Life, that He wants for us to live Abundantly, and in the end, he wants us to live eternally.
There are many ways in which we could analogize the basic concept here. I have chosen to put it this way. You walk into an all you can eat buffet, pay the fee, and a waitress gets you coffee and an appetizer. You sit at the table staring at the buffet... you want some chicken an potatoes, etc. . But you're afraid that all you can have is soup and bread. You watch all these other people enjoying a huge delicious meal thinking how nice it would be to fill your plate. Finally, the waitress comes by and asks if you're enjoying your meal and notices you have only had soup. She says "Sir/ Ma'am, why haven't you tried some of the roast beef or chicken... there is some great steak over there.." You reply, "I thought I only got the soup and bread for the price." The waitress replies"I'm sorry, I thought you realized that the whole buffet is open for the fee you paid."
There are a lot of people who watch others living on the buffet life offers, while they themselves survive on bread and soup. God has set the buffet before each of us. But there are those of us who have not claimed our plate... There are those who are bogged down and depressed who do not realize that The LORD wants the same for them as He wants for everyone else.
My friends, Jesus died to give us life,a life of abundance.
Do not settle for soup and bread! Partake of the buffet.
A Life Worth Living
Living for Jesus, a life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me.
Refrain
O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee,
For Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself for me.
I own no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne.
My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone.
Living for Jesus Who died in my place,
Bearing on Calvary my sin and disgrace;
Such love constrains me to answer His call,
Follow His leading and give Him my all.
To follow Him,and the Path he has laid out before us brings peace, joy, and comfort.
Php 2:16 holding forth the Word of Life, so that I may rejoice with you in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain nor labored in vain.
We can all have that life of abundance. You can live the life worth living. It is your choice. Eternal life is a gift you must receive. You must choose it, claim it for yourself by claiming Jesus in your heart.
Joh 5:11 He answered them, He who made me whole said to me, Take up your bed and walk.
Joh 5:12 Then they asked him, Who is the man who said to you, Take up your bed and walk?
Joh 5:13 And he did not know Him who had cured him, for Jesus had moved away, a crowd being in the place.
Rev 20:15 And if anyone was not found having been written in the Book of Life, he was cast into the Lake of Fire.
And so I conclude for today... Brightest Blessings to you In the Name of The Lord!
Yours in Christ,
William Francis
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Disobeying God Part 2
As we resume from the last post, we turn now to the matter of making additions to the Word Of God.
The Bible tells us that to add to God's word surely shall bring the plagues written in the word upon him who does so. Deu 4:2 You shall not add to the Word which I command you, neither shall you take away from it, so that you may keep the commands of Jehovah your God which I command you.
Rev 22:18 For I testify together to everyone who hears the Words of the prophecy of this Book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add on him the plagues that have been written in this Book.
Lawlessness is Sin : 1Jn 3:4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness.
Here we find that sin is the doing of anything for which there is no law. Therefore, by no authority.
Acting or speaking where God has not spoken is a sin of presumption. Num 15:30 But the soul who acts with a high hand, whether of the native or of the alien, the same blasphemes Jehovah. And that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
Lev 10:1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, and put incense on it, and offered strange fire before Jehovah, which He had not commanded them.
Lev 10:2 And there went out fire from Jehovah and devoured them, and they died before Jehovah.
Lev 10:3 Then Moses said to Aaron, It is that which Jehovah spoke, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come near me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.
When someone does an act without divine authority, they presume to know to know God's will aside from God's written revelation and therefore presumes to speak on God's behalf.
Such insolence is intolerable to God.
To go beyond the doctrine of Christ is to give up both God and Christ!
2Jn 1:9 Everyone transgressing and not abiding in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ, he has both the Father and the Son.
Taking from the word of God is the same as adding to HIS word.
Deu 4:2 You shall not add to the Word which I command you, neither shall you take away from it, so that you may keep the commands of Jehovah your God which I command you.
Rev 22:19 And if anyone takes away from the Words of the Book of this prophecy, God will take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which have been written in this Book.
Substitution of God"s Commands ....
Cain made substitution of sacrifice, making offering contrary to God's Commandment.God had no respect for his sacrifice.
Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts. And by it he, being dead, yet speaks.
Nadab and Abihu did not use the fire which God commanded be used and they were consumed by their strange fire.
Lev 10:1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, and put incense on it, and offered strange fire before Jehovah, which He had not commanded them.
Lev 10:2 And there went out fire from Jehovah and devoured them, and they died before Jehovah.
Lev 10:3 Then Moses said to Aaron, It is that which Jehovah spoke, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come near me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.
In religion we must learn that substitutes are unacceptable. God will not accept a substitute for obedience.
1Sa 15:22 And Samuel said, Does Jehovah delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice! To listen is better than the fat of rams!
1Sa 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idol-worship. Because you have rejected the Word of Jehovah, He has also rejected you from being king!
These things we must do:
Avoid that which God forbids.
Do that which God commands.
Do NOT add or take from God's word.
Do NOT substitute for that which is Commanded by God.
In closing, it is through devoted obedience to God's word, and through his TRUTH that we shall be saved.
For today, I bid you Brightest Blessings, Fare thee well...
Yours in Christ,
William Francis
The Bible tells us that to add to God's word surely shall bring the plagues written in the word upon him who does so. Deu 4:2 You shall not add to the Word which I command you, neither shall you take away from it, so that you may keep the commands of Jehovah your God which I command you.
Rev 22:18 For I testify together to everyone who hears the Words of the prophecy of this Book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add on him the plagues that have been written in this Book.
Lawlessness is Sin : 1Jn 3:4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness.
Here we find that sin is the doing of anything for which there is no law. Therefore, by no authority.
Acting or speaking where God has not spoken is a sin of presumption. Num 15:30 But the soul who acts with a high hand, whether of the native or of the alien, the same blasphemes Jehovah. And that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
Lev 10:1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, and put incense on it, and offered strange fire before Jehovah, which He had not commanded them.
Lev 10:2 And there went out fire from Jehovah and devoured them, and they died before Jehovah.
Lev 10:3 Then Moses said to Aaron, It is that which Jehovah spoke, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come near me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.
When someone does an act without divine authority, they presume to know to know God's will aside from God's written revelation and therefore presumes to speak on God's behalf.
Such insolence is intolerable to God.
To go beyond the doctrine of Christ is to give up both God and Christ!
2Jn 1:9 Everyone transgressing and not abiding in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ, he has both the Father and the Son.
Taking from the word of God is the same as adding to HIS word.
Deu 4:2 You shall not add to the Word which I command you, neither shall you take away from it, so that you may keep the commands of Jehovah your God which I command you.
Rev 22:19 And if anyone takes away from the Words of the Book of this prophecy, God will take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which have been written in this Book.
Substitution of God"s Commands ....
Cain made substitution of sacrifice, making offering contrary to God's Commandment.God had no respect for his sacrifice.
Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts. And by it he, being dead, yet speaks.
Nadab and Abihu did not use the fire which God commanded be used and they were consumed by their strange fire.
Lev 10:1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, and put incense on it, and offered strange fire before Jehovah, which He had not commanded them.
Lev 10:2 And there went out fire from Jehovah and devoured them, and they died before Jehovah.
Lev 10:3 Then Moses said to Aaron, It is that which Jehovah spoke, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come near me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.
In religion we must learn that substitutes are unacceptable. God will not accept a substitute for obedience.
1Sa 15:22 And Samuel said, Does Jehovah delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice! To listen is better than the fat of rams!
1Sa 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idol-worship. Because you have rejected the Word of Jehovah, He has also rejected you from being king!
These things we must do:
Avoid that which God forbids.
Do that which God commands.
Do NOT add or take from God's word.
Do NOT substitute for that which is Commanded by God.
In closing, it is through devoted obedience to God's word, and through his TRUTH that we shall be saved.
For today, I bid you Brightest Blessings, Fare thee well...
Yours in Christ,
William Francis
Friday, March 2, 2012
Disobeying God Part 1 of 2
How many find that they have disobeyed God through misunderstanding?
How many flat out REJECT the religion of Christ Our Savior based on misunderstanding?
While there are no statistics available, it is safe to say that Many people have the wrong idea, or a skewed view of the Scriptures.
Quite a few people see the Bible as a list of "Thou shalt nots."
Many also believe that since they refrain from stealing, cheating, killing, so on and so forth; they then have no reason to submit to Christ.
At the same time there are many who claim to be Christians that show they believe this idea by their own practices.
Yes, they essentially conform to the commandments that state "Thou Shalt Not."
Yet, they forget or ignore that which God Wants them to be doing!
The Bible tells us that there are a number of different ways that we might be disobedient of God.
Reflecting on these ways helps us to understand them, through understanding we may avoid falling into the traps of sin.
In the beginning Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, thereby transgressing God's Will. Gen 2:16 And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, You may freely eat of every tree in the garden,
Gen 2:17 but you shall not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. For in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.
Known as a sin of commission or committing an act which God specifically prohibited.
Many today commit the same type of sin as Adam and Eve,by doing that which is known to be forbidden. These sins still carry the consequences of the "curse" of God.
Next there is the refusal to do what God has Commanded.
The Pharisees turned from God in respect to the baptism of John: Luk 7:29 And all the people and the tax-collectors who heard Him justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.
Luk 7:30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, not being baptized by him.
Being of Heaven, John's baptism was to be obeyed.Mat 21:23 And when He had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching, and said, By what authority do you do these things? And who gave you this authority?
Mat 21:24 And Jesus answered and said to them, I will also ask you one thing; which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things.
Mat 21:25 The baptism of John, where was it from? From Heaven or from men? And they reasoned within themselves, saying, If we shall say, From Heaven, he will say to us, Why then did you not believe him?
Mat 21:26 But if we shall say From men, we fear the people; for all consider John as a prophet.
Mat 21:27 And they answered Jesus and said, We cannot tell. And He said to them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.
They disobeyed not by breaking any "Thou Shalt Nots" but by Not doing as God wished them to do.
This is known as a sin of Omission.
Failing to do as God commands you to do.
There will be more who are lost by the sin of omission than any other fashion.
When a person knows what God wills them to do, but they fail to do so, he or she commits sin.
Jas 4:17 Therefore to him who knows to do good, and does not do it, to him it is sin.
Those who are not Christian disobeys God by refusing to obey HIS WORD, the gospel. By refusing baptism, and such they are lost.
Good Christians disobey God by failing to do the works he was created in Christ to do. Tit 2:14 who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify to Himself a special people, zealous of good works.
If you do nothing, you can be lost eternally for your inaction.
This is a serious matter to ponder, thus I have chosen to break at this point, and shall resume in my next post.
I leave you with these thoughts as well. With the state our world is in these days; and the onslaught of technology driving us away from direct human interaction, it is a very disturbing situation. We spend so much time doing meaningless things that we easily forget about our fellow man. Now, we find ourselves in a time of Me,me, me... How many of us have already been lost by our lack of good deed in the Lord's Name?
Yours in Christ,
William Francis
How many flat out REJECT the religion of Christ Our Savior based on misunderstanding?
While there are no statistics available, it is safe to say that Many people have the wrong idea, or a skewed view of the Scriptures.
Quite a few people see the Bible as a list of "Thou shalt nots."
Many also believe that since they refrain from stealing, cheating, killing, so on and so forth; they then have no reason to submit to Christ.
At the same time there are many who claim to be Christians that show they believe this idea by their own practices.
Yes, they essentially conform to the commandments that state "Thou Shalt Not."
Yet, they forget or ignore that which God Wants them to be doing!
The Bible tells us that there are a number of different ways that we might be disobedient of God.
Reflecting on these ways helps us to understand them, through understanding we may avoid falling into the traps of sin.
In the beginning Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, thereby transgressing God's Will. Gen 2:16 And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, You may freely eat of every tree in the garden,
Gen 2:17 but you shall not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. For in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.
Known as a sin of commission or committing an act which God specifically prohibited.
Many today commit the same type of sin as Adam and Eve,by doing that which is known to be forbidden. These sins still carry the consequences of the "curse" of God.
Next there is the refusal to do what God has Commanded.
The Pharisees turned from God in respect to the baptism of John: Luk 7:29 And all the people and the tax-collectors who heard Him justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.
Luk 7:30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, not being baptized by him.
Being of Heaven, John's baptism was to be obeyed.Mat 21:23 And when He had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching, and said, By what authority do you do these things? And who gave you this authority?
Mat 21:24 And Jesus answered and said to them, I will also ask you one thing; which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things.
Mat 21:25 The baptism of John, where was it from? From Heaven or from men? And they reasoned within themselves, saying, If we shall say, From Heaven, he will say to us, Why then did you not believe him?
Mat 21:26 But if we shall say From men, we fear the people; for all consider John as a prophet.
Mat 21:27 And they answered Jesus and said, We cannot tell. And He said to them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.
They disobeyed not by breaking any "Thou Shalt Nots" but by Not doing as God wished them to do.
This is known as a sin of Omission.
Failing to do as God commands you to do.
There will be more who are lost by the sin of omission than any other fashion.
When a person knows what God wills them to do, but they fail to do so, he or she commits sin.
Jas 4:17 Therefore to him who knows to do good, and does not do it, to him it is sin.
Those who are not Christian disobeys God by refusing to obey HIS WORD, the gospel. By refusing baptism, and such they are lost.
Good Christians disobey God by failing to do the works he was created in Christ to do. Tit 2:14 who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify to Himself a special people, zealous of good works.
If you do nothing, you can be lost eternally for your inaction.
This is a serious matter to ponder, thus I have chosen to break at this point, and shall resume in my next post.
I leave you with these thoughts as well. With the state our world is in these days; and the onslaught of technology driving us away from direct human interaction, it is a very disturbing situation. We spend so much time doing meaningless things that we easily forget about our fellow man. Now, we find ourselves in a time of Me,me, me... How many of us have already been lost by our lack of good deed in the Lord's Name?
Yours in Christ,
William Francis
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Living in the Name of The Lord
Col 3:17 And everything, whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.
There is a profound importance in understanding and heeding what this means.
To live "In The NAME of THE LORD"
To begin, we shall look at the use of "In the NAME of THE LORD" in the New Testament.
Act 3:6 But Peter said, Silver and gold have I none, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!
Act 19:13 And certain from the strolling Jews, exorcists, undertook to name the name of the Lord Jesus over those having evil spirits, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.
Act 19:14 And there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.
Act 19:15 But answering the evil spirit said, Jesus I know, and I comprehend Paul, but who are you?
Act 19:16 And the man in whom the evil spirit resided leaped on them, and overcoming them he was strong against them, so that they fled out of the house naked and wounded.
We see from these passages that In the Name Of refers to "By the LORD's power or authority, or to act in place of... To assume such position as to accomplish a task or deed.
There are right and proper ways by which we may live, and do 'In HIS Name".
Obedience to HIS WORD follows certain tenements
Wrong ways are as notable as are the correct ways. We will look at the wrong ways first.
We find our reference in the following...
Jer 10:23 O Jehovah, I know that the way of man does not belong to man; it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.
Pro 14:12 There is a way which seems right to a man, but the end of it is the ways of death.
As we look at these passages, we can see that it is written that man alone cannot find "THE WAY"
We Live and Do righteously by following the Word of God. The traditions handed down are of men, and therefore are flawed, leading to the ways of death. By our own stubbornness we lead ourselves away from GOD; unless we learn to follow the Will of God as Jesus did. We cannot hold ourselves to the Creeds or Traditions of Men, No, we are to follow HIS Word.
We are shown the Way of Righteousness in the BIBLE. We are shown How to live, to Do ALL in HIS Name.
Let's look at some of the Correct ways to accomplish this.
Pro 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he who keeps the law, he is blessed.
We are to keep HIS laws, and live by HIS commandments.
2Ch 7:14 if My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
1Co 10:1 And, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea.
1Co 10:2 And all were baptized to Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
1Co 10:3 and all ate the same spiritual food,
1Co 10:4 and all drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank of the spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
1Co 10:5 But with many of them God was not well pleased, for they were scattered in the wilderness.
1Co 10:6 And these things were our examples, that we should not be lusters after evil, as they also lusted.
1Co 10:7 Nor should we be idolaters, even as some of them, as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play."
1Co 10:8 Nor let us commit fornication, as some of them fornicated, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day.
1Co 10:9 Nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted Him and were destroyed by serpents.
1Co 10:10 Nor murmur as some of them also murmured and were destroyed by the destroyer.
1Co 10:11 And all these things happened to them as examples; and it is written for our warning on whom the ends of the world have come.
1Co 10:12 So let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
1Co 10:13 No temptation has taken you but what is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but with the temptation also will make a way to escape, so that you may be able to bear it.
Eph 5:15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Eph 5:16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Eph 5:17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Eph 5:18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is excess, but be filled with the Spirit,
Eph 5:19 speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Eph 5:20 always giving thanks for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Eph 5:21 submitting yourselves to one another in the fear of God.
Eph 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord
.
Exo 20:1 And God spoke all these words, saying,
Exo 20:2 I am Jehovah your God, who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Exo 20:3 You shall have no other gods before Me.
Exo 20:4 You shall not make to yourselves any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
Exo 20:5 You shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them. For I Jehovah your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons to the third and fourth generation of those that hate me,
Exo 20:6 and showing mercy to thousands of those that love Me and keep My commandments.
Exo 20:7 You shall not take the name of Jehovah your God in vain. For Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that takes His name in vain.
Exo 20:8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work.
Exo 20:10 But the seventh day is the Sabbath of Jehovah your God. You shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger within your gates.
Exo 20:11 For in six days Jehovah made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore Jehovah blessed the Sabbath day, and sanctified it.
Exo 20:12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long upon the land which Jehovah your God gives you.
Exo 20:13 You shall not kill.
Exo 20:14 You shall not commit adultery.
Exo 20:15 You shall not steal.
Exo 20:16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Exo 20:17 You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is your neighbor's.
There are a lot of do not entries here, yet the TEN COMMANDMENTS are the basis of HOW we shall live righteously in the eyes of our LORD!
I give you these verses without much commentary at all simply because we as a people learn best from our own investigations. I can tell you again and again what to do, or what not to do. Will you do as I tell you? Not very likely. But, perhaps, if you read GOD'S WORD... If you experience HIS teaching for yourself; maybe, just maybe you will listen to GOD.
I am no one. I am but a humble messenger. GOD, Our LORD, Jesus Christ is the one who sends the message... Will you listen to HIM?
The message goes further. This is not all inclusive. This is but the reminder of the bigger picture.
I ask this: How much time does GOD deserve? We work forty hours and more each week for a paycheck. How many hours do we spend working for GOD? Do you spend an hour in Church to worship HIM? Do you share your time helping those less fortunate or with Shut ins who cannot attend Church?
I Judge no one... There are no "Correct" answers. Just food for thought.
Who among us, myself included, truly, Truly lives and Does ALL in The Name of The Lord?
I pray that we, myself included, may see the Way, and be inspired by the Word of God. May we all begin to live and do in HIS Name! Amen!
I leave you now to contemplate ... Until next time, Brightest Blessings!
Yours in Christ,
William Francis
There is a profound importance in understanding and heeding what this means.
To live "In The NAME of THE LORD"
To begin, we shall look at the use of "In the NAME of THE LORD" in the New Testament.
Act 3:6 But Peter said, Silver and gold have I none, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!
Act 19:13 And certain from the strolling Jews, exorcists, undertook to name the name of the Lord Jesus over those having evil spirits, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.
Act 19:14 And there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.
Act 19:15 But answering the evil spirit said, Jesus I know, and I comprehend Paul, but who are you?
Act 19:16 And the man in whom the evil spirit resided leaped on them, and overcoming them he was strong against them, so that they fled out of the house naked and wounded.
We see from these passages that In the Name Of refers to "By the LORD's power or authority, or to act in place of... To assume such position as to accomplish a task or deed.
There are right and proper ways by which we may live, and do 'In HIS Name".
Obedience to HIS WORD follows certain tenements
Wrong ways are as notable as are the correct ways. We will look at the wrong ways first.
We find our reference in the following...
Jer 10:23 O Jehovah, I know that the way of man does not belong to man; it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.
Pro 14:12 There is a way which seems right to a man, but the end of it is the ways of death.
As we look at these passages, we can see that it is written that man alone cannot find "THE WAY"
We Live and Do righteously by following the Word of God. The traditions handed down are of men, and therefore are flawed, leading to the ways of death. By our own stubbornness we lead ourselves away from GOD; unless we learn to follow the Will of God as Jesus did. We cannot hold ourselves to the Creeds or Traditions of Men, No, we are to follow HIS Word.
We are shown the Way of Righteousness in the BIBLE. We are shown How to live, to Do ALL in HIS Name.
Let's look at some of the Correct ways to accomplish this.
Pro 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he who keeps the law, he is blessed.
We are to keep HIS laws, and live by HIS commandments.
2Ch 7:14 if My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
1Co 10:1 And, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea.
1Co 10:2 And all were baptized to Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
1Co 10:3 and all ate the same spiritual food,
1Co 10:4 and all drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank of the spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
1Co 10:5 But with many of them God was not well pleased, for they were scattered in the wilderness.
1Co 10:6 And these things were our examples, that we should not be lusters after evil, as they also lusted.
1Co 10:7 Nor should we be idolaters, even as some of them, as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play."
1Co 10:8 Nor let us commit fornication, as some of them fornicated, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day.
1Co 10:9 Nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted Him and were destroyed by serpents.
1Co 10:10 Nor murmur as some of them also murmured and were destroyed by the destroyer.
1Co 10:11 And all these things happened to them as examples; and it is written for our warning on whom the ends of the world have come.
1Co 10:12 So let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
1Co 10:13 No temptation has taken you but what is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but with the temptation also will make a way to escape, so that you may be able to bear it.
Eph 5:15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Eph 5:16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Eph 5:17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Eph 5:18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is excess, but be filled with the Spirit,
Eph 5:19 speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Eph 5:20 always giving thanks for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Eph 5:21 submitting yourselves to one another in the fear of God.
Eph 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord
.
Exo 20:1 And God spoke all these words, saying,
Exo 20:2 I am Jehovah your God, who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Exo 20:3 You shall have no other gods before Me.
Exo 20:4 You shall not make to yourselves any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
Exo 20:5 You shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them. For I Jehovah your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons to the third and fourth generation of those that hate me,
Exo 20:6 and showing mercy to thousands of those that love Me and keep My commandments.
Exo 20:7 You shall not take the name of Jehovah your God in vain. For Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that takes His name in vain.
Exo 20:8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work.
Exo 20:10 But the seventh day is the Sabbath of Jehovah your God. You shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger within your gates.
Exo 20:11 For in six days Jehovah made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore Jehovah blessed the Sabbath day, and sanctified it.
Exo 20:12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long upon the land which Jehovah your God gives you.
Exo 20:13 You shall not kill.
Exo 20:14 You shall not commit adultery.
Exo 20:15 You shall not steal.
Exo 20:16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Exo 20:17 You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is your neighbor's.
There are a lot of do not entries here, yet the TEN COMMANDMENTS are the basis of HOW we shall live righteously in the eyes of our LORD!
I give you these verses without much commentary at all simply because we as a people learn best from our own investigations. I can tell you again and again what to do, or what not to do. Will you do as I tell you? Not very likely. But, perhaps, if you read GOD'S WORD... If you experience HIS teaching for yourself; maybe, just maybe you will listen to GOD.
I am no one. I am but a humble messenger. GOD, Our LORD, Jesus Christ is the one who sends the message... Will you listen to HIM?
The message goes further. This is not all inclusive. This is but the reminder of the bigger picture.
I ask this: How much time does GOD deserve? We work forty hours and more each week for a paycheck. How many hours do we spend working for GOD? Do you spend an hour in Church to worship HIM? Do you share your time helping those less fortunate or with Shut ins who cannot attend Church?
I Judge no one... There are no "Correct" answers. Just food for thought.
Who among us, myself included, truly, Truly lives and Does ALL in The Name of The Lord?
I pray that we, myself included, may see the Way, and be inspired by the Word of God. May we all begin to live and do in HIS Name! Amen!
I leave you now to contemplate ... Until next time, Brightest Blessings!
Yours in Christ,
William Francis
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