31 Dec The time has come when they no longer endure sound doctrine ” 2 Timothy 4:3″

“You did not choose me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit— fruit that will remain— so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. This is My command to you: “Love one another“.

If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well;

These words are from the mouth of Jesus. Verbatim. I did not inject nor did I take away a single syllable. The word of God does not need our adjusting. It is perfect, as was he when he came in the flesh. It does not need updating. It does not need to “modernize” or “tampered” with to fit the current culture. God’s word is eternal and fit for ALL cultures and times; Past, Present, and Future.

It is the living word for a reason. Because it has the ability to mutate and apply to any time frame, any problem, and to anyone. Many things shall and have passed, that were impactful during their time. Songs, movies, movements, etc. Gods word is ever impacting, meaning it has no expiration date. It never spoils. It never dies out or goes extinct. It will find you at what seems like the most inopportune times, and will appear to be fleeting at the most desperate times. But it never dies. He is always present.

I have never been one to beat a dead horse, or to tip toe lightly around the subject of Faith, and it is to be expected from a man who admired Paul as most brazen Apostle to ever go fourth and deliver the Gospel to a group of people the Jews were dead set against by majority, as seeing as equals.

If you have lived long enough, then you have seen the statement, in which Paul declared in 2nd Timothy come to pass a thousand times over. Something he foretold as things to come, as he was on the cusp of departing to a better pasture. Many will say he was warning Timothy who he loved like a son, and they would be correct. I would also add, that it is important to not only look at it from that prospective, but also learn to put yourself in the shoes of those who came before us. An ability that escapes many.

People have a great tendency to read the Bible and always instantly believe that Jesus is talking about “the other people”. He’s talking about people like my neighbors, who don’t go to Church. Or the proudly pronounced atheist who tells all of social media they don’t believe in God. Or the homosexual couple down the block. Or perhaps the people who are in prison due to breaking the law. You know, the worse of our society.

But, if your time was limited, and you had the opportunity to write a book or a letter, would you write to those you love, or to do those you don’t? This statement in itself is controversial, because everyone says, “God loves everybody”. This is true, but Jesus knew that not everyone would love him back, and make the decision with their life to choose him. Jesus did not die for those who would reject him, he died for those who wouldn’t.

And God knows who they are. Paul letters are not to those who are outside of the body of Christ. He is not writing to those who have rejected Christ. He writes to those who have confessed with their mouths that they have accepted Christ. Whether it was genuine or not, is for God to judge. But his job as a Pastor, as a Minister, as a Disciple, as an Apostle, as a Father, as a Brother, and as a Friend is to not only exhort and bring forth hope, but also to rebuke and chasten and warn of the trials, tribulations and temptations that are to come.

Brothers and Sisters, I don’t consider myself all of the things above. I would be blessed enough to just be consider a friend to you all. That would sit fine with me. None of the titles matter. To be called a “friend” by some or all of you, would be enough for this sinner.

Paul seen the division that was already taking place in the body. People who did not confess with their mouths from a place of sincerity, but from a place of selfish positioning in the hopes to attain influence and affluence. If you seek the ways of God, you will be persecuted. If you seek influence and affluence, stay far away from Jesus as possible. Your seeking will only end in misery.

The name of Jesus can be used to save, and at the same time destroy. It can be used to opening a shelter and feed the homeless, and as well as to drag a family out of their home, burn a cross on their lawn and hang them. Jesus name has been used to do some of the most miraculous things, as well as some of the most evil things simultaneously. Which is why it is important to study the scriptures for yourself, so you will not be deceived when the snake comes into your garden, which is your heart and your mind.

Eve did not recognize satan because he came in the form of a snake. A snake at that time was not menacing. It was not the fearful animal that it is today. Sin could not be wildly successful if it came in the form of strikingly dreadful things. It can only succeed when it comes in the form of the desirable and less noticeable things.

I have long caught wind, of those who proclaimed they stand as the mouth piece for God, use their platform and influence to manipulate, persuade, deceive, seduce, control, slander, and destroy people and ideas all for the purpose of their own gain and abundance. Paul says in 2nd Timothy, “From these things turn away“! He did not say “negotiate with them”. He did not say try and reason with them. He did not say keep your mouth shut and continue to go listen to them preach.

He did not say ignore it. He did not say brush it off. He did not say make excuses for it. He did not say create a conspiracy and covered it up. He instructed Timothy to turn away.  This same instruction is giving to us.  This turn away means to walk away, hastily. There are very few highly publicize Pastors I follow. And they are mostly Elders in age and in Faith.

Many new Pastors in an attempt to attract this generations attention, have modernize the Gospel to the point where a lot of the tactics make Church appear to be more of a magic show then a worship service.

Their hearts may be in the right place, but if the Apostles were able to go out with nothing in hand by commandment (And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece – Luke 9:3), and souls were saved, and Jesus is the same today as he was yesterday, then the light shows and music concerts at Church only increase the electric bill and waste funds that could undoubtedly be put to more use elsewhere.

I am not against trying to attract young people to Christ, but I am against trying to dress God up as being “cool”. He is not. That was his intention. That is why the book of Isaiah describes him in the way that it did. The appearance of cool is kryptonite to human beings. It attracts us for all the wrong reasons. It attracts those who are looking for the next best thing, not those who are looking for Jesus.

This is part of the watering down process Paul was eluding too. Making the Church seem cool, because of the belief that “sound doctrine” is not enough anymore. As if the person in the pulpit is responsible for the souls that are saved. You have no control over who comes to God and who doesn’t. That’s in God’s hands. Our jobs is to declare and to witness. As important of a job that is, that is it. And it is to be done in an honest and truthful way.

The greatest Pastor alive, which is Jesus, could not have talked Judas out of killing himself. There is only a certain point a person can go, without coming back. That is why we are so blessed of God. He does not allow us to go past the point of no return. Judas’s could not reconcile within himself to ever go back and beg for forgiveness. The guilt within himself was a millstone times ten hanging around his neck. He could never forgive himself for what he had done, and ultimately could not live with it.  And he was not wise enough to know that his failing was being used by God to accomplish the greatest act known to human existence!

So we have not only decided that the Gospel itself is not enough, we also decide that the truth, which Jesus said will set you free, does not set people free but is a stumbling block that prevents people from listening to the Preacher preach and getting them to come out to Church. So the goal has shifted from trying to bring souls to Christ, to trying to get people inside of the Church to hear a Preacher speak!

Someone. Anyone. Anybody. Since we don’t know necessarily the particular vices and sins that a person may be struggling with, or not struggling with if they have decided in their hearts they want to keep partaking in the behavior, we learn not to Preach about certain subjects, for fear of offending a certain base of the congregation. Especially not the base that is giving the most money.

There is a Pastor that I listened to that was telling a story about a man he ran into outside of Church. I came to a screeching halt and stop listening when he said that after talking with the man, he checked the Church records and couldn’t find a single time this man donated any money to the Church. Since when are we supposed to keep records on who gives and how much someone is giving on a weekly or monthly basis? And why is this any of your business?

If they are giving it out of their heart and unto God, what makes you think you have the right to know what their giving God!! Notice I used the word “business” a couple lines back. That is what Christ has become by many. A business.

I believe I’m not adverse to sharing the Gospel with anyone. I believe that I have a heart to share with all, and that I would not let any unreal or real pre-assessments, prejudices or experiences deter me from my duty that I am called to do. One way I try to stay that way, and keep my heart open, is to remember what Jesus said in the book of John. We were chosen out of the world. We are not apart of the World. We do not operate as the world does. We do not communicate as the world does. We do not love as the world does.

We do not look at a person, and then decide on how were going to treat them. We know how were going to treat all people before we ever meet them. Christ has laid out the blueprint on the behavior that is expected from one who follows after him. I do not join groups or factions. I try not to align myself with any outside theologies or ideas that run contrary to the Gospel.

This includes politics. I am not a registered Republican. Nor am I registered Democrat. I am not Liberal either. If someone had to categorize me, because they have a need to put me in a box, they would say I’m an “Independent”. If I had to categorize myself today, I would say that I am radical.

“The servant is not greater than the Master”. If the master was considered to be radical and a heretic, why would I not fall into the same categories truthfully or untruthfully?

I tell you Brother and Sisters; most Christians have taking the stance of falling into one of the categories above.  They wear their political alliance like a badge of honor.  They are more vocal about their allegiance to the Democratic and Republican party then they are to their allegiance to Christ. They worship Christ with one hand, and they seek the pleasure and adoration of men with the other. They are deceived and think they can seek what is pleasurable to them and seek what is pleasurable to God. Not knowing that you cannot seek and accomplish both!

“For you will love one master and hate the other” (Matthew 6:24)! We have become duel-hearted in our thinking and in our worship. We have deceived ourselves into thinking we can split our hearts and our spirits in two, and keep them separate, and have one not know about the other. We have foolishly in our mind said, “we can support this, while not undermining that”.

We have used the house of God as a platform to help secure political positions for Men and Women from both parties, while also positioning ourselves in their favor if one of them should win. Having God on our side is no longer enough. We now want the political connections and the favor of them that run the world as well. What greedy minded individuals we have become! As if Jesus would rule your house part time and allow Men to rule the other half.

Since when has it become your duty to vouch for the ungodly, or to attain their approval? If the Bible be true, and satan is the prince of this world, and Earth is his throne, then what godly man would he ever allow to control the world let alone this nation? Or is he asleep at the wheel that a Godly man can sneak in and sit in his seat?

Perhaps God is a liar, and satan is not the God of this world. But Jesus confesses to Pontius Pilate that his Kingdom is not of this world. “If it were, my servants would fight so that I would not be delivered to the Jews” (John 18:36). The servants of Christ today don’t fight against the powers that helped crucify him, instead they fight beside them to help strengthen their causes. They have abandoned their calling, to pick up the calling of Men!

They have left their Godly post and picked up the torch to join Men for the silliest of causes. I can say what I’m saying objectively because I don’t identify with no such political groups. It is in this way that I am able to hold off the temptation of bias preaching and commentary. The litmus test for any Man or Woman or organization is simple. Line it up with the Gospel, either it falls to the left or to the right.

Depending on the side it falls you will have your answer. Truth is only complex to those who struggle with truth, not to those who are consciously trying to walk in it. If you are apart of a political faction, whether Republican or Democrat, the minute your membership is made aware, you have lost the potential to lead millions of desperate souls into union with Christ. You cannot join a political group and escape prejudice and bias.

You will love one, and hate the other, or is the Bible at fault in it’s teachings when it says: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other”.  You cannot serve God and mammon” Matthew 6:24. There is great division within the body of Christ. How can you be part of a political group that is divisive, and not have division in your heart?

Voting on the notion of one or two points while ignoring foulness of all the others. Do we need a leader so bad that we make such weak and foolish alliances? Is our decision making that horrid? Why did Jesus say “My people perish for lack of knowledge”? It is because we do not know God intimately. We do not know his word. It has not been placed in our hearts. It has been spoken out of our mouths, and when it leaves the lips, it has also left the vessel. We speak not what we personally know, but what sounds good.

This is why televangelist Paula White can stand and deliver a speech, not to address the problems of the nation, not to address the thievery that is taking place within the body of Christ, not to address the abominable doctrine that is being taught within the body of Christ, no, instead she used it to ask the people for money and to use her influence to try and help the President secure his political seat by getting her base to vote for him.

She could not address the nation on any of the things I mentioned above because she is guilty of them all, and in complete compliance with those who commit them. Samuel would not have stood up delivered such a speech. Moses would not have delivered such a speech. Isaiah would not have delivered such a speech. Joshua would not have delivered such a speech. Elisha would not have delivered such a speech. Hosea would not have delivered such a speech. None of Gods prophets would have stood and delivered such a speech.

Because Gods prophets spoke for God, and not for their own self-interest. These proclaimed Ministers of men are being gathered by those who have rejected sound doctrine in their heart. With itching ears, as Paul has described, they have put those in place who will preach only what they want to hear. They have rejected the truth and decided that the lie was a more welcoming cup to drink from.

The Bible is clear on what it is we are called to be: disciples of Christ. It is clear that once saved, our citizenship to this world was revoked and re-instituted to another Kingdom. We waste our lives and our talents fighting for causes of a world that we no longer even have an inheritance in. What fool fights for a house that doesn’t belong to them or their family?  We prove our allegiance in our hearts with our actions. You can choose to reach more souls today, or you can choose to argue with Republicans to get them to vote Democrat.

One choice will have eternal ramifications, the other will have impact the temporal only. Do not be the one, when God comes looking to see what you did with your life with all that he gave you, all you have to show him is a life full of political achievements.  Prestigious achievements and financial prosperities. He is not interested in that.

There is nothing Pilate or Herrod had that impressed God. Their connections or position meant nothing to him. The seat of the President doesn’t impress God. God is not impressed by politics. It was politics that crucified his Son, why would he be impressed by such things?

Do the work of the evangelist and turn away from such things. I pray for anyone who is stuck in this place. It is indeed a type of temptation. Do not think temptation is just towards the pleasures of life. It is also towards the things of life that will take your attention and time away from God’s calling on your life. Anything or any cause, no matter how good or righteous it may seem to be in your eye, if it takes you away from God’s calling on your life, it is a temptation that has been planted there to divert your attention away from God an on to something less fruitful.

Take heed and be on watch for these things and people. From such things turn away…….