KEEPING IT SIMPLE

 

(Please note, links are used in place of footnotes for references and citations.  Please review each link in order to get the full teaching on these matters.  Also, you can pause the Audio podcast to follow a link and resume the audio when ready.)

“And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.”  John 21:25

There are millions and millions of books, articles, commentaries and opinions describing and defining “What is a Christian”, and, how a Christian should think, behave and what they should do.  It can be a bit daunting and confusing, but, it need not be.

The Bible, if read in context of itself and read at face-value (except for the obvious metaphors, idioms and similes) the Truth clearly emerges.

Here is an example of KEEPING IT SIMPLE when asking…

1. What is a Christian?

2. How does a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, think?

3. How does a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, behave?

4. What is a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, to do?

Here are some, out of numerous scripture verses, that may help answer this important, but basic, questions – all without opinions.

1. WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN?

Acts 11:21-26 ” And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.  The news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch. Then, when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with a resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord. And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul; and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”

John 13:34  “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Acts 1:8  “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

John 15:5  “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me, you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”

 

 2. HOW DOES A CHRISTIAN, A FOLLOWER OF JESUS CHRIST, THINK?

Philippians 2: “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death [h]on a cross.

 Philippians 2:1  “Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any [a]affection and compassion, make my joy complete [b]by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.  Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;  do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

 

3. HOW DOES A CHRISTIAN, A FOLLOWER OF JESUS CHRIST, BEHAVE?

 John 5:19  “Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever [e]the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.

 John 5:30  “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

John 12:49-50  For I did not speak [s]on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.”

 

4. WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN, A FOLLOWER OF JESUS CHRIST, TO DO?

 John14:10  “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you, I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. 12 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

 MY CONFESSION

(To memorize and repeat as your confession, and be strengthened)

I WILL THINK LIKE THIS:

 Philippians 2: “I will have the attitude in me which is also in Christ Jesus, Who, although existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. I, TOO, WILL TAKE ON THE ROLE OF A BOND-SERVANT OF CHRIST. Being found in appearance as a man, Jesus humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. I too, will humble myself and become obedient to the point of the death of my fleshly desires and passions.

Philippians 2:1  Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, I will make Jesus’ joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose, just as Jesus. I will do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind I will regard others as more important than myself; I will not merely look out for my own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

I WILL BEHAVE THIS WAY:

 John 5:19  “Therefore as a follower of Jesus, I confess that, “As the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing, I will do the same; for whatever the Father does, these things I will also do, in like manner.

 John 5:30  “I can do nothing on my own initiative. As I hear the Holy Spirit, I judge; and my judgment will be just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of God through the One He sent, that is Jesus.

 John 12:49  “For I will not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Jesus has given me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Jesus has told me.”

I WILL DO THESE THINGS:

 John14:10  “I believe that Jesus is in the Father, and the Father is in Him, and He is in me.  The words that I say, I will not speak on my own initiative, but I will allow the Father, Who is abiding in Me do His works through me. I believe it when Jesus says that He is in the Father and the Father is in Him, and He is in me; otherwise I believe it because of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, I believe in Jesus, so the works that He does He will also do through me; and greater works than these He do through me, because Jesus has gone to the Father. Whatever I ask in Jesus name, that will He do, so that the Father may be glorified.  If I ask Jesus anything in His name, He will do it.

Let’s pray for one another and hold one another up, until that day – may God find us faultless when He comes.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

More valuable resources at these links:

Knowing and Doing the Will of God.  Do you ever wonder about “The Will of God for your life” or for your life’s circumstances?  It is recognizing and continually doing God’s Will in the course of my life that determines the outcome of His Will for my life

Experiencing God’s Will.  Have you heard this ‘funny definition’ of Insanity: “Doing the same thing over and over, but expecting different results.”  I guess it is sort of funny, but because it bears so much practical truth, it’s really not that funny, especially if you are struggling with an issue. Sometimes it seems, the harder we try, the worse it gets. We might have success for a while, but then we slip back into the same old patterns. We try to lose weight, or we try to stop a habit, over and over and over, we keep using the same old methods, and nothing changes, permanently.   The Bible says to “…be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

What We Believe.  Our saving faith in Christ Jesus and our Biblical Christian World View determine how we approach all ares of life. We express our Christian World View through politics, theology, art, sociology, philosophy, ethics, anthropology, the humanities, science, history, law and government. But, in the end, this music video (creed and confession) captures the essence of what we believe.

The overthrow of America by Social-Marxism and a grassroots response

(Please note, links are used in place of footnotes for references and citations.  Please review each link in order to get the full teaching on these matters.  Also, you can pause the Audio podcast to follow a link and resume the audio when ready.)

I was watching a video of a fellow trying to lure a lion cub, abandoned by its mother, into a container, so he could perhaps adopt it.  This man would lay morsels of food leading to the cage. The hungry cub would eat one morsel after another, but, upon reaching the door of the cage would turn and run away.

The man’s attempt to capture the cub, apparently, went on for several weeks, until finally the lion cub entered cage. The door was shut and thus began a process of ‘taming the cat’ so they could be friends.

The cub grew into an adolescent lion. But, his captor-foster parent, had plans to tame and transform this lion into a house pet so he could make certain the cat could be well cared for.  He had a plan.

Things were going according to plan. This young lion was never allowed out on his own and never allowed to go near the wild from which she came – lest she might remember and return to who and what she was.

She had been able to adapt to her captivity and to obey commands of her owner, until one day, while walking his “pet” on a leash, she suddenly turned on him, killing him, regaining her freedom.

Some animals, such as elephants and even some felines adapt to captivity.  They live in zoos or the property of a circus, but, they never seem to show the same vitality and longevity as those in the wild.  They just grow old, lethargic and die.

This reminds me of America.  Our early history was of a vibrant people who were willing to take risks in order to find a life with liberty, in their pursuit of happiness.  They were taking full advantage of the pledge of our declaration of independence.  Many would endure hardships and trials, and, in many ways, they were wild and unrestrained – except by the choices they made. The result of this pioneer and free enterprise spirit, was that America grew to be the richest, kindest, most generous and most powerful nation the world had ever seen.

Then came the captors, dropping morsels of food and goodies, leading to the cage.

The year was around 1930.  The timing was perfect.  People were suffering at the height of the Great Depression.  A limited form of the Social Security program began as a measure to implement “social insurance” during the Great Depression of the 1930s, when poverty rates among senior citizens exceeded 50 percent.

The Social Security Act was enacted August 14, 1935. The Act was drafted during President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first term by the President’s Committee on Economic Security, under Frances Perkins, and passed by Congress as part of the New Deal. The Act was an attempt to limit what were seen as dangers in the modern American life, including old age, poverty, unemployment, and the burdens of widows and fatherless children. By signing this Act on August 14, 1935, President Roosevelt became the first president to advocate federal assistance for the elderly.

The Act provided benefits to retirees and the unemployed, and a lump-sum benefit at death. Payments to current retirees are financed by a payroll tax on current workers’ wages, half directly as a payroll tax and half paid by the employer (self-employed people are responsible for the entire payroll tax). The act also gave money to states to provide assistance to aged individuals (Title I), for unemployment insurance (Title III), Aid to Families with Dependent Children (Title IV), Maternal and Child Welfare (Title V), public health services (Title VI), and the blind (Title X).

Then, slowly but surely, the Beast grew and gained strength.

Then on August 10, 1939 the program broadened to include benefits for workers’ dependents and survivors.

January 31, 1940: Ida M. Fuller became the first person to receive a monthly benefit. Her first check was for $22.54, the inflation-adjusted equivalent of $420.15 today. Fuller lived to the age of 100.

October 1950: Congress authorized the first cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), an increase of 77 percent.

August 1, 1956: Social Security Act amended to provide benefits to disabled workers ages 50-64 and disabled adult children.

September 1960: President Eisenhower signed a law amending the disability rules to permit payment of benefits to disabled workers of any age and to their dependents.

June 30, 1961: All workers now allowed to take early retirement at age 62, albeit at a reduced Social Security benefit.

July 1975: First annual automatic COLA, an 8 percent increase, was paid. Before 1975, each COLA required authorization by Congress.

July 1980: Beneficiaries received the highest annual COLA increase ever — 14.3 percent. The inflation rate in 1980 was 12.5 percent.

April 20, 1983: Comprehensive changes to Social Security, based on recommendations of the National Commission on Social Security Reform (also known as the “Greenspan Commission”) were signed into law, making sweeping changes to shore up the program’s shaky financial footing. The changes included raising payroll taxes and raising Normal Retirement Age (NRA).

October 1, 1988: A nationwide toll-free number was implemented for people to contact the Social Security Administration (SSA).

May 17, 1994: The SSA official website was launched.

October 1, 1999: The annual mailings of Social Security Statements began. About 125 million statements, showing workers’ earnings and projected benefits, were sent to all workers ages 25 and older.

April 7, 2000: The Senior Citizens’ Freedom to Work Act of 2000 was signed into law, eliminating the Retirement Earnings Test (RET) for those beneficiaries at or above NRA. (The RET still applies to those beneficiaries below NRA.) The RET was an original feature of the Social Security Act.

February 12, 2008: Kathleen Casey-Kirschling, the first boomer to apply for Social Security retirement benefits, received her first monthly benefit payment.

May 1, 2012: The Social Security Statement became available online after most paper statements stopped being mailed out in 2011. Today, paper statements are mailed only to workers 60 and over who are not yet collecting benefits and who have not set up an online My Social Security account.

March 17, 2020: Social Security field offices shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most services continued to be offered online or by telephone, rather than in person.

April 22, 2020: The annual report from the Social Security trustees projected the combined trust funds would be exhausted in 2035, after which only just over three quarters of benefits could be paid.

September 17, 2021:  SOCIALISM, is hiding in the United States, in plain sight. Take a look at the U.S. Budget and where the money goes.

Today, sixty-nine percent of the U.S., budget goes to some form of Socialist program such as medicare, medicaid, social security and income security.  Let that sink in:  69 PERCENT of our budget – your money, confiscated through taxation.

Here’s where the fraud begins:  Like all things Socialist-Marxist-Communist, they are a fraud, a lie hiding behind false promises.

Social Security has a trust fund, and that trust fund is supposed to have $2.6 trillion in it, according to the Social Security trustees.

Social Security benefits are entirely self-financing.  They are paid for with payroll taxes collected from workers and their employers throughout their careers.  These taxes are placed in a trust fund dedicated to paying benefits owed to current and future beneficiaries. The democrat controlled government has told us that even though Social Security began collecting less in taxes than it paid in benefits in 2010, the trust fund will continue to accrue interest and grow until 2025, and will have adequate resources to pay full benefits for the next 26 years.  (as reported by President Obama’s budget director, Jack Lew, in February 2011, in USA Today.)

The problem in 2021 is that our captors toppled the U.S. system of government “Of a people and by the people”, confiscated our wealth, perverted our system of justice and has polluted our sense of morality – and the Socialist-Marxist federal government fully emerged.

In the grandest of all acts of fraud, thievery and evil, the Marxists in our U.S. Congress ‘borrowed’ all of that trust fund money and spent it.  And the only way the trust fund can get some cash to pay Social Security benefits is if the federal government draws it from general revenues or borrows the money—which, of course, it can’t do because of the debt ceiling. The result being, we are completely and entirely dependent on the government to supply our needs – we are in the cage.

Another glaring example is Nancy Pelosi, a democratic leader of the House of Representatives, the speaker of the House, and a Socialist-Marxist democrat.  She has said, “the disparity in our country of income, where the wealthy people continue to get wealthier and some other people are falling out of the middle class when we want to bring many more people into the middle class. But that disparity is not just about wages alone. That disparity is about ownership and equity. It’s all about fairness in our country.”  (see the video here Pelosi on Capitalims, or see the transcript, here.)

The hypocrisy and the lies are hidden in the details, yet in plain sight:  Pelosi, Democratic party member makes an annual salary of around $223,500 as of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. It’s been around two years since she took on the role, and her bank balance has just been on the rise since then.  As of 2021, Nancy Pelosi’s net worth is estimated to be roughly $120 million.

The median household income in the US for the ‘average American” in 2019 was $68,703.   According to Pew Research, middle-class households are those with an annual income in 2018, ranged between $48,500 and $145,500.  In another research of 2019, the income range for a middle-class household of three was between $53,413 and $106,827.  And, Pelosi makes at least twice that amount off your back – the taxpayer.

The net worth of the American middle class is between $29,760 and $191,900.  Nancy Pelosi’s salary exceeds $223,000 and her net worth exceeds $120,000,000 – made off the backs of middle class America!  Yet she has the temerity to denigrate Capitalism and the American Way and to say that the middle-class is being treated unfairly.  She advocates Communist economics and policies, “each according to his need”, which throughout its history has always lead to poverty, lack, resentment and death!

So, where do we go from here?  Nowhere.  That’s where we are going, nowhere – unless “We the People”, act, now!

It is time to break out of our cages and to turn on our keepers!

The Communist manifesto claims that “Socialism is just a necessary step to Communism and then must be done away with”.   “Nowhere” is a place, it is a state of being and it is defined as Communist-Marxism.  It is the same ideology which murdered over two hundred fifty nine millions (259,000,000) people worldwide since 1900.

Socialists and communists say Globalism is the key to worldwide prosperity. But, the truth is that Globalists are Marxists and they know Global Marxism is the key to controlling people under the dictatorial rule of godless communism.

“The task before UNESCO,” said its first Director-General Julian Huxley in 1946, is “the emergence of a single world culture by transferring full sovereignty from separate nations to a world organization.”

The “new world order” will be a socialist, authoritarian global government and court with “global rule of law” and a “one-world economy,” according to the Commission for Global Governance.  When implemented, the New World Order will bring all the people of the world into a global neighborhood managed by a world-wide bureaucracy, under the direct authority of a minute handful of appointed individuals, and policed by thousands of individuals, paid by accredited NGOs, certified to support a belief system which contains ideas that are foreign to the American experience, and ignores other values and ideas that are precious to the American experience.

Both, our federal and state governments have been compromised.  As of this date, August 31, 2021, these Globalists, have been embedded in our government, in our legal system at every level, in our religious systems, in our churches, in our school, colleges and institutions of higher education. Over 528 American cities are members of “Local Governments for Sustainability”, which is the Agenda 21 program at the local level.  Also known as “ICLEI”, an international Marxist and Socialist leaning sustainability organization, that helps to implement the Agenda 21 and Local Agenda 21 concepts across the world. The United States has nearly half of the ICLEI’s global membership of 1,200 cities promoting sustainable development at a local level. (Former presidents, Bill Clinton and George Bush, were responsible for promoting and implementing these Marxists programs in America.)

We have lost this war for the hearts, minds, souls and the sovereignty of the once great United States of America. The coup d’état is complete.  We, as a nation, have been swallowed by the Socialist Beast.  We are now a nation practicing Socialism and controlled by Socialist-Marxists.  But, this is only the beginning.

The ultimate aim of this Global Marxist Movement can be found, amazingly, in documents that date back over 2,800 years – in the Bible.

Now, at the time of this writing, September 17, 2021. there is a convergence and concurrence of global events, as never been seen before, in alignment with Bible prophecy. The branch of the olive tree has become tender and is putting forth its leaves, so, you know that summer is near; so, too, when you see all these things, recognize that Jesus is near, right at the door!

Please click the following link titles to read what you and I must know and what we can do – must do – as a response:

  1.  American Under Siege.
  2. Most people will not fight back.
  3.  Go on the Offensive, part 1.
  4.  Go on the Offensive, part 2.
  5.  Go on the Offensive, part 3.
  6.  How to deal with Marxist in the Church.
  7.  Be ready for the coming judgment and the return of Christ.

I realize this is a fairly long article.  But, please take you time to study each link and the information provided.  Then, write to me.  Let’s put our RESPONSE into action.

I am wanting to starting meeting in person to get with you and others to discuss organizing, encouraging one another and moving forward!  IT IS TIME TO TURN ON OUR KEEPERS and get our freedoms back!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT:  AGENDA 2030 – THE U.N. – GLOBAL MARXISM- THE DEMOCRAT PARTY’S ASSAULT ON AMERICA

SO, WHAT’S WRONG WITH SOCIAL SECURITY AND SOCIALISM?

It is a method of despotic control. The Church – that is all Christians – is / are tasked with the responsibilities of caring for one another, the less capable, widows and orphans.  All this has taken over by a secular anti-Christian government because the Church – Christians – have failed to continue the works of Christ, Jesus.

SAVING FAITH and the Demoniac

 

(Please note, links are used in place of footnotes for references and citations.  Please review each link in order to get the full teaching on these matters.  Also, you can pause the Audio podcast to follow a link and resume the audio when ready.)

SAVING FAITH – THE DEMONIAC – Episode 4

Matthew 17:14-20  says, “When Jesus, Peter, James and John his brother came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying,  “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.  I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.

” And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.”  And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once.

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out?”  And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”

This important event gives us a visual of what Spiritual Warfare can look like.

First, this man describes his son as “lunatic” which translates from the Greek word, “seléniazomai”, to be moonstruck; lunatic, to be epileptic (epilepsy being supposed to return and increase with the increase of the moon).  We find out a few verses later, when Jesus heals him, that his symptoms are because this boy has been possessed by a demon.

The disciples had tried to heal the son, but, were unable to drive the demon out of the boy because of ‘the littleness of their faith’.

It is obvious that Jesus is displeased with his disciples, to say the least.  He chastises them, saying, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you?”

Note that the word “unbelieving”, translates as, incredulous, without Christian faith; not to be trusted, perfidious; heathen), and the word (“perverted” translates as to distort, misinterpret, corrupt).  A harsh indictment, indeed.

It is both interesting and frightening that although Jesus uses the word “generation”, it is apparent that His angst is directed primarily at His disciples.  It is also interesting that Jesus, knowing His time is short on earth and that He will soon face a humiliating and excruciating death, says “how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you?”, as if to say He would rather be gone than to have to deal with this incredible absence of faith and earthbound, twisted and corrupt understanding of God and His ways.

Jesus concludes His remarks with, “for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.” The phrase “for truly I say to you” (‘say’, from the Greek word ‘lego’) is emphatic.  Jesus was not calmly teaching His disciples as much as He was reproving them and admonishing them to embrace faith in Him, do the impossible and “move some mountains”.

This is not just a story for us to read, to muse over or get excited about.  It was, and is, a message from Jesus to His disciples, both then and now.

His words were spoken prophetically and emphatically (and, in the aorist tense), which means that this is a command and an action which has no regard for the past, present or future, it is an ongoing action; i.e., it was true yesterday, it is true today, and it will always be true!  This means that these words were not just for the disciples or for the people of that generation, His words were for all people of all time.

These Words are for you and for me:  “Have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this or any mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”

This is how we – you and I – will engage the enemy, Satan and his demons and beasts – with faith the size of a mustard seed.

You and I will silence the ignorance of foolish men, we will pull down strongholds of darkness, we will destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.  We will be ready to punish every disobedience.

We will put armies of the darkness to flight and will destroy the devil’s works of sickness, disease, fear, doubt, calamity, poverty, loneliness.  This is how we cast out demons, vanquish evil from our land and cause the devil and his legions to flee.

He has given us – you and me, as His disciples – authority

  • Over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and
  • To heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness
  • To Heal the sick,
  • To raise the dead,
  • To cleanse the lepers,
  • To cast out demons.

“And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’  Freely you received, freely give. (Matthew 10)

As important as the foregoing message is to us, let’s be mindful that it is not the “MAIN THING”.  The primary message for us is,

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.”

Jesus Christ was crucified, died, and was buried; He descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

Everything else follows the primacy and the Name of Jesus.

Dear brothers and sisters and friends, let’s please enter into His service and be about doing what He has called, commanded and commissioned us to do.

The following chapters in this series are Biblical teaching on the exercising of your faith and the outcomes. This is not just for reading, but, for you and me to learn to exercise our faith and to see these outcomes in our own lives.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Go to the Next Episode, ASK IN FAITH BELIEVING

 

AMERICA UNDER SIEGE – On the Offensive, Part III

(Please note, links are used in place of footnotes for references and citations.  Please review each link in order to get the full teaching on these matters.  Also, you can pause the Audio podcast to follow a link and resume the audio when ready.)

AMERICA UNDER SIEGE

Going on the Offensive, Part III

“Fighting Back”

NOTE:  If you are a Conservative or a Christian in America, every issue that runs counter to your mores or is in conflict with our existing laws, traditional social norms, our Constitution and our Christian faith, including plain decency, can be attributed to the Democrat Party or any Leftists activist organization’s drive to divide our nation in order to complete their implementation of the One World Marxist Government.

When we try to extinguish each and every political, social or religious ‘brush fire issue’ ignited by the opposition, it only serves to distract us from fighting the Beast orchestrating this evil, and cutting off his head.

Please take a minute and go back a few years in time with me, before the COVID-19 pandemic. The Democrat party in America and many Republican co-conspirators, have been working for the past 75 years to complete and implement Socialist-Marxists ideologies and practices into the fabric of our nation at the federal, state and local governments levels though our legal systems, our primary, secondary and university level educational systems, the media, our health care systems, our religious institutions and more.

Then, in November 2019, a mysterious virus began infecting people in Wuhan, China.  Investigations and subsequent reports show this virus had most likely escaped from a virology research lab in the same city. Coincidental?  Most experts think not. China, the clear leader in promoting and implementing communism around the world, using any and all means necessary.

Furthermore, China has been uncooperative in revealing any information about this virus, how it escaped the lab, why they were doing such biological testing and has refused help in containing the virus. The COVID disease quickly spread around the globe.  One has to wonder if this was a planned event.

The Biden administration refuses to hold China accountable and, in fact, is working with China to find new alliances, potentially giving up strategic U.S. advantages.

Several high ranking Democrat members of Congress (Rahm Emanuel, former Obama advisor; Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters, Chuck Schumer and House majority leader, Eric Cantor and sitting president Joe Biden), have brazenly used the pandemic as an opportunity to pass legislative spending bills and executive orders which are in clear violations of the constitution and existing laws.

Thus began, the politicization of the COVID-19 pandemic using questionable, if not illegal, methods unrelated to any emergency or crisis at hand.  Democrats in Congress are now regularly using crises or national emergencies to manipulate public opinion and as opportunity to foment unrest and violence to reach their globalist agenda.  They, like Rahm Emanuel, seem to be saying, “Never let a good crisis go to waste” when it comes to promoting Socialist-Marxism in America and around the world.

FIGHTING BACK

There are an increasing number of grassroots movements fighting back politically.  There are some state and local governments passing legislation to fight Agenda-21’s Marxist attack on our Nation and her sovereignty.  As good as this sounds, they are still just fighting “political brush fires”.

Our goal is to resist and counter-attack the Beast by joining God in Spiritual Warfare!

Satan, also known as the serpent, the devil and the dragon are one-and-the-same, and he is behind all the evil which as ever been on this earth.

The New Testament book of 1 John 4:3 tells us, “every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.” 

If you don’t know by now, let me assure you that Marxism, in all its various forms, (Socialism, Leninism, Communism, etc.) is a manifestation of the works of the Beast.

Chapter 13 of the book of The Revelation, John introduces and describes in great detail two beasts: one beast coming up out of the sea and one beast coming up out of the earth.

Maybe you have asked, ‘what are the two beasts in Revelation chapter 13’.  The short answer is they represent the Antichrist and the False Prophet. These two, empowered by Satan, set out with a mission to deceive many during the Great Tribulation. Let’s consider the roles these two will play in End Times prophecy and our preparation and methods to fight back!

HOW TO GET READY

I have been studying eschatology and the End of Days in particular, for the last fourteen years. I have wondered if the conclusions I was making were Biblical and accurate. But, the things I concluded and taught, are coming true before our eyes.  Today, some prominent and mainline preachers are revising their End of Days views and are coming to the same conclusions as I.

I have written extensively about “What it Means to Get Ready” and “How to Get Ready”, but, to keep this brief, I am attaching a PowerPoint presentation with the Bible’s conclusions. Just click on the image to go to the presentation.  The last page of the presentation will summarize “what it means to be ready”.

Matthew 24:32 tells us,  “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to
give them their food at the proper time?”

Again, please pay particular attention to the last page of this PowerPoint presentation.  Much of what it proposes must be done and can be done through your local Church.  But, should the day come – and I believe it is close at hand – when the Church will be forced underground, we must still come together and accomplish His Work. 

We have equal vested interest. We are the Body of Christ.

  • Prepare the Storehouse for the Saints
  • Come Together in Community
  • Make Disciples
  • Find and connect with Christians
  • Plan and coordinate with families
  • Organize “readiness” training classes, and more…

HOW TO FIGHT BACK

First, we must know, that although we may be engaged in the battle, it is God Who does the fighting, giving us the victory, and it is He, Who decides the outcome.

We may be called to a variety of task, such as leading someone to Jesus, calling out and rebuking evil wherever it is found, giving sound Biblical counsel, laying healing hands on the sick and infirm, taking care of widows, orphans, the destitute or a myriad of other things God may put in our way.

Scriptures tell us that although God is protecting us and fighting for us, some of us will give our life in service to Him.  Revelation 12:11 tells us, And they overcame the devil because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”

There are dozens and dozens of verses that give us assurances. Here are just three.

Deuteronomy 1:30 tells us, “The LORD your God, Who goes before you, will Himself fight for you, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes.”

Psalm 20:6-8, says, “Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.”

Joshua 1:5-6, tells us, “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.”

Again, for brevity, here is a sermon and message from Pastor Trent Casto of Covenant Naples Church, Naples, Florida, from the book of Deuteronomy on the subject of “THE PROBLEMS OR THE PROMISES?” Although this sermon is not about eschatology, it gives us the answer to HOW TO FIGHT BACK.

Jesus has told us what is coming.  And, in Matthew 24:9-13, He warns, “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.  At that time, many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.  Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.”

We will fight and overcome the enemy ‘because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of our testimony’.   You and I must prepare through study, diligence and steadfastness in prayer.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Click this link to the previous Episode:  Going on the Offensive, Part 2

AMERICA UNDER SIEGE – Going on the Offensive, Part II

(You can listen to this audio while you read along, then, you can stop the audio to follow a link, then, resume the audio when you are ready)

AMERICA UNDER SIEGE

Going on the Offensive, Part II

“I Have the Full Armor of God – Now What?” 

(Please note: There is no ‘shortcut’, no easy 1-2-3, to defeating our enemy. It takes discipline and training and preparation.  You need to read, study, pray and prepare.  And, you cannot get the complete detail or a complete understanding of the steps we can and must take, unless you read the related links on each of these pages)

A war to resist and overcome the evils enveloping America and the world can be fought in four basic ways:  (1). Conventional or guerilla warfare, using conventional weapons of war, economic weapons, psychological warfare, the weapons of the media; (2). Political weapons; (3). Changing and winning the hearts and minds of the people through Spiritual Warfare; (4). Pulling down strongholds, taking every thought captive, destroying arguments.

The first two methods have been in use since creation and have brought only temporary periods of peace or limited prosperity for the few.  But, the “unsaved” people among us who are share our Christian ideals, but have not received Christ as their Lord and Savior, are still our allies and co- conspirators, and they will continue to wage war against our enemy using traditional methods.  However, we have been fighting wars throughout our history, which have murdered billions of people and cause destruction at unimaginable costs in dollars and human suffering, so the first two methods have not brought any measure of lasting peace or prosperity, except to a few.

The last method mentioned, Spiritual Warfare, the spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the pulling down and destroying the strongholds of rulers, authorities,  cosmic powers, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places, is the only way to defeat and eradicate evil and usher in worldwide lasting peace and prosperity.

Spiritual Warfare and spreading the Gospel is the method, mission and ministry to which God has called us.  It is through Spiritual Warfare, that, in the end, God will judge the entire world, defeat the forces of evil in the bloodiest of all battles.  It is through this warfare that Satan and the Anti-Christ will be cast in the lake of fire for all eternity.)

If you cannot, or will not, believe that this is your mission and that He will  accomplish these things through you, then you are not yet His disciple.  And you cannot know how and are unable TO EFFECTIVELY ENGAGE THE EVIL ENVELOPING OUR NATION AND THE WORLD IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE.

Engaging in the Spiritual War raging across America and the world, requires that you know Jesus as your Lord and knowing what He requires of His disciples (a.k.a., Christians).  It is the indwelling presence of God that enables you to understand what God is saying and to gain the wisdom and abilities to fight this war.

Our relationship with God requires more than just knowing about Him. We must know Him, believe Him and we must follow Him, which requires our FAITH in ACTION. 

Pastor and author Henry Blackaby points out, in his study “The 7 Realities For Experiencing God”, what we should know about God’s ways, His plans and His purposes. It illustrates how we can follow Him. :

      1. God is always at work around you.
      2. God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal.
      3. God invites you to become involved with Him in His work.
      4. God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways.
      5. God’s invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action.
      6. You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing.
      7. You come to know God by experience as you obey Him, and He accomplishes His work through you.

I.   JESUS’ MINISTRY IS OUR MINISTRY

Our relationship with Jesus is more than ‘Just Knowing’; it requires Believing and Doing.   Jesus has

(a) The plan for us to follow,

(b) The purpose which becomes our purpose, and

(c) The ministry for us as His disciples.

For example, in Matthew 10:2, we are told that “Jesus sent these twelve out after (a) instructing them (b) He gave them authority

      • over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to
      • heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness
      • “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
      • “Heal the sick,
      • raise the dead,
      • cleanse the lepers,
      • cast out demons.
      • Freely you received, freely give.
      • “Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support.
      • “And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city. “As you enter the house, give it your greeting. “If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace.
      • “Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. “Truly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.

If you cannot, or will not, believe that this is your mission and that He will  accomplish these things through you, then you are not yet His disciple.  And  you cannot know how and are unable TO EFFECTIVELY ENGAGE THE EVIL ENVELOPING OUR NATION AND THE WORLD IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE.

II.  JESUS’ MISSION IS OUR MISSION

After Jesus’ death and resurrection and just before His ascension, He said:

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

So, Jesus was sent by His Father and was on The Mission of His Father.  If you are a disciple of Jesus (His follower) this is your mission, and He will do this work through you.

If you cannot, or will not, believe that this is your mission and that He will  accomplish these things through you, then you are not yet His disciple.  And  you cannot know how and are unable TO EFFECTIVELY ENGAGE THE EVIL ENVELOPING OUR NATION AND THE WORLD IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE.

III. JESUS’ PURPOSE IS OUR PURPOSE

1 John 3:8 “The one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, TO DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL.”

These are the WORKS of the devil, the thief comes only to STEAL and KILL and DESTROY (John 10:10)

The devil is the accuser, a liar, a thief, a murderer, the author of disease, pain, despair, loss, lack, fear, hopelessness and the like.

IV.  JESUS’ METHOD IS OUR METHOD

Revelation 12:11 “And they overcame him (the devil) because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word (logos) of their testimony (Maturia -> Martus), and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”

Here is how Jesus destroyed the works of the devil.  And, how He will continue to destroy the works of the devil, through His yielded and obedient disciple:

  • Condemns a Fig Tree Matthew 21:17-22
  • Feeds More than Four-Thousand People Matthew 15:32-39
  • Stills the Storm
  • The Catch of Fish
  • The Second Catch of Fish
  • The Temple Tax Money Obtained from a Fish’s Mouth
  • Walks Upon Lake Galilee
  • Water Converted Into Wine
  • Cleanses the Leper
  • Cures a Man With Dropsy
  • Cures the Woman With the Issue of Blood
  • Healing of the Immobile Man
  • Heals a Demoniac
  • Heals Peter’s Mother-In-Law
  • Heals the Daughter of the Non-Jewish, Syro-Phoenician Woman
  • Heals the Demoniac
  • Heals the Ear of Malchus
  • Heals the Epileptic Boy
  • Heals the Nobleman’s Son
  • Heals the Paralyzed Man
  • Heals the Woman With the Spirit of Infirmity
  • Opens the Eyes of a Man Born Blind
  • Restores a Blind Man
  • Restores Sight to Two Blind Men Near Jericho
  • Restores the Centurion’s Servant
  • Restores the Deaf-Mute Man
  • Restores Two Blind Men to Sight
  • Restoring the Withered Hand
  • Throws Demons out of Two Men of Gadara (Gerasa)
  • DEFEATED DEATH
  • Raises Lazarus from the Dead
  • Raises the Daughter of Jairus from the Dead
  • Raises the Widow’s Son to Life at the Village of Nain
  • “Miracles in the Name of Christ”

If you cannot, or will not, believe that this is your mission and that He will  accomplish these things through you, then you are not yet His disciple.  And  you cannot know how and are unable TO EFFECTIVELY ENGAGE THE EVIL ENVELOPING OUR NATION AND THE WORLD IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE.

V.  OUR THREE-FOLD RESPONSE & OUR MISSION

1. Philippians 2:5 Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus,

2. John 14:12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.

3. Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

When you ‘hear His Voice’, submit yourself to Him, obey and spring into action!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Previous Episode:  Going on the Offensive, Part 1

Next Episode:  Going on the Offensive, Part 3

AMERICA UNDER SIEGE – footnotes & helps

The third ‘help’ is some examples of Jesus, speaking The Word.  You can find many more examples by doing your own Bible study.  You will find several examples, below here:

Example:  Matthew 22:15-17, tells us,  “Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said.  And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any. “Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?”

Jesus responds

Matthew 22:18 says, “But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, “Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites.”

The result

Mathew 22:22  says,  “And hearing this, they were amazed, and leaving Him, they went away.”

Example:  Matthew 17:15, tells us of a man who calls on Jesus, and says, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. “I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.”

Jesus responds

Verse 17.  “And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.”

The result

Verse18.  “And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once.

Verse 19.  “Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” Verse 20.  And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith.”

Example:   John 18:33 tells us, “Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

Jesus Responds

Verse 34.  “Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?”

Verse 35.  “Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?”

Jesus Responds

Verse 36.  “Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”

Verse 37.  “Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?”

Jesus Responds

Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

The Result

Verse 38.  “Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?”  And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him.”

Example:  John 4:7, tells us, “There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” Verse 8. For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Verse 9. Therefore, the Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

Jesus responds

Verse 10.  “Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

Verse 11.  “She said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water?  Verse 12.  “You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?”

Jesus responds

Verse 13.  “Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; Verse 14. but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

 Verse 15.  “The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.”

Jesus responds

Verse 16. He said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.”

Verse 17.  The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.”

Jesus responds

“Jesus said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; Verse 18.  for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.”

Verse 19.  “The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Verse 20. “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”

Jesus responds

Verse 21.  “Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. Verse 22.  “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. Verse 23. “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. Verse 24.  “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Verse 25.  “The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.”

Jesus responds

Verse 26.  “Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

The Result

Verse 28.  “So the woman left her water pot, and went into the city and said to the men, verse 29. “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?” Verse 30. They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.”

AMERICA UNDER SIEGE – Going on the Offensive

(You can listen to this audio while you read along, then, you can stop the audio to follow a link, then, resume the audio when you are ready)

America Under Siege

Going on the Offense

     This Spiritual war for the souls and lives of God’s creation has been raging since the Serpent (Satan) entered the garden of Eden and deceived Adam and Eve.

     Now, we are called to join God as His disciple in these Last Days, and engage the enemy in this very real cosmic battle for our survival, for our household, for our loved ones and for the souls of God’s created children.  This is about getting ready, now, today, taking up the full armor of God and engaging the enemy.

     Our first step to engaging in this Spiritual War, is to understand that there is a Universal Truth.  An Absolute Truth which cannot be compromised or synthesized to suit any individual’s personal beliefs that do not conform to God’s Word, nor, any agenda except God’s Agenda nor anyone’s fleshly opinion, lust or personal desires. The Truth is an anathema for its detractors.

The Truth is a Person

     This Truth is found in a Person:  The Life and the Word of Jesus (the “Logos-Word” of God).  Jesus testified to this fact when He said, in John 14:6, “I am the Truth and the life”, and again, in John 18:37, He said, “I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth.”

     You and I must, first, receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior and become a child of God.  John 1:12, tells us that, “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

The Blood of the Lamb and the Word of our Testimony

        Being a child of God is the only way knowing the Truth and is the only way to succeed in this war.  Revelation 12:10-12 says, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.  And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.  For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that Satan has only a short time.”

Believe Him at His Word

     You can choose to believe God, or not.  If you believe Him, you will find an abundant and fulfilling life with the ability to overcome in tribulation.  If you choose not to believe Him, you will find eternal darkness “where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth”.  In other words, you will perish in the eternal Lake of Fire. Those are the simple facts.

Psalm 34:15-19

The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
           And His ears are open to their cry.

        The face of the LORD is against evildoers,
           To cut off the memory of them from the earth.

        The righteous cry, and the LORD hears
           And delivers them out of all their troubles.

        The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
           And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

        Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
           But the LORD delivers him out of them all.

      Secondly, we must stand on this Truth which is the beginning and the end of every argument.  It is our offense, and, it is our defense.

Stand Firm and Speak God’s Word

     Third, we must stand firm and Speak The Truth, the ‘Rhema-Word‘ of God.  Ephesians 6:14 instructs us to, “Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH”.  We must never engage in debate or argument on any matter thrown at us by the enemy or by those who are deceived.

     2 Timothy 2:23-24, tells us, “But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.  The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged”.

     We must live and speak the Truth in every circumstance and to every person, at all times.  We need not fear or worry.  Jesus tells us that, “When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” (Luke 12:11-12).

Speak and Act on God’s Word

Next, we must speak and act on God’s Word in all circumstances.  Do nothing by your own will.  Even Jesus said, in John 5:30I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

     And again in, John 5:19, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.”

     Speak by His prompting, act in His manner, and it will come to pass.  This is how we God has told us, “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth, and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;  So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”  (Isaiah 55:10-11)

Pulling Down Strongholds, Destroying arguments

     “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

     “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”

(2 Corinthians 10:4-6)

     What you are reading on these pages, and in the Bible, regarding these matters, are not just concepts, ideas  or religious philosophies.  This is the Truth, which must be applied to be effective.  This is what you and I must be doing each and every day.

“Knowing the Truth and not applying it, renders it as idle information.”

Commissioned and Sent

     ​Matthew 28:16-17, tells us, “Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.  And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.”  Did you get that?  “But, some doubted”, and Jesus sent them anyway.  They had been, taught, trained and now, they are sent.  This is our model, our calling and our commissioning, also.  If you are having any doubts, go, anyway!

     In Matthew 28:18-20, “Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  This process of making and sending disciples has been repeated millions upon millions of times since Jesus gave this prophetic commandment, and this process reached you at some point.  You have been called and sent.  You and I cannot wait until we think we are ready.  Jesus says you are ready, so, now, “Go”.

     I am closing this section with two finals ‘helps’ and a reminder from Joshua 1:9-15.

The first ‘help’ is a forty-seven lesson booklet on how we are to proceed as Jesus disciples.  Complete one of these very short  lessons each day.  You will find instruction, encouragement and strength.

Just click on this image of the book to start.

AND YOU SHALL BE MY DISCIPLES – THE BOOK-2022

The second ‘help’ is to Memorize and Meditate on God’s Word.  Commit these verses to memory and meditate on them. You will need them.

(Paraphrased from Joshua 1:5-9)

​“No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.“Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.

“Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.

“The Word of God shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”  

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Click this link to:  GOING OF THE OFFENSIVE – PART 2

The third ‘help’ gives some examples of Jesus, speaking The Word.  You can find many more examples by doing your own Bible study.  You will find several examples, at this link:  Jesus Speaks the Word

Click this link to go  back to Episode One:  AMERICA UNDER SIEGE

AMERICA UNDER SIEGE – The Struggle

(You can listen to this audio while you read along, then, you can stop the audio to follow a link, then, resume the audio when you are ready)

America Under Siege

OUR STRUGGLE

“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”  

(Paraphrased from Ephesians 6:12)

     This may be a strange concept or idea to some, but, everything we consider as ‘real and tangible’, the things we can see, smell, taste and touch, have come from the ‘unseen world’.  One way of looking at this is to consider the ‘unseen world’ of atoms, electrons and protons, which creates all the ‘matter’, seen and unseen.  A second way of viewing it, is that those things which are ‘built, constructed or done’ by people, originated from the ‘unseen’ world of thoughts and ideas.

     The things of this world are temporal.   Everything seen on this world is the final manifestation of form and matter, before it decays.   Matter decays.  People get old and die.  The eternal is in the ‘heavenly place’, the abode of God. The Book of Genesis gives us the best example of this idea, which says,  “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”  All things, seen and unseen, begin with God, Who is unseen.

     The Bible tells us that everything, seen and unseen, whether good or for evil, comes, first, from the unseen world ‘of the heavenly places’.   Effecting change in the temporal means, we must start where the matter begins:  in the eternal place, ‘the heavenly places’.

     Ephesians 6:10-11, fittingly says,  “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Verse 12. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Verse 13.  “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

​Verse 14.  “Stand therefore,

  • having fastened on the belt of truth, and,

  • having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and,

  • as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

  • In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and,

  • take the helmet of salvation, and,

  • the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

  • praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication

To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.”

     Please notice that each piece of the armor of God is not just clothing with some religious significance or decorative garb.  Each item represents an ACTION which must be taken.

  • The belt of Truth:  You are bound to Live and speak the Truth.

  • The breastplate of righteousness:  You are to live justly, be innocent, stay in right relationship with God.

  • The shoes of peace:  Walk in peace with God and with man, whenever that is possible.

  • The Shield of Faith:  Take up your faith in God and act on that faith.

  • The Helmet of Salvation:  Have the mind which is also in Christ Jesus. Think like Him.

  • The Swords of the Spirit:  Read, speak and practice the Word of God.

  • Pray in the Spirit:  Pray and make supplication, at all times.

Do these things, and you will be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

Go to Part V

AMERICA UNDER SIEGE – Escape the Dialectic

(You can listen to this audio while you read along, then, you can stop the audio to follow a link, then, resume the audio when you are ready)

America Under Siege

ESCAPE THE ‘DIALECTIC’

WHAT IS TRUTH?

“If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”   John 8:32-33

Know Your Enemy

     It is very important that you read these quotes by Karl Marx, known as the ‘Father of Communism’ and quotes by Vladimir Lenin, the man who developed a murderous variant of communist ideology known as Leninism.

     In them, you will see and better understand the things you see happening in our world, today.  They are still the methods, strategies and techniques for establishing Marxism and a One World Government.  They have always been and still are the standard and goal of Marxism. You should know these things to know how the modern Globalist-Marxist thinks and what they are accomplishing:

Quotes by Karl Marx:

  • “Take away a nation’s heritage, and they are more easily persuaded. “
  • “Communism begins where atheism begins. “
  • “The education of all children, from the moment that they can get along without a mother’s care, shall be in state institutions. “
  • “We have no compassion, and we ask no compassion from you. When our turn comes, we shall not make excuses for the terror. “
  • “The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism. “
  • “If you can cut the people off from their history, then they can be easily persuaded. “
  • “The democratic concept of man is false, because it is Christian. The democratic concept holds that each man is a sovereign being. This is the illusion, dream, and postulate of Christianity. “
  • There are, besides, eternal truths, such as Freedom, etc., that are common to all states of society. But Communism abolishes eternal truths, it abolishes all religion, and all morality, instead of constituting them on a new basis; it therefore acts in contradiction to all past historical experience. “
  • “The theory of Communism may be summed up in one sentence: Abolish all private property. “
  • “When the sufferers learn to think, then the thinkers will learn to suffer. “
  • “The Communists everywhere support every revolutionary movement against the existing social and political order of things. They openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions. “
  • “The last capitalist we hang shall be the one who sold us the rope. “
  • A heavy or progressive or graduated income tax is necessary for the proper development of Communism. “
  • “The first requisite for the happiness of the people is the abolition of religion.
  • “The unity is brought about by force. “
  • “From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs. “
  • “There is no greater stupidity than for people to marry and so surrender themselves to the small miseries of domestic and private life. “
  • “Taxes are the source of life for the bureaucracy, the army and the court, in short, for the whole apparatus of the executive power. Strong government and heavy taxes are identical. “

Quotes by Vladimir Lenin:

  • “Give me your four-year-olds, and in a generation I will build a socialist state. “
  • “We can and must write in a language which sows among the masses hate, revulsion, and scorn toward those who disagree with us. “
  • “The press should be not only a collective propagandist and a collective agitator, but also a collective organizer of the masses. “
  • “The goal of socialism is communism. “
  • “Why should freedom of speech and freedom of press be allowed? Why should a government which is doing what it believes to be right allow itself to be criticized? It would not allow opposition by lethal weapons. Ideas are much more fatal things than guns. Why should any man be allowed to buy a printing press and disseminate pernicious opinions calculated to embarrass the government? “
  • “The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation. “
  • “People always have been, and they always will be, stupid victims of deceit and self-deception in politics. “
  • “Give me just one generation of youth, and I’ll transform the whole world. “
  • “One man with a gun can control 100 without one. “
  • “As an ultimate objective, “peace” simply means communist world control.”
  • “Atheism is a natural and inseparable part of Marxism, of the theory and practice of scientific socialism. Our program necessarily includes the propaganda of atheism. “
  • “It is, of course, much easier to shout, abuse, and howl than to attempt to relate, to explain. “
  • “Medicine is the keystone of the arch of socialism. “
  • “One of the basic conditions for the victory of socialism is the arming of the workers Communist and the disarming of the bourgeoisie to the middle class.”
  • “The best way to control the opposition is to lead it ourselves. “
  • “Give us the child for eight years, and it will be a Bolshevik forever. “
  • “There are no morals in politics; there is only expedience. A scoundrel may be of use to us just because he is a scoundrel. “
  • “We are not shooting enough professors. “
  • “Germany will militarize herself out of existence, England will expand herself out of existence, and America will spend herself out of existence. “
  • “It is necessary – secretly and urgently, to prepare the terror. “
  • “The establishment of a central bank is 90% of communizing a nation. “
  • “We want to achieve a new and better order of society: in this new and better society there must be neither rich nor poor; all will have to work. Not a handful of rich people, but all the working people must enjoy the fruits of their common labor. Machines and other improvements must serve to ease the work of all, and not to enable a few to grow rich at the expense of millions and tens of millions of people. This  is the new and better society, and it is called a socialist society. “
  • “There can be nothing more abominable than religion.”

(Additionally, here is a link to a 77 part video series from The Fuel Project titled, “KNOW YOUR ENEMY,

This video series reveals and delves into the myriad of tentacles of this beast known as Marxism, which has been hiding under the umbrella of once familiar and trusted organizations.)

Go to PART IV

AMERICA UNDER SIEGE – The Marxists Dialectic

(You can listen to this audio while you read along, then, you can stop the audio to follow a link, then, resume the audio when you are ready)

America Under Siege

The Marxist Dialectic Methodology

Methodologies, strategies and tactics employed effectively in political and social conflicts.

Military Maneuvers of War

     Penetration of the center, envelopment of a single flank, envelopment of both flanks, attack in oblique order, feigned retreat, attack from a defensive position and the indirect approach.

     A commander often must employ more than one maneuver to achieve victory; he may try to penetrate the center but fail, feign a retreat and then envelop a single flank. Each has advantages and disadvantages, while may be more effective in some situations and less in others.

     There is also One Modern Maneuver of War: offensive revolutionary guerrilla warfare. This maneuver has actually been around for a while, but is only now becoming a legitimate, effective means of victory.   The strategy is to create diversions to distract and confuse your adversary, and while he is distracted, attack him at his core.

​     This military tactic is also effective in political, religious and social conflict.  The dominant philosophy driving this strategy comes from a tactic known as the Hegelian Dialectic, developed by George Wilhelm Hegel, an influential German philosopher in the 18th and 19th century.

What about Hegel?

“…the State ‘has the supreme right against the individual, whose supreme duty is to be a member of the State… for the right of the world spirit is above all special privileges.'” Author/historian William Shirer, quoting George Hegel in his The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (1959, page 144)

     In 1847 the London Communist League (Karl Marx and Frederick Engels) used Hegel’s theory of the dialectic to back up their economic theory of communism. Now, in the 21st century, Hegelian-Marxist thinking affects our entire social and political structure. The Hegelian dialectic is the framework for guiding our thoughts and actions into conflicts that lead us to a predetermined solution.

     If we do not understand how the Hegelian dialectic shapes our perceptions of the world, then we do not know how we are helping to implement their vision. When we remain locked into dialectical thinking, we cannot see out of the box.

Hegel’s dialectic is the tool which manipulates us into a frenzied circular pattern of thought and action. Every time we fight for or defend against an ideology, we are playing a necessary role in Marx and Engels’ grand design to advance humanity into a dictatorship of the proletariat.

     The synthetic Hegelian solution to all these conflicts can’t be introduced unless we all take a side that will advance the agenda. For example, a person can draw you into a conflict and convince you to take a side by feigning a desire to understand your point of view in search of common ground for cooperation or compromise.

     It goes something like this:  We don’t agree on a religious view. Your opponent states their case and asks that you help them understand your views.  You have now been drawn into the ‘dialectic’.  They will always respond with a counterpoint, criticism and ridicule.  If you do not concede to a compromise, they will inevitably resort to condescension and threats. Your opponent will be tireless and relentless in perpetuating the conflict until they gain a compromise from you.

     The Marxist-Socialist’s main goal is Global domination. (Marxists truly believe the world will eliminate wars, hunger, poverty and will experience global prosperity if they achieve their aims.) A primary tactic is diversion (false flags) through this dialectic process, they have been successful at distracting their adversaries while advancing their causes, unimpeded.

     For example, certain branches of the central Socialist organization may create simultaneous debates on a myriad of important social, economic, political and religious issues.  I will use the issue of abortion for an example. Having carefully orchestrated a national debate which occupies the nation’s attention, and the adversary is sufficiently distracted, the Marxist-Socialist machine goes about their business of building their Global Marxist apparatus.

     Here is one small example:  #1.  THESIS:  A Democrat (i.e., socialist) says to a Republican (i.e., conservative), It is a woman’s right to abortion. The two sides argue and debate the point.

#2.  ANTITHESIS: The unborn have rights and abortion is murder.

#3.  SYNTHESIS:  (Compromise) Abortion should be allowed in the case of incest, rape or to save the mother’s life.  The conservative agrees to the compromise.

     The results?  The Conservative has ceded 25% of the high ground on abortion.  The new reality is that the conservative’s position is now 75% of what it had been, and the Socialist’s position has grown 100%.

This process repeats, and the conservative falls into the trap again, losing 25% again and the Socialist gains 50%.  Repeated long enough, the conservative is in disarray, having lost the argument and the superior position, all abortion is legal including infanticide, but the conflict escalates and continues.

These skirmishes are numerous and growing.  Gun rights, civil liberties, homosexual rights, transgenderism, global warming, onerous taxation, socialized medicine, social security, etc.

     All the while, the Marxist-Socialist have gained political and social advantage worldwide, unnoticed and unimpeded.

     When we understand what motivated Hegel, we can see his influence on all of our destinies. Hegelian conflicts steer every political arena on the planet, from the United Nations to the major American political parties, all the way down to local school boards and community councils.

     Dialogues and consensus-building are primary tools of the dialectic, and terror and intimidation are also acceptable formats for obtaining the goal. The ultimate Third Way agenda is world government. Once we get what’s really going on, we can cut the strings and move our lives in original directions outside the confines of the dialectical madness. Focusing on Hegel’s and Engel’s ultimate agenda, and avoiding getting caught up in their impenetrable theories of social evolution, gives us the opportunity to think and act our way toward freedom, justice, and genuine liberty for all.

Today, the dialectic is active in every political issue that encourages taking sides. We can see it in

  1. environmentalists instigating conflicts against private property owners, in

  2. democrats against republicans, in

  3. greens against libertarians, in

  4. communists against socialists, in

  5. neocons against traditional conservatives, in

  6. community activists against individuals, in

  7. pro-choice versus pro-life

     No matter what the issue, the invisible dialectic aims to control both the conflict and the resolution of differences, and leads everyone involved into a new cycle of conflicts.

     The ‘Dialectic’ and the Marxist’s global agenda is moving along at breakneck speed. The only way to completely stop the privacy invasions, expanding domestic police powers, land grabs, insane wars against inanimate objects (and transient verbs), covert actions, and outright assaults on individual liberty, is to step outside the dialectic. This releases us from the limitations of controlled and guided thought.

” It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”  

Galatians 5:1

Go to PART III

AMERICA UNDER SIEGE

(You can listen to this audio while you read along, then, you can stop the audio to follow a link, then, resume the audio when you are ready)

America Under Siege

(What We Can And Must DO About It)

     Everything you read in this article, “America Under Siege”, has been foretold through Biblical prophecy over 2,800 years ago.  Various New Testament writings by Jesus and the Apostles Paul, John and Peter, brought some clarity to these prophecies and gave clues to timelines along with certain instructions and warnings.

Isaiah 2, 9, 11, 13                                   Matthew 24,

Micah 4                                                 Hebrews 1:2,

Jeremiah 30, 33, 50                             Hebrews 9:26,

Hosea 3                                                 1 Corinthians 10:11,

Joel 2, 3,                                                Acts 2:14-17,

Zechariah 8                                         2 Timothy 3:1,

Ezekiel 30.                                            1 Peter 1:20,

Amos 5                                                  1 Peter 4:7,

                                                               2 Peter 3:3.

                                                                5th Tribulation Seal

  6th Tribulation Seal

The intended purposes of this article are to correctly frame the context of current and past world events and the inexorable march toward a Socialist-Marxist One World Government, from a Biblical worldview, and to outline actionable steps of what we can and must take.

     American culture, societal norms, family structures, personal freedoms, legacy and history are being desecrated, destroyed and dissolved. Our Constitutional ‘guarantees’ are being ignored, violated and negated. You might say our Constitution is being shredded right before our eyes, and no one is doing anything to stop it.

     The Democrat Party in America has adopted and is practicing Socialist-Marxism.  Their plan is the dissolution of our way of life with the plan of merging the United States into a confederation of a one world government.  (see, “Our Global Neighborhood“)

     The so-called Conservative leadership in America is either complicit, or has become ineffective, self-serving and cowardly – or both.  Conservatives in congress are being soundly defeated in a political war for the soul and existence of America, which they don’t understand, using outdated methods against a foe who is expert at a new style of guerrilla warfare.

     We are losing, and in fact, may have already lost our nation, our freedoms and our way of life, and it is getting worse.

     The Marxist organization, UNESCO, through their Agenda 21, over the past 75 years, have developed an advanced framework for the dissolution of every nation’s sovereignty and borders.  Their plan, “when implemented, will bring all the people of the world into a global neighborhood managed by a world-wide bureaucracy, under the direct authority of a minute handful of appointed individuals, and policed by thousands of individuals, paid by accredited NGOs, certified to support a belief system which contains ideas that are foreign to the American experience, and ignores other values and ideas that are precious to the American experience.” (The Commission on Global Governance, 1996; also see, Global Governance, Our Global Neighborhood, The Report of the Commission on Global Governance)

     There was a World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in New York City, NY, USA, September 15-17, 2015, in which a date of 2030 has been set for complete global dominance by this Marxist global movement.

     As of this date, August 31, 2021, these Globalists, have been embedded in our U.S.government, in our legal system at every level, in our religious systems, in our churches, in our school, colleges and institutions of higher education. Over 528 American cities are members of “Local Governments for Sustainability”, which is the Agenda 21 program at the local level.  Also known as “ICLEI”, an international Marxist and Socialist leaning sustainability organization, that helps to implement the Agenda 21 and Local Agenda 21 concepts across the world. The United States has nearly half of the ICLEI’s global membership of 1,200 cities promoting sustainable development at a local level. (Former presidents, Bill Clinton and George Bush, were responsible for promoting and implementing these Marxists programs in America.)

(PLEASE NOTE: Links on these pages contain important details and are used in lieu of footnotes and citations.)

     UNESCO, Agenda 21 and their various entities are using Marxist methods to erase and eradicate the culture, history and legacy of the countries and nations both in Europe and in America.

     It is made more difficult to stop the dissolution of our America, since we, in America, have forgotten the principles upon which our country was built.  The principles which made America the greatest nation the world has ever seen  are principles which spring from the Judeo-Christian ethos.  This is reflected in all our founding documents and in the personalities and lives of our founding fathers.

     The spiritual evil swallowing our Nation has always lurked in our world, infecting and infesting the minds of people who, then, manifest this evil on earth, killing, stealing and destroying everything good.  Because of our Nation was founded on Biblical principles, and our nation trusted and followed God, we have been protected and blessed.  Now, we have gone our own way and forgotten God and His Ways, and judgment has come.

     Any attempt to win back our Nation and our freedoms will take an extraordinary effort, supreme personal sacrifice and a lifetime effort, and there are very few willing to make such a commitment.

     But, there still may be hope. There are still some Americans willing to carry this fight to the enemy, and would be willing to make the commitment if they knew who to follow, knew just what to do and how to do it. But, it appears there will be no help from the leadership of any existing political, social or religious organization. It would have to be a true grassroots movement with a new type of leadership. It will take fearless men and women who are full of faith in God, who will not compromise on God’s Word and Ways, who will not surrender nor will they quit, even in the face of ruin or death.

​     The following pages will articulate the steps we must take to engage the enemy and drive this manifest evil from our land.  I have abbreviated, simplified these steps, but they will work if you and I will do them.  It will take each one of us doing our part.

     So, please, as God’s people, let’s stop living in fear and confusion.  Let’s stop lamenting, crying, complaining and despairing and let’s get to work.  Please follow this link to page 2, “OUR STRUGGLE”

“Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, and the accuser of our brethren will be thrown down, that is, he who accuses us before our God day and night. And we will overcome him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of our testimony, and we do not love our life even when faced with death.”

(Paraphrase of Revelation 12:10-11)

Go to PART II

AND YOU SHALL BE MY DISCIPLES – Lesson 6

AND YOU SHALL BE MY DISCIPLES – Lesson #6 

 

    • Be Reconciled

“Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

 “Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.”   (Matthew 5:23–25).

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

The Truth is presented on several levels in this teaching.  Jesus, using the practice of giving a gift or an offering to God, takes us from a practical spiritual duty to a profound Spiritual application.

We are reminded, here, that sin separates the Christian from God, and it must be dealt with quickly.  Otherwise, anything you have to offer God is tainted by your recognized sin, in this case separation from a brother due to some offense.

Jesus then uses a metaphor of the law to explain what happens in the Spirit and in your soul when sin is unconfessed, and you are unrepentant toward God.  You are handed over to the judge, and you are thrown into prison.

The Apostle Paul reminds us, in Romans 8:6  “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

The Greek language used here for,“mind set”, once again, is a picture of being “swept away, fenced in and locked up”, put into a prison within one’s own mind, soul and spirit, separated from God.

Jesus, Himself, warns us, “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.   “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”  Matthew 6:14-15

The penalty is harsh, but the remedy is simple:  “Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way…”

Forgive and be reconciled.  This is what a disciple of Jesus does.  This is what a Christian does.  We cannot deliberately and defiantly harbor ill feelings between a brother or a sister – for the jailer awaits.

Now, it is your turn:

HOW CAN YOU DO IT?  ________________________________________

HOW CAN YOU TEACH IT?  ____________________________________

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Previous Lesson:  #5, “HONOR GOD”, Matthew 5:17