Author: Michael Young, Sr.

I am a practicing Christian, a disciple of Jesus, a husband of over 50 years, a father and a grandfather, a business man, a veteran and a friend to all who will have me. I have served or am serving, at various times, as an Evangelist, a Pulpit fill pastor, an Associate Pastor of Evangelism and as Senior Pastor of a church plant. My passion is for practicing and teaching the Bible, building small groups, reaching the lost with the message of the Gospel of Jesus, recovering the straying Sheep of God and the gathering together the Called of God, in neighborhoods, business settings and in churches by equipping other Christians. I have authored a few small books and I have a background in professional business management, finance and investments. I am glad to meet you, even if it is virtually. Write me at any time and let's become friends.

THE RISING PHARISAICAL SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

WARNINGS ABOUT THE RISING PHARISAICAL SPIRIT OF THE ANTICHRIST, HIRELINGS & THE 8 WOES

THE WARNING SIGNS OF WOE

(An Expression of Grief or Denunciation)

It is interesting to me, that in this postmodern age of religious humanism, those infected with the Pharisaical spirit and the Hirelings who do their dirty work, will attack the Biblical Church by calling it names such as “Legalist”, “Fundamentalist” or “Pharisees”, which meant to be derogatory, but is in fact façade, a mask or a diversion to cover their true identity: The workers of the antichrist, possessed by the spirit of the antichrist, “which you heard is coming, and even now, is already in the world”. (1 John 4:3)

Jesus spoke directly to this matter in…

Matthew 23:1-3, “Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying:

“The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses. Therefore, whatever they tell you, do and comply with it all, but do not do as they do; for they say things and do not do them.”

Jesus led by example. At the risk of overemphasizing this statement: Jesus is our Lord, Teacher, Leader, Master and King. He taught by example and He led by example. He did everything He expected of His disciples.

Does the pastor of your Church, and the elders, the deacons or other ‘church leaders’ DO what they tell (or expect) you to DO? Do they witness Jesus to others, lead others to Jesus? Do they greet those coming in the doors? Do they spend time with ‘the flock’? Do they Invite others or bring others to Church? In other words, do they lead by example? Or do they just wait for you to do these things so they can ‘finish the job’ and take the credit? (Roles and responsibilities within the Church are about Spiritual Gifts, and not a façade invented to avoid following Jesus’ example.)

Matthew 23:4-5, “And they tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as their finger. And they do all their deeds to be noticed by other people; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments.”

Do you not hear it all the time: “Give sacrificially; Give until it hurts; Bring your friends”. Then they stand in the pulpit, in their classrooms at their positions, trumpeting their accomplishments. We may not see phylacteries and tassels, but these same ‘officials’ substitute identifying garments and garbs to project ‘the look’ of authority and self-importance..

Matthew 23:6-10, “And they love the place of honor at banquets, and the seats of honor in the synagogues, and personal greetings in the marketplaces, and being called Rabbi by the people.”

This is easy enough to figure out. If your pastor and ‘church leaders’ cluster together at the ‘head table’ or gather at the same table together, excluding ‘you and the others’ to watch and listen to them, then Matthew 23:6-10 applies to your church. Advice? Find a Church.

But as for you, do not be called Rabbi; for only One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters. And do not call anyone on earth your father; for only One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called leaders; for only One is your Leader, that is, Christ.

This one is too easy. There is a reason ‘the clergy’ does this – using titles reserved for God – and it is never good.

Words are powerful. And these words (Rabbi, Teacher, Father, Leader), create perceptions, ideas, and religious ideologies. This is where the ‘form of words wrongly creates the false image of religious function’. The deliberate misuse of these words when relating to the Church has led many astray, and has deformed the image of the Church of  Jesus.

Matthew 23:11-12, “But the greatest of you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.”

Who sets up and cleans up? Who leads in prayer? Who tends to the needs of the ‘sheep’? When within this paradigm do the ‘sheep’ visibly become THE CHOSEN PEOPLE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD’S OWN POSSESSION, so that they may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light? Or is the spotlight always on the hirelings and the credit given to the professionals?

Eight Woes – The Indictment

(Try to read these WOES at face value as you are able and whenever possible relate them to the Church in this age – especially to your Church. However, since some of these statements are from a time and an era with which we are unfamiliar, I am providing a commentary page for your convenience. Enduring Word Commentary.)

Matthew 23:13-14, “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter it yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

The word ‘hypocrite’ here, is a Greek word meaning ‘an actor or a pretender’. These are the men (or women) who put on a good act of being holy and righteous but do not follow Jesus. You can know them by their fruit if you are willing. These are the ones always putting on and leading the ‘show’, but never doing the things Jesus has done. Their destination and fate is “depart from Me, I do not know you”. Do not follow these men or you will find the same end.

Matthew 23:15, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

Matthew 23:16-22 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’ You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the offering that is on it is obligated.’ You blind men, which is more important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the offering? Therefore, the one who swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it. And the one who swears by the sanctuary, swears both by the sanctuary and by Him who dwells in it. And the one who swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.

These verses have to do with the complex system the Pharisees invented for the making oaths in order to circumvent the plain prohibition of making oaths sound grave and authoritative by swearing on the temple (sanctuary) or the altar. However, it is also reminiscent of the inordinate and unrighteous value placed on ‘church properties’ over the value of the Church (Body).

Sadly, I have seen members of churches who are not willing to ‘fall into line’ and obey the pastor’s or ‘church leadership’ wishes when it comes to building larger buildings or expanding facilities, sacrificed on these same ‘altars’. They are marginalized and eventually driven away.

Matthew 23:23-24, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

Matthew23:25-26, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may also become clean.

The ‘outside of the cup’; that which is visible to the audience. The illusion you want to display. Pastor salaries which put the Church and the members of the Body under financial stress or wasteful spending. Salaries that are twice, three times or more that what is reasonable – pastor’s being paid millions, “getting a percentage of the take” of the fleecing of the sheep! (And these ‘pastors’ justify their theft by their own greatness).

Matthew 23:27-28, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So, you too, outwardly appear righteous to people, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Matthew 23:29-36, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, and you say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So, you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. You snakes, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?

“Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, so that upon you will fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

These words from Matthew chapter 23 is both an indictment of the Pharisees of Jesus day and a warning of the coming Apostasy as prophesied in the Bible. This Apostasy is spreading and intensifying and is evident in many, if not most, so-called mainline churches.

There are still many good and well-intentioned Churches, pastors and disciples of Jesus working diligently to follow Jesus and to do the Works He has prepared ahead of time. But, even among these faithful, there are the temptations and distractions of the Pharisaical spirit which have crept into their hearts and minds, leading them astray.

So, what should our response be? In two simple words: Follow Jesus.

In a few more words: This will most likely be, both, the easiest thing and yet the most difficult thing you can do. But you CAN DO it.

  1. Be the salt and light of the Gospel of Christ where you are. Make your closest associations with likeminded Christ following believers. But do not hide. Make His influence felt through your life and behavior, wherever you go.
  1. Try to find a Church (a local Body of Christ) who are not staining themselves with the things of the world (see Galatians 5:19-21).
  1. Seek to become “the living stones, being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.( 1 Peter 2:5).

Remember that you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9)

Please, dear friends, let’s take this as if our lives depend on it, because our lives and many other lives do depend on this.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT:  BE WATCHMEN – Signs of Christ’s Return.

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CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – “If you were blind you would have no sin“ – John 9:41

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – “Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, “We see.’ Therefore, your sin remains.” (John 9:41)

The phrase “if you”, as it applies to you (and me) as a disciple of Jesus, appears one hundred twenty-four times in the English Standard Version (ESV) of the New Testament.

First, we will be confronted with various situations and circumstances from the Bible and, we will discover how we are to respond in these examples. Secondly, I have personalized (rephrased) our study verses for you to memorize. By this, we can bring the Gospel to life as we go and defeat sin along our way.

Today we, as Christians, are confronted with questions about how we should deal with matters such as the consequences of spiritual blindness, the effects of sin, physical and spiritual healing.

“Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, “We see.’ Therefore, your sin remains.” (John 9:41)

IN CONTEXT

“As Jesus passed by, He saw a man who had been blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must carry out the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” When He had said this, He spit on the ground, and made mud from the saliva, and applied the mud to his eyes, and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So, he left and washed, and came back seeing.

So, the neighbors, and those who previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, “Is this not the one who used to sit and beg?” Others were saying, “This is he,” still others were saying, “No, but he is like him.” The man himself kept saying, “I am the one.” So they were saying to him, “How then were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man who is called Jesus made mud, and spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash’; so, I went away and washed, and I received sight.” And they said to him, “Where is He?” He said, “I do not know.”

They brought the man who was previously blind to the Pharisees. Now it was a Sabbath on the day that Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also were asking him again how he received his sight. And he said to them, “He applied mud to my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” Therefore, some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And there was dissension among them. So, they said again to the man who was blind, “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a prophet.”

The Jews then did not believe it about him, that he had been blind and had received sight, until they called the parents of the very one who had received his sight, and they questioned them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?” His parents then answered and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already reached the decision that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be excommunicated from the synagogue. It was for this reason that his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

So, for a second time, they summoned the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner.” He then answered, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

So, they said to him, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?” He answered them, “I told you already, and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?” They spoke abusively to him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.” The man answered and said to them, “Well, here<mg1722, 3778=””> is the amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes! We know that God does not listen to sinners; but if someone is God-fearing and does His will, He listens to him. Since the beginning of time, it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing. They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and yet you are teaching us?” So they put him out.

Jesus heard that they had put him out, and upon finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered by saying, “And who is He, Sir, that I may believe in Him?” Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.” And he said, “I believe, Lord.” And he worshiped Him.

And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” Those who were with Him from the Pharisees heard these things and said to Him, “We are not blind too, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now that you maintain, ‘We see,’ your sin remains. (John 9:1-41)

REPHRASED and personalized to memorize:

“Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, “We see.’ Therefore, your sin remains.” (John 9:41)

Jesus explains to us that, “(He) came into this world for judgment [to separate those who believe in Me from those who reject Me, and to declare judgment on those who choose to be separated from God]; so that the sightless would [have spiritual eyes to] see, [and their sins would be forgiven and removed] and those who see [but will not believe] would become [and remain spiritually] blind [and their sins would remain].”

This is both a real event revealed to us, so we will learn, know and have wisdom. It presents us with this Great Truth: God heals completely. He heals the body, the soul and the spirit for the one who can see and will believe.

Now, it is all up to you. Make the good choice – and live!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT:  Coming Soon. CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – “If you would believe, you will see“ – John 11:40

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TAMING THE JESUS REVOLUTION

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 3 Comments

THE TAMING OF THE JESUS REVOLUTION

“IN PLAIN SIGHT”

I call this chapter, “IN PLAIN SIGHT”,  because the problems facing the 21st century postmodern Church are hiding in plain sight. The evidence of the illness in the Church is there for all to see – but we are blinded by our own desires. We either cannot see the root cause of the spreading malaise and the apostasy engulfing the Church or we choose to ignore the symptoms and a diagnosis because of our expediencies.

We ended the previous chapter, saying, “The height of this Jesus Movement was from 1968 through approximately 1976. The beneficial effects lingered and spread for decades afterward. There have been attempts to copy or replicate this so-called JESUS REVOLUTION, but they have been just imitations, using the form and hoping for the function. But sadly, as is usually the case, the religious bureaucrats and the religiously politically astute arrived and have ‘organized the movement to death’.

What has remained, however, is what has always been in the heart of every man, woman, boy and girl from birth: A God-shaped vacuum. That is, a need to love and to be loved just as we are. A need to belong and to have a sense of purpose and usefulness. A Cause bigger than oneself that give hope and makes an eternal difference. A means to escape the mental prisons of fear, doubt, worry, anxiety, sickness, disease, hate, loathing and the like. A way to a peace that brings joy. A way not only to receive these things, but to give these things in return.

When someone says the Church needs to be more relevant to the society around it, remind them that the Church has always been irrelevant to the world’s ways, is counter-cultural to the world’s ways and is relevant only to God and His Ways of life, peace, joy, holiness and righteousness.

When someone says we must return to the ways of the early Church, remind them that we do not need to return to the ways of the early Church – we need TO TURN to the ways of Jesus and we will BE THE CHURCH.”

Before I continue this message, I want to be clear that I love the Church that Jesus built. I very much like the Church I attend and the staff at that Church. The Church and staff I attend, in my opinion, are doing all they can possibly do to follow, obey and implement the commands of Jesus and the Bible. I will venture to say that the Church I attend, and of which I am a ‘member’, if put on a scale of effectiveness and obedience to God’s Word, would rank in some regards, near the Churches of Philadelphia and Smyrna (from the Book of The Revelation).

Contained within the wording of the preceding paragraph, however, lies the problem. Phrases such as “Attending Church”, or “at the Church”. The Church of Jesus, the Bride of Christ, cannot be ‘attended’, ‘gone to’, ‘visited’, or given a physical street address. The Church is the Body of Christ. And the sooner we get back to the idea that The Church is an Ecclesia (Ekklesia – “Ek” = ‘out of or out from’ + “Kaleo” = ‘called or summoned’ = “The Called Out Ones”, the sooner we can function as Jesus intended.

What follows is not a complaint about the Church nor is it a judgment or a condemnation of the Church. I pray this will be heard and received as a wakeup call to the Church.

It is up to you, however, to read what is presented, study the scriptures presented and to compare the “Church you attend”, your idea of Church, to the “Ekklesia” of Christ – and, I pray, make any necessary adjustments.

INHERITING THE ‘EDIFICE COMPLEX’

“THE CHURCH BUILDING” vs BUILDING THE CHURCH

(The following paragraph within quotation marks denotes  (Excerpts taken from Frank Viola & George Barna’s book, “Pagan Christianity”, Tyndale Publishing, 2002, 2008).

“The idea, that the Christians in the apostolic age, erected special houses of worship is out of the question.

“The Savior of the world was born in a stable, ascended to heaven from a mountain. His apostles and their successors down to the third century, preached in the streets, the markets, on mountains, in ships, sepulchers, eaves, and deserts, and in the homes of their converts.

“Thousands of costly churches and chapels have since been built and are constantly being built in all parts of the world to the honor of the crucified Redeemer – who in the days of his humiliation had no place of his own to rest his head!” — PHILIP SCHAFF, NINETEENTH-CENTURY AMERICAN CHURCH HISTORIAN AND THEOLOGIAN

“MANY CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIANS have a love affair with brick and mortar. The edifice complex is so ingrained in our thinking that if a group of believers begins to meet together, their first thoughts are toward securing a building. For how can a group of Christians rightfully claim to be a church without a building? (Or, so the thinking goes.)

The “church” building is so connected with the idea of church that we unconsciously equate the two. Just listen to the vocabulary of the average Christian today:

“Wow, honey, did you see that beautiful church we just passed?”

“My goodness! That is the largest church I have ever seen! I wonder what the electric costs to keep it going?”

“Our church is too small. I’m developing claustrophobia. We need to extend the balcony.” “The church is chilly today; I am freezing in here!”

“We have gone to church every Sunday this past year except for the Sunday when Aunt Mildred dropped the microwave oven on her toe.”

“Or how about the vocabulary of the average pastor:

“Isn’t it wonderful to be in the house of God today?”

“We must show reverence when we come into the sanctuary of the Lord.”

“Or how about the mother who tells her happy child (in subdued tones), “Wipe that smile off your face; you’re in church now! We behave ourselves in the house of God!”

“To put it bluntly, none of these thoughts have anything to do with New Testament Christianity. Rather, they reflect the thinking of other religions—primarily Judaism and paganism.

FROM HOUSE CHURCHES TO HOLY CATHEDRALS

“The early Christians believed that Jesus is the very presence of God. They believed that the body of Christ, the church, constitutes a temple. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He made some radically negative statements about the Jewish Temple.’

“The one that angered many Jews most was His announcement that if the Temple was destroyed, He would build a new one in three days! (See John 2:19-21.)

“Though Jesus was referring to the Temple that existed in the architectural sense, He was really speaking of His body. Jesus said that after this temple was destroyed, He would raise it up in three days.

“He was referring to the real temple—the church—which He raised up in Himself on the third day (Ephesians 2:6).

“Since Christ has risen, we Christians have become the temple of God.

“At His resurrection, Christ became a “life-giving spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45). Therefore, He could take up residence in the believers, thus making them His Temple, His house. It is for this reason that the New Testament always reserves the word church (Ekklesia) for the people of God. It never uses this word to refer to a building of any sort.” (Excerpts from Frank Viola & George Barna’s book, “Pagan Christianity”, Tyndale Publishing, 2002, 2008)

“When Christianity was born, it was the only religion on the planet that had no sacred objects, no sacred persons, and no sacred spaces.

“Although surrounded by Jewish synagogues and pagan temples, the early Christians were the only religious people on earth who did not erect sacred buildings for their worship. The Christian faith was born in homes, out in courtyards, and along roadsides. For the first three centuries, the Christians did not have any special buildings!

“As one scholar put it, “The Christianity that conquered the Roman Empire was essentially a home-centered movement. Meeting in homes was a conscious choice of the early Christians.”

“Then, in the late second and third centuries a shift occurred”

“Christians not only had adopted sacred spaces; they also had created sacred objects. (They would soon develop a sacred priesthood.) It might seem they had forgotten Moses and the golden calf.

“In all of this, the second and third century Christians began to assimilate the magical mind-set that characterized existent pagan thinking.

“These factors made the Christian terrain ready for the man who would be responsible for creating church buildings. In AD 327, Constantine began erecting the first church buildings throughout the Roman Empire, some at public expense.’ In so doing, he followed the path of the pagans in constructing temples to honor God.

“Interestingly, he named his church buildings after saints — just as the pagans named their temples after gods. Constantine built his first church buildings upon the cemeteries where the Christians held meals for the dead saints.

“Constantine brought peace for all Christians.'” Under his reign, the Christian faith had become legitimate. In fact, it had risen to a status greater than Judaism and paganism.

“For these reasons, the Christians saw Constantine’s rise to emperor as an act of God. Here was God’s instrument who had come to their rescue.

“Christianity and Roman culture were now melded together.”

“The Christian building demonstrates that the church, whether she wanted it or not, had entered into a close alliance with pagan culture.’ As Will Durant, author of The Story of Civilization (a sweeping, eleven-volume work on world history that earned him a Pulitzer Prize), put it, “Pagan isles remained in the spreading Christian sea.”

“This was a tragic shift from the primitive simplicity that the church of Jesus Christ first knew. The first-century Christians were opposed to the world’s systems and avoided any contact with paganism. This all changed during the fourth century, when the church emerged as a public institution in the world and began to “absorb and Christianize pagan religious ideas and practices.

“As one historian put it, “Church buildings took the place of temples; church endowments replaced temple lands and funds.”

“Under Constantine, tax-exempt status was granted for all church property.

“Consequently, the story of the church building is the sad saga of Christianity borrowing from heathen culture and radically transforming the face of our faith.

“To put it bluntly, the church buildings of the Constantinian and post-Constantinian era essentially became holy shrines. The Christians embraced the concept of the physical temple. They imbibed the pagan idea that there exists a special place where God dwells in a special way. And that place is made “with hands.”‘

“As with other pagan customs that were absorbed into the Christian faith (such as the liturgy, the sermon, clerical vestments, and hierarchical leadership structure), third- and fourth-century Christians incorrectly attributed the origin of the church building to the Old Testament. But this was misguided thinking.”

“Most Americans are struggling to clarify their identity. They tend to see themselves as unique individuals, Americans, members of their family, occupational professionals, consumers, and then as followers of Christ — in that order of priority.

“In the minds and hearts of most Americans — even those whose beliefs classify them as “born-again Christians”— their identity as a follower of Christ pales in importance in comparison to the other roles they embrace.

“Oddly, most of the born again Christians consider themselves to be servants of God and to have been transformed by their faith in Christ.

“Clearly, there are some missing connections in this self-evaluation. Perhaps the confusion is due to the enormous number of inter-actions and responsibilities that people take on each day.

“Maybe it has to do with the disjointed, topical teaching that most of us receive from our churches. It may even be attributable to the lure of competing perspectives and images bombarding us from the ever-present media.

“The bottom line is really quite simple: You are a priest of God, a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a member of His glorious body. Through your declaration of allegiance to Jesus and your stated desire to live with Him forever, you have a responsibility to be a functioning priest, minister, and member of the Body .

“The organized church has moved down a winding path over the past two thousand years. The only way to get it back on track is for each of us to begin prayerfully exploring the original plan that God had for His people, and then to be willing to respond faithfully to that plan.

“In this way, the Revolution that has begun to take root in our day will spread far and wide. And God will get what He has always been after.” (End of excerpts from Frank Viola & George Barna’s book, “Pagan Christianity”, Tyndale Publishing, 2002, 2008)

I humbly offer this assessment after eleven years of prayer, study, seeking God, asking for His Wisdom to know and follow His Call. I sincerely and prayerfully urge you to do the same.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT:  WARNINGS ABOUT THE RISING PHARISAICAL SPIRIT OF THE ANTICHRIST, HIRELINGS & THE 8 WOES

PREVIOUS:  A JESUS REVOLUTION?

A Jesus Revolution?

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

I have recently watched the movie ”The Jesus Revolution”.  It is rare for me, now-a-days, to be moved to tears of any kind by a movie, television production, a book, play or show.

The JESUS REVOLUTION is a 2023 American Christian drama film directed by Jon Erwin and Brent McCorkle. Based on the autobiographical book of the same name co-written by Greg Laurie, the film follows Laurie, Christian hippie Lonnie Frisbee, and pastor Chuck Smith as they take part in the Jesus movement in California during the late 1960s.

This is the story of one young hippie’s quest in the 1970s for belonging and liberation that leads not only to peace, love, and rock and roll, but that sets into motion a new counterculture crusade – a Jesus Movement – making a change in the course of American religious history.

Inspired by a true movement, JESUS REVOLUTION tells the story of a young Greg Laurie (Joel Courtney) being raised by his struggling mother, Charlene (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) in the 1970s. Laurie and a sea of young people descend on sunny Southern California to redefine truth through all means of liberation. Inadvertently, Laurie meets Lonnie Frisbee (Jonathan Roumie), a charismatic hippie-street-preacher, and Pastor Chuck Smith (Kelsey Grammer) who have thrown open the doors of Smith’s languishing church to a stream of wandering youth. What unfolds becomes the greatest spiritual awakening in American history. Rock and roll, newfound love, and a twist of faith lead to a JESUS REVOLUTION that turns one counterculture movement into a revival that changes the world.

This movie, in my estimation, faithfully depicts the moment in time it sets out to capture – and may remind many viewers of their own path to religious conversion.

The questions that remain are “how could this have happened”? What were the prevalent political, social and spiritual circumstances that gave birth to such a widespread phenomenon? What was the condition of the heart and minds, the longings, in so many young people, all at this particular time, that the Message of Jesus would become their lifeboat?

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE – ACCEPTANCE – A FUTURE AND A HOPE – A REJECTION OF THE STATUS QUO that had brought fear, doubt, abandonment and competition for acceptance.

The height of this Jesus Movement was from 1968 through approximately 1976. The beneficial effects lingered and spread for decades afterward. There have been attempts to copy or replicate this so-called JESUS REVOLUTION, but they have been just imitations, using the form and hoping for the function. But sadly, as is usually the case, the religious bureaucrats and the religiously politically astute arrived and have ‘organized the movement to death’.

What has remained, however, is what has always been in the heart of every man, woman, boy and girl from birth: A God-shaped vacuum. That is, a need to love and to be loved just as we are. A need to belong and to have a sense of purpose and usefulness. A Cause bigger than oneself that give hope and makes an eternal difference. A means to escape the mental prisons of fear, doubt, worry, anxiety, sickness, disease, hate, loathing and the like. A way to a peace that brings joy. A way not only to receive these things, but to give these things in return.

So it was in 1968, God put a series of events into action that made a difference. The Message was Jesus and the promise was all these things we long for, and millions responded.

(Please note: The movie also depicts the failures, even in the lives of these God-led men and women. Even in our most sincere pursuits of, and service to God, we are subject to sin and failures.

But just like when Jesus sent His first eleven disciples to go and make disciples of the world, teaching them to “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 follow all that I commanded you”, some were doubtful. Some would fail from time to time.

Knowing this, Jesus sent them anyway – all of them – reminding them and us, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

As The CHURCH goes – So goes America

In this vein, it is no mistake nor is it a coincidence that the first three chapters of Revelation describe the state of the Church in and around 95 A.D. in both real time and as a prophetic predictor. In other words, although each of these Churches were real and active Christian Churches, they are also a characterization or profile of seven characteristics of Churches to be found in these Last Days.

In their sincere pursuit and service to God, some of these Churches would succeed, some would have failures, but God used them anyway – all of them.

A MESSAGE TO THE CHURCH in the 21st CENTURY

Here is an excerpt on the Seven Churches in Revelation and what they stand for, as presented by Got Questions Org:

The seven churches described in Revelation 2-3 are seven literal churches at the time that John the apostle was writing Revelation. Though they were literal churches in that time, there is also spiritual significance for churches and believers today. The first purpose of the letters was to communicate with the literal churches and meet their needs. The second purpose is to reveal seven different types of individuals/churches throughout history and instruct them in God’s truth.

A possible third purpose is to use the seven churches to foreshadow seven different periods in the history of the Church. The problem with this view is that each of the seven churches describes issues that could fit the Church in any time in its history. So, although there may be some truth to the seven churches representing seven eras, there is far too much speculation in this regard. Our focus should be on what message God is giving us through the seven churches.

The seven churches are as follows:

(1) Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7) – the church that had forsaken its first love (2:4).

(2) Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11) – the church that would suffer persecution (2:10).

(3) Pergamum (Revelation 2:12-17) – the church that needed to repent (2:16).

(4) Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29) – the church that had a false prophetess (2:20).

(5) Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6) – the church that had fallen asleep (3:2).

(6) Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13) – the church that had endured patiently (3:10).

(7) Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22) – the church with the lukewarm faith (3:16).

 I would like to have characterized these Churches by ascribing each with a more contemporary moniker:

The Don Juan Church – The Church at Ephesus

Revelation 2:4, But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

 

 

 

 

The Suffering Church – The Church at Smyrna

Revelation 2:10, Do not fear what you are about to suffer.

 

The Kramer Stumbling Church – The Church at Pergamum

Revelation 2:14, But I have a few things against you, because you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality.

 

 The Kardashian Church – The Church at Thyatira

 Revelation 2:20, But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols

 

 

The Baked in the Squat Church – The Church at Sardis.

Revelation 3:1, “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, and yet you are dead.”

 

The Open Door Church – The Church at Philadelphia

Revelation 3:8, ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have followed My word, and have not denied My name.

 

The Don Quixote Church – The Church at Laodicea

 Revelation 3:15, ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”

 

 

There are many church leaders today who are attempting to either re-create the early church experience or to adapt the Church to be more relevant to the 21st Century postmodern world.

This is nothing new. In 313 AD, the Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which accepted Christianity. He completely altered the relationship between the church and the imperial government, thereby beginning a process that eventually made Christianity the official religion of the empire. During the process of making Christianity the official religion of Rome, Constantine refashioned and church according to an acceptable form and function followed, evolved and some 1,700 years later the church in entering a terrible time of apostasy (2023).

It would seem these church leaders (pastors, preachers, Bible teachers, theologians, etc.) are utilizing the principle of “Form Follows Function” – and both the effort to re-create the church and to adapt the church are failing.

The problems with re-creating the early church stem from the fact that the early church’s form was the result of factors pressing the Church into its form – for survival, which resulted in growth.

The problem with the theory of “Form Follows Function” which states that the shape of a building or object should primarily relate to its intended function or purpose, is it is to be applied to architecture and industrial design – not the Church which Jesus is building. Jesus’ Church “is not made by hands, that is, not of this creation, but through His Blood.”

The main problem with building the church modeled after external influences is that the Church is the Body of Jesus, and we are to have the “mind of Christ” and to be filled by the Spirit of God. The Church can never be RE-modeled. It is already modeled, made and complete – once and for all times.

The Bible instructs and warns that “a natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.  But the one who is spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is discerned by no one.  For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

WARNING: Those who would re-create or attempt to adapt or fashion the Church into an image of the world are “a natural person who does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him”.

 

Here is the  JESUS Model for Ministry.  An outline and Model for Ministry is Jesus as compared to the counterfeit: Follow Him, follow His ways. (denoted by BLUE text).

 

(I).  Repent

Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

(1).  Here is the World’s Postmodern Model for Ministry: (denoted by GREEN text).

You will rarely or never see the a sign in front of the Church or hear the words which say “repent.

Instead you’ll see and hear, “Come, Grow, Go. (Attend church, make a “profession of faith”, join church membership, learn about our church denominational ways, tithe, serve in some function around the church organization.

(II). GO – Make Disciples – Follow Him

  • Matthew 4:19 And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

(II). GO – The unspoken but implied message in the Postmodern churches is “do it our way or GO AWAY”.

  • We (the postmodern Church) Do it our way and GO into a new members class. Learn to “witness” from a script or in a classroom; go on a “mission trip”; go to church; go to Sunday school.

III. Teach, Preach, proclaim the Gospel, lay hands on the sick

  • Matthew 4:23, Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom,
  • and healing every kind of disease
  • and every kind of sickness among the people.

(III).  The postmodern way is to talk, talk talk. Talk about it in classrooms and small groups and then we send the paid professionals to do the Work.

IV. Learn and teach – BE BEREAN – STUDY TO BE APPROVED – WHAT & WHY.

Jesus teaches His disciples 5:31 through Matthew 9:38

  • Disciples and the World
  • Regarding Personal Relationships
  • Giving to the Poor and Prayer
  • Fasting; The True Treasure; Wealth (Mammon)
  • The Cure for Anxiety
  • Prayer and the Golden Rule
  • The Narrow and Wide Gates
  • The Two Foundations
  • Jesus Cleanses a Leper; The Centurion’s Faith
  • Examples Peter’s Mother-in-law and Many Others Healed
  • Discipleship Tested
  • Jesus Casts Out Demons
  • A Paralytic Healed
  • The Calling
  • The Question about Fasting
  • Miracles of Healing

(IV).  The Postmodern Churches talk about these things, in brief and largely explain most of them away as outdated or ended with the Apostle – or hand them off.

(a). Matthew 10:1 Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

(a). We (the postmodern Church) do nothing of the sort…

(b) Matthew 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them:

“Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; 6but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

(b). The Postmodern Church, (we), reason that since God sent Paul and other to the Gentiles, and that we are now grafted into the ‘Olive Tree’, and Jesus has since sent us to all the world, we are doing our small this part of the Whole. Command.

(c) Matthew 10:7“, And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

(c). We (the postmodern Church) do nothing of the sort…

(d) Matthew 10:8“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.

(d). We (the postmodern Church) do nothing of the sort…

(e) Freely you received, freely give.

(e) A few of us (the postmodern Church) might be doing some of this – in part…

(f) Matthew 10:9“Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, 10 or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support.

(f). We (the postmodern Church) do nothing of the sort…

(g) Matthew 10:11“And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city.

(g). We (the postmodern Church) do nothing of the sort…

(h) Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves;

(h). (the postmodern Church) largely avoid this.

(i) Matthew 10:24“ A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.

(i). We (the postmodern Church) do nothing of the sort. Ministry has become very competitive. Each one striving to outdo the other.

(j) Matthew 10:26“ Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

(j). We (the postmodern Church) do nothing of the sort…

(k) Matthew 10:32“ Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. Verse 33. “But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

(k). We (the postmodern Church) largely ignore speaking these words in order to be relevant to the world’s systems…

(l) Matthew 10:34“ Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

These words are ignored and are never spoken aloud. We (the postmodern Church) do nothing of the sort.

(m) Matthew 10:38“ And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. Verse 39. “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.

(m.) We (the postmodern Church) act, largely, as scribes and Pharisees. Some, but not many will follow this instructional warning.

(n) Matthew 10:40“ He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.

We (the postmodern Church) do not teach these sort of things. (Let’s not be like the postmodern church. Let;s BE the Church that Jesus built).

SO, PLEASE NOTE:

When someone says the Church needs to be more relevant to the society around it, remind them that the Church has always been irrelevant to the world’s ways, is counter-cultural to the world’s ways and is relevant only to God and His Ways of life, peace, joy, holiness and righteousness.

When someone says we must return to the ways of the early Church, remind them that we do not need to return to the ways of the early Church – we need TO TURN to the ways of Jesus and we will BE THE CHURCH.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Don’t be like the procrastinating Church at Sardis.

(<–click the biscuits)

 

NEXT –  JESUS WARNS ABOUT THE RISING PHARISAICAL SPIRIT OF THE ANTICHRIST & HIRELINGS – THE 8 WOES.

 

CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – “If you abide in My Word“ – John 8:31

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.” (John 8:31)

The phrase “if you”, as it applies to you (and me) as a disciple of Jesus, appears one hundred twenty-four times in the English Standard Version (ESV) of the New Testament.

First, we will be confronted with various situations and circumstances from the Bible and, we will discover how we are to respond in these examples. Secondly, I have personalized (rephrased) our study verses for you to memorize. By this, we can bring the Gospel to life as we go and defeat sin along our way.

Today we, as Christians, are confronted with questions about how we should deal with matters such as belief in God, being Jesus’ disciple, living daily according to and in His Word, knowing the Truth, freedom, enslavement.

“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.” (John 8:31)

IN CONTEXT

“So, Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My Word, then you are truly My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?

 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. Now, the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So, if the Son sets you free, you really will be free. ” (John 8:31-36)

REPHRASED and personalized to memorize:

Then Jesus is saying to me because, I believe Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciple indeed.” (John 8:31)

Abide (continue): “meno”, (μένω): to stay, abide, remain, stay in a given place, state, relation or expectancy.

Funny thing about most people – no matter what you tell them, nor how many times they hear it, they will hear what they want to hear and will make of it what they want.

This twisting of human logic makes these words of Truth as complicated as they are simple. Taken at their simple face value, they offer a grand escape from the complications, the devastating results and the life draining enslavement of sin. But, when twisted to work as a justification for your sinful mindset and behavior, you become a permanent salve to sin, dragging about in the chains of sickness, disease, addictions, loss, worries, doubt, poverty, shame and guilt – all on full public display.

Why? Why would one do this? Pride is usually the reason. Pride, ego, selfishness, foolishness, addiction – holding your tight grip on ignorance instead of being willing or able to let go and reach for The Life-Giving Truth.

The Truth is easy to hear and to see if you have the ears to hear and the eyes willing to see: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. I have come to bring you abundant life – Jesus.

Try. You can find life, peace and satisfaction.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have placed before you, life and death, the blessing and the curse. So, choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants”. (Deuteronomy 30:19)

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WIVES SUBMIT: It Is Not What You Think

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 1 Comment

Come, Let us Reason

greek-spear.jpeg

“TIP OF THE SPEAR”

What does that phrase mean to you?

The “Urban Dictionary” puts it this way: “An American idiom commonly used in military operations to mean the first soldiers to go into a war zone. In common usage, it means the first to venture into a new endeavor. A trailblazer.”

The Bible uses a similar term to describe relationships between Christians in general and between husbands and wives in particular. The word is “Hupotasso“.

You will never find that word spelled, as such, in your Bible, though. It is the Greek word ‘hupotasso’ used for “Submit to” or “be subject to”.

The King James uses the word “submit” but, it reads this way in the New American Standard version of the Bible:

Ephesians 5:21, “and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.”

Verse 22. Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. Verse 23. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. Verse 24. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

The word “Hupotasso” literally means:

1) to arrange under, to subordinate;

2) to subject, put in subjection

3) to subject one’s self, obey

4) to submit to one’s control

5) to yield to one’s admonition or advice

6) to obey, be subject.

HUPO – arrange under; TASSO – mutually agree upon

The intention of “submission or subjection” is found in the CONTEXT of the words in this chapter of Ephesians, which encourages us to be wise and moral, kind and pure, gentle and forgiving.

The context is also found in the meaning of the words in these verses.

Specifically, “Hupotasso” comes from a Greek military term meaning “to arrange [troop divisions] in a military fashion under the command of a leader”.
These troop formations were called a Phalanx. The Phalanx was the formation, usually in triangular form, in which The hoplite phalanx of the Archaic and Classical periods in Greece (c. 800–350 BC) was the formation in which the hoplites would line up in ranks in close order.

Hoplites were citizen-soldiers of Ancient Greek city-states who were primarily armed with spears and shields. Hoplite soldiers utilized the phalanx formation in order to be effective in war with fewer soldiers. The formation discouraged the soldiers from acting alone, for this would compromise the formation and minimize its strengths.

The hoplites would lock their shields together, and the first few ranks of soldiers would project their spears out over the first rank of shields.

Those at the front were, what we would call today, THE TIP OF THE SPEAR or the POINT MAN. They presented the first defense against the enemy and were the first to engage the enemy and the first to take casualties.

The phalanx therefore presented a shield wall and a mass of spear points to the enemy. Making frontal assaults against it very difficult.

It also allowed a higher proportion of the soldiers to be actively engaged in combat at a given time, rather than just those in the front rank.

This word, “Hupotasso”, in non-military use, is “a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden”.

The Bible gives this as an example for husbands and wives to cooperate and to successfully navigate life and in waging wars against ‘their common enemy’, Satan.

The wife is fully engaged in the marriage relationship, but, God says the husband is to be the Tip of the Spear in order to protect and preserve and, if necessary, the first to fall.

Interestingly, Ephesians 5:22, “be subject to your own” uses the word “idios” which means, uniquely one’s own, peculiar to the individual. It is “stronger than the simple possessive pronoun (‘own’). This emphatic adjective means ‘private, personal’ “.

God gives each husband a wife, designed by God, Himself, to fulfill a role specifically for that husband. God gives the wife gifts, talents, abilities and a calling uniquely designed to serve God and to compliment and to complete the husband.

This is why the Bible says “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.

“So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself”.

It is also why God says “Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord”.

Neither, the husband nor the wife, can be made complete as persons when finding refuge, protection and provision. But as a God given ability, you can mature and sustain one another, until you understand this Spiritual principal and follow it.

Marriage has mutual strength through commitment and cooperation with one another under God’s Steady Hand.

Please take this to heart, dear ones. This message is so important.

The world and the Devil are deceiving the family in to thinking ‘what works for you is OK”. It is NOT OK. God’s design, His plan and His Word is what gives life, and life more abundant. Stop following the world and REASON through God’s Word. Understand it and live!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

PS: A great article and some excellent resources for marriage at Focus on the Family – Marriage, preparing for marriage – marriage means leaving home and cleaving to each other.

CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins” – John 8:24

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” (John 8:24).

The phrase “if you”, as it applies to you (and me) as a disciple of Jesus, appears one hundred twenty-four times in the English Standard Version (ESV) of the New Testament.

First, we will be confronted with various situations and circumstances from the Bible and, we will discover how we are to respond in these examples. Secondly, I have personalized (rephrased) our study verses for you to memorize. By this, we can bring the Gospel to life as we go and defeat sin along our way.

Today we, as Christians, are confronted with questions about how we should deal with matters such as looking for God, dying in your sins, belief and unbelief.

“Therefore, I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” (John 8:24).

IN CONTEXT

“Then He said again to them (the Pharisees and the people in the Temple), “I am going away, and you will look for Me, and will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.” So the Jews were saying, “Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” And He was saying to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. Therefore, I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins.” Then they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, “What have I even been saying to you from the beginning?” (John 8:21-25)

REPHRASED and personalized to memorize:

“Therefore, You said to me that I will die in my sins if I do not believe that You are Him; I would die in my sins.” (John 8:24).– (Lord – I believe.)

I have only two things to say: (1). Believe on Jesus and live. (2). Stop “looking for Him” and believe. He is standing here now, at the door of your heart, knocking; and if you hear His voice,  open the door, and He will come in to you and will dine with you, and you with Him.

Just open the door!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

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IS JESUS A LIAR, LUNATIC, FRAUD, HYPOCRITE?

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

IS JESUS A LIAR, LUNATIC, FRAUD, HYPOCRITE,

A RABBI, A GREAT MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER

or

GOD?

Did Jesus really,,,

  • Say He came to earth to seek and save the lost and spiritually dead and to save them? Save them from what?
  • Die, get buried and come back to life after three days in the grave to prove His Divinity and power over death?
  • Pay ‘the penalty of sin’ (which is eternal punishment in the fires of hell), for anyone who confesses with their mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in their heart that God raised Him from the dead?
  • Say that we (His followers) would do the works He has done and even greater works because He has gone to the Father?
  • Say He did not come to bring peace, but to bring a sword?
  • Say He came to bring fire and division upon the earth?

Mark 3:21, “And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He (Jesus) is out of his mind.”

Did Jesus really…

  • Call people hypocrites?
  • Say His Father will put your enemies under your feet?
  • Tell the ‘religious establishment people’ they do not understand the power of God?
  • Hit people with whips of cords?
  • Call Peter “Satan” and called others Stumbling Blocks!?
  • Refer to people as perverts?
  • Tell people NOT TO REFER TO their Priest as “Father”?
  • Tell Jews NOT TO REFER TO their teachers, “Rabbi”?
  • Tell people NOT TO REFER TO those who serve in the church, “Leaders”?
  • Say that women are to be silent in the church?
  • Say that women are not to have authority over men in church?
  • Say that those who practice sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
  • Say that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers nor those who practice homosexuality.

Mark 3:22, “And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He (Jesus) is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.”

WHAT IS GOING ON?

I have met a number of pastors and have had many acquaintances from various conservative denominations say that Jesus’ words are largely, if not completely, metaphorical, communicating an idea but not facts, especially when it comes to His miracles. These pastors say that when the Bible says Jesus raised the dead, it was a metaphor, actually meaning that people who are ‘dead’ are only emotionally or spiritually dead. So, by Jesus’ words of encouragement, they would come alive with new purpose in life, but no one actually came back from being dead.

I know several ‘reformed’ Baptist preachers who will adamantly say that Jesus’ healing of the blind and the lame was strictly metaphorical and idiomatic. I have heard these men preach that the blind and the lame did not actually recover their sight or were healed of their infirmity, even to go as far to say that perhaps they were never really physically blind or lame in the first place. This preacher was asserting that Jesus could perhaps powerfully motivate the infirm to a ‘visualize life in a new way’ and that they would find a new way of ‘walking through life’.

I have heard as many more evangelical and reformed preaches, Bible teachers and Christians blatantly make personal assumptions, without any Biblical reasoning or evidence, that miracles have ceased (or perhaps never took place), the rapture will not occur, saying that it is a metaphor that has already occurred, that there is no literal hell, and when Jesus speaks of the binding of Satan for a one thousand year period of time, that too is a metaphor, etc.

I have to ask: If everything Jesus said or did and if everything in the Bible is open to personal opinion and personal interpretation, why bother reading a supposedly fictional book?

Are you one of those who is creating a god in your own image? Are you daring enough to arrogantly stand in judgement of the Bible?

SO, WHY DID JESUS COME INTO THE WORLD?

“For this purpose, I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.”  This, too, is our calling!

 TO TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH

John 18:37 “Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.”  This, too, is our calling!

TO BRING A SWORD

Matthew 10:34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. Verse 35. For I came to TURN A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; Verse 36, and A PERSON’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.”  This, too, is our calling!

 TO FULFILL THE LAW

Matthew 6:17, “Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.”  This, too, is our calling!

TO CALL SINNERS

Mark 2:17 “And hearing this, Jesus *said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  This, too, is our calling!

TO SAVE THE WORLD

John 12:47. “If anyone hears My teachings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.”   In a very real sense, This, too, is our calling, by lifting the Name of Jesus, telling others and leading them to Him

TO CAST FIRE & BRING DIVISION UPON THE EARTH

Luke 12:49 “I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! Verse 50. But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! Verse 51. Do you think that I came to provide peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather to create division;  This, too, is our calling!

 WHAT HE REALLY MEANT, WAS…

John 14:12 “Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father. Verse 13. And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Verse 14. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”

I have heard so many preachers and bible teachers try to justify or explain away these Words of Jesus because they just cannot fathom the gentle and sweet ‘dashboard Jesus’ saying such things as we find in the verses cited.  These same confused preachers really get tied in a knot over John 14:12.  They will begin their commentary or teaching it with, “what this really means is…”. Jesus warned that there would be those who would come in His Name and would mislead many.

NOTE: Jesus said what He meant and meant exactly what He said.  We need to get over it and get on with it. IF WHAT YOU HEAR FROM ANY BIBLE TEACHER, PREACHER, PASTOR OR CHURCH LEADER is not specifically found in the Bible, DO NOT BELIEVE IT, stand up for the Truth and then abandon them.

IF JESUS OR THE BIBLE SAYS IT, THEN DO IT LIKEWISE. Do not compromise or make exceptions for anyone or for any reason, while all the time remain loving, full of the joy of the Lord, being a peacemaker, showing forbearance, demonstrating goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

The divide between light and darkness, righteousness and unrighteousness, is great. These particular so-called pastors, preachers, Bible teachers and ‘church leaders’ (and there are tens of thousands of them) who deny the inerrancy of scriptures, are in essence saying that Jesus is a liar, a fraud, a hypocrite, a lunatic, or a just another religious leader, a motivational speaker, and that the Bible is a book of stories, fables and is a scam. Then they wonder why their brand of “christianity” doesn’t ‘deliver as advertised’.

It is normal to have questions and doubts. Even the early disciples and the Apostles had questions and doubted from time-to-time (Peter, Thomas, John the Baptist), but Jesus answered their questions and sent them ANYWAY! It was the ‘doing’ that proved their faith. (see Romans 12:2 and 1 Peter 1:6-7).

God has prepared the works ahead of time so that we may walk in them. They are HIS WORKS and our WALK that brings His Words and Promises to pass.

Isaiah 55:8–11

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.

 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways

And My thoughts than your thoughts.

 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,

And do not return there without watering the earth

And making it produce and sprout,

And providing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;

So will My word be which goes out of My mouth;

It will not return to Me empty,

Without accomplishing what I desire,

And without succeeding in the purpose for which I sent it.”

 

Let’s WALK IT OUT!

Your Brother and Friend

Mike Young

CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – “If you had known Me“ – John 8:19

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 1 Comment

CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – “Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father.

If you

had known Me, you would have known My Father also.” (John 8:19).

The phrase “if you”, as it applies to you (and me) as a disciple of Jesus, appears one hundred twenty-four times in the English Standard Version (ESV) of the New Testament.

First, we will be confronted with various situations and circumstances from the Bible and, we will discover how we are to respond in these examples. Secondly, I have personalized (rephrased) our study verses for you to memorize. By this, we can bring the Gospel to life as we go and defeat sin along our way.

Today we, as Christians, are confronted with questions about how we should deal with matters such as walking in darkness versus walking in the light, judging others, knowing Jesus and knowing God.

 “Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.” (John 8:19).

IN CONTEXT

“Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not true.” Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I am testifying about Myself, My testimony is true, because I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me. Even in your Law, it has been written that the testimony of two people is true. I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.” So they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.” (John 8:12-19)

 REPHRASED and personalized to memorize:

Jesus answered me, “You know Me, and because you know Me, you know My Father also.” (John 8:19).

 This is worth repeating to yourself (and to Him), often: “I know the Father,because I know You, Jesus”.

 It is also a worthy reminder of the unique relationship God has provided the believer and follower of Jesus, “The glory which You have given Me I also have given to them, so that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You (have continually) sent Me, and You loved them, just as You loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

 “Righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:22-26)

It is encouraging and empowering to know that our relationship with God through His Son is not a casual one, but that we are fully connected as sons and as joint heirs in the Kingdom – with and through Christ Jesus!

Let’s take what is ours and assume our role as sons and daughters, children of God.

Act as such – Do as Much!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT:  CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – “You will die in your sins” – John 8:24.

PREVIOUS:  CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – , “If you should see the Son of Man” – John 6:62

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STILL AREN’T CONVINCED?

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 1 Comment

THE GLOBALIST

Is on your doorstep and coming for your house!

Click HERE, or continue reading this up-to-date Fox News op-ed, (designated below in green lettering), as adapted from author Carol Roth’s new book “You Will Own Nothing“, Broadside Books, July 18, 2023).

“(Leftist) Elites want you to own nothing, they even want to take this away. Financial elites in America are busy putting up a white picket fence around the American dream of owning a home.”

Just over a decade ago, you may have taken out a mortgage from a big financial company, but you wouldn’t have to compete with them, or the companies that they have funded, to buy a single-family home. 

But today, the ‘elites’ are trying to get you to rent the American Dream– from them.

Yes, some of the biggest names in finance, like BlackRock, the largest asset manager in the world and purveyor of ESG ideals, Blackstone, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, and Capital One, among others, have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into backing companies that purchase single-family homes and rent them back to middle and working-class Americans.

Owning a house has been the defining symbol of that American Dream. There’s a good reason for that—it’s an important asset for creating wealth. If you wanted people to create more wealth, a key path to doing that would be making it easier for them to own a home.

But, the elite in the U.S. and globally don’t want that at all. 

Click here for the Video

That’s why it is no surprise that a recent report from real estate brokerage firm Redfin showed housing affordability hitting a historic low in the United States, with less than a quarter of the homes listed in 2022 considered affordable for the typical US homebuyer.

There are corporations that have bought tens of thousands of single-family properties across the US for the express purpose of renting back the American Dream to you, so that you own nothing and give up your wealth creation opportunities to them.

It’s not just the US, either. In the UK, top British mortgage lender Halifax noted that property was unaffordable for the average buyer in about 80% of towns. In the Netherlands, it has been recently reported that first-time buyers are priced out of more than 96% of the market.

It has been predicted that “you will own nothing…and be happy.”

While the second part of that is no doubt as far as you can get from the truth, the wealthy and the well-connected are working hard on the first part. Hoarding assets and renting them back to you seems to be a big part of their plan.

In the United States, as well as around the globe, owning a home helps individuals and families build wealth. Per the Federal Reserve Board’s 2019 Survey of Consumer Finances, the home (aka primary residence) was the largest asset owned by dollar amount across all households and across all ethnic groups. More U.S. households have home equity than stocks and mutual funds or retirement accounts (including IRAs, Keogh plans, Thrift Savings Plans, and 401K(k) accounts)!

But the financial, business and political elite, many of whom own one or more mansions themselves, have overseen an epic transfer of wealth from Main Street to the already wealthy and well-connected, which has accelerated at key points over the last decade and a half. 

Click here for the Video

During the Great Recession Financial Crisis, the cronies of the well-connected benefited while the average American was punished. 

While both individuals and financial institutions took on too much risk vis-à-vis housing, their outcomes were starkly different. Individuals lost their homes while financial institutions received a bailout.

The wealthy and well-connected benefitted during the crisis in multiple ways. Some received direct bailouts. Many were given access to cheap capital. The financial institutions were able to foreclose on homes—taking away the wealth of the individual. These homes were flipped to capital-rich buyers who bought up these assets at bargain prices.

Meanwhile, as reported by The New York Times Magazine, “[f]rom 2007 to 2011, 4.7 million households lost homes to foreclosure, and a million more to short sale. Private-equity firms developed new ways to secure credit, enabling them to leverage their equity and acquire an astonishing number of homes.” 

Click here for the Video

Following that, housing was under built, creating an undersupplied market. Then, investors flush with cheap capital from the Fed’s “easy money” policies created a new market: competing with you to own your home.

Single-family houses that individuals and families have bought for decades as a means of creating generational wealth were, for the first time, being bought at scale by big corporations.

This is an entirely new phenomenon. Meaningful institutional money in single-family rentals didn’t exist just over a decade ago! 

Now, there are corporations that have bought tens of thousands of single-family properties across the U.S. for the express purpose of renting the American Dream back to you, so that you own nothing and give up your wealth creation opportunities to them.

They are backed by the financial elite, many of whom are the same people who cavort at Davos at the World Economic Forum’s yearly gathering.

Click here for the Video

These corporate homebuyers are not only driving up prices, but are formidable competitors in other ways. They have the financial ability to make all-cash offers, not relying on a mortgage approval like a typical homebuyer would. These corporations don’t even look at the properties in many cases—why would they; they don’t plan to live there. 

In the fourth quarter of 2021 alone, corporations bought 80,000 homes, which was about 18 percent of all single-family homes sold during that quarter. While not all of those corporate buyers were large corporations (some were small landlords with corporate entities), it is a staggering number and more than 24,000 units higher than the same quarter in the prior year.

And, according to data from CoreLogic, investors purchased an estimated 22% of all US homes in 2022. That’s more than one in every five homes being purchased by an investor.

The investors own something, you own nothing, and they collect the rent on the difference.

This practice, enabled by Fed and government policy, is taking aim directly at the middle and working class. It is hurting younger Americans in their quest to own something. In fact, while millennials make more money on an inflation-adjusted basis than prior generations did at the same age bracket, they are generating less wealth and their hopes to buy their own home and a piece of the American Dream are shrinking.

The investors own something, you own nothing, and they collect the rent on the difference.

Redfin’s deputy chief economist Taylor Marr told The Hill, “Housing affordability is at the lowest level in history, which is widening the wealth gap—especially between generations.” 

It’s the one-two punch of the policy-created asset bubble and transferring wealth creation opportunities to the already wealthy. Regular Americans are priced out of ownership, and they are not happy.

The elite want to come out on top, regardless of the fallout. So, they have now put up a white picket fence as a barrier to you achieving the American Dream.

Whether the “you will own nothing” prediction follows the expectations of the new financial world order or is a directive to help create one, it doesn’t matter much. Being a perpetual renter, rather than a homeowner, is a substantial affront to creating individual and generational wealth.

The elite aren’t stopping at homes. They are buying up land, water rights and more. You must work to own whatever you can, because if the elite own everything, and you own nothing, they will end up effectively owning you.

Carol Roth is a former investment banker, entrepreneur and author of the new book “You Will Own Nothing” Broadside Books (July 18, 2023). Her previous books are “The War on Small Business” and the New York Times bestseller “The Entrepreneur Equation.”

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

(More important reading)

23 Urgent Articles on Globalism, and what you must do about it.

GLOBALISM 2023

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

GLOBALISM

 

 

“8 PREDICTIONS FOR THE WORLD IN 2030”.  A video produced by the World Economic Forum, in cooperation with the United Nations, (Globalist-Marxist) in concert with the Agenda-2030: – You will own nothing and be happy!

Also:

8 Great Lies By The Left, a website article by Michael Young, White Stone Fellowship.

The Global March to Marxist-Communism, a website article by Michael Young, White Stone Fellowship.

THIRDLY –

The World Economic Forum

in cooperation and collaboration with

The United Nations

Presents

8 PREDICTIONS FOR THE WORLD IN 2030

The Globalists-Socialists-Marxist-Communists-Left will tell you that their goal is that by the year 2030 “you will own nothing. No houses, no cars, no clothes, no appliances, etc., and you will be happy, (like it or not). Anything and everything you want or need, you will rent online, and it will be delivered to you by drone.” “I don’t own anything. I don’t own a car. I don’t own a house. I don’t own any appliances or any clothes,” writes Danish MP Ida Auken.

“Shopping is a distant memory in the city of 2030, whose inhabitants have cracked clean energy and borrow what they need on demand. It sounds Utopian, until she mentions that her every move is tracked and outside the city live swathes of discontents, the ultimate depiction of a society split in two.”

There is a lot of truth in the statement that if the United Nation’s Globalists-Socialists-Marxists-Communists have it their way, you will own nothing!

FOURTH – You will do it our way, or you will have nothing AND YOU WILL BE NOTHING.

Here are the 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations Leftist-Globalist-Marxist-Communists network. These goals are lofty sounding and seemingly beneficial for our world. If you read them with an ‘open mind’ you may agree and even be converted to their point of view.

But not only are the methodologies for their implementation rigid, cold, uncaring and murderous, and nonnegotiable, the architects brag that ‘resistance is futile’.

A mixture or portions of these seventeen goals, in one form or another, have been touted by various Socialist-style governments and peoples for centuries upon centuries. Each time, the results have been the enrichment of the ‘then elitists’ at the expense of the masses. And, each time, the results of pursuing these goals were regional financial calamity and disastrous in human tolls. History has taught us that the Elitists knew ahead of time these goals were UN-achievable, UN-sustainable and the results would be unconscionable. (The combined death tolls of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Ho Chi Minh, Pol Pot, Kim Il Sung, Benito Mussolini, and others, is estimated to have cost as many as 180,000,000 human lives (see this Wikipedia page).

The confoundingly sad aspect of all of this is that the Communist Left has really believed these goals are achievable at some level, and that these goals of a Communist Utopia justified the cost in lives.

In the 21st Century, with better technology, the LEFT once again convinced that these goals are achievable and worth the cost, and they are by their actions are saying they are attainable by the year 2030 – IF EVERYONE IN THE WORLD WILL JUST SHUT UP AND COMPLY! And if they won’t comply? Then, THEY WILL BE MADE TO COMPLY – OR ELSE

(And we must add that the Globalist-Marxist-Communists are becoming insanely wealthy by raiding the world’s global treasuries in the process!)

Sustainable Development Goals

  • Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
  • Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
  • Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
  • Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
  • Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
  • Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
  • Goal 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
  • Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
  • Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
  • Goal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
  • Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
  • Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
  • Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts*
  • Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
  • Goal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
  • Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
  • Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

* Acknowledging that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change.

FIFTH: An interview by pastor Gary Hamrick, Cornerstone Chapel, Leesburg, Virginia with Jim Garlow, former pastor, founder and CEO of Well Versed, a ministry to Members of Congress, Ambassadors at the United Nations in New York City, and other elected officials, bringing Biblical principles of governance to government leaders.

This interview will help encapsulate the breadth, depth and scope of this spreading and seething Globalism, by way of this short 55-minute video.

A Conversation with Jim Garlow and Pastor Gary Hamrick

THE BOTTOM LINE?

It is not enough that the well-connected gather and fight back, it will take ALL OF US joining together, with a cohesive and comprehensive plan of action – THE REMNANT of God, arising in these Last Days!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

STILL AREN’T CONVINCED?

Read this up-to-date Fox News op-ed, as adapted from author Carol Roth’s new book “You Will Own Nothing“, Broadside Books, July 18, 2023).

Stay with me on this. It really gets good.

Your Brother and Guide,

Mike Young

PREVIOUS: 21st Century Globalism – And, how you fit in.

NEXT: Still aren’t convinced? Read this…

TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY GLOBALISM – and how you ‘fit in’

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

What is Globalism?

(If you are going to ‘fit in’, you NEED to KNOW).

First, let’s be clear: Globalism is not Globalization.

Secondly, when I say ‘if you are going to fit it’ there are two – and just two – options readied for our future world on planet earth. You will find you will need to fit into one option or the other, or suffer alone. One offers true hope, the other offers a false hope the has been present since the beginning of time, and it is based on greed, deception and lies:

(Choice #1)

Globalism – as defined and described by Julian Huxley, the first Director-General of UNESCO, (a Socialist-Marxist based organization) in 1946: “The task before UNESCO, is the emergence of a single world culture by transferring full sovereignty from separate nations to a world organization.”

(Choice #2)

The Gospel of Christianity – “Biblical Christianity relies on the Bible to understand THE TRUTH though true faith.  Biblical Christianity bases its doctrine on the Bible alone. Biblical Christianity produces true believers who use God’s Word to understand salvation and what it means to be a Christian.

“Biblical Christianity adheres to the fundamentals of the Christian faith, as found in the Bible:

“(1) The Tri-unity of God: the one God exists eternally in three Persons.

“(2) Jesus Christ is fully man and fully God. His death was the substitutionary sacrifice for sinners, and He rose again bodily.

“3) Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

“(4) The sixty-six books of the Bible are God’s Word, inspired, inerrant, and sufficient for living a godly life.

“(5) Jesus Christ is coming again to judge sin and rule the world.

“Any departure from these points represents a departure from biblical Christianity”. (the foregoing, found in quotes, is from Got Questions dot Org.)

There is no direction you can travel that God has not spoken. The Bible teaches the Christian World View from twelve areas and disciplines:

  1. Truth
  2. Philosophy
  3. Anthropology
  4. Theology
  5. Science
  6. History
  7. Sociology
  8. “Unio Mystica” – Am I alone?
  9. Law
  10. The American Experiment
  11. Labor
  12. Community

Christianity and the Christian-Judeo Ethos has been proven throughout history to be the only effective way to attain and sustain the ‘17 sustainable development goals’ described by the United Nations, UNESCO, the World Economic Program and Agenda-2030.

21st century techniques and technologies help to greatly advance the well-being of the human race, but in the wrong hands and with the wrong ideologies,  even our advanced knowledge and space-age technologies will fail to serve all peoples in a meaningful and purposeful way – in this case, history has shown that only the Elite will thrive, and the rest will meagerly survive.

(Biblical Christianity is, by the way, counter to cultural Christianity, which does not truly adhere to the faith or the Bible. Cultural Christianity may be based on family background, personal experience, country of residence, or social environment—what the Bible says is secondary. Cultural Christianity produces nominal believers who label themselves as Christians, but who allow culture to define their convictions. (It is being used by Globalist as a counterfeit of Biblical Christianity to infiltrate and compromise Biblical Christian Churches in order to merge this last obstacle to a One World Government and a One World Religion promoting relgious humanism.)

Which brings us to

THE COSMIC BATTLE of

THE TRUTH versus THE LIE

This battle has been raging since the very beginning of time.  And, Jesus said, “Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”  Those who say they are Christians, but do not do as Jesus said, are liars and do not follow Him.

DEFINING 21st century “Globalism” is one very complicated thing. But DESCRIBING 21ST century “Globalism” is quite another. And, either way, it is like trying to count the numbers of goldfish in a small bowl, as hundreds of them swim frantically around and around the bowl – despite your best efforts, it seems like the numbers just keep growing! (To be clear, they “Globalism” isn’t goldfish. It is more like a gigantic school of piranha, or like the tentacles of a monstrous killer octopus).

Globalism, as loosely DEFINED by the Merriam-Webster dictionary is “a national policy of treating the whole world as a proper sphere for political influence”.

“Globalization” (as distinct from “Globalism”) is a term used to describe how trade and technology have made the world into a more connected and interdependent place. Globalization also captures in its scope the economic and social changes that have come about as a result. It may be pictured as the threads of an immense spider web formed over millennia, with the number and reach of these threads increasing over time. People, money, material goods, ideas, and even disease and devastation have traveled these silken strands, and have done so in greater numbers and with greater speed than ever in the present age.

GLOBALISM (as distinct from “Globalization”) is DEFINED by Globalist Advocates on Wikipedia (endemically a far-left-leaning website) says, “Globalism refers to various patterns of meaning beyond the merely international. It is used by political scientists, such as Joseph Nye, to describe “attempts to understand all the interconnections of the modern world—and to highlight patterns that underlie (and explain) them. While primarily associated with world-systems, it can be used to describe other global trends. The concept of globalism is also classically used to distinguish the ideologies of globalization (the subjective meanings) from the processes of globalization (the objective practices). In this sense, globalism is to globalization what nationalism is to nationality. The term is now frequently used as a pejorative by far-right movements and conspiracy theorists. False usage in this way has also been associated with antisemitism, as anti-Semites, frequently appropriate globalist to refer to Jews.”

 GLOBALISM “DESCRIBED”

Socialists and communists say Globalism is the key to worldwide prosperity. But, the truth is that Globalists say it is a key to worldwide prosperity, but they know it 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.

An article from the Jerusalem Post, titled, “UNESCO’s Globalist Agenda minus Israel” has reported that 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.

“The Obama Administration provided an example of leftist globalists in action. Bankrolled by billionaire George Soros, and using the radical social-manipulation “rules” of Obama mentor Saul Alinsky, the Left exploits groups like Black Lives Matter as “agents of change” to help usher in their new world order. They fund and direct radical groups to sow chaos and division by politicizing leftist targets such as police by labeling them as “racist.”

“The black community is in a grave situation and they are being exploited and manipulated by the liberal left,” said African-American Vanderbilt University law professor Carol Swain.

“In the same way, U.N. globalists manipulate the Palestinians. They play the “racism” card to incite chaos, division and attacks against Israeli police and soldiers—just like in Ferguson, MO. Their strategy: foment societal disruption to undermine democratic foundations—then step in and take over.

“The Globalist agenda also includes the establishment of a one-world religion, which means the political globalists have a religious arm. The U.N. is riddled with New Agers, occultists and others who consider freedom of religion hostile to New Age global harmony.

“Former UN Assistant Secretary-General Robert Muller told the San Jose Mercury that religious fundamentalism‘s “inflexible belief systems … play an incendiary role in global conflicts.” There’ll be no peace without “taming fundamentalism through a United Religion that professes faithfulness only to global spirituality,” he said.”

The Commission on Global Governance has publicly stated that when their Agenda-2030 plan is fully implemented, “it 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 World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in New York City, NY, USA, September 15-17, 2015, set a date of 2030 for complete implementation of their Agenda 2030 and Global Dominance by this Marxist global movement.

 

 

Finally, Globalism as DESCRIBED by Hillary Clinton:

Many scholars say the idea of Globalization started with Columbus’s voyage to the New World in 1492. People traveled to nearby and faraway places well before Columbus’s voyage, however, exchanging their ideas, products, and customs along the way. The Silk Road, an ancient network of trade routes across China, Central Asia, and the Mediterranean used between 50 B.C.E. and 250 C.E. is perhaps the most well-known early secular historical example.

The Bible, however, records that the first recorded idea of GLOBALISM began around 4,200 years ago with the building of the Tower of Babel (see Genesis 11:1-9). This was the beginnings of the idea of a One World Government and the Bible warns this system will be revived and is coming again – in these Last Days.

“They said, ‘Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.’

“The LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.

“The LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them.” Genesis 11:4-6

DON’T BE DECEIVED

The agenda of this “migration” and Globalism or One World Government is not the stuff of just any book. It is stuff of THE BOOK, that is The Bible. Genesis chapter 11 gives us the prophecy, the foreshadowing of the coming One World Government.

The Tower of Babel, built around 2242 B.C., was a post-Flood rebellion against God by Noah’s descendants. As told about in Genesis 11:1-9, it is meant to explain why the world’s peoples speak different languages. According to the account, a united humanity in the generations following the Great Flood, speaking a single language and migrating eastward, comes to the land of Shinar. There, they agree to build a city and a tower tall enough to reach heaven.

(NOTE: “tall enough to reach to heaven” can be a metaphor for “man reaching to heaven, making himself god, to accomplish his own desires. This is the ‘Utopian dream’ of the Socialist and Communist manifestos; the State being our god – from cradle to grave)

This effort of uniting in a global community has been underway for about 4,200 years, about 100 years after ‘The Flood’, but before Abraham was born.

This is ‘forecast’ or what is Prophesied in the Bible. Is it underway? Should we PREPARE?

Please come with me as we JUMP FORWARD IN TIME – GLOBALISM 2023.

Your Brother and Guide on The Journey,

Mike Young

WHO, ME? FOLLOW JESUS? I am already a Christian!

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

“Follow (Deute) me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Matthew 4:19

Jesus’ words seem pretty straight forward, as He says, “Follow (Deute – dyoo’-the) me”. But what does Jesus mean when He says, “Follow Me”?

When you look deeper into the language and at what Jesus is saying, you find that He uses this form of the Greek word ‘Deute’. Pronounced, ‘dyoo’-the’, only ONE time, and it means come hither! And, it is an exclamatory word and a command which cannot be ignored.

There are thirty-five others times recorded in the New Testament that Jesus uses the Greek word, ‘akoloutheó, which simply means to follow, to accompany or to attend.

By using the word ‘Deute’, Jesus is not making a calm, polite request. He is using an interjection, and an imperative command, “Come here now, and follow Me!”

Jesus, in saying “’Deute’, Come. Follow Me“, is telling His disciples to follow Him closely as if to be upon His back, peering over His shoulder, watching, learning, being closely identified with Jesus.

The reason and purpose for following Jesus in this way is to be identified with and as a disciple of Jesus.

A disciple’s first priority is following Jesus. Everything else is secondary. If Jesus tells them to go, they go. If he tells them to stay, then they stay. They may be like Paul, traveling the world over sharing the good news of Jesus. Or, more likely, they may be like Aquila and Priscilla, tentmakers who served in a local church.

You might be male or female; rich or poor; a preacher, an engineer, or raising children; you might have a variety of skin tones or ethnic backgrounds. But the commitment to follow Jesus, even to the cross, is common to all disciples.

There may be times, when we, as did Peter when he followed Jesus ‘at a distance’ to watch the outcome of the events when Jesus was betrayed by Judas, arrested and led away by Caiaphas, the scribes and high priests. But like Peter, we must confront our fears and confess our failings, and ‘Deute’, follow Him, even to our own cross if necessary.

Discipleship is a term that we often give lip service to. But we often substitute being a fan of Jesus for being a disciple of Jesus. But, as Christians, we are not called to sit in our padded pews, cheering on the worship team and preacher and paying our entrance fee. We are called to be disciples. To give up the life we had and follow Jesus, learning from him and becoming like him.

It is not enough just to evangelize. Bringing a person into a saving relationship with Jesus is just the beginning. We need to teach them to obey what Jesus commanded and to follow him wherever he leads. To be a team player rather than a fan.

And, please, let’s remember: You have to BE ONE to MAKE ONE.

And He *said to them, “Follow Me (deute = dyoo’-teh), come hither! An exclamatory word),

and I will make you fishers of people.” (Used in this context only ONCE in the N.T.).

But Jesus *said to him, “Follow Me, (akoloutheó = ak-ol-oo-theh’-o), to follow, accompany, attend), and let the dead bury their own dead.” (Used in this context 35 times in the N.T.)

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me (akoloutheó = ak-ol-oo-theh’-o), to follow, accompany, attend).

Jesus said to him, “If you want to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me (akoloutheó = ak-ol-oo-theh’-o), to follow, accompany, attend).”

The next day He decided to go to Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me (akoloutheó = ak-ol-oo-theh’-o), to follow, accompany, attend).”

My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me (akoloutheó = ak-ol-oo-theh’-o), to follow, accompany, attend).”

If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me (akoloutheó = ak-ol-oo-theh’-o), to follow, accompany, attend), and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

This is offered in humility and love. I fail and fall short more often than I admit. I pray for you and humbly ask that you pray for me as we work to serve God and reach this lost and dying world with His Gospel – Truly, Good News.

IN A LITTLE WHILE, and A LITTLE WHILE LATER – The Mystery and Secret about Jesus you must know

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

DO YOU LIKE SECRETS? HERE IS A GOOD ONE.

Speaking for myself, if I allow myself to listen to the words of the world through other people, or through the news media and television , I find that I begin to doubt and worry.

I am continually hearing of wars and rumors of wars. I try not to be frightened, for I know that these things must take place, and although the time is near, I know that it is not yet the end of the age.

Nations are rising against nations, and kingdoms against kingdoms, and there are increasing famines and earthquakes (and they are telling us the earth is heating up, on the verge of a climatological disaster) in many and various places.

The Bible tells me that these things are ‘the beginning of birth pangs’, that is the intolerable anguish and the time of unprecedented trouble which is yet to come, (judgements of God on a sinful world).

There are many have come and who are now coming in the name of Jesus, misusing His Name, and appropriating the strength of the name which belongs to Him, saying or implying, ‘I am the Christ, or I am speaking on behalf of the Jesus,’ and they are misleading many.  

We have been warned that those who hate God, will subject us who are Christians over to ridicule and persecution and to endure tribulation, and they will even put some of us to death.

The Bible says that we will be hated by all nations because of the Name of Jesus. We are already at the time that many are being offended and repelled by our association with Jesus. And many who have falsely claimed to be Christians are falling away from Jesus’ teachings, the very One they should trust, and are betraying one another, and reporting  believers to those who work against the ways of God and the Bible, the ones who persecute us and hate everyone who believes in Jesus Christ.

Many false prophets are already appearing and are misleading many within the Church. Lawlessness has increased and continues to get worse, and the love of many people toward others is growing cold. (Please see Matthew 24:5-12 regarding the above.)

HERE IS THE ‘SECRET’ (in red bold lettering)

Before His crucifixion, Jesus told His disciples,(John 16:16),“In a little while you are no longer are going to see Me; then, again a little later, you will see Me.”

Verse 17. So some of His disciples said to one another, “What is this that He is telling us, ‘In a little while, and you are not going to see Me; and again a little while later you will see Me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” Verse 18. So, they were saying, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is talking about.” Verse 19. Jesus knew that they wanted to question Him, and He said to them, “Are you deliberating together<mg3326, 240=””> about this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you are not going to see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me’? Verse 20. Truly, truly, I say to you that you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy! Verse 21. Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world. Verse 22. Therefore, you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one is going to take your joy away from you.

(Hint: This is a reference to Jesus’ crucifixion, burial and resurrection.)

Verse 23. And on that day, you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Verse 24. Until now, you have asked for nothing in My name; ask, and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.

Verse 25. “These things I have spoken to you in figures of speech; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech, but will tell you plainly about the Father. Verse 26. On that day you will ask in My name, and I am not saying to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; verse 27, for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father. Verse 28. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

Verse 29, His disciples said, “See, now You are speaking plainly and are not using any figure of speech. Verse 30. Now we know that You know all things, and that You have no need for anyone to question You; this is why we believe that You came forth from God.” Verse 31. Jesus replied to them, “Do you now believe? Verse 32. Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.

Verse 33. “These things I have spoken to you so that, in Me, you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

What has happened? Suffice it to say, for now, that this is no longer metaphors or figures of speech. It is a mystery for we who believe that enables us, too, to live assured of victory in and over all circumstances. As outlandish and as outrageously bold as this statement sounds, it is exactly what Jesus is telling you.

THE SECRET REVEALED – THE MYSTERY SOLVED

Read what Paul says in Ephesians 1:18, “I pray that the eyes of your heart having been enlightened, that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, verse 19, and what is the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might verse 20, which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, verse 21, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, Not only in this age but also in the one to come.  

Verse 22. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and made Him head over all things to the church, verse 23, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all  (believers).

Ephesians 2:4, “But God, being [so very] rich in mercy, because of His great and wonderful love with which He loved us, verse 5, even when we were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of our sins, He made us [spiritually] alive together with Christ (for by His grace–His undeserved favor and mercy–you have been saved from God’s judgement).

Verse 6. And He has raised us up together with Him [when we believed], AND HE SEATED US WITH HIM IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES, in Christ Jesus,

We are Join-Heirs with Christ. If you don’t understand this, or if you don’t believe it, you are missing your full inheritance.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

PS: You can USE this one!

“I have spoken these things to you so that, in Me, you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

 

 

CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – , “If you should see the Son of Man” – John 6:62

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – “What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?” (John 6:62)

The phrase “if you”, as it applies to you (and me) as a disciple of Jesus, appears one hundred twenty-four times in the English Standard Version (ESV) of the New Testament.

First, we will be confronted with various situations and circumstances from the Bible and, we will discover how we are to respond in these examples. Secondly, I have personalized (rephrased) our study verses for you to memorize. By this, we can bring the Gospel to life as we go and defeat sin along our way.

Today we, as Christians, are confronted with questions about how we should deal with matters such as doubt, disbelief during trials, when the Words of God don’t seem to make sense to you, when everyone else quits on you.

“What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?”. (John 6:62).

IN CONTEXT

“I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats from this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I will give for the life of the world also is My flesh.

“Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” So, Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, the one who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. This is the bread that came down out of heaven, not as the fathers ate and died; the one who eats this bread will live forever.”

“These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

“So, then many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This statement is very unpleasant; who can listen to it?” But Jesus, aware that His disciples were complaining about this, said to them, “Is this offensive to you?

“What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before?

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh provides no benefit; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit, and are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray Him. And He was saying, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”

“As a result of this, many of His disciples left, and would no longer walk with Him.

“So, Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to leave also, do you?” Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. And we have already believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”  (John 6:51-69).

REPHRASED and personalized to memorize:

“What then will I think if I should see the Son of Man ascend to heaven again? “So, Jesus said to me, “You do not want to leave also, do you?” I answer Him, “Lord, to whom shall I go? You have words of eternal life. I have already believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”  ” (John 6:62, 67-69)

COMMENT

The Bible tells us that Jesus ascended into heaven only once, and He will return in the same way as He ascended (see Acts 1:11). Then, at that time, the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet blast, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” (see Matthew 24:30-31)

If you cannot believe that Jesus is who He says He is and has done what He says He has done – and that His flesh is the bread of life and His blood is true drink that gives forgiveness of sins and eternal life, how is seeing Him ascend or descend into heaven going to make any difference? How is seeing miracle after miracle going to make any difference?

Believe. Believe in the face of doubt. Believe when the world is saying it is not possible. Believe because God says it is true. Believe and you will see. Say aloud, “I have already believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God”.

Believe and GO – Anyway!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

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“And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me, Go therefore…” (Matthew 28:17-19).