1. The quality or state of being relevant; pertinent; applicability.
2. Sufficiency to infer the conclusion.
3. The property or state of being relevant or pertinent.

Many of us are looking for our place in the order of things. We have a desire to be relevant at some level. There are those fortunate few who are content in whatever circumstance they find themselves. But for the rest of us, whether we acknowledge it or not, we are constantly searching for some semblance of relevance, or even, in some small way, a bit of significance.

There are myriads of reasons that people look for relevancy, whether it is for recognition, confirmation, affirmation, the need to feel wanted, appreciated or loved. But the reasons for this are subjects of their own. And I don’t want to delve into why people are that way or how they got there. I want to relate this matter of seeking relevancy to those within the church.

Before I go any further, I will confess that I have been one of those who suffered this malady, and I will tell you from observation, from study and from personal experience, being relevant or receiving recognition, confirmation, affirmation, the need to feel wanted, appreciated or loved does not satisfy this craving. It only stokes the fires of passion within. And unless this is properly dealt with, for the unfortunate, it can go from a need to a craving and for many it can turn into the psychosis of narcissism.

Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental health condition in which people have an unreasonably high sense of their own importance. They need and seek too much attention and want people to admire them. People with this disorder may lack the ability to understand or care about the feelings of others. But behind this mask of extreme confidence, they are not sure of their self-worth and are easily upset by the slightest criticism.

A narcissistic personality disorder causes problems in many areas of life, such as relationships, work, school or financial matters. People with narcissistic personality disorder may be generally unhappy and disappointed when they’re not given the special favors or admiration that they believe they deserve. They may find their relationships troubled and unfulfilling, and other people may not enjoy being around them. This is a truly serious matter and can have devastating effects, especially in the church.

It can be seen in those who crave positions within the church for visibility, individuality or influence, and recognition for admiration. Some common traits of people with narcissistic behavior that you may be able to spot are:

1. A Sense of Entitlement

A common sign of people with narcissism is the belief that their opinions are superior to others and deserve special recognition. They believe that others should be accepting and more obedient to their views and wishes, and that all the rules don’t necessarily apply to them.

2. Manipulative Behavior

Another common trait of narcissism is manipulative or controlling behavior. A narcissist will at first try to please you and impress you, but eventually, their own needs will always come first.

When relating to other people, narcissists will try to keep people at a certain distance in order to maintain control. They may even exploit others to gain something for themselves.

3. Need for Admiration

One of the most common signs of a narcissist is a constant need for praise or admiration. People with this behavior need to feel validation from others and often brag or exaggerate their accomplishments for recognition. They also like to feel appreciated in order to boost their ego.

In the church, this is manifested in their superiority of Spiritual abilities, Spiritual gifting and leadership skills and accomplishments.

4. Lack of Empathy

Lack of empathy is another sign of narcissism. This means that the narcissist is unwilling or unable to empathize with the needs, wants, or feelings of other people. They prefer to be in charge without collaborative groups. This also makes it difficult for them to take responsibility for their own behavior.

5. Spiritual Superiority or Arrogance

People with narcissistic behavior already see themselves or their opinions as superior to others, so they may become curt, rude or abusive when they don’t receive the treatment or recognition they think they deserve. While they hold themselves superior, they may speak or act rudely toward those that they deem as holding faulty views or are spiritually inferior.

Other signs include:

• A sense of self-importance, exaggerating their achievements and talents.
• A preoccupation with fantasies of success, power, or brilliance.
• A belief that they’re more special or unique in particular areas than others and should only seek out other high-status people for associations.
• Envy of others or the belief that others are envious of them.
• Insisting they have the best views of everything.
• Feeling they deserve certain privileges and treatment.

This is sometimes seen in the leadership of a church. But it is particularly dangerous when it comes from the pulpit or from the pastor. This type of narcissism is sometimes considered as spiritual abuse.

Sometime misnamed as “visionary”,  “a controlling personality” or a “strict leadership”, narcissism is a psychosis and is usually well hidden behind what seem to be good intentions by the perpetrator.

Spiritual abuse is when a spiritual leader, such as a pastor, uses their power and influence to manipulate and control people.  A spiritual abuser is not concerned with promoting the well-being of those he serves. Rather, he’s only interested in how people can further his plans and agenda.

Few things cause Christians to become disillusioned more than being ripped to pieces by spiritual abuse in the church. Few things do more to sully the name of Jesus more than abusive spiritual leaders.

There are few things more dangerous to a church than a pastor who is extraordinarily endowed on the gifting side and extraordinarily deficient on the character side. That guy is a decaying tie rod waiting to break. The progress can be impressive until the character collapses.

Here are six bright red warning signs of spiritual abuse.

1. He surrounds himself with “yes” people.
2. Critics are isolated.
3. Loyalty is prized over diversity.
4. Refusing accountability.
5. Leading by force of personality.
6. Refusing to believe anything is wrong.

There are ways to cope with a narcissistic person whom you cannot avoid, like a close family member or a work associate. But within the church, it becomes difficult to improbable. If you try to avoid a narcissist in a close community, like a church, they will seek you out to correct you publicly, by any and all means necessary. So, avoidance rarely works there. In these situations, if you are confronted by a narcissistic person, be polite, do not engage in conversation, just move along. They will eventually move on to someone else.

If it is a pastor in the church, you probably should find another church. Your church is suffering from a psychosis.

You cannot “fix” a narcissist. DO NOT TRY. Don’t condemn them. Don’t argue with them. Don’t try to befriend them to win them over. Do not try to socialize with them. Do not talk about them.

Do pray for them, privately. Do love them from afar. Do be polite to them. Do keep your distance.

If you have been negatively affected by someone like this, feeling of betrayal, disappointment, hurt, anger, sorrow and distrust are normal, but you must get healing and move past them. If you do not, the effects will continue to wear you down.

1. Pray to God for relief and wisdom.
2. It is natural to grieve. But, it is also natural to get past this stage and end it.
3. Seek Counselling.
4. Find a confidant who does not know the offending parties or the church.
5. Forgive as you are able.

If you find any of the traits mentioned in your own life, here is what you can do.

1. Begin to pray honestly to God for wisdom.
2. Get counselling.
3. Deliberately avoid seeking any position or opportunity for recognition or praise.
4. Find, study and memorize Bible verses about servanthood of the believer.
5. Go to a confidant or your pastor and talk about your concerns.
6. Trust God. He has this and He has you.

Having done these things, you have taken the step necessary to putting Jesus back on the throne of your life. I know it is much easier to give this advice than it is to do these things. But you can and you will.

“Have this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond servant.”

Your Brother and friend,

Mike Young

The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous

This is a Psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away. David was on the run. He was a fugitive from Saul and could find no refuge. David went into a cave at Adullam where many desperate men joined him, and he wrote this psalm and sung it in the presence of those men.

(The structure of this psalm is acrostic, the purpose of which serves to encourage learning and memorization.)

When you find yourself feeling like a fugitive in this life, emotionally or mentally on the run, pressed on every side by troubles and unable to find refuge or rest, and hiding away. Then sing this song aloud. Sing it as if nobody is watching!

Psalms 34:15-19

(New American Standard Version)

The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous,

And His ears are toward their cry for help.

The face of the LORD is against evildoers,

To eliminate the memory of them from the earth.

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears

And rescues them from all their troubles.

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted

And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

The afflictions of the righteous are many,

But the LORD rescues him from them all.

Embrace His Word. Let it live in you, and you in it!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

PSALMS 34:15-19

(Personalized – with Hebrew Translations for Keywords)

The eyes of the LORD are toward me, And His ears are open to my cry.

The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, To cut off the memory of them from the earth.

When I cry for help, the LORD hears, and rescues me from all my distress and troubles.

The LORD is near to me when I am heartbroken, and He saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Many hardships and perplexing circumstances confront me, but the LORD rescues me from them all.

Amen.

HUNDREDS OF TIMES

What is really driving American and Global politics?

I have spoken, and I have written, hundreds of times, about what is REALLY the ‘hidden-in-plain-sight’ driving force behind much of Global politics and the politics of the American Democrat Party. This may seem simplistic to some, conspiratorial to others, but my prayer is that an important few will get it and will share and tell others.

If you can get this, and view all Global politics within this framework, you will be amazed how it all makes sense, now. You should also be amazed at the clear and frightening picture that will emerge.

Sadly, most rank-and-file democrat voters have no clue as to what is coming upon them if the Dems continue to have their way, and I see no reason they won’t.

The rank-and-file Democrat voter, as I call them, are not particularly stupid. Quite the contrary. Many democrat voters have a college degree.

Around two-thirds of registered voters in the U.S. (65%) do not have a college degree, while 36% do. But the share of voters with a college degree has risen substantially since 1996, when 24% had one.

Voters who identify with the Democratic Party or lean toward it are much more likely than their Republican counterparts to have a college degree (41% vs. 30%).(see Pew Research).

But, a college degree doesn’t make a person particularly smart, either. They may have knowledge or information about a particular subject they studied in college, but considering their overall I Q or from observing their day-to-day lives, I have to say they are neither intelligent, smart nor wise, and they aren’t particularly well-informed on facts. Most of what I have observed and studies show, they accept without question and firmly believe the Democrat party’s public talking points.

I can say pretty much, the same thing about Republican voters, though, and that is a shame.

There is one major difference between Republican and Democrat voters, however. Republicans vote, largely, based on current information they can glean from the media, coupled with the past experiences of any given politician. Democrats vote Democrat, no matter what the case or record. But I digress. Let me get back on point.

(If you don’t get this, then you may well continue to vote based on what the media is telling you and your past observations and experiences with certain politicians; and the world will continue to spiral into chaos.)

What is really driving American and Global politics? Globalism.

The term ‘Globalism’, like so many words used by the political left, has been assigned a new meaning. Let me explain by starting with the idea that Globalism can have multiple meanings.

In political science, it is used to describe “attempts to understand all of 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 focus on ideologies of globalization. It has been proposed as a “comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by organizations of the United Nations System, Governments, and Major Groups in every area in which human impacts on the environment.”

The Commission on Sustainable Development (C,.S.D.) was created in December 1992 to ensure effective follow-up of U.N.C.E.D. to monitor and report on implementation of the agreements at the local, national, regional and international levels. It was agreed that a five-year review of Earth Summit progress would be made in 1997 by the United Nations General Assembly meeting in special session.

This last example is the ideology being presented by these Globalists to mask the methods of their objectives. Since most of the leaders in the United Nations’ Globalist movement identify as Socialists, Marxists, Communists, Leninists and the like, it should be no surprise that their methods, in the end, will be heavy handed, despotic and dictatorial.

In fact, The Commission on Global Governance has publicly stated that when their Agenda-21 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.” (see OUR GLOBAL NEIGHBORHOOD, Report of the Commission on Global Governance

(ISBN 0-19-827998-1; Published by Oxford University Press, 1995)

They have assigned the idea that Globalism is simply a ‘world community’, as their raison d’être, which is their ‘branding’ and cover story. They say they are simply on a quest to make the planet a more equitable and safer place to live. (And this is coming from the minds and mouths of Communist-Marxists who have a legendary history of threats, coercion, torture, imprisonment, gulags, and death camps for those who resist their demands.)

However, their Agenda-21, now renamed as Agenda-2030 which matches the year they say that they will have achieved their goals of global ‘sustainable development’, another code-word for Global domination through a One World Government  – which they benignly call ‘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’.

Today, the Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG) in the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (U,N,D,E,S,A,) provides substantive support and capacity-building for the SDGs and their related thematic issues, including water, energy, climate, oceans, urbanization, transport, science and technology, the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR), partnerships and Small Island Developing States. DSDG plays a key role in the evaluation of U.N systemwide implementation of the 2030 Agenda and on advocacy and outreach activities relating to the SDGs. In order to make the 2030 Agenda a reality, broad ownership of the SDGs must translate into a strong commitment by all stakeholders to implement the global goals. DSDG aims to help facilitate this engagement.

If you, like me, are a simple-thinker, and need visual aids, please watch this short videos produced by the World Economic Forum, a major player and proponent of Agenda -2030, Global Sustainable Development, and the Globalist Movement. It is at least honest enough to tell you that when their plan is completed, ‘you will own NOTHING, and be happy about it’!

You have probably already heard enough. But, if you have it in you, let me tell you where this trend and movement began. It should either chill you or make you shake your head in disbelief.

The term Globalism is now more frequently being used pejoratively by Conservatives and Christians to refer to a New World Order.  This has its roots in Bible prophecy. But because of the time and attention span required, and the space needed to go into any depth, let me offer these weblink that will help start this prophetic journey which is being played out with frightening accuracy.

1. Globalism and the Tower of Babel
2. Now You Know

And, there you have it – or at least part of it.

Pray and Stay! Pray to God for wisdom and safety, and stay on the alert. Jesus is coming, soon!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Related articles:

NEWS FLASH …. THIS IS FOR REAL! – RE-EDUCATION CAMPS BY THE GLOBALISTS-LEFTISTS

FOREIGN TO AND IGNORES IDEAS PRECIOUS TO THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

GLOBALISM AND THE TOWER OF BABEL

THE GLOBAL MARCH TO MARXISM

ADAM’S RIB – THE ALPHA

Where it all started – for all of humankind

“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him”. Genesis 1:27.

“And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh thereof;” Genesis 2:22.

RIB:  from Strong’s Concordance:  #6763, from the Hebrew word, tsela.

Definition: rib, side. Is also used as: a beam, a board, a chamber, a corner, a leaf, a plank, side chamber.

SECONDLY, and more amazing, is how much more fully we can understand these verses by way of the Hebrew language:

So, let’s look at these following verses and select words, from the Hebrew Language:

“Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being”. Genesis 2:7.

Now let’s see and better understand these select words, from the Hebrew Language: Then the LORD God (El-oh-heem, which is in the plural), formed man (which is the Hebrew word, adam, and means, rubbed red – imagine an image of a newborn baby) of dust from the ground, and, (God) breathed, (which is the word naphach in Hebrew, and means to seethe, and to give up life) the man’s, nostrils (which is the Hebrew word, aph, which reflects an angry facial expression while breathing hard. This tells us that God gave up something extraordinary in this act. He gave up part of Himself to His creation!) the breath of life; and man became a living, (from the Hebrew word, nephesh, which translates as a soul, a self, a living person; a person with an appetite, a mind, with desires, emotions, passions, but with dubious activity of mind, will, and character).

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;”

In the image, (which is the Hebrew word, tselem, which translates as a mere, empty, image, a resemblance, but not identical ; a vain showing; the word tselem comes from an unused root Hebrew word meaning to shade; as a phantom, i.e., an illusion; hence, simply a representative figure, of dubious character.)

Recap What We Have Seen

God, used in plural, representing God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, created, shaped and formed mankind.

God created mankind ‘in His Own image’ but, as a mere image of Himself; a vain showing and just a shadow of the Original; an image, an icon, or a phantom pattern; an illusion or a mere resemblance of the original; and a being of a dubious nature.

(God has deliberately made man and woman with a flaw, and has destined them to fail.)

• • God, has always existed and He is eternal.
  • He is the creator of life.
  • He creates with purpose and on purpose.
  • This creation has all the imagery of childbirth: ruddy, squeezed, passionate, violent, painful, raw and costly.
  • A being of passion with a wild nature and base appetites is created. Mankind is created with flaws, destined to fail, condemned to death and separation of God.
  • But God also made humankind with the greatest potential, being made in His image.
  • Then God provided a Savior – Jesus Christ, to redeem all who would believe on His Name – and the potential God put into humankind would be realized.

The Book of Genesis tells us of THE ALPHA

• The creation of humankind.
• The corruption of humankind
• The destruction of humankind
• The salvation of humankind
• A time which is coming when all the heavens and earth will be judged for humankind’s corruption and those who have not called on the name of Jesus will perish, but those who call in the name of Jesus will be saved.

Revelation 21:1, ”Then, I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. Verse 2. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Verse 3. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, verse 4, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” Verse 5. And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

Revelation 22:1, And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, verse 2, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Verse 3. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; Verse 4, they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. Verse 5. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illuminate them; and they will reign forever and ever.

The Book of The Revelation tells us of THE OMEGA

• A remarkable time that is coming when God will create a new heaven and a new earth,
  • And His Elect will dwell with Him forever.
  • At that time there will be no more tears, no more death, there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain.
  • At that time a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, will flow from the throne of God and of the Lamb. And on either side of the river there is the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month;
    • And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
    • There will no longer be any curse;
    • And the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it.
    • And His name will be on the foreheads of His servants.
    • And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illuminate them;
    • And they will reign forever and ever.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

ADAM’S RIB – The Alpha (video format)

Adam’s Rib, a very short video, is an encouraging overview of scriptures from Alpha to the Omega. A look at this panorama, using brief insights into the Hebrew language to give us deep insights into God’s Plan and perfecting of His Creation.

RIGHTING THE WORLD – TO UPSIDE DOWN

It was said that

“Paul and Silas have turned the world upside down”

(Acts 17 :6)

– Introduction –

The Bible, is unity in diversity, expressing its unique message in a rich variety of literary forms. The literature of the Bible is an aesthetically beautiful interpretation of human experience from a divine perspective. The literary forms found in the pages of Scripture, including figurative language, narrative history, poetry, wisdom literature, prophetic literature, gospel, oratory, and epistle.

The mystery of the Oracles of the Bible are hidden in plain sight, woven into parables, allegories, similes, riddles and symbols and poetry. Bible.org series page 4 – literary forms bible ).

Matthew 13:44, tells us that “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”  The “Kingdom of Heaven” is the Miracle, the “field” is the Scriptures, and the “Treasure” is Key to all the miracles of God.

Throughout The Scriptures, we find the immutable and prophetic Words of God hidden in His Field.

One of the treasures to be found are Miracles. Miracles have always been sought after. Although, there are those who consider miracles little more than coincidences, and others simply doubt. Nonetheless, the idea of miracles have a powerful allure.

The word ‘miracle’ in the Old Testament Hebrew, is ‘mopheth’, pronounced, ‘mo-faith’; it is defined as a sign, wonder, a miracle; by implication, a token or omen.

The New Testament, word for miracle (usually rendered as a ‘sign’), in the Greek language is the word, ‘sémeion’, meaning a miracle, a sign, a token, or a wonder.

Oddly, the word miracle, or the plural – miracles – is used only thirty-seven times in the entire Bible. (The King James Version).

This could be attributed to the fact that God, His creation, the heavens, the earth, all the cosmos, are, of themselves, miraculous.

Separating miracles or the miraculous from the standard or the context of God, would be like running down a rabbit hole in pursuit of what has always been right in front of you.

A task, such as pursuing miracles, can be an amusing or entertaining pursuit, but miracles are only a part of a grander scheme! Creation and life, alike, are the stuff of the miraculous.

If you are a Christian, following and believing Jesus for who and what He is, then, for you to perform or create a miracle would be superfluous. You should be living the miraculous. You are standing before and in the midst of the miraculous. That is, unless you are not.

If you read a verse like John 15:7,  which says, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you”, and you might say something like, ‘Yes, but it doesn’t mean you can really ask for “anything” ‘. The plain language of this verse says “ask WHATEVER you wish”. Just believe in Him – Ask “Whatever you wish in His Name” – He will do it. (Then, why doesn’t IT happen, “all the time”?)

Read the entire Guide. Do all of it. Try, try again! It will happen.

John 14:12  “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Verse 13. “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I 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.”

In this pursuit, I will present “25 simple keys” to realizing God’s Miracles for your life beginning with a riddle and a clue: It is not what you pursue, nor what you can do. It is whose you are that determines how far.)

INDEX

25 KEYS TO MIRACLES

CHAPTER 1.  By Whose Authority?

Matthew 21:23

The chief priests and the elders of the people came to Jesus while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?”

CHAPTER 2. The Key of Clean Hands & A Pure Heart

Psalms 24:3

Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?

(Key #1) The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,

(Key #2) who does not trust in an idol

(Key #3) or does not swear by a false god.

Verse 5. They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob.

CHAPTER 3. The Key Of The Vine.

John 15:4

(Key #6). If you abide in Me, and

(6 a). My words abide in you,

(6 b). Ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

Verse 8. “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Verse 9. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.”

Key #7). If you keep My commandments,

(7 a). You will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

Verse 11. “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”

CHAPTER 4.  The Key Of The Mustard Seed

Matthew 7:20 “And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you,

(Key #8) if you have faith the size of a mustard seed,

(#8a) You will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.

(#8b) “But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

 CHAPTER 5.   The Key Of The Mountain

Mark 11:22

And Jesus answered, saying to them,

(Key #11) All things for which you pray and

(11 a). Ask,

(11 b). Believe that you have received them, and they will be granted to you.

(Key #12) “Whenever you stand praying,

(Key #13) Forgive,

(If you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”)

CHAPTER 6. The Key Of Asking, Seeking, Knocking

Matthew 7:1

(Key#15). Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

Key #16). Ask, and it will be given to you;

(Key #17) seek, and you will find;

(Key #18) knock, and it will be opened to you.

“For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Verse 9. “Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Verse 10. “Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? Verse 11. “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

(Key #19) “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

CHAPTER 7. The Key of Works

John 14:10 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you, I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.

(Key #20). Believe Me

(Key #21) I am in the Father and

(Key #22) The Father is in Me; otherwise, believe because of the works themselves.

(Key #23). Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.

 (Key #24). Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

(Key #25) If you love Me, you will keep My commandments

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT:  (coming soon). Chapter 1. By What Authority

(Please bookmark this page or subscribe for future episodes)

A BAND OF BROTHERS AND SISTERS

I love my Catholic friends. Many of my Catholic friends, often venerate and deify some among themselves and others in the church, in addition to God.

I love my Protestant friends. Many of my Protestant friends, often esteem and think very highly of some among themselves and others in the church, in addition to God.

I love my Pentecostal friends. Many of my Pentecostal friends, often adore and put on a pedestal, some among themselves and others in the church, in addition to God.

I love my Charismatic friends. Many of my Charismatic friends often idolize and hold in awe, some among themselves and others in the church, in addition to God.

Is this just more of the ‘good intentions’ but, in reality, worldly attitudes and behaviors among Christians and among those in the church?

Jesus and His disciples were friends and a band of brothers and sisters.

There is nothing in the world like it!

Let’s Be like Christ

If we are to get anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care — then do yourself and others a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; Don’t try to rule over others; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross”. (Philippians 2, verses 3 through 8.)

“I call you my friends; my brothers and sisters. Follow Me!” – The Words of Jesus to you and to me.

Please. Let’s all be like Jesus; especially you, who are ‘the important ones’ among us.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

PS: I am working on this in my own life, because I need too. Please, let’s pray for one another as He conforms us to His image.

SHOULD I BEWARE OF THESE THINGS?

ROMAN CATHOLICISM          BABYLON                           FREE MASONRY

THE TOWER OF BABEL         THE POPE                          IMAGES of MARY

RELIGIOUS MYSTICISM         OCCULTISM                       THE ILLUMINATI

ASTROLOGY                             JESUITS                              EUROPEAN UNION

THE UNITED NATIONS          PHILOSOPHY                     WORLD WARS 1 AND 2

THE CLIMATE                          GLOBAL FINANCE            THEOSOPHY

MORMONISM                           JEHOVAH WITNESS         THE MEDIA

POP CULTURE                          T.V. and MOVIES               HARRY POTTER

POPULATION CONTROL       HOLIDAYS                           EMERGENT CHURCH

HOMOSEXUALITY                  TRANSGENDERISM          SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

All of these listed subjects, the people and places are addressed, in one way or another, in the Bible, and they are being used to wage the age-old cultural and spiritual war of Good versus Evil; or more correctly stated, God versus the devil.

All the subjects, people and places listed are either being used by or are the manifestation of the evils of Paganism, Secularism, Gnosticism and Satanism. They are, in of themselves, prone to evil, which is just another way of saying that they are being used by the spirit of the antichrist, which is now present among us. (see 1^st John, chapter four, verse 3).

They are being used by ‘the enemies of Christ’ to blur the message of what is right and just; transforming and calling what is good as being evil and what is evil, as being good. (see Isaiah 5, verse 20). It is a counterfeit of the Gospel – the Good News – of Jesus; and millions have been, and are being, deceived.

Why am I pointing this out? It is because more and more, Christians are coming to accept these things, at the least as alternative viewpoints, and at worst, acceptable alternative lifestyles, whether they approve of them or not. More and more Christians are seeing the manifest evils in this world in various shades of gray.

The Bible, in stark contrast, is a Book of ‘black and white’, or as the Bible itself puts it, of “Light and Darkness”. There is no variance or shadow of turning in the Bible.

According to the Bible, the outcomes of these subjects, people and places, are not only unacceptable, but are in rebellion toward and are the enemies of Christ. God clearly states that the day is coming, and is now at hand, that all these things will be judged by the standard of the Holiness of God, and any not found in submission to Jesus Christ, will be found lacking and sentenced to oblivion on that day.

Do you agree or disagree? This is important for you. If you even slightly disagree, (a shade or a shadow or a degree of turning), perhaps it is because you identify with this world’s view. Perhaps you are becoming indistinguishable from this world?

I recently heard a comment by a Christian, stating that he disagrees with the recent Hamas slaughter of Jews and the ensuing anti-Jewish, anti-Semitic riots and the hostile and violent threats against American Jews and American Jewish students at scores of American universities. But at a recent neighborhood get-together, when the subject came up and several people spoke out in favor of this violence, murder and terrorism on American campuses, he did not want to state his beliefs for fear of alienation. He just wanted to “fit in”.

On another occasion, a Christian couple did not want to leave their church when the teaching had veered from Christianity and had begun to embrace obvious and blatant anti-Christian views because ‘they had too many friends there’ and wanted to “fit in”. Imagine that: A Christian wanting to fit in with the world.

One last example is that several Christian friends follow and recommend a self-proclaimed prophet, Dutch Sheets. Sheets, who either unwittingly, ignorantly or foolishly, began to attend meetings with a ‘Charismatic style’  preacher, Todd Bentley. Bentley, who, earlier in his life, had been convicted of sexually assaulting a young boy. Later in his ministry, he was found to be having extra-marital affairs, and in his ‘ministry engagements’, began espousing heretical teachings and had become abusive toward some attendees of his so-called revival meetings, punching them, as a way of showing off his power, one can only suppose.

The problem with Dutch Sheets ‘mistakes and missteps’ is that by the very self-appointed title of being a prophet, Sheets should have known by Devine prophetic knowledge, that Bentley was a fraud. (He could at the very least done some natural, due diligence on Bentley’s background.)

Sheets associations, missteps and mistakes also include his association with the New Apostolic Reformation, and the ‘Dominionism’ movement, Sheets is considered as a Charismatic, has affiliations to the Word of Faith movement, has been part of and participated in the heresy of the Lakeland Church movement associated with heretic apostate Todd Bentley and with practices of Kundalini Spirit worship (video link 1 and video link 2), which Sheets says he has ‘repented from’ and admitted his errors on that one count. Sheets was also part of the Brownsville Revival also known as the Pensacola Outpouring which was later exposed by various news sources as fraught with misinformation, deceit, controversy and alleged fraud of Dutch Sheet preaching at Brownsville.

I have to ask why would these professing Christians follow and recommend such a character as Dutch Sheets – whether he is truly repentant or not? Could it be that some of Sheet’s teachings agree to some of what these Christians believe? Or could it be that they satisfy some of what they would like to believe? It fits in with how the world of Paganism thinks, doesn’t it? Just imagine!

Have you not read where the Apostle, James, asks “Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God?” (James 4 verse 4).

Use discernment. Be Berean. Don’t just imagine!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Imagine there’s no heaven, It’s easy if you try
No hell below us, Above us only sky

Imagine all the people, Living for today

Imagine there are no countries, It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for, And no religion, too

Imagine all the people, Living life in peace

You may say that I’m a dreamer, But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us, And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger, A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people, Sharing all the world

You may say that I’m a dreamer, But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us, And the world will live as one

“HEY PASTOR”

“WE ARE DROWNING OUT HERE!”

Subtitle:

“Let’s Make The Main Things The Plain Things”

The church seems to have a semi-captive audience, which is quite the opportunity for teaching useful, helpful and productive things into people’s lives. Right? So, I am wondering what useful things are being taught in our churches, and can we do better? I can tell you that, in many churches, they are teaching mostly good things.

BIBLE STORIES?

But even with all the good things, I still have to wonder, why we hear so much about “Bible Stories’? Are we really needing to hear stories about the Bible, or told there are stories in the Bible? (Or am I just nitpicking?)

Still, aren’t the scripture’s “breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness?” (see 2^nd Timothy 3, verse 16). That’s not just a ‘story’ is it?

It seems strange to hear when pastors, preachers, evangelists, theologians and Bible teachers start their message, Bible lesson or sermon with the words, “This story is found in the book of (fill in the blank).“

Honestly, that just makes me cringe.

I think I know what they probably mean when they call a Bible passage, ‘a story’, but that word conjures up mental images of fables, novels, and fictional books. The online Dictionary defines the word ‘story’ as, “an account of imaginary or real people and events told for entertainment.”

But a review of the Bible shows that the word ‘story’ is used sparsely, just seven times (in the New American Standard version of the Bible). And, it is only used twice in the King James version – and is used there to report legends, rumors or reports about a King; and it is used only eight times in the English Standard – reporting the same things as the New American Standard version – but it  adds the word ‘story’ to the book of Acts chapter 20, verse 9, to describe a multistory building.

You will find that on four instances in the New American Standard version, the Bible uses the word ‘story’ to describe a multilevel house or building. (see Ezekiel 41, verse 6 and 7. Again in 1^st  Kings 6, verses 6 and 8. And finally in Ezekiel 47 verse 7.)

Twice the word ‘story’ is used to report on the reputation, rumors or legends about King Solomon, his greatness and what he had built. (2^nd  Chronicles 9 verse 5, and in 1^st  Kings 10 verse 6.)

The seventh time the word ‘story’ used, it is used to describe A LIE. (See Matthew 27  verse 62,  through 66).

So, the word ‘story’ as it is used in the Bible, is NEVER about a ‘story’, an account of imaginary or real people and events told for entertainment, a tale, a yarn or a spiel.

The Bible just is not about ‘stories’.  Still, You could say (and probably already have said) that I AM just nitpicking words. But I don’t think so.

I believe we, Christians, have been taught and have allowed ourselves to view the Bible in ways other than what it is intended.

Some of these ways in which we view the Bible can be useful and helpful for our understanding; other ways, when we use the Bible as a book of stories, are simply useful to muse about, entertain ourselves, stir our imagination and to revise what we read in the Bible, turning it into something we consider as a ‘better translation’, that which is more palatable to our tastes, that better fits our preconceived earthly and human notions.

The Bible, is the holiest of books, and describes Itself as the very Breath of God. The Bible contains 82,815 words, composing 31,103 verses, 1,189 chapters and 66 books written by 40 authors over a span of 1,500 years, and despite that complexity, it is a book that has been verified as authentic, proven itself by the hundreds of millions of changed live and has literally changed the course of world history in its fight against the evils of this world.

The Bible is God’s Prophetic Narrative of instruction and inspiration, useful to prepare His people with every good work, perfecting and conforming those who believe, into the image of Christ.

The Bible discusses issues and topics such as geography, sociology, anthropology, science, philosophy, ethics, the church, God and man, community, family, the state, law, arts and media, labor, politics, history, and race relations, instructing on these matters, but the Main Theme of the Bible is NOT about these things. Nor is the Bible a disconnected chronicle of stories, one after another, for us to read and muse about.

The Bible is about God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. It is about God’s plan and purpose for His creation.

The Bible is causative, creative, prophetic and instructional, telling us to be holy as He is holy; to have the same mind in us as the mind of Christ; to complete the good works He has prepared for us ahead of time; to be made into the very image of Christ in preparation for an eternity with Him, in His Perfect Presence and with one another.

The Word of God is CREATIVE, CAUSATIVE, PROPHETIC and INSTRUCTIONAL. The entire Bible is PROPHETIC, INFORMATIONAL, INSTRUCTIONAL and INSPIRATIONAL, “profitable for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.”

I say, let’s consider and treat the Bible for what it really is: The Words of God.

(And while I am at it, what’s with all the religious philosophical chatter, and the ‘academia’ from the pulpits? It is one thing to define a word from the original language of Greek or Hebrew, for a better understanding. But is it necessary to add intellectual arguments, speculations, or to add a lofty flair to the Word?

This is not meant to be critical of churches nor of preachers – at least not too critical. This, instead, is meant to point out the obvious and, hopefully, to shed some light on some short-comings and oversights in some pastor’s, preacher’s Bible teacher’s and theologian’s sermons, lectures and teachings of the Bible.

The Bible was written and is intended to be read and understood by every man and woman. It is God’s love letter of instruction, encouragement and Hope to all who will believe. But because it was written long ago, in a language most of us are unfamiliar with and about customs, traditions and rituals we don’t understand, we need the trained among us to make it understandable, useful, and beneficial to us for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness so that we, the men or women of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work. (see 2^nd Timothy 3 verses 16 and 17).

Most of us are a simple people, so please, let’s speak in plain and simple terms. Then when and if it is necessary, explain the complicated things as simply as possible.

The Bible says we are to “increase in knowledge” but the Bible intends that we are to be “increasing in the knowledge of God”.

Now to my subject: “HEY PREACHER. HELP! WE ARE DROWNING OUT HERE!”, or, in other words, “please teach us the Bible like Jesus teaches the Bible”. All of us need to know the main things of the Bible which will aid, assist and lead us to thinking and behavior that will please God – and benefit us.

Here is a good example of what I am driving at: The book of Galatians, chapter 5, tells us what we should do with what we are learning:

Galatians 5:16 But I say to you, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Verse 17. For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want. Verse 18. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Verse 19. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, verse 20, idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, verse 21, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Did you get that? We are to “walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Paul goes on to say that there is something you need to know ABOUT GOD by KNOWING GOD, and that is “that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Honestly! That is something worth knowing, wouldn’t you say?

Galatians chapter 5 is a stark and dire warning of the dangers and the disastrous outcomes of sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality (total irresponsibility, lack of self-control), idolatry of any kind, sorcery, even in its benevolent-seeming forms like horoscopes, etc., hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions [that promote heresies], envy, drunkenness, riotous behavior, and other things like these.

Now, let’s further narrow our focus to just one issue so we can simplify. Let’s talk briefly about this ‘desire of the flesh’, and gain some Knowledge that we can – and must – use.

(Now for the ‘academic’ stuff). Desire, as used in Galatians 5, verse 16, comes from the Greek words, ‘epithumia’, meaning passionate longing, lust, an eagerness for, and an inordinate desire ( for things such as sex, alcohol, drugs, pornography, anger, revenge, etc.)

And, the word flesh, as used here ‘sarx’, which means “carnal”, of human origin or empowerment. referring to making decisions (followed by actions) according to self – in other words, something done apart from and independent from God.

Now, let’s narrow our focus to just one issue found in Galatians chapter 5: drunkenness, and see what God has to say.

This might be where some of you might say, “But I don’t have a problem with (drinking) alcohol. So, you can skip this one.” That would be true if you don’t drink. Or perhaps you might say, “I just drink for the taste or for the social exchange. I never get drunk.”

Okay. But then I have to ask, how does one GET drunk? Someone gets drunk by drinking. Right? And, anyone who does have a problem with overdrinking or with alcoholism, got there by thinking “I don’t have a problem”, and by taking their first drink. No one plans or planned on becoming an alcoholic. But it happens.

Let me flatly state:  If you drink alcohol, you either don’t have a problem YET, and hope you never do; or, you don’t see the problem; or, you could be contributing to the problem of someone else. Since that is not the issue here – we will move on. Although I will come back to this, later.

Now, Back On Topic What Is Your Church and What is Your Preacher, Preaching?

Let me ask you, when was the last time you heard your pastor preach on the dangers of drunkenness? (Or for that matter, on the dangers of sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, carousing, and things like these? (And now is when I say, “I thought so”?)

As a caveat, let me say that maybe he (your pastor) has an occasional drink – although I sincerely hope not. But if he does, he may not consider drinking a problem, therefore, he never preaches on it!

For example, I live in an ‘over 55 neighborhood’.  Data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health indicate that approximately 20 percent of adults aged 60 to 64 and around 10 percent over age 65, (the percentages drop because people are passing away at this age), report current binge drinking. Older adults can experience a variety of problems from drinking alcohol, especially those who take certain medications, have health problems or those who drink heavily. There are special considerations facing older adults who drink, including and increased Sensitivity to Alcohol. This means that 86% of people aged 65 and older who die from excessive alcohol use die from chronic conditions as opposed to acute causes.

And from what I can see at our neighborhood functions and what I see in the street on trash pickup day, there is a lot of drinking going on. And it is a problem for so many families.

From a personal standpoint, I have lost my mother, my father and a brother to an alcohol related death. My wife lost her father and a brother to alcohol related deaths. My wife and I stopped drinking in our twenties.

Please read these statistics about alcohol abuse and alcoholism:

Alcohol abuse, alcoholism, and alcohol use disorder (AUD) kill over 3 million people each year, accounting for up to 6% of global deaths.

140,557 Americans die, on average, from the effects of alcohol in an average year.

Ten percent, that is 1-in-10 Americans over the age of 12 have Alcohol Use Disorder! (see The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics.)

According to the 2022 NSDUH, over 61 million people ages 12 and older (21.7% in this age group) reported binge drinking in the past month (see glossary for definition of binge drinking).

This includes: According to the 2022 N.S.D.U.H, 16 million adults ages 18 and older (6.3% in this age group) reported heavy alcohol use in the past month (see glossary for definition of heavy alcohol use). This includes:

Roughly 29.5 million people in the United States have alcohol use disorder, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Heavy drinking costs the country more than $249 million annually American Journal of Preventive Medicine) and causes 232 million missed workdays each year (Parsley, Network Open).

Alcohol also takes a human toll. Between 2015 and 2019, excessive alcohol consumption contributed to about 140,000 deaths among adults ages 20 to 64 each year. Those deaths included acute causes like car crashes and alcohol poisoning, as well as chronic conditions such as liver disease or cancer. Put another way, alcohol was a factor in 1 in 8 deaths among 20- to 64-year-olds. And in people ages 20 to 49, 1 in every 5 deaths was related to excessive drinking. (see Esser, M. B., Network Open).

The study was based on data from the CDC’s Alcohol-Related Disease Impact application, which assesses 58 conditions linked to alcohol consumption that the public health agency has examined for two decades, said Marissa Esser, the study’s lead author.

This is an epidemic taking its toll on people, their families, friends, leaving nothing but carnage in its wake, and we need help. We are drowning out here!

Alcohol consumption is a scourge. Perhaps perceived as a ‘pleasant occasion’ to a lot of folks, and has become socially acceptable, but a scourge on so many families, none-the-less.

Which brings us to the beauty of the scriptures of the Bible. They are black and white. No gray areas. No “shadows or turning”. For example:

What if you say that you want to drink? The Apostle Paul says, if you just want to drink, then go ahead and drink. For “All things are lawful [that is, those things that are morally legitimate and permissible], but not all things are beneficial or advantageous. All things are lawful, but not all things are constructive [to character] and edifying [to spiritual life]. No one should seek [only] his own good, but [also] that of the other person.” (see 1^st Corinthians 10, verses 23 and 24).

In other words, Paul is asking, why chance losing your advantages over life and over sin? Why risk falling into things that are not constructive for your life? And, above all else, don’t be the reason another person might stumble, (if he or she cannot drink in moderation, for example).

Furthermore, the book of Luke admonishes us to, “But be on your guard, so that your hearts will not be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that this day will not come on you suddenly, like a trap; (see Luke 21 verse 34).

The Apostle Paul also warns us not to“get drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” (see Ephesians 5 verse 18).

So, let me, once again ask, “just how is it one gets drunk?” (Answer: They take a drink. Then another, and another.)

Why would any Christian be so foolish, in the 21^st century, to make excuses for drinking, such as ‘they drank wine in the Bible’ or ‘they drank to relax’, when other means are available in our century and when the risks are so high?

Couldn’t we, as Christians, be good examples for our families and for others?

Drinking doesn’t add anything profitable or constructive to your life. You don’t need it. So, please, think it through, and don’t drink.

Now to all you dear pastors and preachers out there. So many of you have a captive audience, and they look to you for guidance. Most of your flock trusts you. So, I am pleading with you. Don’t look for the easy way out on this. Don’t look for the exceptions in people’s conduct to excuse risky or dangerous behavior. Simply teach the way the Bible teaches: Black and White. Teach the Truth. (And, to assist, here is a link to 25 Bible verses on drinking, for you to review. Bible verses regarding drinking).

I am appealing to pastor and congregant alike. Let’s get back to the basics – the main things and the plain things of the Bible. Let’s get to the things that glorify God and that benefit us – and do them.

Given enough time, just watch what happens in, to and through your life. You will be amazed. And, watch what happens to those people’s lives who are nearest to you. You will be grateful. And, watch what can happen in the watching world. They will never be the same again!

Glory be to God!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young.

ARE YOU BIBLICALLY ILLITERATE

And just don’t realize it?

(Please don’t be offended – just read on)

Article after article by various credible Christian sources, decry the crisis of Biblical illiteracy – within Christianity.

News magazine “Christianity Today”, calls it “An epidemic of Bible illiteracy”; A Biola University magazine calls it a crisis and says we are starving ourselves to death; a Gospel Coalition article call it spiritual malnourishment.

Why is this considered a crisis? Take the remarks of world-renowned Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson, for the best example. Dr. Peterson has said that the Bible is “way more than just true,” it’s the bedrock of Western civilization.

Peterson lamented that “the culture is dissolving” as he detailed his experience touring the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., and his reflections on society. 

Peterson has spoken more about Western civilization, characterizing “fundamental texts” as “the texts upon which most other texts depend.” He cited the work of William Shakespeare as one of several “texts that influenced more other texts” before identifying the Bible as the ultimate source of all “linguistic production.” 

“It isn’t that the Bible is true. It’s that the Bible is the precondition for the manifestation of truth, which makes it way more true than just true. It’s a whole different kind of truth. And I think this is not only literally the case. Factually, I think it can’t be any other way. It’s the only way we can solve the problem of perception.”

Throughout his appearance on the podcast, Peterson spoke about what he saw as the decline of Western civilization. (excerpt taken from a Christian Post article).

THE ODD PART

Approximately 52 million “attend church” in one of the 300,000 plus churches in America, at least once a week each month, and most of these people go to church, among other reasons,

To become closer to God. (81%)

So their children will have a moral foundation. (69%)

To become a better person. (68%)

For comfort in times of trouble or sorrow. (66%)

To be part of a faith community. (57%)

In other words, most people who go to church, do so for a reason. (Pew Research). So then, why are fewer people relying of the Bible and church for answers?

IT BEGINS WITH WHAT YOU HEAR, SEE, LEARN, AND RETAIN.

If you are normal, you have the potential of remembering 10% of what you hear, and that is only the potential. So, how can anyone learn and retain if they cannot remember what they have seen and heard at church?

Furthermore, when people are asked the lead story in the news or the topic of the “sermon” they heard, after 24 hours, only about 10 percent could tell you. When asked to cite the most urgent news item or the important lesson they received, most just shrugged.  Pastor and Bible teacher, Rick Warren, says we forget 95% of what we hear after 72 hours.

Studies show that most people don’t remember sermons, lectures, addresses or speeches—they don’t even remember paragraphs. What people remember are simple statements, slogans, and phrases. I don’t remember any speech John F. Kennedy gave, but most of us of a certain age remember his statements,

“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” and, “I am a Berliner!”

I don’t remember any sermon preached by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but I do remember his famous phrase,

“I have a dream!”

People tend to remember:

• • • 10% of what they read.
    • 20% of what they only hear.
    • 30% of what they only see.
    • 50% of what they see and hear.
    • 70% of what they say and write down.
    • 90% of what they DO.

It seems, however, the News Media Moguls and experts have discovered how to make “their news” stay on the minds of those who watch through repetition.  They repeat the same new story, several times each day and for days on end,  They use the same graphics, audio and videos, over and over and over – until it sticks!  And, it is working.  Most people who get their information from the News Media, when asked about a certain social or political topic, tend to answer in ‘media sound bites’.  They repeat the short sound bites almost verbatim.  The old, ‘monkey see, monkey do’ syndrome.

A conservative estimate, for just the top seven news media outlets to produce a days worth of news is approximately $9,780,000 per week.

Actually, it is next-to-impossible to get an accurate estimate because the numbers are just too overwhelming.

Churches, on the other hand, have not adapted so well.  The tendency in most Evangelical Churches is to preach a different topical sermon once a week. Some Churches will preach through a book of the Bible, one a week, chapter by chapter, rarely repeating themselves.  Some use visual graphics, audio effects and outline sheets for the listeners to take notes, but, rarely repeat the message in any given year.

It’s a shame Churches aren’t catching on, because, unlike the News Media, Churches have a semi-captive audience, but, are not having the same impact as the News Media.

(#1), An estimated 1.2 million hours each week are spent in sermon preparations throughout American churches; it takes about another 300,000 hours in delivery of these sermons, (#2), at a staggering potential cost of over $750,000,000 (that is millions of dollars) nationally, each week. (#3), Yet, only 5% of those hearing these sermons, remember anything about them after 72 hours.

So, what are we getting for our $750,000,000 in offerings? And, if you are a preacher or a pastor, what are you giving in return for these astronomical costs? Are you preaching, sermonizing, teaching, discipling, lecturing, giving a religious address or discourse which people can remember, thereby improving peoples’ lives?

Review these methods used by churches, and determine which of these you are getting on Sunday mornings – and decide if it is worth the time and money:

• Religious Lectures,
• Religious Addresses,
• Religious Discourses,
• Gospel Preaching,
• Bible Sermons,
• Religious Teaching,
• Christian Discipleship training.

People will more frequently remember simple repeated statements, slogans, and phrases.  So, when we are told to “Go and preach or tell the Good News (the Gospel) of Jesus”, most of us just can’t remember what to say, short of “God loves you and so do I”.

Jesus’ ministry is a good model:

• Jesus personally and actively set the example for making, teaching and sending disciples. (I can find no example that Jesus wrote anything.)
• Jesus personally spoke and taught and showed His disciples by His own example (50% retention rate).
• Jesus taught His disciples to repeat His Words as He went with them to do His Works (90% retention rate).

So, Christian brother or sister, how about you? How effective is your ministry?

• Are you primarily using reading materials (i.e., tracts) to disciple? (10% retention)
• Are you primarily using words to disciple? (20% retention)
• Are you referencing videos, audios and written materials for reminders?
• When was the last time your pastor went out with you and told others these things that Jesus did? Such as:

1. Proclaiming that ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.”  (As it says in Matthew 10:8-15),
2. “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, cast out demons”, or at least try?
3. Freely you received, freely give.(Or do you just freely receive?)
4. Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, 10 or a bag for your journey, or even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff;
5. (These methods produce an amazing and most desirable 90% retention rate.)

And, Preacher / Pastor / Teacher / Christian, how about you? How effective is your ministry?

• Do you have a blog? (If so, it only produces just a 10% retention rate.)
• Do you give a weekly sermon or lecture? (If so, it produces just a 20% retention rate.)
• Do you use overheads projectors, videos or bulletin outlines? (This can  produce as much as a 50% retention rate.)
• Do you personally take others and go and make disciples? (This can yeild up to 90% retention rate)
• “And as YOU go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 
• Do you even attempt to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, cast out demons.
• Do you freely give (or just freely recieve)? 
• Do you not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts,  or a bag for your journey, or even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff?
•  (These methods produce an amazing and most desirable 90% retention rate.)

The current way of “doing church” seems to be changing monthly.  This has been going on for the last 40 years and it is causing the church to falter in influence and to lose its “savor”, as the Bible puts it. The church, it seems, is becoming little more than a religious institution delivering “drive-in” or “drive-up fast food style” preaching, sermons, religious lectures, addresses, discourses and entertainment in competition with NFL Sunday, YouTube TV, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Now I have said it and you have read it. Will it make any difference to the 164,000,000, (that’s millions), Evangelical and Protestant Christians in over 350,000 churches in America?  Will you just shrug your shoulders and trundle back to “doing your church thing” this Sunday?  Or will you, do like Peter, Andrew, James, Zebedee and John, who dropped everything about the current ways they were living, and followed Jesus, step by step?

Is there a secret in plain sight here? Is there a lesson for us in the 21^st century here? Stop making it about you and your church. Stop making it so complicated or scattered and blurred. FOCUS ON JESUS ONLY.

THE ANSWER

So, what if we would simply follow the pattern and method established by Jesus? Nothing more, nothing less.  In fact, why not try starting with something simple but profound:  Stop making the telling of ‘Stories’ about the Bible our mainstay, and simply TEACH and EXPLAIN what Jesus TEACHES, THE WAY HE TEACHES.

For an example, start in Matthew chapter 4 through Matthew chapter 10 and show, demonstrate, explain and teach the “How To”:

Jesus Begins His Ministry (Matthew 4:12).

Calling and Making Disciples (Matthew 4:18).

Developing Ministry (Matthew 4:23).

The Sermon on the Mount Principles (Salvation, Sanctification – (Matthew 5:1 ff) .

Disciples and the World (Matthew 5:13).

Personal Relationships (Matthew 5:21).

Charitable Giving and Prayer (Matthew 6:1).

The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9).

Fasting; The True Treasure; Wealth (Matthew 6:16).

The Cure for Anxiety (Matthew 6:25).

Judging Others (Matthew 7:1).

Prayer and the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:7).

The Narrow and Wide Gates (Matthew 7:13).

A Tree and Its Fruit (Matthew 7:15).

The Two Foundations.(Matthew 7:24)

Jesus Cleanses a Man with Leprosy (Matthew8:1).

The Centurion’s Faith (Matthew 8:5).

Peter’s Mother-in-law and Many Others Healed (Matthew 8:14).

Discipleship Tested (Matthew 8:18).

Jesus Calms the Storm (Matthew 8:23).

Jesus Sends Demons into Pigs (Matthew 8:28).

A Paralyzed Man Healed (Matthew9:1).

Fasting (Matthew 9:14).

Miracles of Healing (Matthew 9:18).

The Disciple’s Instructions for Service (Matthew 10:1).

A Hard Road Ahead (Matthew 10:16).

The Meaning of Discipleship (Matthew 10:24).

The Reward for Service (Matthew 10:16).

And please remember, you are not building ‘Your Church”, you are building HIS CHURCH. And, these are not ‘stories’ to be told or to muse about. They are Jesus’ instructions for His disciples. These are instructions for entering the Kingdom of God and working the Works of Jesus, and even greater works than these, because He is with us and with the Father, interceding for us daily – until the end!

Say it often.  Say it with both, passion and compassion. Let’s build His Church.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

More on “What Jesus Taught” from GotQuestions.Org.

More on Dr. Jordan Peterson.

Jordan Peterson’s “We Who Wrestle With God Tour”.

The Bible is instructional, creative, causative and prophetic.  Every word and every detail in the Bible has significance. It is a treasure trove to be discovered and mined.  Please read Luke 24, a narration of what occurred three days after Jesus’ crucifixion, as an example.

Once you have read Luke 24, focus on Luke 24, verses 30 and 31.

“And it came about, when He (Jesus) had reclined at the table with them, that He took the bread and blessed it, and He broke it and began giving it to them. And then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.”

The crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus was fantastic enough, then to make things even more unbelievable, after serving this meal, Jesus vanishes before their eyes!

Our pastor posited, “Why would the writer of these verses make this event more difficult to believe than it was already?” He answered his own question, saying, “Because that is what happened”.

True enough. But take a look at the significance and the great symbolism of what occurred:

Jesus took the bread and blessed it, and He broke it = His crucifixion. His body was broken for us.

And then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him = Salvation had come.

He vanished from their sight = For we walk by faith and not by sight.

Dear brothers and sisters in the faith, I hope that from these few verses we can see and know that the Bible is Precision. For our own sake and welfare, we should not trifle with God’s Word.

It is the very Breath of God, speaking truth and wisdom. It is His love-letter to all who will believe.

Know that God is kind and merciful; but if you deliberately deviate from the written instructions contained in the Word of God you risk negating His Word in your life, and if you teach others as such, Jesus has warned, “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished! Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Prove yourselves doers of the Word and not just hearers who deceive themselves. Be an active doer, and be blessed in all you do. (see James 1:22-25).

I was simply sitting on our screened patio area, drinking a cup of coffee, taking in the scenery across our pond and thoughts (or visions?) began to flash across my mind.  They were so vivid that they almost seemed visible (notice, I said ALMOST).

These images were reminiscent of scenes from “The Lord of the Rings” movies.  The images were not of the ugly distorted creatures or monstrous figures like in the movies, but they were people with hatred and anger distorting their expressions.  They were charging across a landscape, destroying everything in their path.

But, this was not a movie.  I thought, perhaps these are just images from the news media of the recent riots which my mind is recalling.  Maybe it was as simple as that.

But, I couldn’t shake the realism.  And, it was easy to relate what I was “seeing” to what is happening in our world.  I kept thinking, “How could the people of our nation go from law-abiding citizens to domestic terrorists in such a short time?

How could almost half the population, in the year 2020, endorse a political party espousing godless Socialism and Communist style rule?  How could so many people endorse desecrating our religious institutions, our history and legacies, going about indiscriminately killing our police and first responders?  They are destroying business, killing the owners, looting, stealing and rioting saying it is for justice?  How could the Democrat Senators, Governors, mayors and public officials allow and even encourage this anarchy?  Have they lost their minds? As I pondered on the thought “Have they lost their minds?”, I wondered, “Or, is something more sinister occurring?”

I asked myself, “What would cause so many people to begin to call what been considered as ‘good’, for centuries, now call it ‘evil’ and call evil as being good?

They murder babies for body parts, kill our police out of anger, disparage and attack those who don’t agree with their points of view.  These people loot, steal, threaten, murder for no real reason or for any reason.  Dishonesty is rampant is all areas of society.  Immorality, perversion and pornography is so prevalent and pervasive that one cannot escape it.

I’ll spare the continuing long-winded review of this upside-down world-wide phenomenon, but the one thought that struck me:  “Something is going on that is just not right.  It is not of this world.”

That’s when the lights came on in my head.  “It is not of this world”. Then these words and this realization came to my mind: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7. it is time to gird up for war and prepare to confront the spirit of Antichrist!

Read 1 John 4:3:

“And every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now it is already in the world.”

Read Ephesians 6:11-12:

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

OUR STRUGGLE IS AGAINST THE RULERS AND POWERS AND WORLD FORCES OF DARKNESS, AGAINST SPIRITUAL FORCES OF WICKEDNESS IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES.

What we read in Ephesians 6 is nothing new, but the troubles of this world seem to be intensifying, just like Jesus said it would.  It has become just like in the days of Noah, before the flood.

Jesus spoke on these matters more succinctly than anyone, past or present. Hear what Jesus tells us is the ways to confront evil in our day:

WHY DID JESUS COME INTO THE WORLD?

1. TO TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH, and to teach us to do the same.
   

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.”  

2. TO BRING A SWORD, and to teach us to do the same.

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.”

3. TO FULFILL THE LAW, and to teach us to do the same.

Matthew 5:17 “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.”  

4. TO CALL SINNERS, and to teach us to do the same.

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.” 

5. TO SAVE THE WORLD, and to teach us to do the same.

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.”

6. TO CAST FIRE & BRING DIVISION UPON THE EARTH, and to teach us to do the same.

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; “

 “WHAT HE REALLY MEANT?”

Jesus has told us, in 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, bible teachers and detractors alike, 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 of teaching it with, “what this really means is…”.

Jesus said what He meant and meant exactly what He said.  He is our model for our counter cultural resistance to the growing global threat of the Satanic evils of Communist-Marxist-Globalism, And we need to get on with it.

Jesus’ time on earth was spent fulfilling the purpose, and will of His Father (Matthew 5:19, Matthew 5:39). Jesus was on a singular mission (John 6 :38) and nothing would stand in the way of accomplishing that mission: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Jesus had a divine appointment with a cruel Roman cross. Read what He said when Peter proposed to get in the way of His mission:

Matthew 16:21- 23, “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You. ”But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

We do not literally have an appointment with a crucifixion, but, the Bible is  clear in Galatians 5:24, that “Those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” and again in Galatians 2:20, the Apostle Paul reminds us that, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” which must be true for all who follow Jesus because we are on mission with Jesus. Our ‘old self’ must die so our new selves can follow and serve Him.

Jesus always, taught the Will of His Father, then, demonstrated what He taught. He expects us to do the same. Ephesians, chapter six, gives us a clear teaching and picture of the type of preparation and the kind of resolve we are to assume.

Ephesians 6:10-17, tells us, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Stand, i.e., continue safe and sound, stand unharmed: Acts 26:22.

Stand ready or prepared: Ephesians 6:14. One who does not hesitate, does not waver, of one who vanquishes his adversaries and holds the ground, also of one who in the midst of the fight holds his position against the foe, to persist, continue, persevere: (so as not to fall from thy faith).

Jesus’ example of steadfast, unmovable courage; this is our example and our command to do the same:

Jesus has taught us how to CONFRONT THE STORM.

Mark 4:35-41, “On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

Jesus has taught us how to CONFRONT DEMONS.

Luke 8:26-33 “Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.” For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert. And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss.

“Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission. And the demons came out of the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.”

Jesus has taught us how to CONFRONT GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS.

John 19:8-12  ”Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid; and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. So, Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason, he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.”

Jesus has taught us how to CONFRONT THE RELIGIOUS ESTABLISHMENT.

Matthew 24:57-67, “Those who had seized Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together. But Peter was following Him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and entered in, and sat down with the officers to see the outcome.

“Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on, two came forward, 61 and said, “This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.’” The high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?”  But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.”  Jesus *said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless, I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy;  what do you think?” They answered, “He deserves death!” Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others slapped Him.”  

Jesus did not draw back and He tells us that we must not draw back. He proceeded boldly to the Cross and secured our salvation! Jesus has all authority in heaven  and on the earth and is with us until the end!

Remember, Jesus came to earth for these stated reasons – and these same reasons are our method and our calling:

TO TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH. We are to testify to the truth!

TO BRING A SWORD. We are to bring the sword of the Word of God!

 TO FULFILL THE LAW. We are to fulfill the same law!

TO CALL SINNERS. We are to call sinners!

TO SAVE THE WORLD through Jesus. 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. This, too, is our calling! The Word of God is a stumbling block to those who do not believe, dividing A  MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; (Matthew 10:35-36)

Dear Brothers and Sisters, this is not hyperbole, a philosophy or metaphor. Now is the time to gird ourselves up with the full armor of God and follow our Lord, the King of Kings into battle.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places and must be fought with Spiritual Armament!

The things I have written to this point are of greatest importance and are our primary responsibility.

Finally, in a secondary role, in his most recent and provocative book, Letter to the American Church, Eric Metaxas asks, “Can it really be God’s will that His children be silent at a time like this?”

Decrying the cowardice that masquerades as godly meekness, Eric Metaxas summons the Church to battle.

“The author of a bestselling biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Metaxas reveals the haunting similarities between today’s American Church and the German Church of the 1930s. Echoing the German martyr’s prophetic call, he exhorts his fellow Christians to repent of their silence in the face of evil.

“An attenuated and unbiblical “faith” based on what Bonhoeffer called “cheap grace” has sapped the spiritual vitality of millions of Americans.

Paying lip service to an insipid “evangelism,” they shrink from combating the evils of our time. Metaxas refutes the pernicious lie that fighting evil politicizes Christianity. As Bonhoeffer and other heroes of the faith insisted, the Church has an irreplaceable role in the culture of a nation. It is our duty to fight the powers of darkness, especially on behalf of the weak and vulnerable.

“Silence is not an option. God calls us to defend the unborn, to confront the lies of cultural Marxism, and to battle the globalist tyranny that crushes human freedom. Confident that this is His fight, the Church must overcome fear and enter the fray, armed with the spiritual weapons of prayer, self-sacrifice, and love.” (see Eric Metaxas.com – Letter to the American Church)

Here is an interview by pastor Gary Hamrick, Cornerstone Chapel, Leesburg, Virginia, as pastor Hamrick and Eric Metaxas discuss how the Church (Christians) can respond to the spreading evil of the spirit of the antichrist which is in the world now without becoming political.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Please contact me if you have any questions by using the link below. (Please know that your personal information is strictly confidential and will not be released to anyone for any reason.)