Gentleness is one of the nine fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Gentleness is an important characteristic of Christians. Gentleness does not come naturally, but it is created in us by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit inside us will cause the life of Christ to be manifested through us. The Holy Spirit is gentle, like a dove. He does not force, but draws people to God. 

We do not see many examples of gentleness today in the world. Instead we see much hardness, harshness, rudeness, and lack of kindness, especially from political leaders. We need to look to God and his word to understand gentleness, so we are shaped by the Holy Spirit not by the world.

Jesus was gentle. When he came to Jerusalem, he didn’t come riding on a horse with pomp and power. Instead he came riding a donkey’s colt (Matthew 21:5). This shows his gentleness.

Jesus said he was gentle in heart, and we could come to him and learn from him (Matthew 11:29). The gentleness of Jesus encourages us to come to him and become his disciples. He is not going to attack us or condemn us. He won’t be hard, harsh, or rude. Gentleness draws people to Christ.

“Your gentleness has made me great” (Psalm 18:35). We are made great by God. Because God is gentle, we can come to him and receive his word. God’s gentleness makes him relatable, and his gentleness causes us to grow spiritually.

A gentle answer turns away anger and prevents strife (Proverbs 15:1). Gentle words can heal others, but harsh words can damage them (Provers 12:18). In order to effectively represent God, we need to learn to be gentle.

There are times when it is particularly important to be gentle. One of those times is when we correct others (Galatians 6:1). Sometimes as Christians we need to rebuke others, particularly those in the body of Christ who have gone astray. We should do so gently. 

One who serves God must be gentle to all people, especially when instructing those ensnared by false doctrine (2 Timothy 2:26).

Gentleness is an important quality of a Christian’s life. Gentleness is one of the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit that are created in us by God’s power. As Jesus lives his life through us, then we will be gentle, not harsh. If the world is going to see gentleness, they will see it through us, God’s people.

God is preparing us. He’s preparing us for eternity, and he’s also preparing us to fulfill our purpose on the earth.

God prepares us when we go through challenges. Challenges without God can destroy us, but challenges we face with God’s help can make us stronger. A righteous man falls seven times but keeps getting up again (Proverbs 24:16). God gives us hope. He gets us through challenges by his Spirit. And he promises that all things work together for good, even the hard things of life (Romans 8:28).

Our faith in God and his word is going to be tested. This is normal.

Faith is our grip on God and on eternal spiritual realities. When we face challenges Satan wants us to lose our grip on God and let go. Some people let go of God during times of testing (Luke 8:13). But others hold more tightly to God and grow stronger in their faith. God wants us to hold on.

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials” (James 1:2).

Trials take many forms, and there are times when we will fall into troubles. We’re walking along and suddenly a challenge comes. These various trials are all opportunities to grow in our faith. When seen this way, we can face trials with joy.

The trials that we encounter as Christians have several purposes.

1. Trials reveal what is inside us (Psalm 139:23-24). A trial can reveal fear, unbelief, strife, envy, anxiety, and doubt. When we face a problem, surprising things can come out of us. It’s good to know what’s inside our hearts, and trials have a way of bringing hidden things out. When a tree is jostled, fruit should come out. When we are jostled, the fruit of the Spirit should come out. When evil things come out from us instead, it’s a sign we need to grow.

2. Trials can sanctify us. They show us evil within us that we need to be cleansed from. They can bring us to repentance, turn us away from the world and toward God, and cause us to rethink our priorities. 

3. Trials can produce patience. As we hold onto God through the trial, our faith grows stronger. Stronger faith produces patience, because we are confident that God will fulfill his word and we are willing to wait for him to come through. 

4. Trials encourage us to rely more on God. Some trials almost force us to lean on God because they are so hard we cannot get through them apart from God. 

5. Trials give us a testimony. After going through a trial, we can say that God brought us through. Our testimony will help us in the future when we face the devil. God helped us win once, and he will do it again. Our testimonies also encourage others. By seeing how God helped us, others can be encouraged that God will help them in a similar way.

6. We enter the kingdom of God as we go through trials (Acts 14:22). The kingdom of God is the greatest thing we can pursue, and it is very satisfying to see the kingdom of God advance. But it’s not easy to see the kingdom of God advance because Satan is the god of this age. In order to see the kingdom of God move forward, we must face challenges. As we overcome these challenges by the Holy Spirit, God’s kingdom comes.

God has a solution to every problem we might face. When we face a problem and don’t know what to do, God will give us wisdom to solve the problem if we ask him. With this divine wisdom we can face the challenge successfully (James 1:5). God has an answer for everything. 

Moreover, God will make a way of escape with every challenge and trial we face (1 Corinthians 10:13). He won’t allow us to be overwhelmed with something that will crush us. God is always faithful, he fulfills his word, and we can keep trusting in him, no matter what we are facing. He will get us through, somehow.

Our thought life is very important. What we think helps determine who we are and who we can become. God wants us to think healthy thoughts so we are blessed. When we control our thoughts and conform our minds to God’s word, our lives will be full of peace.

We are commanded to take our thoughts captive to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). We have a responsibility to think thoughts that are according to God. Every thought that is not according to God we must take prisoner and not allow to lodge in our minds.

God has a right to tell us what to think. He can rule our thoughts because he is our creator, he loves us, he sent his Son to die for us, and he owns us. This is not mind control, because we must choose to think these good thoughts – God is not going to force us.

It is possible to control our own thoughts. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. 

God gives us the appropriate boundaries of our thought life in Philippians 4:8. 

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.”

This verse lists eight categories of healthy thoughts.

True

First, we are to think about things that are true. God’s word is the truth. Jesus is the truth. The truth will set us free.

We need to reject lies. Satan lies to us about ourselves, other people, God, and our circumstances. If we allow Satan’s lies to lodge in our minds, he will get advantage over us. He comes to kill, steal, and destroy. We need to get the victory over him in our minds. We demolish these lies with the word of God so that we are safe. The word of God is the sword of the Spirit which will cut down Satan’s lies (Hebrews 4:12). 

Noble

Second, God wants us to think about things that are noble. Noble thoughts inspire awe, reverence, or veneration. There are not many things in this category except God. As we meditate on the greatness of God, we will develop a healthy fear of God. This is the beginning of wisdom. God’s faithful servants can also inspire noble thoughts, as we consider their lives. Testimonies of what God has done can inspire noble thoughts. We should think on noble things, rather than the base things of the world.

Just

We are to think thoughts that are just (righteous). God is righteous, and he determines what is righteous. Things are righteous insofar as they are according to God, and unrighteous insofar as they aren’t. We should think about things that are according to God, and reject thoughts that are not according to God. Think righteous thoughts, for this is the path to peace.

Pure

There is so much filth in the world to think about. The internet pours forth impure videos, images, and ideas. God wants us to get rid of all of these filthy things. Purity and holiness comes from God. If we fill our minds with filth and garbage, then Satan will come in to roost there. We need to clear out the filth and think pure thoughts that are according to God. When we do, we will be at peace and quiet.

Lovely

Lovely is the original Greek word prosphilos, which means tending towards warm affections. We should think thoughts that produce warm feelings within us toward God or toward other people. God is good, and we should think thoughts about him that cause us to recognize and appreciate his goodness. Other people have both good and bad qualities. Rather than focusing on the bad, we can focus on the positive. Our thoughts should engender warm affections toward others. Rather than focusing on how another person hurt us, we can focus on thoughts of sympathy or kindness that will produce love for that other person. When we do this, we will be free from bitterness, hatred, and anger.

Of Good Report 

Reports come to us about other people or situations. Many of these reports are bad and negative – like the evening news. Rather than focusing on negative reports, God wants us to focus on good reports. We don’t need to gossip about others or listen to bad reports about others. We can redirect the conversation in a more positive direction. We can bring good reports. When we think about good reports rather than bad reports, our minds will be less troubled.

Virtue

Virtue is moral excellence. It is the courage to act according to God. Virtue implies strength, and it is exhibited anytime someone obeys God in spite of opposition. Jesus walked in virtue – all the way to the cross, through death, and then out of the grave. The apostles walked in virtue when they brought the kingdom of God crashing against the kingdom of darkness. The Old Testament prophets walked in virtue when then followed God in spite of great opposition. When we think about virtue and those who have lived in virtue, then our lives will begin to be characterized by virtue.

Praiseworthy

God is worthy of praise. Let us think about him. When we see how great God is, then praise will well up inside of us. There is power in praising God. It’s like a light shining in the darkness. Sometimes we find people who are praiseworthy. Maybe God has moved through them, and we can praise God for working through them. When we think about things worthy of praise, then praise will be on our lips. Speaking out praise releases spiritual power.

When we think thoughts according to God, our minds will be at peace. Peace will be like a security guard around our mind, protecting our thoughts from the devil (Philippians 4:7-9). As we control our thought life, allowing God to fill our minds, our entire lives will be transformed.

Before the throne of God in heaven, there is a sea of glass. 

This sea of glass is as clear as crystal (Revelation 4:6, Exodus 24:10, Ezekiel 1:22).

This sea of glass is mixed with fire (Revelation 15:2). Fire purifies and makes holy.

Everything is laid bare before God. He sees through everything. God’s eyes are like fire, and they pierce through all appearances to see the reality of things. There are no secrets hidden from God. Before God’s throne everything is clear, like the sea of glass. 

“All things are naked and open before him with whom is our account” (Hebrews 4:12-13). 

There are times in history when God’s throne draws near the earth. At that time his holiness and power are revealed, and blazing spiritual light brings hidden things out of darkness. At these times there is great awe among people about God.

Sometimes people want to hide from God because he is so powerful. They feel guilty and ashamed. They don’t want to stand on that sea of glass. Adam wanted to hide from God after he sinned in the Garden. He knew he was naked, and he was afraid.

Sometimes people want to hide from other people. They may feel embarassed if others know their problems. They don’t want to live in the light and have true fellowship that comes from being in the light (1 John 1:7).

But someday we are all going to stand before God’s throne. We’ll be on the sea of glass. He will see through everything. 

There is no point in putting on an act now which will be stripped away in eternity.

We can live honestly now, in the light, in truth, based on reality.

We need to confess our sins. Get rid of spiritual darkness. Throw out the garbage. Demons love spiritual darkness and they like to hide in dark corners where there is stink. We don’t want them fouling up our lives. Shine the light on these spiritual cockroaches, and they will run away.

Sometimes we need to have difficult conversations. We may be rebuked, or we may need to rebuke someone else. They need to know they are in the wrong, and they need someone to confront them in love and lead them to repentance. 

Maybe we need to confess our sins to someone and set things right. Darkness in relationships ruins fellowship and hinders the preparation of the bride. The bride will be clear, like the sea of glass before God’s throne (Revelation 21:11). This is because God’s throne and authority is directly over his bride. She submits to him completely. Let’s begin living in that place now as we prepare for the coming of Jesus Christ.

The gift of prophecy can bring hidden things to light. Prophecy manifests God’s throne and makes the sea of glass appear. Prophecy exposes secrets of hearts (1 Corinthians 14:25). As the gift of prophecy increases, so will the revelation of God’s throne and authority. At the end of the age the gift of prophecy will be very powerful (Revelation 11:3). It will culminate in the manifestation of God’s judgments at the Day of the Lord.

Be full of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a clear stream of living water that flows from God’s throne (Revelation 22:1). The Holy Spirit will cause us to partake of God’s holiness. There is no mixture with God, and there should be no spiritual mixture in us. Don’t ever resist the Holy Spirit. Whatever he leads you to do, do it. This will keep you clear and in the light before God.

“Abide in him; that, if he shall be manifested, we may have boldness, and not be ashamed before him at his coming” (1 John 2:28). 

Someday we will all stand before God’s throne on the sea of glass. All things we have said or done will be brought into the light. Let’s live in the light now, before that Day comes. There is no point in hiding things now, only for them to be shouted from the rooftops in that Day (Luke 12:1-3). Confess. Repent. Your sins will be removed, as far as the east is from the west. And you will live in clarity before God. 

God calls us all to walk in the Spirit so we can accomplish his will. We might know WHAT God’s will is, but we also need to know HOW to do it. Warfare is accomplished effectively by those who know HOW to fight. When we specifically do what God calls us to do, then miracles will happen.

The disciples in the Upper Room knew WHAT to do. They had to share the gospel, plant churches, and spread the kingdom of God. But they lacked knowledge about HOW to do this, and they lacked power. So they waited. Sometimes we need to wait, even if we know what God’s will is.

David knew what to do – kill Goliath. But he also knew how to do it – with a slingshot. The supernatural knowledge of HOW gave him the victory.

Gideon knew what to do – defeat the Midianites. But he also knew how to do it – with 300 men, torches, and clay pots. His specific obedience to the unique revelation of God gave him the victory.

Joshua knew what to do – defeat Jericho. But the Holy Spirit also revealed how to do it – with trumpets and marches around the city. Obedience to these instructions brought the walls of Jericho crashing down.

David knew he had to defeat the Philistines. But God told him how to do it – he had to wait for the rustling in the tops of the mulberry trees (2 Samuel 5:17-25). When he waited for this sound, God went before him and gave him the victory. Sometimes we need to wait for the “rustling in the mulberry trees” in our circumstances before we can move forward and see God’s will happen.

Victory in all of these battles was God’s will, but victory only came by specific obedience to the revealed words of God.

We need revelation of the HOW in order to accomplish God’s will.

This is key to walking in the Spirit. 

The Example of Jesus

Jesus knew it was his Father’s will to heal. Jesus healed everyone who came to him on earth asking for healing. But Jesus knew more than this – he also knew HOW his Father wanted him to heal each person.

The HOW seemed different each time.

To heal one man, Jesus spat on the ground, made clay with the spit and dirt, rubbed the clay on a man, and then told him to wash in a pool of water. After this the man was healed (John 9:6-7).

Another time, Jesus poked his fingers into a man’s ears, spat, and then touched his tongue (Mark 7:33). After this the man was healed.

Another time Jesus spat on a man’s eyes (Mark 8:23).

Other times Jesus spoke or laid his hands on people to give them healing.

Each time, Jesus not only knew what his Father wanted to do (which was to heal the sick), but he knew how to do it. He obeyed his Father specifically each time, following exact instructions. This is what unleashed miraculous power.

Knowing what to do is very important, but knowing how to do it is just as important.

Failures

The Bible is full of examples of people who knew what to do, but they don’t know how to do it. Therefore they faced failure or problems.

Cain knew he had to sacrifice to God, but he didn’t know how. Without the knowledge of HOW, his offering was rejected.

Abraham and Sarah knew they needed a son, but they didn’t know how to get that son because they were so old. So they operated in the flesh and birthed Ishmael who later created problems.

The sons of Sceva knew God wanted to cast out demons, but they didn’t know how to do it. Therefore they were defeated by the demons and put to shame.

Vision shows the destination, but walking in the Spirit gets us to the destination. 

Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers. The weapons of our warfare are mighty through God to demolish spiritual strongholds. Spiritual weapons operate by obedience to specific words from God.

Spiritual warfare requires vehemence, zeal, and force. It also requires precision. We are to fight not as those who beat the air, but we need to hit the mark. We must speak the words and do the works that God wants us to do. When we are specifically led by the Holy Spirit we will see breakthrough.

God has much that he wants to accomplish through our individual lives and through the church. God wants his bride to be prepared for his coming. This will happen as we not only see the great goals God has before us, but as we receive revelation from him about how to accomplish these goals. God will show us the way forward as we lean on his Spirit to guide us. Then we will walk in the Spirit and reach the destination.

God is good, and he is love. Part of God’s goodness and love is his chastening. God chastens those whom he loves (Hebrews 12:6).

When God chastens us, we may feel convicted by the Holy Spirit. We may lose our peace. We may have strained relationships or problems in our circumstances. We might even face health problems (John 5:14).

Not every problem or challenge we face is a result of chastening from God. Sometimes we face problems because of the sins of others. We might be persecuted for the gospel. Maybe we face trouble because of the general evil in the world. Perhaps we made wrong dietary or lifestyle choices. Possibly we are under Satanic attack. These problems are not necessarily because of God’s chastening. 

The chastening of God is only one category of problem that we can face. 

It’s important to be able to distinguish what is the chastening of God and what is a problem resulting from other causes. There is no point in blaming God for things he did not do. When facing a problem, we need to stop and think. Prayer, meditation on the word of God, and counsel from mature Christians can help us discern if we are being chastened by God or not.

If we confess our sins God will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). But the consequences of the sins might remain. Sometimes consequences for sin include the chastening of God.

Chastening feels painful (Hebrews 12:11). Chastening hurts.

Our culture does not generally like authority, correction, chastening, discipline, or painful consequences for sin. This has affected many aspects of our culture especially over the past 50 years. This can affect us, so that we may not like chastening. We need to renew our minds with the word of God and by the Holy Spirit so we know that chastening is a sign of love and goodness.

The Bible is full of examples of chastening. Parents are commanded to chasten their children (Proverbs 13:24, 22:15, 23:13-14, and 29:15). God chastens his people in many places throughout the Bible (2 Samuel 7:14). In the New Testament it’s the same, according the Hebrews 12:6-11).

The Bible says the father chastens the child he loves (Hebrews 12:6). God says if a parent doesn’t love a child, he won’t chasten him.

Chastening is a good thing because it keeps us on the right path. It protects us from evil and destruction.

Avoiding Dangers

There are several dangers we must avoid when we are chastened by God.

We should not despise chastening (Hebrews 12:5). It’s easy to despise chastening because it’s painful, and we don’t like pain. But pain is sometimes necessary because it can protect us from death. We need to understand that chastening is for our good. It’s not a bad thing. God is not torturing us or tormenting us when he chastens is. Instead this is a sign of his love and care, and it is for our benefit.

We should not become discouraged when we are rebuked or chastened by God (Hebrews 12:5). When chastened we might think we can do nothing right, and we always mess up. The solution to this is to look to Jesus. He is the beginning and end of our faith. We need his strength, not our own strength. 

We might become bitter at God when we are chastened. A person might resent the painful discipline and think God is out to get him. But this is completely false. Again, the Bible says the opposite – that chastisement is a sign of love. We need to re-orient our thinking.

Results of Chastening

The Bible says that chastening yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness (Hebrews 12:11). We receive righteousness as a gift by faith, but chastening produces righteousness within us. Chastening causes God’s righteousness to be worked out and manifested in our lives. Righteousness is peaceful because it causes us to have peace with God and with God’s will. True peace comes into our lives when we are rightly ordered with God’s will. Apart from God we cannot have true peace.

Chastening causes us to partake of God’s holiness (Hebrews 12:10). God wants us to be holy people. He finds holiness attractive. Holiness is the defining characteristic of his Spirit, who is called the Holy Spirit. God wants his Holy Spirit to move among his people, not an unclean or evil spirit. Holiness is worked among as as God chastens us.

When we are chastened by God, we should confess and repent. We should pray (Isa 26:16). And we should turn into God’s way. When we do, we will be blessed, and we will understand why God’s chastening is a sign of his love.

Walking is one of the best forms of exercise. In the Bible, walking is the primary means of transportation. It was a normal part of life.

To walk means to go somewhere. It means to put forth effort to go from one place to another.

God wants us to walk with him. When we walk spiritually, we put into practice God’s word. We hear him and follow him. We go from one place to another place in our spiritual journey.

Two people can only walk together if they are agreed (Amos 3:3). To walk together, people must be on the same road and go in the same direction. To walk with God, we must agree with his word.

From the beginning of the world, God has desired to walk with man.

In the beginning, in the garden of Eden, God and Adam walked together. They had fellowship together, and this was sweet for them both. But then one day God was walking in the Garden, and Adam was not there. God called to him, “Where are you?” God was walking, but his friend Adam was no longer walking with him.

Adam replied that he heard God’s sound and then ran away to hide. 

God makes a sound when he walks. This sound is an invitation to walk with him. This might be God’s voice speaking to us. It might be the leading of the Holy Spirit.

“Blessed are those who hear the joyful sound, they will walk in the light of your countenance” (Psalm 89:15).

The joyful sound is the sound of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is like wind blowing, and when we follow the Spirit, we are led to walk with God. This is a joyful sound because God is full of joy, and when we respond to him we discover true joy.

This sound is God’s voice. God’s sheep hear his voice and they follow him.

God’s voice is an invitation to walk with him. Whenever we hear the voice of God, we should not harden our hearts. When we harden our hearts then we will miss an opportunity to move forward with God. When a person hardens his heart, he may end up in the wilderness. 

This is what happened to Adam. Adam hid from God and did not walk with him anymore because he had sinned. He ran away and hid because he was ashamed and knew he was naked. Sin leads to guilt, shame, and nakedness. Ultimately, this can lead to hardness of heart and pride. Generations later, humanity was lost in rebellion and pride and all their thoughts became evil. They were walking in their own ways.

When we listen to God’s voice, we can walk with God out of the wilderness into the Promised Land. This is the place of life and blessing in Christ.

We are commanded to walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). When we are humble, we can walk with God. Pride prevents a person from walking with God because it produces hardness of heart that doesn’t listen to God’s sound.

After Adam fell, most of humanity became corrupt. But eventually another man rose up who began walking with God. Enoch walked with God for 300 years (Genesis 5:22-24). God enjoyed being with Enoch so much that he took him out of the earth. He must have been very happy to have a man walking with him once again. God really likes it when people walk with him.

After this, Noah walked with God (Genesis 6:9). The name Noah means rest. Noah entered into rest with God because he was walking with God. He was resting in God even though he was building a massive boat to save the creation. Because Noah walked with God he was a prophetic man. He had vision to see things others could not see and do things others could not do.

God commands us to walk with him (Colossians 2:6-7). All Christians are to walk with God, and when we walk with God we fulfill our purpose. 

How will we walk with God?

We must walk by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7). God is invisible, and to walk with him means we need to see invisible things and hear inaudible things from the Spirit.

We need to walk in God’s ways. The roads of God are spiritual roads and they are all defined in his word. When we study the Bible, we discover the pathways of God. As we obey the word of God, we stay in the path where God is. If we want to walk with God, we must say within these paths.

We need to walk in the light (1 John 1:7). God is in the light, and to walk with him we need to be in the light. The ways of darkness, sin, and evil are not the ways of God.

God walks among his people (2 Corinthians 6:16). He walks among the churches (Revelation 2:1). To walk with God, we need fellowship with his people inside of his house. As we fellowship with God’s people, we will know more of God and be able to walk with him more closely.

We were made to walk with God – to be in a close relationship with him. Let’s fulfill this purpose.

At the beginning, Adam walked with God. Throughout history some of God’s people have walked with him. And at the end of the age there will be a group of people who will walk with God. They will not walk according to their own minds and understanding, but they will live by the Spirit of God. They will walk in realms of the Spirit. They will dwell in heavenly places. They will hear God’s voice and do wonders on the earth. Through them, God’s will is going to be accomplished, and his kingdom will come.

Let us listen to God’s word and obey his voice. When we walk with God, our lives will be lifted out of the mundane into the supernatural. This is what we were made to do. As we learn to walk with God, we will be preparing ourselves for a glorious future.

One of the fruits of the Spirit is kindness. It is important for Christians to show kindness to others.

We learn kindness from God.

“But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:4-5).

God showed kindness to us in many ways, especially by saving us when we did not deserve it. Jesus died on the cross when we were still sinners. This shows that true kindness is not given on the basis of good works. 

Kindness is connected to love. When we have love, we can have kindness. Kindness is the overflow of love. Love is the greatest virtue because God is love. Out from love all other virtues flow.

All fruits of the Spirit were perfectly exemplified by Jesus. He was kind. He healed the sick, cast out demons, loved sinners, and died on the cross for us all. He gave his life to save evil and wicked people who hated him. This was very kind of him.

The Greek word for kindness is chrestotes. This word is connected to usefulness. A kind person is useful because he is willing to help others. He is willing to show mercy. He is a vessel who is fit for the Master’s use. God is able to use kind people because they are willing to serve him and others even when it is uncomfortable. Unkind people on the other hand are not useful because they are not willing to help others, they are unavailable, and they cut people off when they get hurt.

“The kindness of God leads you to repentance” (Romans 2:4). God is kind to those who don’t deserve it, and this leads them to repentance. Jesus was kind to us even though we killed him on the cross through our sins. It is from Christ that we learn how to be kind to others. We make mistakes, but God is still kind to us. We can be kind to those who hurt us because God is kind to us.

“There is no one kind, no not one” (Romans 3:12). The condition of humanity apart from God is to be unkind. Kindness is contrary to human nature. If someone is mean, we want to be mean back. If someone hurts, we hurt them or withdraw. Kindness does not come naturally. Kindness is rooted in agape love, and without God it is impossible to have genuine agape love because God is love. Therefore it is impossible to know true kindness apart from God. 

“But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same” (Luke 6:32-33).

If others are nice it is easy to be nice to them. If they are loving we can love them back. If they do good to us we can do good back. This is what almost everyone does; it’s nothing unique.

But what if people are mean and nasty to us? This is where Christians should be different.

Our love and doing good to other people is not to be conditional on how they treat us. The basis for our actions is not to be other people. If it is, then we allow other people control us. They determine our actions. We wait for our cues from them before acting. This is a form of idolatry, as these other people (often our enemies) become the determiners of our actions.

Instead, the basis for our actions is to be God and his word. Then we can be consistent and full of life, regardless of others. God is never empty; he is an inexhaustible fountain. He is love. When we rely on God, we have strength, and we can minister to others regardless of what they are doing.

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (Eph 4:31-32)

Kindness is connected to forgiveness. When we forgive, then we can be kind because we are not bitter or holding a grudge. But when we do not forgive, then it is hard to be kind because our hearts are full of evil thoughts.

God shows kindness to us as we continue in his kindness. If we don’t continue in his kindness, we will be cut off (Romans 11:22). We continue in the kindness of God by recognizing that he is always good and kind, no matter what. Sometimes God shows his kindness in ways we don’t expect, and sometimes his kindness does not appear to be kind. But this is because God’s ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts higher than our thoughts. But we know God is kind and good all the time, because that is his nature.

If we continue believing in his kindness, we abide in God. But if a person begins to doubt God’s goodness and kindness, then he might make himself God’s enemy. He will separate himself from God, believing that God is bad, a liar, or not loving. Then a person cuts himself off.

Throughout eternity, God is going to show kindness to his people (Ephesians 2:7). He’s been kind to us in the past, and he continues to be kind to us all. Forever, the kindness of God will be poured upon us.

Therefore let us put on kindness (Col. 3:12). We can do this because the Holy Spirit is inside us. The Holy Spirit shows kindness to us, he is kind to others, and he is kind even to our enemies. Through him, the fruit of kindness can be revealed in our lives.

This is a message from Bobby:

2 Timothy 2:10 Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

Please notice how apostle Paul uses the personal pronoun “I” – his personal suffering is contributing for the salvation of the people of God. What do you think this means?

One possible interpretation would be that Paul endured great amount of hardship when he went around the world and spread the gospel to the Gentiles. Indeed, we can read in the book of Acts that he suffered greatly when he preached the gospel and converted many Gentiles to Christ. That’s how many theologians interpret this verse today – it implies that the sufferings of Paul contributed to the spreading of the gospel and winning more souls for Christ. 

However, in this verse Paul refers to the “elect” – that is, to the chosen people of God, to believers in Christ. If these people are already believers chosen by God, are they not already saved? Why would Paul need to suffer on their behalf for their salvation?

Moreover, Paul is writing from prison (2 Timothy 2:9; 2 Timothy 1:8) and it is hard to imagine how his suffering in prison would help multiply believers in the church.

There is a simple answer to these seemingly puzzling questions. We usually use the word “saved” to refer to someone who has accepted Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, and thus, has eternal life now and is saved from God’s eternal judgment and condemnation (Romans 10:9, John 3:16 and Ephesians 2:8). The Bible, however, speaks also of salvation as the ongoing process of believers being saved from the power of sin (1 Cor 1:18). It also refers to it as future salvation for all believers on the day of the Lord (1 Peter 1:5), when Jesus will returns and all believers will be transformed at the last trumpet and will meet the Lord in a new glorified body (1 Cor 15: 52; 1 Thess 4: 17). We can see the latter in Paul’s letter by the way he uses the words “save” and “salvation”:

2 Timothy 4:18

And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Our English Bible translates the Greek word “sozo” as “preserve”, but the correct translation would be “save” or “make whole”. This is the same Greek word, which almost everywhere else in the Bible is translated as “save” – e.g., “saved through faith” (Eph 2:8). In other words, Paul is praying that Jesus will “save” him for His heavenly kingdom – hoping that he will be saved from the troubles he is currently experiencing when Jesus gloriously returns and establishes his heavenly kingdom on the earth. At the same time, however, Paul is absolutely certain in his right standing in the Lord – he knows that he will be with Christ the moment he dies and he will receive a crown (2 Timothy 4: 8). Therefore, he does not feel insecure at all about his eternal life in Christ.

And not to have any doubt about the correct interpretation of the word “salvation” in Paul’s letter to Timothy, let’s consider a couple more verses:

2 Timothy 3:14-15

But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 4:16

Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

Timothy is a disciple of Paul, who is commissioned by Paul to lead and teach other believers in the faith (2 Timothy 2:2). He is definitely not someone who needs to be converted to the Christian faith and to be “saved” in that sense of the word. However, Timothy, like Paul, is waiting for the salvation that will be revealed when Christ returns and establishes His rule on earth (Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 1:5), when our bodies will be finally redeemed and believers will be glorified together with Christ (Romans 8:23; Philippians 3:21; Col 3:4; 1 John 3:2).

Please also note that the Holy Scriptures, i.e. the Bible, are able to give Timothy wisdom through faith for that final salvation. How is that possible – one person to gain such wisdom which will enable him to see the Lord’s return?

The answer to that question lies within Paul’s instructions to Timothy, charging him to endure hardship as a soldier, to compete as an Olympic athlete striving for the winner’s crown, and to work hard as a farmer, who would be the first one to partake in the fruit of the crops (2 Timothy 2:3-6). Paul is not telling Timothy to work hard so that he must be accepted by God and “earn” his standing with God, being afraid that God might somehow reject him and condemn him to hell. (We know that our righteous standing with God is by grace through faith in Christ alone.)  Instead, Paul is encouraging Timothy as his disciple and fellow heir in the kingdom of God, to seek the highest honor, the most glorious crown and the greatest reward among the believers – attaining eternal glory. 

And the diligent study of the Bible would equip the believer to please God and help speed up the return of Christ (as in 2 Peter 3:12 – “looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God”). Thus, in my opinion, Paul’s words take on a new dimension, given the context that Timothy’s actions and obedience to the word of God can speed up the return of Jesus.  

2 Timothy 2:10

Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

Here, Paul is literally saying that his personal suffering would help bring the salvation of the Lord to all believers. Suffering plus diligent study of the Bible can enable any individual believer to attain eternal glory and hasten the return of Jesus. WOW! This is quite a shocking revelation if this indeed is what he is saying! And also, very encouraging to any believer, who is going through hardship or trial in their life.

Yet, does Paul mention the same truth elsewhere in the Bible?

Yes, he does.

Colossians 1:24

I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church…

2 Corinthians 1:6*

Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation andsalvation. 

*Paul is writing to the church together with Timothy

Philippians 2:17

Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.

Please notice that in the letter to the Colossian church, Paul again uses the personal pronoun “I” and emphasizes that his suffering is for the sake of the Colossian believers as well as for the sake of the entire worldwide church. This is quite a bold statement to make. And again, Paul is a prisoner (Col 4:10), so he is not referring to his global evangelistic outreach.

Is there anywhere else where Paul uses the personal pronoun “I” in the same context? Let’s look at one more passage:

Philippians 3:10-14

¹⁰ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, ¹¹ if, by any means, I may attain to theresurrection from the dead.¹² Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. ¹⁴ I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

In these verses, Paul is expressing his desire to reach a certain goal as a Christian and gain a prize. He is willing to share in Christ’s sufferings, even to the point of death, if he could reach that coveted prize. However, he is not worried about his spiritual salvation and his standing with the Lord. Instead, he is trying to attain to something else, to press on and lay hold of something vital. In fact, the very reason why Christ has laid hold of him and Paul has become a Christian (please remember that Paul became a believer when Christ revealed himself to him on the road of Damascus) is for Paul to reach that highest goal. 

But what is the prize he’s talking about?

Paul’s statement that he is not already “perfected” gives an indication of what he is referring to. The Greek word which is translated “perfected” (teleioo) has a variety of meanings, some of which include: to fulfill, to make complete, to reach full maturity, etc. And in the next few verses, it becomes obvious what the right translation of this word should be:

Philippians 3:15-17

¹⁵ Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind…

¹⁶ Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained… 

¹⁷ Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.

The Greek word translated “mature” (teleios) is the adjective of the Greek verb translated above as “perfected” (teleioo). In other words, what Paul is trying to say is that he has not reached “full maturity” in Christ yet. 

One of Paul’s highest goals is to reach full maturity in Christ. But why? Paul also shares that he wants “to attain to the resurrection from the dead”. What does this mean? The Bible says that when Christ returns at the last trumpet, the dead in Christ will rise first (1 Thess 4:16). Thus, “the resurrection from the dead” refers to the day of the Lord when the Lord will come. In other words, that’s another way of saying that Paul’s desire is to attain to the day of the Lord, when Christ returns and brings final salvation. 

But please note again how many times Paul is using the personal pronoun “I” in Philippians 3:10-14. This is very similar to the way he speaks in 2 Timothy 2:10, where he declares that his personal sufferings may bring salvation to the whole church. James writes that trials produce patience and patience in turn will make believers “perfect” (teleios) and complete (James 1:2-4). Even Christ himself was “made perfect” (teleioo) through sufferings (Hebrews 2:10). There are many other verses which indicate that Spirit-filled believers are called to be led by the Spirit, grow and reach full maturity in Christ (Philippians 1:6; 2 Cor 7:1; Gal 3:3). Moreover, suffering can lead to glory and joy when Christ returns (Romans 8:17; 2 Timothy 2:12; 1 Peter 4:13-14). But what makes the verses we looked at so shocking is not that suffering can lead to spiritual growth and produce maturity in Christ, which is a clear concept in the Bible. What is so interesting is that the personal suffering of one individual believer can benefit the whole worldwide church.

The Bible often refers to the church as one body and one temple (Jesus being the head of the body and the cornerstone of the temple (Eph 1: 22-23; 1 Pet 2:4-7)), where each individual part has its own unique function and is contributing to the growing of the whole (Eph 4:16). Each believer is given at least one spiritual gift that can help build himself up and build others up in the faith. But the love which believers share is what would ultimately lead the body as a whole to reach full maturity in Christ (Col 3:14; 1 John 4:12). And when this happens, the bride of Christ (the church) would be ready to receive her bridegroom for the wedding supper of the Lamb. Yet, in the verses we examined, we saw that the example of one person, the sufferings of one believer, the love of one believer, can help that believer reach full maturity in Christ, and thus, help the whole body of Christ, the whole worldwide church, also to attain to full maturity in Christ. Perhaps, one spark would start the fire that sets the whole body of Christ ablaze for the glory of God. For those who are in Christ, and for those who are experiencing great trial and tribulation, that’s very encouraging news.

To wrap up, Paul is expressing his confidence that by studying and knowing the Bible and by enduring suffering, a believer can attain to full maturity in Christ. This would hasten the return of Jesus, thus bringing this important aspect of salvation to the whole church. This would restore man’s dominion over the entirety of God’s creation, including over all the angelic and heavenly host. What wonderful, marvelous good news!

It is possible to be completely free from condemnation.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1).

Condemnation happens when someone is judged against for having committed a crime.

Every person has sinned. God passes judgment against all who break his law. Every person has been guilty before God, and all have been under God’s condemnation.

A condemned criminal can feel guilt, shame, remorse, and regret. He may be embarrassed. He might feel like he is a failure or a burden. 

It’s a great thing to be free from condemnation and its associated burdens.

There is only one person who was never under condemnation from God – Jesus Christ. Jesus is not under condemnation because he is perfect and never sinned. 

The only way to be free from condemnation is when we are inside Jesus Christ.

When we believe in Jesus and are born again, we become part of the body of Christ. We are of his flesh and of his bones (Ephesians 5:30). As a part of Christ, we are free from condemnation. We celebrate our union with Christ when we fellowship with God’s people and share the Lord’s Supper.

To remain free from condemnation we must walk according to the Spirit, not according to the flesh. When we walk according to the Spirit, we live according to God’s will. Then we are not under the law because we are obeying God already. Even if we mess up, God is merciful. If we confess our sins, he will forgive us.

God’s judgment is the only judgment that matters. If God doesn’t condemn us, then we are free from condemnation. 

The Holy Spirit might convict us of sin, but there is a difference between conviction and condemnation. Conviction from God leads to repentance and hope. Condemnation is hopeless.

Sometimes Christians feel condemned, even though the Bible says they are not condemned. A false feeling of condemnation can come from three sources.

First, Satan condemns us. He slanders and speaks against us. He is an accuser. He reminds us of our past failures and our present problems. He wants to heap sorrow and depression on us. We must reject these lies. We are not under condemnation because we are in Christ.

Second, other people can condemn us. They can judge us and think that we don’t measure up. But it doesn’t really matter what other people think. What matters is what God thinks.

Third, we can condemn ourselves. We may harbor regrets or keep remembering our past failures. Our own minds and thoughts can condemn us even when God does not. We need to renew our minds with the word of God, so we judge things according to God, not according to our own thoughts.

As we grow in spiritual maturity, God matters more and more and other things matter less and less. Condemnation from Satan, other people, and ourselves will become less important. Eventually, the only judgment that matters is God’s judgment. 

“But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 4:3).

Paul said that it was a small thing for him to be judged by others and that he didn’t even judge himself. All he cared about was God’s judgment. And God said he was not condemned.

God says that if we are in Christ and walk according to the Spirit, we are free from condemnation. This is God’s final sentence about us. When we stand before his throne, he will see us as a part of his beloved Son. This is a very freeing thought, both in eternity and right now.

The Bible gives us the secrets to how to be truly happy. 

The blessed or happy man is described in Psalm 1:1-3

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”

First, the blessed or happy man does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. Ungodly people are people without God. Sometimes people don’t know God but they give others a lot of advice. They may be lifestyle coaches, self-help professionals, or influencers. The ungodly have podcasts and make videos, and they spread their worldly wisdom all around. But the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). All wisdom and knowledge is hidden in Christ Jesus (Col. 2:3). Ungodly people can not provide true wisdom because they don’t base their wisdom on God.

Ungodly influencers promise happiness but cannot really offer it. After a person employs all the methods and plans of these influences, he is left empty. This is because true happiness is only found in God. “In his presence is fullness of joy, and his right hand there are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). The happy man will not follow worldly counsel because he knows it will not truly lead to happiness. Instead, he will follow counsel from God.

Second, the happy or blessed man will not stand in the way of sinners. Sinners are people who do things contrary to God. They have ways of living and places of walking that do not lead to happiness. Sinners do things and meet together in places that promise happiness, but going to these places will lead to emptiness and sorrow. The truly happy man will recognize this and not go to these places. Instead, he will stand spiritually in Christ, in God’s house.

Third, the happy man will not sit in the seat of the scornful. The seat of the scornful is the place of judging others and condemning them. People often judge others for the way they dress, the way they live, the way they look, talk, or behave. After judging, they mock. Sometimes it feels good to judge others and mock them because we think we are better than they are. But tearing down others does not lead to true happiness. The truly happy man knows this, so he doesn’t waste his time doing these things.

Psalm 1 says the truly happy man does not follow ungodly advice, go in the ways of sinners, and mock others. Instead, the truly happy man does other things.

The truly happy man delights himself in God’s word. He enjoys the word of God and gets pleasure from it. The Bible is not boring to him. The Bible is a source of joy because it is the means by which he accesses and experiences God.

The word of God feeds the happy man. His soul is fat and flourishing because he is full of God’s word. He does not live by bread or other natural things, but he lives by God’s word. He enjoys the word because it renews his mind and tells him the truth that sets him free. God’s word cleanses his heart from evil. The word of God is like a healing medicine that heals his body and his soul.

The blessed man reads the word of God regularly. He doesn’t need to force himself to read the Bible, going through a boring religious routine. He loves to read it (or listen to it). He meditates on God’s word during the day. To meditate means to think about something over and over again. He has the thoughts of God filling his mind. This makes him happy. It’s better to think about the word of God than to think about all the depressing and bad situations in the world. Better to think about God than about all our problems. God is the solution, and when we meditate on his word during the day we will handle situations better because we are guided by God. 

The happy man meditates on God’s word during the night. When he is lying on his bed, his mind is focused on God and what God says. He doesn’t focus on what his neighbor said, what his co-worker did, or what his family member did not do. Instead he focuses on God. He doesn’t worry about what he has to do tomorrow or about what he didn’t do today. He meditates on God’s word, and this gives him peace at night.

The blessed man is like a tree. He is stable. He consistent. He is not transplanted, moved, uprooted, and running around here and there. He has regular habits of fellowship with believers, reading God’s word, and prayer. This leads to stability in his life.

The blessed man is planted by the rivers of water. The rivers of water are the Holy Spirit. Jesus said if we are thirsty, we can come to him and be filled with living water (John 4:14). Out of our souls will flow rivers (plural) of living water (John 7:37-39). These rivers are the Holy Spirit. The source of strength and life for the happy man is the Holy Spirit. These waters do not fail. They do not dry up. They flow for eternity and give us eternal life.

The blessed man brings forth fruit in his season. There are nine fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self control. 

There is a season when we need to bear each of these different fruits of the Spirit. Sometimes we face a challenging person, and then we need to show love to that person – that is the season to show love. Sometimes there is turmoil around us, and then we need to show peace – that is the season to bear the fruit of peace. There may be temptations to lose control of emotions, and that is the season when to manifest self-control. There are appropriate seasons for each fruit of the Spirit. The blessed man bears the fruit of the Spirit appropriately.

The leaf of the blessed man will not wither. He is continually supplied by the Holy Spirit. His leaves are lush. He is not parched and dry. The happy man is always watered. With green leaves, he is always able to draw the nutrients from the sun, who is Jesus Christ. He receives light from Christ continually, and he provides and rest shade for others.

Whatever the happy man does prospers. This true spiritual prosperity comes from doing the will of God.

True happiness or blessedness is only found in God. True happiness is not found anywhere else. As we recognize the deceptions of the world and avoid them, we will begin our journey to true happiness. As we fill ourselves with the Holy Spirit and the word of God, we will bear fruit that will glorify God. As God is glorified through us, we will find true happiness, which only comes from being blessed by God.

The word of God is like a seed, and it contains the life and power of God. When we believe in Jesus, the seed of God’s word is planted in the ground of our hearts. 

This new life from God is to grow and become strong within us. 

Sometimes as we go on in our Christian life, the word of God becomes weak. It might get choked by other things. When a plant is choked out by other plants it becomes weak and small. It doesn’t get much light. It doesn’t produce fruit.

“Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word,  and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” (Mark 4:18-19)

Jesus lists three things that can choke the word of God in us.

The first thing that can choke the word is the cares of this world. Worries and anxiety about life can choke out the word of God. We might worry about getting food, clothes, or shelter. Maybe we are anxious about health or relationships. Worry can choke the word because it produces doubt that God will take care of us. Our energy is sapped seeking other things in order to alleviate our worry. 

Martha was stressed out and anxious about many things, but Mary just sat at Jesus’ feet and heard his word. We need to sit at Jesus’ feet and hear from him in order for his word to be strong within us.

The Bible says to be anxious for nothing. Worry has no place in us as we grow in God. Instead of worrying, we are to cast our burdens on the Lord. He will sustain us. We do this through prayer.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

Even if a person has everything he needs, he can still be ensnared by the next thing – the deceitfulness of riches.

Riches are deceitful. Money promises satisfaction but never gives it. No matter how much money a person has he will not be satisfied with that money. He wants more. Stuff will never make us happy. Wanting more toys and bigger and better things will not help us. It is a Satanic game that tricks us, making us want to keep up with others in pursuing stuff for no good reason – laying treasure on earth, and then it will all be gone like a vapor. 

The third thing Jesus said would choke the word is the lusts or desires for other things. God is the only one that can truly satisfy, and every good gift comes from him. When we pursue things that are not according to God, then we will sin and become disobedient. This can choke out the word of God.

When the word is choked within us, then we become unfruitful. The fruit we are to bear is the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control. When the word of God is strong in us, this fruit will be born in us. Then when the stresses of life come, this fruit will be revealed. But when we have the opposite of these things – not love but hatred, not joy but depression, not peace but turmoil, not patience but exasperation, etc. – then we are showing symptoms that the word of God is choked in us. It is not bearing fruit.

At times like this we need to refocus our lives on what really matters. We need to prioritize God and his word. Pray. Have fellowship with strong believers. Obey God. 

Jesus calls the things that choke the word thorns. Thorns are weeds that are produced by seeds. Just like God’s word is a seed, so Satan’s words are seeds. Satanic lies are weed seeds that produce thorns in our lives. These weeds need to be cut down, and the lying seeds need to be uprooted.

Lies from Satan that produce thorns in our lives will be cut down by the sharp sword of God’s word. The truth demolishes lies and sets us free from the bondage that comes by believing lies.

Is the life of God in you being choked out? Are you lacking the fruit of the Spirit? Refocus on God and his word. Cut down the lies of Satan with the truth of God’s word. Tend the garden of your heart by sowing it with the seeds of God’s truth and watering it with the Holy Spirit. Then your life will be strong like a tree.

“He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” (Psalm 1:3)

God told Abraham to go out and look for a special city. So Abraham left his familiar surroundings and went out looking for this city.

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going…. he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” (Hebrews 11:8-10).

The city Abraham was looking for was to be built by God, not by people. This city did not yet exist in the earth. This city existed in the spiritual realm, in the mind of God, but it had not yet been built upon the earth. No matter where Abraham went, he would not have found this city. 

Abraham went out anyway, looking for a nonexistent city. Not surprisingly, Abraham didn’t know where he was going.

But Abraham’s steps of obedience began the manifestation of this city on the earth.

Other people followed in Abraham’s footsteps. They began looking for this same city which was built by God. They never found it, but they looked anyway. Each step of obedience that they took brought this city closer to manifestation upon the earth.

“But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” (Hebrews 11:16).

This heavenly city is the one city that really matters.

Outside the Camp

“Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.” (Hebrews 13:13-14).

As Christians, we are called to follow Jesus in search of this city. To find it, we must go outside the camp.

The camp is the place of normalcy. It is the place where everyone is, doing the things they’ve always done. It is the place of religious routine and tradition. But God wants his people to go outside the camp like Jesus did, bearing his reproach. When Jesus went outside the camp and didn’t follow the corrupt religious traditions of Israel, then people began to reproach him. They eventually killed him.

As long as we are inside the camp, getting along with things, then then we will not be reproached. We might even be praised. But when we goes outside the camp, then reproach will fall upon us. This is the reproach of Christ. 

When a person goes outside the camp to follow Jesus, then it shows that he is not satisfied with he cities built by people, but he is looking for a city that is built by God. 

Eventual Manifestation of the City of God

Someday this city of God will be manifested upon the earth. God’s people will find it through persistent steps of obedience to the word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit.

“Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Revelation 21:2-3).

At the end of the age, the bride will be prepared for the coming of Jesus (Rev. 19:7). She will become holy, spotless, and glorious (Ephesians 5:27). When she is ready, the marriage supper of the Lamb will occur.

When the bride is prepared, she will be manifested as this glorious city of God upon the earth. All of God’s purposes will culminate in and through this city. This is the city that Abraham went out to look for. It is the city that God’s faithful people have been searching for throughout history. It is the city that will be revealed upon the earth in glory at the end of this age. This city is the bride of Christ.

May God hasten the preparation of his bride.

Throughout the Bible, the remnant is a small group of people who remain faithful to God when most of God’s people go astray from him. The remnant obeys God, overcomes opposition, and accomplishes God’s work on the earth. At the end of the age, God will have a remnant of people who will overcome.

God is preparing that remnant now.

“Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved… unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and we would have been made like Gomorrah” (Romans 9:27-29).

Israel was once comprised of millions of people. But only a small group of them actually followed God. The rest fell into idolatry and sin, and they were destroyed.

It’s similar in Christianity. There are billions of “Christians” in the world today, but only a small number actually follow God. These faithful ones are the remnant, while the rest are in apostasy. 

The remnant is like a seed. Seeds are small, but they can produce massive trees. The remnant is a small group faithful to God through whom God accomplishes mighty things. 

The Bible shows that God has always had a remnant of people who stayed faithful to him in the midst of apostasy and corruption.

Before the flood, Noah and his family were the remnant who stayed faithful to God when the entire world went astray. This 1-family remnant became a seed of the new world that spread over the entire earth. 

Abraham and his family were the remnant when the world was corrupted during the time of the Tower of Babel. They became the seed by whom the world was blessed with the truth righteousness by faith.

When Jesus came, only a remnant of people recognized he was the Messiah. Eventually this small group of disciples changed the world by the power of the Holy Spirit.

End Times Apostasy

There will be great apostasy at the end of the age. Jesus warned that false teachers and ministers would arise and deceive many people. Satanic miracles will operate within the church. Even the Antichrist will be within the church (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). 

In the midst of this terrible deception, God will have a remnant. The remnant is the bride of Christ. The Bible talks about the bride becoming holy and spotless before Jesus returns (Ephesians 5:27).

Characteristics of the Remnant

The remnant is faithful to God. They don’t succumb to peer pressure. When Jesus talked about eating his body and drinking his blood in John 6, everyone went away from him except a remnant of his closest disciples. The remnant trusts God and sticks with him, even when the going gets tough.

The remnant prepares. They are moved by God to get ready for an unseen future. They live prophetically, not according to the spirit of this age. Their lifestyle will only become understandable when certain events occur. Otherwise their lives do not make sense to the world. This is because they are preparing for a different reality. 

The remnant is patient. They wait for God’s word to be fulfilled. The crowd may go headlong into evil and foolishness, but the remnant will not go along with them because they are waiting for God to act.

Challenges Faced by the Remnant

When a person is part of the remnant, there are times he may be lonely. When Elijah stayed faithful to God in the face of persecution, he thought he was the only one left. He was sad and discouraged. But God told him there were 7,000 others who had not bowed down to Baal (Romans 11:2-4). Although many of God’s people worldwide think they are alone, God has people scattered all over the world who are seeking to follow his word and reject the vain religious traditions of people. 

The remnant will be persecuted. Obadiah once fed 100 prophets in a cave when Jezebel was trying to kill them (1 Kings 18:4). It’s not easy to be part of the remnant when the majority is convinced they are right and following God, but are actually following Satan.

The remnant will be unpopular. They won’t join the crowd. They may stand out. They are misfits. They may preach like Noah (2 Peter 2:5), but people don’t listen. Jesus preached and told people how to be saved, but they killed him. The remnant may have to endure misunderstandings and mocking. When Joshua and Caleb told God’s people to go boldly into the Promised Land, everyone else hated them and wanted to stone them. But this remnant of two people survived the wilderness and entered the Promised Land.

The remnant will face problems. The remnant who followed David was comprised of those who were in debt, in distress, and who were discontented (1 Samuel 22:1-2). These people faced problems, but these problems somehow turned them to God and his King. Problems can work good things out in our lives when we love God (Romans 8:28). Problems might even make us part of God’s remnant.

There are challenges of being a part of the remnant, but there are also many blessings.

Blessings for God’s Remnant

The remnant knows God. They are not dominated by Satan.

The remnant has a higher, eternal, meaningful purpose for their lives. They seek first God’s kingdom. They build his house (Haggai 1:12).

The remnant will get greater rewards from God (Ezekiel 48:11). They will have greater authority. They will survive (Isa. 37:31-32). They will be blessed (Jer. 39:10).

The remnant will increase and prosper (Mic. 2:12). They will multiply (Isa. 60:22).

The remnant will bless others (Ezra 9:8). They will receive the blessing of God first and become a means of blessing others (Jer. 40:11-12). 

God’s remnant preserves God’s work in the earth through the Holy Spirit. God has always had a remnant, and he has a remnant now. The remnant of God’s faithful people at the end of the age will be the most important remnant ever, for they will become the bride of Christ.

Jesus said when people are baptized in the Holy Spirit, they are clothed with spiritual power (Luke 24:49). God can now do signs and wonders through them by the name of Jesus Christ.

On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon God’s people, and they were baptized in the Holy Spirit.

This fulfilled a prophecy from Joel.

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy. I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:17-21)

One sentence in Joel’s prophecy is about the very end of the age – the sun will turn to darkness and the moon to blood. This will happen around the time Jesus returns. The rest of Joel’s prophecy is about now.

Joel prophesied that miracles will happen among God’s people when they are baptized in the Holy Spirit. They will prophesy, have dreams, see visions, and tell others about the gospel of salvation. 

Joel also prophesied that as a result of being baptized in the Holy Spirit, God’s people will work signs and wonders. This is still happening today. The Holy Spirit is still being poured out, and God is still the same.

The book of Acts is the standard for Christianity. It shows us what we’re supposed to do and what the church is supposed to be like. We need to follow this divine pattern; nothing else is going to work. 

Acts shows that Christians should pray for God to work signs and wonders (Acts 4:30). Throughout Acts God worked signs and wonders (Acts 14:3). Signs and wonders are one way God testifies of his presence among his people (Hebrews 2:4). This is normal Christianity.

Signs are important. They show direction. They reveal the way to go. Signs give instructions and warnings. Signs can show ownership. 

Wonders are also important. They cause people to be amazed. God wants people to be amazed about him because he is awesome.

In the prophecy from Joel, God talks about signs and wonders being blood, fire, and pillars of smoke. These are the ways God describes the spiritual realities of signs and wonders. Blood, fire, and pillars of smoke are invisible things in the spiritual realm that operate when signs and wonders occur. These spiritual powers contain far more energy than physical weapons, and they can transform lives and nations.

Blood

The first sign and wonder is the blood. The blood of Christ is a living spiritual reality. The New Testament reveals that the blood of Jesus testifies in the earth (1 John 5:8). The blood tells of Jesus, the gospel, and of victory over sin. The blood of Jesus sprinkles those who come to God through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:2). in the Old Testament people were sprinkled with the blood of dead animals in order to approach God, but now we are sprinkled with the invisible blood of Jesus which is far more powerful. The blood of bulls and goats was just a symbol of the powerful blood of Christ. This blood of Jesus is alive and powerful, and it is speaking things in the earth (Hebrews 12:24).

There is power in the blood of Jesus to work miracles. The biggest miracle is when someone is born again. This happens because of the blood. Through the blood of Christ, people get victory over sin. The power of lust and desire can be quenched in the blood of the Lamb. We can overcome Satan by the power of the blood (Revelation 12:11). All these signs and wonders happen because of the blood of Christ.

Fire

The second sign and wonder is the fire. Fire is a sign and wonder that represents God’s presence. Our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). When God appeared to Moses, he was like a fire. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came on the disciples like fire. God is a wall of fire around his people (Zechariah 2:5). The Israelites followed the pillar of fire by night through the wilderness. Fire represents the powerful presence of God that is with us. We don’t need actual manifestations of fire like they did in the Old Testament because we now have the full reality of Christ in the New Covenant which is far greater.

Fire purifies. God’s fire burns up things that are not according to him. Fire heats. God wants us to be hot for him, and this will happen because of the power of his presence. Fire is energy. The energy to live for God comes from the Holy Spirit. Fire gives light. God is our light that shines in the darkness and shows us the way. The fire of God also brings judgment. God’s fire operated when Ananias and Saphira were killed for lying to the Holy Spirit. The fire of God’s judgment operated when the sorcerer was struck blind. 

Today when the fire of God is revealed, signs and wonders occur.

Cloud (Pillars of Smoke)

The third sign and wonder is the pillar of cloud. God led his people by the cloud through the wilderness (Exodus 13:21-22). This represented a new way of living – according to God, not the world.

The glory of God appeared in a cloud (Exodus 16:10). A cloud covered the tabernacle, which was the presence of God (Numbers 16:42). When the temple was built, the cloud of God’s presence filled it (1 Kings 8:10-12). When Christ comes among his people, he is like pillars of smoke (Song of Solomon 3:6).

The cloud represents the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and the enduring presence of God in our lives that results from that.

When the Israelites were baptized unto Moses, they were baptized unto him through the Sea and under the cloud  (1 Corinthians 10:2). These two baptisms represent water and Spirit baptism. Going through the Red Sea represents being baptized in water. At this time the Israelites were delivered from Egypt, Pharaoh, slavery. This represents being delivered from sin and Satan. When they were under the cloud, God’s presence and power was with them. This represents being baptized in the Holy Spirit and walking in the Spirit.

Clouds bring rain, which represents the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Clouds shade people from the heat. The cloud of God’s presence in the Old Testament protected God’s people, led them, and comforted them.

In the Old Testament, Israel needed things like fire and clouds to appear to them so they would know the presence of God. They were limited because Jesus had not yet come in the flesh. Today, we don’t need these things. We have the full revelation of God among us through Jesus Christ. He has poured out his Spirit among us, and now the blood, fire, and cloud are among us in fullness. We may not be able to see them, but that doesn’t mean they are not real. They are even more real now because they are the eternal spiritual realities. We need to understand the riches we have in Jesus Christ. As we understand these things and believe God’s word, we will experience the power of the blood, the fire, and the pillars of smoke.

A Message from Micah:

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the Cross, despising the shame, and has sat down a the right hand of God.” — Hebrews 12:2

David

David received a promise that he would become king (1 Samuel 16:11-13), and he believed God’s word. Although nothing happened immediately, he soon slayed a giant. Then he won the heart of Israel. 

After this astonishing victory, trouble struck. David was viewed suspiciously by the king, had multiple murder attempts on his life, had to flee his own home, watched as anyone who helped him was slain, was chased by the armies of Israel, lost his wife who was married to another man, was accused of treachery, was exiled to his enemies, was baselessly rejected by the Philistines, had his home city looted and burned with fire, and faced mutiny from his men. 

“But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” — 1 Samuel 30:6. 

Joseph

Joseph was favored by his father, and he received a dream from God. Therefore his brothers became jealous and hated him (Genesis 37:3-11). They kidnapped him. They faked his death and sold him into slavery. Joseph was carried into a foreign land and was bought by a foreign military officer. In spite of this he was faithful with everything entrusted to him (regardless of the pain in his past), and he withstood seduction attempts by the officer’s wife. Even so he was falsely accused, was thrown into maximum security prison for three years… and finally, Joseph was forgotten.

“He sent a man before them—Joseph—who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters, he was laid in irons. Until the time that His word came to pass the word of the LORD tested him.” — Psalm 105:17-19

Abraham

In Genesis 12:2 Abraham received the promise of God that He will be a great nation.

• 24 years go by and nothing except age happens.. 

• 9,131.249 days

• 219,150 hours

• 13,148,730 minutes

• 788,923,800 seconds

But Abraham continued to believe in God. Finally, after a long time he received the promise.

What was the secret of these men? They kept the word of God paramount above all other words. They listened more to God than to people. 

There are many voices in the world that we can listen to: parents, friends, doctors, lawyers, culture, our own thoughts, demons and the devil. 

Instead, we need to listen to God.  The people of God are to believe in God.

“You will keep in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” — Isaiah 26:3

“…Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the Cross, despising the shame, and has sat down a the right hand of God.” — Hebrews 12:2

“Oh foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want tot learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit are you now being made perfect by the flesh?…” — Galatians 3:1-9

We need to speak out God’s word. There is power in what we say! Speak in faith! Don’t speak what you know is false. Don’t speak doubt. Speak truth!

What is the first step of faith in every single one of your lives? We need to read the Bible. 

Romans 10:14-17 “…So faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God..”

Look at the first step of faith you took when you were born again. You heard the gospel, you believed salvation was possible, you spoke and confessed with your mouth what you believe (which you had heard) and it resulted in power. 

“For we walk by faith, not by sight” — 1 Corinthians 5:7 

It is not called a walk of faith for nothing! Walking is accomplished by a similar motion again and again! So it is with God! The similar spiritual motion of hearing, believing, and confessing; hearing, believing, and confessing; HEARING, BELIEVING, AND CONFESSING!

A failure at any of these points will result in spiritual disappointment and discouragement.. a weakening of faith!

Be strong in faith!

People live in different cities throughout the world. It’s often possible to tell what city or country a person is from by their clothes, their accent, or their behavior.

There are two spiritual cities that dominate the world, Babylon and Zion. These are spiritual, not geographical cities. Wherever a person lives on the earth, he lives in one of these two cities. Babylon is the city that is controlled by Satan. Zion is the city that is ruled by God. These cities shape the lives of those who dwell in them.

Those who are in Babylon live in the flesh. They live according to the world. Sin dominates their lives, and they are contrary to God.

Those who live in Zion live according to the Holy Spirit. They are in Christ. They are seated in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). They are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20). They have come to Mount Zion, to heavenly Jerusalem in the the spiritual realm (Hebrews 12:22).

To live in Zion, a person must be born again. When a person is born again, he is born in Zion (Psalm 87:5-6). God keeps a record of all the people who have been born in Zion.

To walk in Zion, a person must be baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit must flow in and through us. 

“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk according to the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).

Living and walking are two different things. A baby lives, and then he learns to walk as he matures. Walking is a sign of growth. To live spiritually means we have the life of God in us. To walk in the Spirit means to walk according to God’s word, in his power. 

The only person to walk in Zion all the time was Jesus Christ. He always did the will of his Father, and he brought the reality of heaven into the earth.

Other people have walked in Zion occasionally throughout history. Their exploits have left an indelible impression on the earth.

One Zion-dweller was Ahijah. He was a blind man who heard from God. A woman once disguised herself and came to see Ahijah to try to trick him. Her disguise was pointless, because Ahijah couldn’t see anyway. But Ahijah knew her identity by revelation from God. He exposed her lies and prophesied of God’s judgment upon her (1 Kings 14:4-6).

Elisha also operated in Zion. Elisha’s servant once took some things from someone and then lied about it. Elisha said his heart went with his servant and knew what he was doing. His servant’s lies were exposed (2 Kings 5:25-26). How? By the spiritual operations of Zion.

We have become new, spiritual, heavenly people in Christ. We are no longer confined to our five physical senses, but we can receive information from the Holy Spirit. This is how we will walk in Zion.

One example of transcending the limitations of this world and rising up to live in Zion is Joshua the high priest. God promised that if Joshua was faithful to follow God’s word, that he would have places to walk among the angels (Zechariah 3:7). When we follow God’s word, we will walk in heavenly places of power in Zion even while we live upon the earth.

As we spend time in God’s house, we will learn more of the ways of Zion. Within the fellowship of God’s people is the presence of God, the bread of life, the living water, and other blessings. These things are essential for our own spiritual success.

The word of God will renew or renovate our minds. The word of God has the power to cleanse our minds from wrong thoughts and mental garbage and fill us with true things from God. Wrong ways of thinking can hold us back. We need truth to set us free.

It’s pointless to live in Babylon anymore. Babylon will be destroyed. Besides that, life in Babylon is limited and sad. Zion is way more fulfilling. Let us follow God’s word and be filled with his Spirit. As we do, we will experience and manifest the powerful reality of Zion – the heavenly city of God.

God calls his people to come out of Babylon (Revelation 18:4). All Christians should take this command seriously and obey it.

In order to come out of Babylon, it is necessary to know what Babylon is.

Babylon is literally a city in modern day Iraq. But in the Bible Babylon represents the world system that is contrary to God. God commands his people to come out of this city and live in the spiritual city of Zion, which is the heavenly land of Christ.

Babylon began 4,200 years ago after the Flood with a man named Nimrod (Genesis 10:8-10). Nimrod was an ancient empire builder. He gathered everyone in the world together in a vast building project in Babylon in rebellion against God. Everyone in the world spoke the same language and worked together on this project to build a tower to heaven.

God stopped the construction of the Tower of Babel because he saw that the unity of all people against him would enable them do almost anything. He scattered them by giving them different languages, and they went all over the world and began different nations. Wherever they went, they took core evil concepts of Babylon with them. This is why Babylon is called the Mother of Abominations, and it is one reason why Babylon’s effects are seen throughout the world (Revelation 17:5).

Babylon’s Effects on People

The Bible tells us many things about the spiritual city of Babylon. It says that Babylon is oppressive (Isaiah 14:4). Babylon enslaves people and binds them to its building project through the power of mammon – money.

The Bible says that Babylon makes all nations crazy, mad, or insane (Jeremiah 51:7). As a result of the influence of Babylon, everyone in the world has become irrational because they live apart from God.

Babylon makes everyone in the world drink of the wine of her immorality (Revelation 14:8). Babylon produces many things through sin and demonic power, and these things are spiritually ingested by the people of the world.

Babylon makes everyone in the world drunk (Revelation 18:3). When a person is drunk he can’t think clearly. He stumbles and does stupid things. Spiritual drunkenness leads to confused thinking, wrong perceptions, inability to walk forward, and lack of clarity. Babylon distorts reality.

Babylon deceives everyone in the world through the power of her sorceries (Revelation 18:23). Sorcery is the unleashing of demonic power to manipulate people. Babylon dominates people through demonic power.

The only way to be free from the power of Babylon is through the name of Jesus Christ.

Brief History of Israel

The history of Israel gives us further insights into Babylon. 

After the Israelites came out of Egypt, God brought them into the land of Canaan – the land he had promised to give to Abraham, the best land in the world. But God warned Israel that if they disobeyed his word, they would be cast out of the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 28:15-64).

As the years passed, the Israelites disobeyed God. They worshiped demons and practiced pagan rituals, often plastering the name of God on top of these rituals. Therefore demons invaded them, and they were cast out of the Promised Land. Finally, the king of Babylon came and burned Jerusalem, destroyed God’s temple, and carried the Israelites captive to Babylon (2 Chronicles 36).

In Babylon, Israel was miserable (Psalm 137). 

God promised that if Israel returned to him and obeyed his word, then he would bring them back to Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 30:1-5). 

Eventually, men like Daniel led Israel to repent and turn back to God. Then God told his people it was time to leave Babylon and go back to Jerusalem.

God told his people to flee Babylon for two reasons:

1. Babylon would be destroyed.
2. God’s temple had to be rebuilt in Jerusalem.

Bold Men and Women Fled Babylon

Some people heard God’s call, and left Babylon to make the arduous journey back to Zion.

Ezra (Ezra 7:6-20). Ezra was a servant of God who sought out the commands of God and taught them to the people. He exalted God’s word over paganism. 

Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2:1-6). Nehemiah was an efficient leader who led the construction of the wall around Jerusalem in the midst of much opposition. Nehemiah was zealous for holiness and threw out compromise among God’s people.

Zerubbabel (Haggai 2:2-9). Zerubbabel was the governor of Judah who led the rebuilding of the temple. He kept his eye on God’s plan and didn’t stop until God’s house was complete.

Joshua (Haggai 2:2-9). Joshua was the high priest when the temple was rebuilt. He was the spiritual leader who worked closely with Zerubbabel, the political leader.

Haggai (Ezra 5:1-2, Book of Haggai). Haggai was a prophet who encouraged all the Israelites who came back from Babylon to rebuild God’s temple.

Zechariah (Book of Zechariah). Zechariah was another prophet who spurred people on to overcome opposition and build the temple, keeping God’s vision paramount.

God’s temple could only be rebuilt if people came out from Babylon. Some did, and they dedicated their lives to building God’s house.

Into this rebuilt temple, Jesus Christ came, 2,000 years ago.

Symbols for Us

All these things are symbolic for us (1 Corinthians 10:11).

The temple represents the church (Ephesians 2:20-21). The church was originally built up in a glorious condition by the early apostles, but then it fell into sin and disobedience. Pagan rituals and demons invaded the church.

Throughout compromise with the world, the church was carried off into spiritual Babylon. God’s people no longer experienced the astounding presence and power of Christ in their midst.

It’s time to rebuild. God is calling his people to come out of Babylon and leave the spiritual desert behind. He wants them to work with him in rebuilding his church and preparing the bride for the return of Jesus Christ. 

God’s people are called to leave Babylon for two reasons.

1. Babylon will be destroyed. God doesn’t want his people to be destroyed along with Babylon. He doesn’t want them to spend their lives building up things that will not last.
2. God wants his bride (church) to be prepared for his coming. He wants people to dedicate their lives to the building of his house, gaining eternal rewards.

Squeezed Out of Babylon

World events will conspire to squeeze God’s people out of Babylon. Antichristian ideology will increasingly permeate institutions of learning and business that will force faithful Christians to leave these institutions. Jobs and positions will be lost.

Communities will be increasingly affected by Satanic forces. As Christians leave old communities and social groups behind, there will be an impetus for them to develop meaningful Christian communities.

Economic restrictions will be placed on those who refuse to go along with anti-Christian ideas or behaviors. This will compel Christians to embrace radical sharing and a common economy among themselves.

Eventually, the Mark of the Beast will come which will force final separation. Faithful Christians must refuse this mark, and without this mark they will be unable to buy or sell (Revelation 13:17). Then they will have to discover an alternate way of life.

God calls his people out of Babylon because Babylon is going to be destroyed, and he does not want his people destroyed along with the world. Instead, he wants them to be revelators of his kingdom.

God wants his people to flee Babylon so they can prepare his bride for his coming. Just like the temple of God had to be rebuilt so Christ could come into that temple, so the church must be rebuilt at the end of the age into glory so that Christ can come into his bride and the wedding supper of the Lamb can occur.

Let us flee Babylon. Considering all these things, this is the only course of action that makes sense.

A message from Bobby:

Man’s Dominance in the Garden of Eden

God created man to have dominion over the whole earth and over all living things (Gen 1:25-28). However, one of the living things, the serpent, decided to deceive Eve and tempt Adam and Eve to sin against God (Gen 3:1). That serpent was Satan (Rev 20:2). And since the serpent was one of the beasts in the garden of Eden, man was created to have dominion over it. Thus, Satan and the wicked angelic host could be represented by the beasts in the garden, over whom Adam had been given dominion. Therefore, this explains why Satan would try to trick Adam and Eve to fall into sin. These wicked angels could have been quite unhappy with their position to be lower than man and to be ruled by man. 

In the New Testament, angels are called “ministering spirits” sent to “minister to those who will inherit salvation” (Heb 1:14). In other words, God created angels to serve man. Not only that, but man was created to also one day “judge angels” (1 Cor 6:3).

Adam’s Fall (Until the Time of Christ)

When Adam sinned, man lost his position of dominance. He became now lower than the angels (Psalm 8:5). He and the world became subject to the power of angels (Heb 2:5). Satan became the ruler of this world and the whole world was in bondage under him through the power of sin (John 14:30; 1 John 5:19; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Eph 2:2; 6:12).

Before Christ, all people were dead in their sins and under the rule of Satan. Adam’s disobedience separated us from fellowship with God, and man became subject to the rule of Satan, sin and death. Man was condemned and separated from God because of Adam’s fall (Romans 5:18-19).

Satan and his demonic host inhabit heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12), but man had lost his access to God and was constrained to live under the curse of the earth (1 Corinthians 15:47). Jesus called John the Baptist the greatest of all Old Testament prophets (Matthew 11:11), and yet, John said of himself that he was earthly and of the earth, but Jesus was the one who comes from heaven (John 3:31). Therefore, we can conclude that after Adam’s sin, man fell from his high position in heavenly places, where he had a close fellowship with God and ruled over the angelic hosts, and he fell to a lower position on a cursed earth.

Even then, God provided a way for man to connect with Him – through the Old Covenant relationship He established with the Israelites. God could be accessed by the ministry of an earthly high priest and an earthly temple on an earthly city, which would be symbolic (a type and a shadow) of the true, heavenly High Priest, who would come with a heavenly temple in a heavenly city, “not made with human hands” (Heb 9:11), to establish a better Covenant with man (Heb 8:6).

Jesus’ Reign and Man’s Restoration

Jesus came to restore man’s dominion which was lost in Genesis. Jesus came lower than the angels (Heb 2:9), in the likeness of man, but was exalted high above all powers and principalities, and sat down at the right hand of God the Father in heavenly places. Everything and everyone, including Satan and the angelic host, were put under subjection to Jesus. Because of his sacrifice and his perfect obedience to God the Father, Jesus was given all authority, power and dominion (Philippians 2:8-11; Ephesians 1:20-22; Matthew 28:18). And in turn, Jesus gave man authority over all the power of the enemy, over Satan and over all his demonic hosts (Luke 10:19).

Moreover, Jesus brought reconciliation between man and God (Romans 5:10; 2 Cor 5:18), and restored the fellowship between God and man through the Spirit (Ephesians 2:18). Jesus placed man to be seated with him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). John the Baptist said of himself that he was earthly and from the earth because he was in the likeness of the first Adam, but now those who are in Christ have become heavenly in the likeness of the heavenly man, of Jesus, the second Adam (1 Corinthians 15: 47-49). Jesus has made us sit in heavenly places in the Spirit and he is transforming us by His Spirit “from glory to glory” to be more and more in his image (2 Corinthians 3: 17-18).

However, man is still in the process of entering God’s rest (Hebrews 4:9), entering God’s kingdom (Acts 14:22) and defeating Satan and his angels. The battle is raging on between man and Satan for dominance, just as it was prophesied in the book of Genesis that there would be continual enmity between the Seed of the man and the serpent (Gen 3:15). Jesus is called the new Adam, because he has given us the power to have access by the Holy Spirit to God the Father and to be transformed into the image of the heavenly man. When this process of transformation of God’s people is finished, when the bride of Christ (the church) becomes ready, when man’s dominance has finally been restored, then Jesus will return to vanquish Satan and his angels once and for all.

Acts 3:20-21

…that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things…

But first all things must be restored, before Jesus returns. This restoration is about man’s dominance over all creation, including over all the angelic host, being restored. Jesus has given the church the power to conquer / overcome the power of the enemy in heavenly places, and when this happens (as prophesied in the book of Revelation), the end will come (1 Corinthians 15:24-25). Jesus prophesied that the spirit of Elijah must come again and restore all things, as also prophesied by the prophet Malachi: 

Matthew 17:11

Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.

Malachi 4:5-6

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet

Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

The Final Battle and the Fall of Satan

The Bible prophesies that one day, after a fierce heavenly battle, Satan together with his wicked angelic host will fall from his throne and dominion in the heavenly places:

Revelation 12:7-9

And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Then, the believers in Christ will have finally finished restoring the dominion of man in heavenly places over Satan and his angelic host. This victory would be accomplished because

Revelation 12:11

… they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

But please heed the warning – when this happens, there would be great joy in heaven among believers but exceeding sorrow and woe to all those who “dwell on earth” (that is, those who are still not seated with Christ in heavenly places). 

Revelation 12:12

Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.

In the beginning, man was created to have dominion over all creation. Man was also called to rule over sin (Gen 4:7). However, until Jesus, man could not rule over sin, but sin reigned over man resulting in death and condemnation (Romans 5:12, 18-21). We were slaves of Satan and under the bondage of sin. But when Jesus came and gave his life for us, he gave us the power to be set free from the power of sin and have victory over sin and death through His Spirit (John 8:34-35; Romans 6:8-8, 12-14, 22; Romans 8:2, 11-13). And even though, we are still battling Satan and the desires of the flesh, we have the confidence that one day we will overcome and be victorious over Satan because He who is in us “is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). However, now it’s the time to press on, now it’s the time to grow in spiritual maturity and to train our spirit and body, so that we may gain the prize, so that we may receive an imperishable crown and not be ashamed at the return of our Lord and Savior (1 Cor 9:24-27).

This is not about spiritual salvation (which is by grace alone through faith in Jesus) – Paul was sure that one day he would be with Christ (Philippians 1:23), yet he was pressing “toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). Paul desired to reach full spiritual maturity in Christ together with the church and overcome Satan and all his demonic host. This could only be done by obeying the Word of God and being led by the Spirit of God, loving God more than our own lives – then, our testimony would have the power to defeat the giants of wickedness in heavenly places, who continually try to tempt us to sin and do evil. And in the end, the old heaven and the old earth would pass away (Revelation 21:21) and there would be a new heaven and a new earth (2 Peter 3:13), where God would reign and sin will be no more, death would be no more, and Satan would be no more. In other words, we will be in a better position than the first Adam ever was, because we would not be even tempted to sin against God, but we will reign with God in perfect righteousness and love.

The Old Testament contains many prophecies about Jesus Christ. One of these prophecies says that Jesus would be blind and deaf.

Isaiah 42 has many verses that refer to Jesus, some of which are quoted in the New Testament. Isaiah 42 also contains this:

“Who is blind but My servant, or deaf as My messenger whom I send? Who is blind as he who is perfect, and blind as the Lord’s servant? Seeing many things, but you do not observe; opening the ears, but he does not hear. The Lord is well pleased for His righteousness’ sake; He will exalt the law and make it honorable.” (Isaiah 42:19-21).

These verses refer to the same Servant, Christ, who was spoken of earlier in this chapter, and the New Testament makes clear that those verses refer to Christ.

What does the prophet mean when he prophesies that Christ, who would open the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf, would be blind and deaf?

We know that Jesus was not literally blind and deaf because he saw and heard things while on the earth. We also know Jesus was not spiritually blind or deaf because he was able to see his Father and hear God’s word. 

We get a clue as to what this means from another prophecy about Jesus in Isaiah.

“The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. His delight is in the fear of the Lord, and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears” (Isaiah 11:2-3).

This prophecy says that Jesus would not judge by the sight of his eyes nor decide by the hearing of his ears. He had a higher source of information than his natural senses. His source of information was his Father. Jesus did not judge people based on natural thinking, but he knew people by revelation from God.

Jesus could do nothing of himself but what he saw his Father do (John 5:19-20). Jesus laid down his own will and completely yielded to his Father. He knew the unreliability of human flesh, so he relied on his Heavenly Father for decision-making, not on his natural abilities.

Jesus judged as he heard from God (John 5:30). All his discernment, conclusions, and judgments came from God. Jesus said that people judge according to the flesh, but he judged no man (John 8:15-16). People judge according to what they see and hear, but Jesus didn’t do that. He relied on spiritual wisdom. Therefore, all his decisions were perfect, based on righteousness (John 7:24).

Jesus saw and heard many things with his eyes and ears, but this natural information was not the basis of his judgments. In this way he was blind and deaf. He was blind because he didn’t judge according to appearance, but he perceived reality by the Spirit. Jesus was deaf because he didn’t go by what he heard from people, but by what he heard from God.

What we see and hear often doesn’t tell the whole story. There is often more to people and situations than meets the eye. 

“The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

The Holy Spirit is inside us to help us get past appearances to fundamental reality. The Bible says we are not to know people according to the flesh (2 Corinthians 5:16). The word “know” means to regard, estimate, or discern. We are not to know people based on what we see and hear with our natural selves, but we are to know them based on what we understand about them from God.

When a person is blind and deaf to the things of the flesh, he won’t judge people according to wealth, social status, personality, or other external factors. He will discern them according to God.

The word of God should define our interactions with people. God must lead us into reality by the Holy Spirit, and this reality is beyond what we can understand with our own minds. 

Christ is inside of us. When we live according to him, we will leave our own judgments behind, and then we will see things according to God.

Our God is worthy.

To be worthy means to be assign the matching value to something. It’s like balancing something out on a scale. When God is on one side of a scale, it takes a lot on the other side to balance it out. God is worthy of a lot, because he is infinitely valuable. 

What is God worthy of?

God is worthy of praise. No matter how much we praise him, it will never be enough, because God is worth an infinite amount of praise. This is why praise to God will reverberate throughout eternity.

God is worthy of worship. To worship means to bow down in extreme submission. God is worthy of fully yielding our lives to him. We can bow down and fall on our faces in front of him because he is worth that.

God is worthy of fear and respect. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).

God is worth obeying. We should do whatever he tells us, because he is the king of the universe. To disobey God is irrational. It makes no sense to disobey the owner and controller of the universe.

God is worthy of our trust. He is completely reliable.

God is worthy of being loved. There is no one as lovely or as lovable as God.

God is worth our entire lives. He is the only one worth living for. Money is not worth it, and neither is anything else. Our lives are too valuable to spend on anything else.

God is worthy of all of this because of who he is.

God is all powerful. He is the strongest Spirit in the universe. He is stronger than any angel, demon, or person.

God is worthy because he has the most powerful name. Every name is weaker than the name of Jesus (Philippians 2:9-11). Someday, all will bow down before our God. Let’s bow down to him now. We don’t need to wait until we stand before his throne in judgment before bowing down to him.

God is worthy because he knows everything. No secret can be hidden from him. God knows all about us, and he loves us anyway.

God is completely holy. There is no sin or evil in God. He is perfect.

God is thoroughly good. He has no bad motivations or trickery.

God is pure light. There is no darkness in him (1 John 1:5). 

God is worthy because he loves us.

God is is worthy because he completely true. He tells no lies. His word is true, and it will outlast the universe.

God is worthy because he is the all satisfying one. He is the living water and the bread of life. He gives fullness of joy and true satisfaction. Nothing else can satisfy our souls like God.

God is eternal, and he has no beginning and no end. 

God is worthy not only because of who he is, but also because of what he has done.

God created the universe. There are more stars than grains of sand on the seashore. God created all of this. He created it all out of nothing, just by saying a few words. He created the laws the govern the universe.

God is worthy because he sustains the universe right now by the word of his power (Hebrews 1:3). All things are upheld by God. He enforces all physical and chemical laws. Without him, everything would fall to pieces and decay.

God is worthy because can do anything he wants. No one can control him or stop him. It’s futile to fight against God or resist him.

God created us. He knew us before he formed us in the womb (Jeremiah 1:5). He knew us before the foundation of the world.

God is worthy because he died for us. Jesus took on our flesh and died on the cross, making a way for us to be reconciled to God. 

God is worthy because he has saved us. He has given us eternal life. He has crushed Satan and demolished sin. He has set us free. He paid the ransom for our souls.

God is worthy because he owns us. He bought us at the price of his life, and now he is our owner (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), and we are his children.

God is worthy because of what he is going to do in the future.

God will judge the world. Everything that is according to God’s word will endure, and everything not according to God will be destroyed. This makes God worthy of our full attention.

God is worthy because he will make a new heavens and a new earth. Whatever he likes will be in that new heavens and earth, and whatever he doesn’t like won’t be there.

God is worthy because he will give us glorified bodies which will be unimaginably powerful, glorious, and amazing. These bodies will not decay, and they will be able to do awesome things.

God is worthy because he is going to rule over everything. His kingdom will be everywhere.

God is worth our entire lives because of how awesome he is. Let’s live for him. Why not? It makes zero sense to do otherwise.

One of Jesus’ most astounding miracles was when he multiplied loaves and fish and fed 5,000 people (John 6:10-14). When the people saw this happen, they were amazed. Their tummies were full with the best bread and fish they had ever eaten, and it was all created out of thin air. Not surprisingly, they wanted to follow Jesus. 

That night, Jesus walked across a lake. The next day, the eager crowd piled into boats and chased after him. They found Jesus and ran to him.

But Jesus said this crowd had a problem. They were chasing him not because they saw a powerful miracle from God, but because they had gotten loaves and fish. They were chasing after food rather than chasing after God. Jesus told them they should not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life (John 6:26-27).

It’s possible to chase after God for what can give us, rather than pursue God for himself.

When the crowd ran up to Jesus, he didn’t give them more food. He said they needed HIM. He told them that he is the bread of life (John 6:35). They needed his word and his Spirit. They needed to obey God. They needed spiritual food that would endure to eternity.

The people didn’t understand what Jesus was saying. They were hungry and wanted more food. But Jesus said they needed him, not more food. 

They asked for another miracle (John 6:30). Even though they had just seen an astounding miracle, it wasn’t enough. They wanted to see more miracles before they would believe. 

But Jesus probably knew another miracle wouldn’t help them. They had eaten miraculous bread and fish, but that didn’t help. They needed God, not more miracles. 

Jesus kept pointing them to himself. They needed him. They needed God. Nothing else would truly satisfy them.

The crowd, seeing Jesus didn’t do what they wanted, got mad.

First they started murmuring (John 6:41-43).

Then they started fighting (John 6:52).

Jesus didn’t back down. He doubled down on the truth. Jesus said they had to eat his flesh and drink his blood. They needed to be part of him, and he needed to be part of them. They needed God!

But they didn’t really want God. They wanted stuff, and they wanted their own lives preserved, and they wanted things on their own terms.

The crowd became offended at Jesus (John 6:61). 

Finally, they left him (John 6:66).

People sometimes just pursue God in order to get more stuff. They’re excited with a miracle or two, and then they want more. They come to God with a list, asking God to give them all the things they want, and then when he doesn’t give them what they want, they get mad.

Jesus said we should seek first his kingdom, and all these other things will be added to us (Matthew 6:33). When God is king of our lives, we bow down to him and his will. We come to him on his terms, not ours. As we obey God, he will take care of us. We don’t need to live for stuff or for ourselves. We need to live for God.

We should not be motivated by fear or greed, we should be motivated by God.

Fear says we will not have enough, and we have to chase money and material things. But God says we have not received a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7). We don’t need to be afraid. Jesus delivered us from the fear of death. There is no need for fear, because God is our Father, and he will take care of us as we work hard to seek his kingdom.

Greed says we need more and more to keep up with society, impress others, or chase our dreams. Forget that. God commanded us to not covet, but to be content (Hebrews 13:5).

If we let Jesus be Lord of our lives, then we will leave everything to him and let him do with us as he pleases.

We need to seek God for who he is, not for what he can give us. We don’t chase after him because he gives us things like loaves and fish, but we chase after him because he is awesome, powerful, glorious, majestic, and worthy. God is the all-satisfying one who alone can quench the genuine desires of our hearts. If we have God, we have all we need, and he will take care of the rest. 

Sin means doing something contrary to God’s will. Sin is one of the biggest problems we all face, and it is the great enemy of the Christian life. Sin destroys lives, separates from God, causes decay and destruction, and ultimately kills.

Jesus is the solution for all sin. He died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins and then rose up from the dead throwing off all our sins. He conquered sin and gave us the free gift of eternal life. Now the Bible says that sin will not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law but under grace (Romans 6:14).

God wants us to walk in victory over sin because Jesus died to set us free. Although we will only experience full victory over sin when we get our glorified bodies, it is possible to experience increasing victory over sin in this life. This is sanctification.

The Progression Towards Sin

How does sin originate and progress within us?

“But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15).

Sin progresses in the following way:

We desire something.

We are tempted when we see some way to fulfill this desire contrary to God’s will.

We sin when we grab onto that bait and try to fuifill our desire in a wrong way.

Sin starts with desire.

The New Testament was originally written in Greek. The word for desire in the original New Testament is epithumia. Epithumia refers to desire in general, whether good or bad.

Some desires are good, as in Luke 22:15, Philippians 1:23, and 1 Thessalonians 2:17 and other places. 

Some desires are bad, as in Romans 6:12, Ephesians 4:22, and Jude 18, and other places. Context will tell us whether a use of epithumia is positive or negative, and whether the desire is a godly desire or a lust.

We need to rid our lives of bad desires and cultivate good desires.

The Bible says sin begins with desire (James 1:14). We desire something, and Satan tempts us to fulfill that desire in a wrong way. Temptation is like a bait put in front of us. 

Sin is conceived when we satisfy our desires with the bait offered by Satan. The union between our desires and Satan’s bait (temptation) conceives sin. When we take the bait, we are like a fish caught on a hook, caught in sin.

Not all bait is effective, because the bait doesn’t match up with our desires. For example, not everyone will be tempted to use drugs because not everyone desires drugs. But when we have a desire that joins with Satan’s bait, sin is the inevitable result.

Jesus Was Tempted

Jesus was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). The fact that Jesus was tempted meant that Jesus had desires. All of Jesus’ desires were godly, because he was sinless.

Satan offered illicit bait to meet Jesus’ godly desires, but Jesus never took this bait. Therefore he never had sin.

At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus was tempted 3 times (Matthew 4:1-11).

First, Jesus was hungry. He had not eaten for many days, so he desired food. This was not a bad desire, because God would not allow his Son to starve to death. Jesus needed to exercise patience to fulfill this desire in the right way. Jesus did have patience.

Satan came and tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread. This bait was to fulfill his desire for food in a way contrary to God’s will. Jesus refused to take this bait, and he did not sin.

Second, Satan took Jesus to Jerusalem and put him on a high part of the temple. He tempted him to throw himself down and be caught by angels. If Jesus had floated around in the sky in front of all the priests, leaders, and people in Jerusalem, they would probably have said he was the Messiah and worshiped him.

This temptation probably played on Jesus’ desire to be worshiped and recognized as Messiah. This was a godly desire because this was Jesus’ destiny. But this desire had to be fulfilled according to the plan of his Father. Jesus knew floating around the temple in the sky was not his Father’s will, so he rejected this temptation and did not take the bait.

Third, Satan told Jesus that he would give him all political power over the world if he would just worship the devil. Jesus refused this, because it’s dumb to worship Satan. However, this was a temptation for Jesus because he desired to rule the world and manifest the kingdom of God everywhere. Satan tried to play on this godly desire and tempted Jesus to sin. Christ refused and got the victory.

What We Should Do

Let’s filter our desires through the lens of God’s word. Ungodly desires are lusts, and they should be crucified with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Our godly desires should be fulfilled in God’s way. Satan may tempt us to fulfill our godly desires in ways contrary to God, and we must not take the bait. We need patience to do things in God’s time.

Finally, we can get the victory over temptation when we do not take the bait from the devil to fulfill our desires contrary to God. When we refuse to take the bait, sin will not be conceived within us, and we will be increasingly sanctified.

“Think not that I have come to send peace. I came not to send peace but a sword” (Matthew 10:34).

It’s easy to think that Jesus came to bring peace. After all, Jesus is called the Prince of Peace, and when he was born, the angels sang, “Peace on earth!” He sent the Holy Spirit in our hearts to give us peace. 

But Jesus told us not to think that he came to send peace, but a sword, particularly in relationships. 

The word of God is like a sword (Hebrews 4:12). A sword cuts, and the spiritual sword of God’s word cuts people to the heart by convicting them of sin. When the word of God brings conviction, people do one of two things: they either humble themselves under God and repent, or they resist the word of God and fight against their Creator. God’s word brings conflict because people don’t like what God says.

In all close relationships, Jesus must come first. His word must be exalted. We are not called to keep the sword of God’s word in a sheath, but we are called to bring it out. We may have to say things others may not like. We may need to contradict statements, traditions, or popular beliefs. We might have to do things others don’t understand as we obey God. 

Jesus doesn’t want us to be surprised when conflict in relationships arises because of God’s word. Jesus came so his word could operate. When God’s word is revealed and conflict happens, we shouldn’t think we’re doing something wrong or making a mistake.

Peace is important, but it has to be real peace. Real peace is based on God’s word. It is on God’s terms, not our terms. God’s terms of peace are defined in his word. 

The word of God is the truth, and Jesus is the word of God. Therefore Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6).

God wants truth to be exalted over peace, because truth is the basis of genuine peace. When Jesus is accepted, there can be real peace because he is the author of peace. But when Jesus is rejected, there can be no real peace.

God’s word is the pathway to true peace, and sometimes true peace can only be achieved through conflict.

The World’s False Peace

The world has a false peace that is not based on God and his word. The world says everything is relative and subjective, and there is no absolute truth. There is “my truth” and “your truth”. The world says we may disagree about truth, but we should all get along anyway. “Peace, man!”

Someday, the Antichrist will bring a false sense of peace to the world (Daniel 8:25). He will trample on truth and put it down so he can spread false peace everywhere. But the Bible warns that when the world is full of this false sense of peace and safety (security), then sudden destruction from God will come upon them (1 Thessalonians 5:3). 

False peace and rejecting the truth go hand in hand.

Peace without God is a lie that comes from Satan.

Be Kind

We are not called to be rude, harsh, and uncaring. We need to do our best to be kind and loving, reflecting the love of Christ to everyone. But Jesus never hid his light under a bushel, and we shouldn’t either. 

We don’t need to pick fights, but we do need to stand for the truth.

“If possible, as much as lies in you, be at peace with all men” (Romans 12:18).

It’s good to have peace with others, and God wants us to seek peace. 

“Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9). 

But God also wants us to recognize that his word is the basis of all true peace, and apart from God there is no peace.

Don’t be surprised when strained relationships come because of the word of God. According to Jesus, this is part of the normal Christian life.

“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

This verse contains both a command and a promise.

The command is to resist the devil. We are God’s children, and he doesn’t want Satan sitting in our lives causing unnecessary trouble. Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). Satan wants to steal our spiritual treasure of peace, love, joy, and power; kill our relationships with the children of God; and ultimately destroy God’s work in our lives. 

God commands us to kick the devil out. We should not sit back and let the devil ravage our lives. Rise up and resist.

Satan is like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). Lions eat people gradually, limb by limb. So the devil attacks our lives, piece by piece. He attacks our desire to read the Bible and pray. He gets us to skip church, avoid fellowship, and hide from servants of God. He gets us mired in sin. All of these are symptoms of Satan attacking us as he nips good things out of our lives with his sharp teeth.

God doesn’t want us to be devoured by Satan. He wants us to trample on Satan’s head through his Son Jesus Christ.

God commands us to resist the devil “steadfast in the faith” (1 Peter 5:8).

We resist the devil through faith in God’s word. God’s word is steadfast. God’s word is eternal and will outlast heaven and earth. God is undaunted by problems or difficulties, and he never changes. He is eternally strong. If we want to be strong and steadfast, we need to be connected to God through faith in his word.

Satan attacks our faith by telling us a bunch of lies that directly contradict the Bible. If he can get us to doubt God’s word, he can throw us onto the waves of doubt and potentially sink us (James 1:6-8). 

Satan lies to us about ourselves. He tells us we are idiots who can do nothing right and deserve nothing good. But the Bible says we are the children of God and are valuable because Jesus died for us.

Satan is full of tricks. He’ll tell us we’re amazing and can do everything by ourselves, puffing us up with pride. Then when we fall down in failure, he mocks us and tells us how stupid we are.

Satan tells us lies about God. He says God has left us, forsaken us, doesn’t love us, doesn’t care about us, and won’t help us. But the Bible smashes these lies. God will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:6). Nothing can separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:38). God is an ever-present help in time of trouble (Psalm 46:1). 

God’s word tells us about reality. Satan’s lies are all an illusion. We need to get out from illusory thinking and see things as they really are. We need to renew our minds with God’s word.

The devil attacks through self pity. “I don’t deserve these problems. Why do things always go wrong for me? I deserve better than this.” We don’t need to pity ourselves. We need to trust in God and praise him for how awesome he is.

We are not victims. A victim according to the dictionary is “a living creature killed and offered as a sacrifice to a deity or supernatural power, or in performance of a religious rite.”

We are not victims of Satan and fallen angels. We are kings and priests of the Most High God (Rev. 1:6).

A victim-mindset is based on three main lies:

1. I’m just a product of circumstances. Therefore everything in my life is out of my control.
2. Blame: My problems are the fault of other people.
3. Avoid responsibility: There’s no point in trying to do anything because I can do nothing and nothing will work.

The Israelites had a victim-mindset when they left Egypt. “We are just slaves. We cannot defeat those strong giants. God hates us. He wants to kill us. We’re all going to die. WAAAAAH! We miss Egypt and Pharaoh!”

They could not enter into the Promised Land because of their unbelief. 

Joshua and Caleb were different. They said that the giants were “bread for us” (Numbers 14:9). Joshua and Caleb wanted to eat giants for breakfast. This means they wanted to slay these giants through the indomitable power of God. 

God wants us to have the same conquering spirit that was in Joshua and Caleb. He doesn’t want us to be afraid. We have “not received a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self control” (2 Timothy 1:7).

Resist the devil. Take the iron bar of God’s word and smash the devil between the eyes.

If a lion is attacking us, we need to resist. We will do so through the power of Jesus Christ. The mighty Son of God has already crushed the head of Satan. He stripped the principalities and powers and made a public spectacle of them (Colossians 2:15).

All power in heaven and earth has been given to Jesus. He has risen up to heaven and poured out his Holy Spirit upon us. The same power that raised up Christ from the dead is inside us. Jesus has given us power to trample on serpents and scorpions (Luke 10:19). We have power through his name to expel demons. 

We wrestle against fallen angels. We are not wrestling to lose, but to win. We are not called to sit back and be their prey, but they are our prey!

The promise is that if we resist the devil, he will flee from us. Satan is going to run away when God’s people stand against him. When there is a fight and someone runs away, it’s because they’ve picked a fight with someone stronger than them, and they know they’re defeated. The devil is no match for the eternal Son of God. He is inside of us, and through him we can win.

Jesus stands up and fights for his people. He already conquered the devil, and through him we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). We can overcome the devil through the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11). 

Resist the devil and he will flee from you. This is the promise of God.

“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13).

This is one of the most important things that Jesus taught us to pray. 

This prayer is about the leading of God. God leads us by his Holy Spirit – “as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14). To be led by the Spirit means to go where God wants us to go and do what God wants us to do. 

We’re supposed to pray that God will not lead us into temptation.

We’re not always led by God. We sometimes do things that God is not leading us to do. 

Adam was not led by God to eat of the tree and ruin the entire Creation, but he ate anyway.

Abraham was not led to have a child with his maid, but he did anyway.

David was not led to avoid the battle, commit adultery, and kill the woman’s husband; but he did anyway.

These men were not led by God to do these things, did they them anyway. Then they faced problems as a result of their own choices. The word temptation also means testing.

We often do things God is not leading us to do, and then we face problems because of our own bad choices. It’s ok to ask God to help us avoid these problems.

However, praying that God will not lead us into temptation is about more than asking to avoid the evil consequences of our own bad choices. 

It’s like this: we’re doing what we should do, being faithful to God, but then he leads us to take a test for apparently no reason. We may be tempted or face another form of testing just out of the blue.

This happened in the Bible.

It happened with Job. He was a righteous man, but suddenly his life fell apart. He was being tested.

It happened in the New Testament. Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit in the wilderness to be tempted or tested by Satan (Matthew 4:1). 

Paul was led by God to go to Jerusalem and face his enemies, where he would be arrested and imprisoned. 

Jesus wasn’t forced to go to the wilderness to face off with Satan. Paul didn’t have to go to Jerusalem to face prison. Jesus and Paul chose to do these things because they knew this was how God was leading them.

When God leads us to do something, even it involves testing, it’s better to do it. It will end up being a blessing in our lives.

Sometimes God leads us to do something hard, and we hesitate to do it. We may think there is a test involved, so we might even disobey God in order to avoid the test. God is leading us into testing, but we’re not going. This may seem like wisdom for us, but it ultimately will not help us. It’s always better to obey God, even if it seems hard.

It’s not easy to be led into testing. That’s one reason we’re supposed to pray that he won’t lead us into it. But if God does lead us into testing, we can go, confident that God will be with us and bring us through. God’s purpose is to cause us to grow stronger during this time.

Even if God leads us into temptation or testing, he will make a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). We don’t need to be afraid. God is a loving God, and he has a reason for everything he does. His ways are higher than our ways. And he will cause it all to work together for our good (Romans 8:28).

God, Deliver Us!

Jesus also told us to pray, “deliver us from the evil one.”

Satan is involved in temptation and testing. God does not tempt us with evil, Satan does (James 1:13). Satan is called the tempter in the Bible (Matthew 4:3). 

There is a difference between being tempted to sin and sinning. Jesus was tempted frequently while he was on the earth. He was tempted in all points like we are (Hebrews 4:15). But Jesus never sinned. Temptation doesn’t equal sin. Sin is a further step beyond temptation – it means acting upon temptation in order to fulfill our lust.

Being tempted is getting no sleep and being exhausted the next day; sinning is getting mad and shouting at everyone in the morning.

Being tempted is being sinned against by someone; sinning is not forgiving that person and becoming bitter.

Being tempted is finding a lost wallet; sinning is stealing the cash.

It’s ok to be tempted, it’s not ok to sin. 

A Puzzle

The Bible says it can be a good thing to go through testing. James said we should be happy when we go through temptations and tests (James 1:2), because these tests produce patience and other good things in our lives. Testing purifies us. It strengthens our faith. It’s the way into the kingdom of God.

The puzzle is this: if testing is a good thing, why not pray for more testing? At least, why not just let God do what he wants to do – if he tests us, then great? Why should we pray specifically that God will NOT lead us into testing?

I think there are two main reasons we are to pray not to be led into temptation/testing even though going through it can be positive. 

1. Satan. Satan is involved in testing and temptation. We don’t want to pray for Satan to act in our lives. We pray against the devil and his works, and we ask to be delivered from Satan.
2. Humility. We need humility. Testing is hard. We shouldn’t be overconfident. We don’t know how we will fare during the testing or the temptation, and we need God’s grace to get through. 

Jesus was tested in the Garden of Gethsemane. He didn’t pray, “God, bring me to the cross, that will be great!” Instead, he prayed, “Father, if possible let this cup pass from me” (Matthew 26:39). Jesus was praying not to be led into testing.

We should do the same. “God, don’t lead me into testing. Deliver me from Satan. Help me live a quiet and peaceful life.”

But if God does lead you into testing, you can go, knowing that God will be with you. He will bring you through as you trust in him. You will emerge stronger in faith. You will grow spiritually. He will be able to accomplish more of his purposes through you.

As Job said, “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10).

God is looking for us to grow into spiritual maturity. To get to maturity, we will have to go through some tests and overcome some temptations. Let’s pray for God to not lead us into these tests, recognizing our own weaknesses. But when he does, let’s follow his leading, holding onto him in faith, knowing that he will bring us through.

A message from Micah:

David and Saul were two men who were called by God to be kings in Israel. But they lived their lives very differently and had different priorities. Saul operated in the flesh, but David operated in the Spirit. Their lives give us important insights about how we are to follow God today.

David, by the Holy Spirit, had zeal for God (1 Samuel 17:26-29). He behaved wisely (1 Samuel 18:5). The people rejoiced because of David (1 Samuel 18:6-9).

Saul was in the flesh, and he had an evil eye toward David. To have an evil eye is to have a folded eye. It has creases, crevices, and hidden places. To have a good eye is to have an unfolded, simple eye that is straightforward. Saul’s eye was complicated. He spoke one thing and intended another. David’s eye was way more clear. 

Saul was always suspecting that David was doing something bad which was not true. Saul is a type of man’s religion and vain worship. He wanted to sacrifice meaningless things to God. He trusted in man-made armor more than he trusted in God.

David’s faithfulness caused Saul’s anger to be aroused against him (1 Samuel 18:10-11). Saul’s evil eye toward David caused vain imaginations and murder to consume Saul’s mind. Saul even tried to kill David. Saul was very unstable (1 Samuel 18:12-16). He was dominated by the devil and by irrational fears.

God was with David, and David behaved himself wisely—very wisely! (1 Samuel 18:17)

Saul tried to ensnare David by giving him an impossible task.. killing 200 Philistines (1 Samuel 18:28-30). David did this with the help of God.

David is the wisest of all the king’s servants, and this caused Saul to be consumed more and more by fear of David. Saul determined to oppose David, but God determined to establish David.

David faced a lot of opposition. 

David once rescued the city of Keilah from the Philistines. in return, the city of Keilah was ready to deliver David to Saul that he may die (1 Samuel 23). But David didn’t allow this terrible turn of events to capsize his faith.

In 1 Samuel 24 David was chased by Saul. David had an opportunity to kill Saul, but he spared Saul’s life instead.

In 1 Samuel 25 David protected Nabal’s livestock free of charge from all raiders and armies, yet Nabal slandered David and refused to be generous.

In 1 Samuel 26 Saul sought to kill David again. David again refused to take the life of Saul.

In 1 Samuel 27 David fled to the enemies of God’s people, yet he still ended up fighting the Lord’s battles while in enemy lands.

In 1 Samuel 29 the Philistines rejected David too. They were suspicious of him even though he had not treated them wrongfully. So David had to flee again.

In 1 Samuel 30:1-6 David’s men returned home to find that their new home has been completely burned with fire, and their wives, children, and all their possessions were carried away as plunder. Then David’s own men talk of killing him. 

Through all of these intense troubles, David was able to endure because his strength was in God. David knew how to encourage himself in God when facing problems. 

PSALM 56 is a Psalm of David

Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up;


Fighting all day he oppresses me.

My enemies would hound me all day,


For there are many who fight against me, O Most High.

Whenever I am afraid,
I will trust in You.

In God (I will praise His word),


In God I have put my trust;


I will not fear.
 What can flesh do to me?

All day they twist my words;


All their thoughts are against me for evil.

They gather together,


They hide, they mark my steps,


When they lie in wait for my life.

Shall they escape by iniquity?


In anger cast down the peoples, O God!

You number my wanderings;


Put my tears into Your bottle;


Are they not in Your book?

When I cry out to You,


Then my enemies will turn back;


This I know, because God is for me.

In God (I will praise His word),


In the Lord (I will praise His word),

In God I have put my trust;


I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?

Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God;


I will render praises to You,

For You have delivered my soul from death.


Have You not kept my feet from falling,


That I may walk before God 
In the light of the living?

David knew he was the anointed king. He knew he was the rightful ruler. But he didn’t fight for position. A man of God doesn’t strive in his own strength, but entrusts himself to God.

In due time, David became king in Israel. And Saul was dead.

1 Peter 5:6: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

God says, “When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned” (Isaiah 43:2)

Fire represents challenges and troubles. This world is full of trouble, and our lives can be full of challenges. But God promises to be with us in these challenges and bring us through safely, as long as we keep trusting in him.

Trials are part of the Christian life. The Bible says that we should not think it a strange thing when we face difficulties (1 Peter 4:17).

Some Christians believe that if they are faithful to God, they won’t face problems. The prosperity gospel says that Christians don’t need to go through trouble but should be rich and comfortable as a sign of their faith. This is a false teaching that contradicts the New Testament.

“As many as are godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).

Paul said we are “appointed” to trouble (1 Thessalonians 3:3). 

Daniel was faithful to God and received powerful revelations. But he ended up in the lions’ den. But God brought him out and stopped the lions’ mouths.

Jesus went through trouble. Jesus is our master, and if we follow him faithfully, we will be like him (Matthew 10:12-13). However, at the end of it all, he rose up from the dead.

Fire can have two effects on us. It can make us worse or it can make us better. When the world goes through fire the world is destroyed. When Christians go through fire, they are purified.

Fire shows us what is reliable. When we go through the fire, some friends may leave us. They liked us when we were comfortable and happy, but when we faced problems they left. The fire also reveals the garbage of our lives. When we’re in the fire, we discover things we need to get rid of. When we were comfortable those things were a regular part of our lives, but after we went through the fire, we saw that those things were causing problems. Sin is one thing that doesn’t endure the fire. To be strong in the fire, we need to get rid of sin.

Our faith is tested in the fire (1 Peter 1:7). Before going through the fire we may have trusted in many things. But after going through the fire, other things were stripped away. We saw we didn’t need those things, and they couldn’t be relied upon. Our faith was purified from other things and became more focused upon God.

Satan attacks our faith when we’re in the fire (1 Thessalonians 3:4-5). He wants us to give up our faith. No doubt about it, the fire is a time of testing. But hopefully we will see that nothing and no one can bring us through the fire except God. Therefore when we are in the fire we will continue to trust in God and give him and opportunity to act in our lives. Our faith will become purified like gold as other things are stripped away.

God promises that when we go through the fire, we will not be burned. When a person is burned, they get hurt or destroyed. It’s normal to get burned while in the fire, which is why the world gets burned when they are in the fire. To get through the fire and not be burned is supernatural, and this is the work of the Holy Spirit.

When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego went through the fiery furnace, they came out alive. They weren’t burned, and the smell of smoke was not even upon them. They experienced supernatural deliverance because they were trusting in God. And there was a 4th man with them in the fire – the Son of God (Daniel 3:24-26).

God is with us. He says, “Fear not, for I am with you” (Isaiah 43:5). He says, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

Even in the midst of the fire, God is with us. He will protect us. He will comfort us. He will bring us through the fire safely as we hold on to him. And he won’t allow us to be tested beyond what we are able to bear (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Sometimes God’s people become tired and bored of God (Isaiah 43:22). They don’t want to serve God any more, and their hearts are not in it (Malachi 1:13). They just go through the motions. 

God is the most amazing and powerful person in our lives. He is an infinite fountain of life. It doesn’t make sense to become bored with such an amazing, infinitely glorious person and find the mundane things of the world more interesting. But irrational things like this happen because of Satan. 

One of the most common reasons people become weary with God is that they get under the Law. They begin doing things in their own flesh. They think they know what they need to do to please God and then they rely on themselves to do it. This can quickly become exhausting.

The Law is NOT the power of God to salvation. It is the opposite. In fact, the Law is the ministry of death (2 Cor. 3:7). The law tells us about sin, and then we get into bondage to sin because of the flesh. The Law is the ministry of condemnation (2 Cor. 3:9). When we sin and fail, then Satan condems us. Other people condemn us. We condemn ourselves. The Law proclaims our guilt. Those who are under the Law are under a curse (Galatians 3:10-11). God curses those under the Law because their flesh is not according to him. The law produces wrath – the wrath of God (Romans 4:15).

When a person tries to keep the Law in the power of his flesh, he will fail. Then he will become miserable. He will probably become a hypocrite, hiding the bad reality of his life from others. He will condemn others because he sees they don’t measure up to the Law, and he might become proud because he thinks he is keeping some parts of the Law. But ultimately he will condemn himself because he sees his own failures. He will end up fighting against God because he sees that God is somehow his enemy who is constantly judging him. 

When a person is under the Law, they are living in the power of the flesh. God has sent the Holy Spirit into our hearts to give us power to live for God. The only way to keep God’s word is by the power of the Holy Spirit. Christianity is to be supernatural, lived in God’s strength, not our own.

The solution for living under the law is living by the Spirit. “If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law” (Galatians 5:18).

Jesus once met a woman at a well of water who had committed adultery and gone through a string of different men. But Jesus didn’t whip out the Law, bonk her over the head, and condemn her (John 4). Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save the world (John 3:17). 

Instead, Jesus talked to the woman about thirst. 

The woman was at a well that had been dug by Jacob. Jesus said if a person drank of this well they would be thirsty again. In some ways, Jacob’s well represents the Law because the Law was given to Jacob’s descendants. The Law was the means of their spiritual supply. The Law was weak because of the flesh. The Law will not satisfy us, but it will leave us thirsty. No matter how hard we try to keep the Law, we can’t.

We need the Holy Spirit to satisfy our thirst. Jesus told the woman at the well he would give her living water, and she would never thirst again (John 4:12-14). The woman wanted this water.

Jesus said if we believe in him, we will never hunger and never thirst (John 6:35). Jesus is the bread of life. He is the living fountain of water.

If our thirst is satisfied with the Holy Spirit, then we will not need satisfaction from sin. We will be satisfied with God. Furthermore, we will be empowered to live and walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh.

God is the only one who can truly satisfy us. In his presence is fullness of joy, at his right hand are pleasures forever (Psalm 16:11). Do we believe this? This is the fact about God. This is the reality. If we can believe this reality and see God as he is, then we will experience the reality of living water flowing into our souls. Obeying God will be a delight because we will experience more of him.

Following God is not about duty and forcing ourselves to do religious things. It’s not about living under the Law by the power of the flesh. It’s about drinking of the Holy Spirit and then no longer being thirsty. We need to delight ourselves in God. Enjoy him. He is awesome. Then we will find supernatural strength to live according to his word.

Sometimes we work for a long time and have no fruit. This is because we’ve been doing things in our own strength. But when we hear from God and do what he wants us to do, then we will have an abundant harvest.

When Jesus first called his disciples to follow him, they had been fishing all night and had caught nothing. They were experienced fishermen, but their own wisdom and strength had failed. Jesus told them to try catching fish again. When they obeyed Jesus, they caught many fish (Luke 5:1-11).

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, his disciples went fishing again. Again they fished all night and caught nothing. Then Jesus told them to put down their nets. When they fished according to Jesus’ word, they caught a lot of fish (John 21:2-6).

Through these two lessons, repeated at the beginning and end of his ministry, Jesus taught his disciples that they needed to be led by God.  

“Apart from me you can do nothing.”

“Abide in me and you will bring forth much fruit.”

Jesus said that he had food to eat that his disciples did not know about (John 4:32). His food was to do the will of his Father. When he obeyed his Father, he was fed spiritually. We need to know what God wants us to do, and then we need to do those things. That will feed us spiritually. We are not to live by natural food alone, but by the spiritual food of the word of God (Matthew 4:4). As we eat the word of God by obeying it, we will feed our spirits and become strong.

We are to live by the inspiration and leading of the Holy Spirit. He is to be the input and output of our lives. We are not to live in the flesh according to the ways of the world. We are to live above the world by the Spirit of God.

As we follow God’s leading, he will make us fishers of men. He will lead us to catch people for his kingdom. God wants us to cast out bread on many waters (Ecclesiastes 11:1-6). This means he wants us to tell many people about him.

We should be ready to give an answer to people who ask us about God (1 Peter 3:15). We should discuss God and his truth with others with gentleness and respect. There is no point in fighting with people or putting people down. Let us show love and respect to them, for we were once like they were.

God wants us to buy up the time (Ephesians 5:16). He doesn’t want Satan to dominate the time and cause us to waste it. God wants us to buy up the time when talking to others. He wants us to share the gospel (Colossians 4:5-6) and not just allow others to dominate the conversation. As we talk, our speech should be gracious. We can be kind and courteous. We can show the love of God. God also wants our conversation to be seasoned with salt. We need to bring truth into conversations like salt. We need to sprinkle truth in here and there. When we speak to others in grace along with truth, the Holy Spirit will inspire us as we are talking, and he will give us further revelations about what to say.

The Holy Spirit will lead us. He will make us effective fishers of men. We won’t need to do this in our strength, but in his. And as we follow some basic principles laid out in God’s word, he will give us a harvest.

Jesus wants us to share the gospel with others. Jesus commanded us to make disciples of all nations, teaching them to do whatever he commanded (Matt. 28:19-20). Sharing the gospel means not only telling people to believe in Jesus but also telling them to obey him.

This is the responsibility of every Christian. Jesus expected his people to go throughout the world and tell everyone to obey him. We don’t all have to travel to another country to evangelize, but we all need to tell the gospel to others. The words of God are going to judge everyone. Every person alive will be held accountable to God’s words. We have to tell others Jesus’ words so they know what they will be accountable for when they stand before his throne.

In order to share the gospel effectively, we need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. Although the early Christians were born again, they were not baptized in the Holy Spirit until the day of Pentecost. They had to wait until they were clothed with power from on high, and then they could be effective witnesses for God. It’s similar for us. We need to be filled with the Spirit in order to share the gospel effectively. 

To bring souls into God’s kingdom we need to first pray. Then we need to be led by the Holy Spirit, so God can send us to the ones he wants us to share the gospel with (Matt. 9:37-39).

Being led by the Spirit will make our ministry effective. The Holy Spirit told Philip to go to a road. There he met a man, he shared the gospel, and the man believed. Paul wanted to go to Asia to preach the gospel, but the Holy Spirit didn’t let him. God told Paul to go to Macedonia instead, where he shared the gospel and had much success. We don’t have to share the gospel with everyone, but we need to share the gospel with someone. God will show us who that is. 

The gospel is good news. No one can pay for their own sins. Only the blood of Jesus can pay for our sins. Jesus paid the penalty for everyone’s sins, and now they can be set free. This is the best news ever. Hell is an unimaginably bad place of eternal torment, and we don’t want our friends and relatives going there. If we love people, we’ll warn them of this impending danger and tell them what Jesus did in dying on the cross. If we don’t love them, we won’t tell them. 

Jesus came to give us abundant life (John 10:10). He came to give us real peace and joy. People need God in this world full of misery. There is no one like God. He is the best person in the universe. He created everyone and loves them. If we love people, we’ll tell them about Jesus so they can believe in him and experience this abundant life. Only Jesus has the power to deliver from sin and from the misery of this world. 

Maybe we have friends who are Christians, but they aren’t very deep in their faith. God wants us to share more truth with them so they can grow and experience more of God. God’s word is the pathway to the green pastures and still waters. 

God wants his church to be full of people. He wants us go out into the dark parts of the city and of the world and find people to bring in to his house. He wants his church to be filled with people before he comes back (Luke 14:23). As more people submit to God, this will hasten the preparation of the bride.

Sometimes it’s hard to share the gospel because we’re afraid of what people will think of us. We are worried they won’t like us anymore. These are unnecessary fears. People are often glad to talk about God. Some people have never heard the gospel clearly, so they have never had an opportunity to believe. If we tell them, they would be happy to hear, believe, and be born again.

Even if people seem to reject the gospel initially, there may come a time when they remember what we told them. Even at the moment of death, our words may come back to them and they might believe the gospel and escape hell because of our words. 

It just makes reasonable sense to tell others about Jesus and give them an opportunity for salvation.

Satan tries to hinder us from sharing the gospel. He is the king of irrationality. He wants us to be afraid of rescuing people from eternal torment. Being more afraid of what a person thinks of us than of a person being eternally tormented is irrational. The devil wants as many people as possible in hell. He knows he’s going there someday, and he wants others to be consigned to the same fate.

Let’s reject these Satanic hindrances and share the gospel. 

We don’t need to be friends with someone for 5 years before we say anything to them about God. Let’s speak up now. People will not hear the gospel unless someone tells them (Romans 10:14). If we really care about people, we won’t be silent.

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12).

When we hope for something that takes a long time to occur, our hearts can become sick. We become disappointed, thinking it will never happen, and our hearts become corrupt, doubting God. 

God doesn’t want us to have sick hearts. We can wait for God’s word without allowing our hearts to become sick, discouraged, or depressed. We can have healthy hearts, even when we have to wait a long time for God’s will to occur.

In the Bible, hope is a strong word. Biblical hope is strong because the object of such hope is God. When we hope in God and in his word, we can be confident. God’s word will never fail. Heaven and earth will fail before God’s word fails. We can maintain a healthy heart as we wait for God to fulfill his word because God is not a liar, and what he said will come to pass. Our hope in him will not be disappointed.

Sometimes hope disappoints us because we are not hoping in God but in random things that are unlikely to happen. For example, we say, “I hope it doesn’t rain today,” even if the sky is full of dark clouds and there is 90% chance of rain. It’s most likely going to rain, but we hope that it won’t. When we hope for random things that are unlikely to happen, our hope often fails, and our general concept of hope is weakened.

In order to hope in God, it is important that we hope according to his word. Hoping that God will do something that is not according to his word can lead to disappointment. We need to both know the word of God, and we need to know what God is saying to us specifically. When we know God’s word accurately, our hope in God will not fail.

To hope in God’s word, we need to rightly divide the word of God. The Bible is full of promises, and we must know which promises apply specifically to us and which ones don’t. Hoping for verses to happen which do not apply specifically to us is a recipe for failure. For example, if we are waiting to become the wisest person in the world like Solomon (1 Kings 3:12), our hope will be disappointed.

When we identify a promise that applies to us, we must be prepared to wait. God’s word often takes a while. We must wait for God’s word to be fulfilled. As we wait, we must not allow our hearts to become sick.

A sick heart can turn us away from God and his word. Doubts and depression can creep in. When our hearts become sick, bad words will start coming out of our mouths (Luke 6:45). The mouth is a barometer revealing the state of our hearts. A sick heart will complain. When the Israelites wandered in the wilderness longer than they would like to, before entering the Promised Land, their hearts became sick. They doubted God and complained.

Bad emotions erupt from sick hearts. Someone has been waiting a long time, God has not done things as fast as the person wanted, and they get angry and bitter. They might turn hard and crusty in unbelief. The fruit of the Spirit is good emotions, but bad emotions are a sign of heart sickness. 

Some people scoff and mock when the word of God takes a long time to fulfill. They mock God and those who believe in God, saying “what’s the point?” At the end of the age, some Christians will become discouraged because Jesus took a long time to return to earth. They will begin mocking God and his faithful people. They will begin fulfilling their lusts (2 Peter 3:3-4). When God’s word is delayed, some people begin to live in their sins because they think it doesn’t matter anymore.

Satan wants us to give up hope. He wants us to become discouraged. He wants us to stop believing. If he can get us to stop believing God’s word, then he wins a victory, for the will of God is then blocked from happening in our lives. Without faith we can receive nothing from the Lord (James 1:7).

To wait, we need patience. “You need patience, that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise” (Hebrews 10:36). 

Sometimes it is necessary to wait a long time before God’s word happens. God himself waits a long time for his word to be fulfilled. He is maintaining a strong and joyful heart while he waits. He’s been waiting 2000 years for a bride for his Son. He’s been waiting for his people to come to maturity. He’s waiting for his kingdom to be all over the world and for Satan to be put under the feet of his people. God is waiting, and his Spirit is inside of us. This means that he will strengthen us to wait too.

Throughout the Bible, strong people of faith like Abraham, Sarah, Noah, Daniel, Joseph, and others had to wait a long time for God’s word to be fulfilled. They didn’t develop sick hearts as they waited, but they encouraged themselves in God.

Many people die without seeing God’s promises fulfilled. But they still die strong in hope. Their hearts don’t become sick. All the strong people of faith listed in Hebrews 11 “died in faith, not receiving the promises” (Hebrews 11:13,39-40). They hoped and waited all their lives for God to fulfill his word. They were hoping for Christ to come. For God’s kingdom to be revealed, for his enemies to be defeated. They didn’t receive the promises, but they didn’t lose hope. Until their dying breaths, they kept hoping in God who never fails, and they maintained healthy hearts. They received a testimony that still speaks and encourages us today.

Since Christ, Christians have still been dying in faith. They have not seen the bride come into her glory or any Christians come to full maturity. They have not seen the kingdom of God all over the world and the glory of God covering the earth as the waters cover the sea. They died in faith, continuing to believe, and passing the torch of hope on to the next generation.

We must not give up. Keep hope alive. There are tasks that God has put before us to fulfill for his kingdom. Someday God’s will will be done everywhere, and all his promises will be fulfilled.

When the will of God is fulfilled, our godly desires are accomplished. Proverbs says the fulfillment of our desires is like a tree of life. When a person eats the tree of life, he can live forever. Jesus Christ is our tree of life, for he said if we eat of him, we would live forever. Jesus is the one who fulfills our godly desires. When he comes, he fulfills our hopes.

At the end of the age, the tree of life will be clearly manifested (Rev. 22:2). Everyone on earth who remains in the kingdom of God will partake of this tree. Its leaves are for the healing of the nations. The end of the age will be the consummation of all godly desires among all of God’s people throughout history. This will be a great time of rejoicing everywhere.

Until that time, let us wait on God. Let us hope in him. He will fulfill his word.

““Son of man, what is this proverb that you people have about the land of Israel, which says, ‘The days are prolonged, and every vision fails’ Tell them therefore, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I will lay this proverb to rest, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel.” ’ But say to them, ‘ “The days are at hand, and the fulfillment of every vision” (Ezekiel 12:22-23).

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD” (Malachi 4:5).

Before Jesus returns, the spirit of Elijah will operate on the earth through God’s servants. The spirit of Elijah is an operation of the Holy Spirit that will prepare the way for the second coming of Jesus Christ.

The spirit of Elijah operated in three people in the Bible: Elijah, Elisha, and John the Baptist. It will operate again at the end of the age.

Elijah

Elijah was one of the greatest prophets who ever lived. Elijah was one of only two people recorded in the Bible who went up directly to heaven without dying (Enoch was the other.) When Jesus was transfigured, Elijah was there with Moses on the mountain along with Jesus.

Elijah was a tough man. All prophets must be strong because they call people to repent and turn back to God. Many people don’t like prophets because they don’t want to repent. In particular, God’s people often don’t like God’s prophets because they think what they are doing is fine, and they don’t want to change anything (Jer. 1:17-18; Ezek. 3:8-9). Prophets must be willing to face opposition and even hatred (especially from God’s people) in order to fulfill their ministry.

Elijah wore a leather girdle and camel’s hair shirt (2 Kings 1:8). These clothes probably would have been uncomfortable, but Elijah was more interested in fulfilling his calling than in being comfortable. These were rough garments that lasted, and he didn’t want to think too much about clothes. He had a striking, unmistakable appearance that would have shocked those who saw him. He was separate from the religious system of his day, and he was trained by the Holy Spirit in isolation. He came out from the wilderness to call God’s people to repentance. He would suddenly appear, possibly frightening those who saw him.

Elijah did powerful  miracles. He lived by miraculous provision. He didn’t rely on natural or material things, but he relied on the invisible things of God. During a famine, he was fed by ravens. This rough food given by ravens didn’t seem to disturb Elijah. He was fed by a poor widow whose meager supply of flour and oil multiplied as long as Elijah needed food (1 Kings 17:14). He was also fed directly by angels.

Elijah once resurrected a dead person (1 Kings 17:22). He called down fire from heaven to burn up a sacrifice that was soaked in water. He called down fire from heaven and killed 102 soldiers (2 Kings 1:9-12).

Elijah confronted paganism that had become entrenched among God’s people. He spoke against pagan practices and released miraculous power against evil rituals which allowed Satan to infiltrate the people of God. Elijah confronted corrupt kings and leaders (1 Kings 18:16-19).

Elijah had strong faith. His prayers were powerful, and he shut up heaven for 3.5 years (James 5:17-18). He controlled the weather and stopped the rain for years. He prayed again, and then it rained.

Elijah once thought he was alone, but God told him there were 7000 others who had not worshiped Baal (1 Kings 19:14-18). This shows that Elijah was not perfect in his discernment. 

Elijah anointed future leaders, including the king of Syria (1 Kings 19:15-16). He was not confined by the world system, but he dominated the world system by the power of God.

Elijah suffered spiritual attacks and sometimes became depressed. This shows that there is a weakness in the Elijah spirit.

Elisha

Elisha continued the powerful ministry of the Elijah spirit. When Elijah went up to heaven at the end of his life on earth, he gave a double portion of his spirit to Elisha. This means Elisha had twice the power Elijah had.

Elisha split the Jordan river. He killed people with bears. He multiplied food. Whereas Elijah multiplied a widow’s oil to feed himself and her household, Elisha multiplied a widow’s oil to such an extent that she sold many gallons of it to others (2 Kings 4:1-7). Elisha multiplied bread to feed 100 people (2 Kings 4:42).

Elisha struck an entire army with blindness and led them into captivity.

Whereas Elijah faced a famine of 3.5 years, Elisha faced a famine of 7 years (2 Kings 8:1-2).

Elijah resurrected one person, but Elisha resurrected two people.

At the end of his life, Elisha died of a sickness (2 Kings 13:14). This shows the weakness of the spirit of Elijah.

John the Baptist

Next, the Elijah spirit operated through John the Baptist, who came in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:16-17). Jesus even called John the Baptist “Elijah” (Matthew 11:14).

Like Elijah, John the Baptist was trained by God in the wilderness (Luke 1:80). He wore a leather girdle and ate locusts and wild honey (Matt. 3:5).

John the Baptist preached that people should leave a corrupt religious system. He called them to repent. He was unafraid of people, and said that sinners were like a brood of vipers. John the Baptist said the mountains would be made low and the valleys would be exalted. This shows that the humble were going to be exalted and the proud would be put down.

John the Baptist confronted bad leaders like Herod, which ultimately cost him his life (Luke 3:19-20). 

Jesus said that John the Baptist was the greatest Old Testament prophet (Luke 7:28). A prophet’s greatness is determined by his calling. John the Baptist’s ministry was greater than any other prophet, because he was called to prepare the way for Jesus Christ.

Like others with the spirit of Elijah, John the Baptist suffered spiritual attack and had weakness. When he was in prison, he doubted whether Jesus was really the Christ (Matthew 11:3-5).

Interestingly, John the Baptist did not do any miracles (John 10:41). This shows that there is something yet to be done by the spirit of Elijah that John the Baptist left incomplete. There is a powerful aspect of the spirit of Elijah that needs to operate at the end of the age.

When Jesus came the first time, he did not judge the world. He came to save the world. But when Jesus returns the second time, he will judge the world according to the word of God. 

Before Jesus returns to earth, the spirit of Elijah will again operate in order to prepare the way for his coming.

The Bible says that Elijah was a person who was subject to like passions like us (James 5:17). When the spirit of Elijah comes upon a person, he is changed to represent God in a powerful way.

Throughout history, some people have claimed to be Elijah. These individuals have said they were Elijah who was preparing the way for the coming of Jesus. These individuals have been deceived.

At the end of the age, the spirit of Elijah will operate through many of God’s faithful servants. These faithful people will flee Babylon, call the church to repentance, and prepare the way for the coming of Jesus. They are ordinary people who will do extraordinary things by the Holy Spirit.

The operation of this spirit of Elijah at the end of the age is referred to in Malachi 3:1-7; 4:1-6. This spirit will cleanse the temple of God (the church) and purify God’s people.

The spirit of Elijah will ultimately operate through the two witnesses, a group of people who will minister powerfully on the earth (Revelation 11:1-12). They will wear sackcloth. They will prophesy 3.5 years and shut heaven like Elijah. They will stand before God like Elijah (1 Kings 17:1). They will have power to turn water into blood like Elisha seemed to do (2 Kings 3:22). They will call down fire from heaven and unleash God’s judgment against a corrupt world. And at the end of their ministry they will die. But they will quickly resurrect, and this will be the end of the age.

Before Jesus comes back, the spirit of Elijah will operate powerfully through God’s people. This spirit will have a powerful role to play at the end of the age. This spirit is the Holy Spirit operating in a unique way to prepare for the return of Jesus Christ.

The first and most important commandment is to love God (Mark 12:30). This is the most important responsibility we have as Christians. 

We love God because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). God’s love is poured into our hearts through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). The Holy Spirit will enable us to love God, because love is the primary fruit of the Holy Spirit. God’s love flows into us by the Holy Spirit, and that love flows through us back to God. We love God with the love that we have received from God. 

Since true love originates in God and is poured into our hearts from God, our love for God is to have the same nature and quality as God’s love for us.

Unconditional

Our love for God is to be like his love for us: unconditional. God doesn’t put conditions on his love for us, and we shouldn’t put conditions on our love for God. God’s love does not fluctuate based on our behavior, and our love for God should not fluctuate based on what God does or doesn’t do. We don’t love God more when he does what we want and love him less when our lives don’t go the way we want. We should love God the same regardless of what he does.

Not Based on Feelings

Our love for God is not based on feelings. We don’t love God when we feel like it and don’t love him when we don’t. Love that is based on feelings varies wildly – it goes up and down based on moods. Feelings come and go. When we are disappointed, our love wanes, and when we are happy, our love is strong. This is not a good foundation for a healthy relationship. Love that is based on feelings is love that is based on ourselves, and this love is limited because it is not based on God’s power. 

Showing God We Love Him

God is the most important person in our lives, and our relationship with him is the most important relationship we have. It’s important for us to show God that we love him. We show our love to God differently than he shows his love to us because he is our authority. He is our Lord. He is over us. 

This difference in relationship is reflected in the different ways we show our love to God. Whereas God shows his love to us in that he provides for us, protects us, died for us, answers our prayers, gives us gifts, empowers us with his Holy Spirit, speaks to us, etc; we show our love to God in different ways.

Obey Him

One of the most important ways we show love to God is by obeying him. God doesn’t obey us, we obey him. We are not his Lord, he is our Lord. We’re not telling him what to do, he tells us what to do.

Jesus said if you love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15, 23). The New Testament defines the love of God as keeping his commandments. “This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments (1 John 5:3). If we love God, we’ll obey him. If we don’t love him, we won’t obey him. 

Satan wants us to disobey God. If we disobey God, we are obeying Satan. Serving Satan is spiritual adultery. Committing spiritual adultery shows that we don’t love God.

Jesus asks why people call him “Lord” and not do the things that he says (Luke 6:46). Those who call Jesus “Lord” but disobey his words do not love him. Jesus does not know them, and they will go into hell (Matthew 7:21-24). Persistent disobedience is a sign that a person has not been truly saved. Disobedience is a sign of hatred, not love. 

Jesus cannot be separated from the word of God. Jesus and his words are one. Jesus is the word of God made flesh. If we despise the word of God by not obeying it, this is tantamount to despising Jesus. But if we love and obey God’s words, this shows that we love and obey Jesus.

Hear Him

If you love someone, you’ll want to hear what they have to say. If you don’t love him, you’ll avoid him and not want to hear from him.

If we love God, we’ll want to hear what he has to say. If God tells us he wants us to change things, we will change them. We won’t run away from him, afraid to hear from him lest he tell us something we don’t like. 

God speaks to us through the Bible. If we love God, we’ll spend time reading his word. If we don’t love him, we’ll disregard the Bible. 

God speaks to us in prayer. When we love God we’ll spend time in prayer. 

God speaks to us through other believers. If we love God, we’ll love his church, and we’ll spend time in fellowship with other Christians so God can speak to us through them. But if we don’t love God, we will not want to spend time in fellowship. 

Trust Him

If you love someone, you’ll trust him. You will rely on him. Sometimes God asks us to trust him in something that is hard. If we love him, we’ll trust him; if we don’t love him, we won’t. 

A trust fall is when someone falls backwards into someone’s arms. It is easy to trust fall into the arms of a person you love. Because you love that person you trust that they will catch you and not let you hit the floor. If you don’t love that person, it is harder to fall backwards into their arms.

God sometimes asks us to do a trust fall into his arms. He tells us to do something, and we don’t know how it will work out. But we do it anyway, blindly trusting him to take care of us. When we obey God radically like this, it shows we love God. And whenever we do this, we will be blessed beyond measure.

Respect/Fear Him

When we love God, we will respect him. This respect will be so great that it can almost be called fear. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This is not a fear that causes us to run away, but it is the fear that causes us to be in awe of God and to want to run to him for safety. 

If we don’t respect a person, we may despise that person. When we despise someone, it shows we don’t love that person. The more we respect God, the more we will love him.

Worship Him

When we love God, we will worship him. To worship means to bow down in extreme submission. Worshiping God involves singing and praising him, but it is more than that. It means submitting to him in radical ways. When we love God, we will worship him on his terms not on our terms. People have made up many different ways of worshiping God over the years, and many of these ways are not according to God’s word. Shockingly, many of these worship styles have come from Satanic religions. Worshiping God using Satanic means is a sign that people hate God, not that they love him. While this is often done in ignorance, God is calling his people to throw out these evil things. We reject the traditions of men and just do what God says. When we worship God on his terms, not on our terms, it shows him that we love him.

Thank Him

When we love someone, we will thank them and show them gratitude. We will not take them for granted. God showers his love upon us in many ways, and we should thank him for it. When we love God, we will be thankful for these many ways that he shows his love to us. We will not take his gifts for granted. Every good thing in our lives has come from God (James 1:17). When we thank God, we acknowledge that he is the source of these good gifts, and we don’t attribute the source of these good things to ourselves. 

Love Other Christians

People are made in the image of God. God loves the entire world, for everyone is made in his image. For this reason, we should love everyone. Furthermore, we should to show special love to other Christians. It is impossible to love God and not love our brothers and sisters in Christ (1 John 4:21). If we love other believers, then it proves that we love God, and God’s love is perfected in us (1 John 4:12).

We are the body of Christ, and we are members of Jesus’ flesh and bones. We are a part of him. This is why Jesus said that when Christians hurt, he hurts. When they are hungry, he is hungry. When Christians are naked, he is naked. When we minister to needy members in the body of Christ, we are actually ministering to Jesus (Matthew 25:35-40).

Loving God is one of the most basic and fundamental parts of Christianity. We can show love to God in many different ways. God showers his love upon us in many ways, and we can show our love to God in many different ways. The ways we show our love to God will be different than the ways he shows his love to us, because he is our Lord and we are his children. Let us reflect some of his great love back to him, in the ways that are mentioned here.

A Message from Bobby:

Matthew 5: 44-48 (NKJV)

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Oftentimes the word “telios” in the Greek New Testament is translated as “perfect” in our English Bibles. However, this Greek word does not have a direct analogy in English and its actual meaning depends often on the context the word is being used. The word “telios” implies something or someone that is of full age, complete, fully mature, fully grown, etc. The English word “perfect” simply fails to capture the full meaning of the Greek word with all its nuances and implications in the Bible. In Matt 5:48, the word should be better translated as “fully mature”, because God expects us to grow in spiritual maturity until we reach the point where we can love even our enemies.

Last time we discussed God’s amazing love for us, which has been freely given to us. We do not need to earn it or work for it, but simply accept it by faith through the finished work of Christ on the cross. Our salvation in Christ is based on God’s love for us and is only by faith in Christ’s sacrifice for our sins. Yet, God desires for us to grow in our relationship with Him and become more and more like His Son, to be conformed more and more to Christ’s image. God wants us to grow spiritually both as individual believers and as one body of believers.

The Parable of the Sower is one example of individual growth. In addition, Paul wanted “to present every manperfectin Christ” (Collosians 1:28). Again, the English word “perfect” comes from “telios” and should be better translated as “fully mature/grown” thus referring to full spiritual growth. On the other hand, Eph 4:13 references spiritual growth as a church, as one body of believers:

Eph 4: 13

till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

Again, I’ve underlined the word “perfect” to indicate the Greek word “telios”, which in the context of the verses Eph 4:13-16, indicates that this word should better be translated as “fully mature”. The church is called “to grow up in all things” (Eph 4:15) as one spiritual body until it reaches the fullness of Christ.

Jesus also had to grow. He was fully God and fully man. As God, he was without sin. But as a man, he had to grow – first physically, as a baby, and later, spiritually, as an adult.

Hebrews 2: 10:

For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

By now, you can guess that the English words “make perfect” stand for “reach full maturity” or “grow to full maturity” – the Greek word “telioo” is simply the verb associated with the Greek word “telios” which we discussed previously. In fact, how can Jesus become perfect – as God, he was already perfect, without sin. However, as a man, Jesus needed to grow spiritually and reach full maturity, by completing his obedience to the Father through his sufferings on the cross. All of this is implied by the use of the Greek word “telios” which can not be captured by any English word.

So, if God wants us to become more like Christ and grow spiritually, then how do we do it?

First, and most importantly, we must desire God’s Word and obey it:

1 John 2: 5:

But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

The Word of God brings spiritual growth and leads us towards maturity in Christ. Apostle Peter urges believers to desire the pure milk of the Word so that they may grow by it (1 Peter 2: 2). Moreover, we’ve discussed before the Book of Hebrews chapters 5 and 6, where believers are called to master the foundational teachings of Christianity, so that they may no longer be babies in Christ but grow to maturity (Heb 5:12 – Heb 6:2). Perhaps, Heb 5:14 is one of the few instances, where the word “telios” is not translated as “perfect”, but as “of full age”.

It’s interesting that in the Book of Revelation only two churches were not reprimanded by Jesus. The other five churches had all kinds of issues as a result of their compromise with sin and with the truth of the Word. But the churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia were the only ones who were commended and encouraged to continue being faithful to Christ. It is safe to assume that they were faithfully holding onto the Word of God. The name of the church of Smyrna comes from the word myrrh which means sweet aroma, sweet fragrance. They had the sweet aroma of Christ. They were facing great trials and testing, and they were promised the crown of life if they continued being faithful unto death (Rev 2: 8-10). The crown of life is also mentioned in the Book of James:

James 1: 12

Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him

The context is the same – those who endure through the trial and the testing will receive the crown of life. However, if we look at the preceding verses, we can see another reason for enduring the testing:

James 1: 2-4:

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

That’s again the same word “perfect” which can be better translated as “fully mature”, “fully grown”. The testing of our faith can produce spiritual growth in our lives, when we hold on to God’s Word and His promises. Peter compares the testing of the faith as a fire which purifies the impurities from our life:

1 Peter 1: 6-8:

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love.

From these passages, we can conclude that the trials and the testing, albeit most likely incredibly painful, served as the way for the church of Smyrna to reach full maturity and full spiritual growth. The trials purified the faith of the believers and allowed them to shine with the brightness of Christ. (In this context, we can also mention the words of Paul, who shared what God spoke to him: “My strength/power is madeperfectin weakness” (2 Cor 12:9).)

Now, let’s look at the church of Philadelphia (Rev 3: 7-12). The word “philadelphia” is used many times in the New Testament and it’s usually translated as “brotherly love”. It comes from the Greek words “philos” which means “friend”; “adelphos” which means “brothers”; and also “phileo” which means “to love”, most likely love as a friend. This word “philadelphia” is often contrasted with “agape”, which is God’s sacrificial love for humanity. However, sometimes the Bible uses both words together:

1 Thess 4: 9

But concerningbrotherly love(“philadelphia”) you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God tolove(“agapao” – the verb from “agape”) one another;

1 Peter 1: 22

22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren (“philadelphia”), love (“agapao”) one another fervently with a pure heart

In other words, believers who share “philadelphia” kind of love, not only love each other with God’s love, but they actually like each other and they have deep personal, intimate relationships, which lead to that kind of close, affectionate friendship with one another. God calls us to have agape love for our enemies, because we need to love them despite not liking them and them hating us; but when we “phileo” someone, we actually know them personally and love them as dear friends. So, the church of Philadelphia is a church, where believers actually like each other, know each other, and love each other. They do not only tolerate one another, but they have genuine love for one another in the Spirit.

The Bible tells us that the love we have for our fellow brothers and sisters in the faith may help us grow and mature spiritually:

1 John 4:12:

No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.

John 17:22-23:

And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

Both the churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia are commended by Jesus, without being rebuked. Both faced the same enemy – the synagogue of Satan. But while the believers of Smyrna had to earn a crown by enduring through the trial and the testing, those of Philadelphia had already earned a crown, which they had to keep by holding onto what they already had. They had an open door before them and were promised that their enemies, the synagogue of Satan, would be made to come and worship before their feet (which is a sign of victory over their enemies). They were told that the synagogue of Satan would know that Jesus had loved the church of Philadelphia. Moreover, the overcomers in the church were promised to become pillars of the temple of God. This reference to the spiritual temple of God directly alludes to the unity in the faith of believers as we discussed in Eph 4:13 – unity that reaches the maturity in the fullness of Christ as one body. Eph 2:21 and 1 Peter 2:5 also describe the church as a spiritual temple which grows in the Lord as believers grow together in unity. Moreover, the promise that their enemies would know that Jesus had loved them points to the words of Jesus in John 17: 22-23 that the world would know that the disciples were loved by God as they reach maturity in oneness with Christ and with one another.

Looking at these two churches, both of which are the highest examples of faithfulness and obedience to the Word of God, I can see two examples of reaching spiritual maturity: one through the trial and tribulation, and the other – through the love for the believers in the church. Indeed, as believers, who pursue to live godly, we are all promised to suffer persecution to some extent (2 Tim 3:12). But, I can also see the great promises of the Word for us. As we strive to be a church obedient to the truth of the Word of God, I do think that we have a choice to make and decide which route we would like to embark upon – the one where our impurities in character and love are being purified through the testing and affliction, or the one where we choose to die to self and love other believers in the church with the supernatural love of God in the Spirit. “Agape” love for our enemies may seem at first to be the higher form of love than “phileo” love for your friends in the faith. However, the use of these words in the Bible indicates that they could be used as synonyms in the context of the church. Moreover, the “phileo” love could be the higher one, as we are called to grow in a deeper love for one another, overcoming all kinds of barriers and challenges, so that we may grow together in spiritual love upon the truth of the Word of God. After all, how can we love our enemies, if we cannot first love those in the church who share the same Spirit of Christ as us? Furthermore, Jesus identified himself with the church, those who believed in him, and if we lack love for other believers, by implication this would mean that we lack love for Jesus himself.

Love is foundational for the Christian life. Love is the essence of Christianity. God is love (1 John 4:8). Before we knew God, we didn’t know true love, but after knowing God, now we can know what true love is.

Love is more important than spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:31). Without love, spiritual gifts are pointless. Love makes spiritual gifts meaningful and effective.

We are commanded to pursue love (1 Cor. 14:1).

The love of God is so vast that we can only know it along with other Christians in the body of Christ (Eph. 3:18). The love of Christ is 4 dimensional (Eph. 3:18). It is beyond our ability to know it by human understanding. But the Holy Spirit will reveal the love of God to us. When we know the love of Christ by the Holy Spirit, then we as a church will be filled with the fullness of God (Eph. 3:19). This is God’s goal for his people at the end of the age. Through the bride of Christ God’s presence and power will radiate into the world. This means that the bride of Christ will have a clear revelation of the love of God at the end of time so that she can be filled with God.

Love is as strong as death (Song of Solomon 8:6). Death is strong, and nothing can match death’s power except love. Love can conquer death. in the end of the world, the last enemy to be destroyed is death. When Jesus died on the cross, it was the love of God that enabled him to conquer death. So it will be at the end of the age when death is finally destroyed.

Nothing can separate us from God’s love (Rom. 8:39). God’s love is like glue that holds us to him.

What is God’s love like?

God’s love is unconditional. God loves us regardless of what we do. God loves the entire world (John 3:16). He loves the world not on the basis of the world fulfilling conditions in order to qualify for his love, but because God loves the world without any strings attached. This does not mean that God is always pleased with what we do, but it means that regardless of what we do he still loves us.

God’s love is eternal. It will last forever. It will never fail.

God’s love is consistent. It is not up and down. God’s love is the same all the time.

God loved us first (1 John 4:19). It’s easy to love someone who loves you, but God loved us when we were still sinners. It’s hard to love your enemies, but God loved us when we were his enemies. When we were dead in our sins, God loved us. At the worst moment of your life, in the middle of the worst sin you ever committed, God saw everything you were doing. And he still loved you. That’s why he sent his Son to rescue you from these sins that were destroying you.

How does God show his love to you?

1. He created you (Psalm 139:13). It’s better to exist than to not exist. Why? Because by existing we have an opportunity to be with God forever in heaven. This is an immeasurable blessing that God gave to us by creating us.

2. God has a plan for you. God’s plans are good. He has charted out a way ahead for your life that will lead to true joy and satisfaction and be eternally valuable. As you seek God, this way will become clear.

3. God sent Jesus to die for your sins. There is no greater love than dying for someone else (John 15:13). God demonstrates his love for you because he sent his Son to die on the cross in your place (Romans 5:8). He forgave you all your sins. He delivered you from the power of Satan. This is because he loved you.

4. God gave you his word. He wrote a book for you and gave it so you can know him and make sense of life. The Bible is the only perfect book, and it was written to you by God. We not only have the Bible, but God also speaks to us today. He speaks to us by his Spirit, through other believers, and through circumstances. God communicates to us by his word because he loves us.

5. God gave you his Holy Spirit. God lives inside of you by his Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is power to live for God. We are living the Christian life not by our own strength, but by God’s strength. We live not by the law, but by grace. Not only that, but the Holy Spirit satisfies us. He is like rivers of living water that quenches the longings of our souls. After drinking of the Holy Spirit, we will not be thirsty again.

6. God provides for what you need. He takes care of the birds and the plants, how much more will he take care of you? Seek first his kingdom, and then he will provide abundantly for whatever you need.

7. God answers your prayers. He listens to all your prayers, even about the smallest matters. Sometimes God doesn’t answer in the way you want, because he has something better for you. But he cares about every aspect of your life.

8. God corrects you. God disciplines those he loves (Hebrews 12:6). This may seem unpleasant, but this discipline is a sign of God’s love. God doesn’t want you going down wrong paths that will destroy you. He wants you to go in the way that will lead to abundant life. Sometimes he needs to correct you to get you on the right path. This is a sign of his love.

9. God protects you. He has rescued you many times and protected you from innumerable evils. Even when bad things happen to you, he turns it all around for good (Romans 8:28).

10. God gives you eternal life. You will be with God forever in heaven. Nothing is better than that. This is a sign of his great love for you, that he wants to be with you forever.

The love of God is poured out into our lives by the Holy Spirit who is given to us (Rom. 5:5). The word of God tells us what God’s love is like, and it shows us how God demonstrates his love to us. When we learn more about the love of God, then that supernatural love will increasingly characterize our lives. This will cause us to filled with God and enable us fulfill our destiny.

Spiritual gifts are vital for the building of the church and the accomplishment of God’s work on the earth. Each Christian has at least one spiritual gift. Each Christian is called to function in their spiritual gift so the body of Christ can grow properly.

Sometimes Christians have never operated in a spiritual gift. They may not know what their spiritual gifts are. 

Spiritual gifts, like all gifts, must be received. They are freely given by God, but they must be received by people.

We need to know how to receive spiritual gifts.

First, in order to receive spiritual gifts, we must know about them. We are commanded to not be ignorant about spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1). When we are ignorant, we are limited. We need knowledge. The word of God gives us knowledge that paves the way for experience of spiritual things. We need to study what the New Testament says about spiritual gifts. We need good teaching that will declare what the Bible says, neither adding to nor taking away from God’s word about this important topic.

Second, we need to desire spiritual gifts. God is not going to force us to receive a gift from him that we do not want. We should earnestly desire spiritual gifts, and then God will give them to us (1 Corinthians 14:1). We should desire the better gifts that are particularly helpful for building up the church (1 Cor. 12:31). For example, each Christian is instructed to desire to prophesy (1 Cor. 14:39). God responds to the desire of his people.

After knowing about spiritual gifts and desiring them, then we can receive them.

Spiritual gifts can be received several different ways according to the New Testament.

First of all, spiritual gifts are given when people are baptized in the Holy Spirit. On the day of Pentecost, the disciples received the gift of tongues (Acts 2:4). When people in Cornelius’ house were baptized in the Holy Spirit, they received the gift of tongues (Acts 10:46). When the believers in Ephesus were baptized in the Holy Spirit, they received the gift of tongues and the gift of prophecy (Acts 19:6). If we want to operate in spiritual gifts, we need to first be baptized in the Holy Spirit. The baptism in the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to spiritual things and enables us to function more effectively in spiritual reality.

Spiritual gifts can also be received through the laying on of hands. Paul received the spiritual gift of apostleship through the laying on of hands (Acts 13:3). Timothy received a spiritual gift through the laying on of hands (1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6).

Spiritual gifts can be given through prophesying (1 Tim. 4:14). When someone declares a prophetic word to us, then that word carries spiritual power from God to bring something to pass in our lives. When God speaks a word to us about receiving a spiritual gift, then that gift can be imparted through that prophetic word.

Spiritual gifts can be given through the ministry of an anointed servant of God (Romans 1:11). Anointed servants of God are catalysts for the operation of the Holy Spirit in believers’ lives. When someone receives from their ministry, they can receive a spiritual gift from God.

These are several different ways of receiving spiritual gifts in the New Testament; baptism in the Holy Spirit, laying on of hands, prophecy, and anointed ministry. These are some of the ways that God will give spiritual gifts to us today.

When we receive a spiritual gift we need to operate in that gift so that it grows in our lives. We should not neglect that gift. If we neglect it, it may cease to function as it should. If we have neglected a gift, we can begin to operate in that gift again. We can fan the gift of God into a fire in our lives (2 Tim. 1:6). This can happen by the Holy Spirit and by exposing ourselves to strong Christian fellowship. 

The church is imperfect. Now it is being built into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13). Until the church reaches its goal of maturity, we need to operate in our spiritual gifts in order to work with Jesus in building his church. Each of us has an important role. May God help each one of us receive spiritual gifts, recognize them, and operate in them, so God’s plans regarding his church can be fulfilled.

There are 21 spiritual gifts listed in the New Testament. Spiritual gifts are manifestations of the grace of Christ given to believers. Spiritual gifts are given so the church can be built, and each believer in Jesus has at least one spiritual gift. When believers operate their spiritual gifts, the body of Christ grows.

The primary spiritual gifts are the 5 ministry positions (Eph. 4:11). These 5 ministry positions are based on spiritual gifts – they operate by the power of God, not by human ability. It is impossible to function in these ministries apart from the Holy Spirit.

1. Apostle. The word apostle means one who is sent. Apostles are foundational for the church (Eph. 2:20). Apostles are the most important spiritual gifting in the church (1 Cor. 12:28). An apostle is sent by God to do something foundational for the building of God’s church. Apostles walk in spiritual power, and they promote the apostolic teachings of the New Testament. There are approximately 20 apostles mentioned in the New Testament. 
2. Prophet. Prophets are also foundational for the church (Eph. 2:20). They are the second most important spiritual gifting in the church (1 Cor. 12:28). Prophets speak out what God is saying now. A prophet might speak by revelation about the past, present (1 Cor. 11:24-25), or future (Acts 11:27-28). A prophet will understand mysteries and knowledge (1 Cor. 13:2). He will speak to edify, exhort, and comfort (1 Cor. 14:3). 
3. Evangelist. Evangelists share the gospel effectively by the Holy Spirit.
4. Shepherd. A shepherd/pastor disciples others. He guides them to Jesus. He is able to counsel them by the Holy Spirit. The modern concept of pastor in most churches today is different from the New Testament concept of shepherd/pastor.
5. Teacher. Teachers are the third most important spiritual gifting in the church (1 Cor. 12:28). Teachers communicate the doctrines of the New Testament in a clear way and effective way. Teachers feed people the word of God. 

Other spiritual gifts are listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. Like all spiritual gifts, these are supernatural operations of the Holy Spirit.

6. Word of Wisdom. Wisdom means knowing what to do, how to solve a problem, or how to handle a person or situation. The spiritual gift of word of wisdom provides specific wisdom from God in order to handle situations, people, or problems. This wisdom does not come from human ability but from the Holy Spirit.
7. Word of Knowledge. A word of knowledge will give knowledge about a person or situation by the Holy Spirit.
8. Faith. The gift of faith provides someone with an extra measure of faith from God. A person with the gift of faith can believe God’s word and inherit God’s promises in particularly daunting circumstances.
9. Gifts of Healings. The gift of healing operates in order to heal people (especially physically) by the Holy Spirit.
10. Working of Miracles. Someone with a gift of miracles will operate astounding miracles by the Holy Spirit.
11. Prophecy. To prophesy means to speak out what God is saying now. Those who prophesy build up the church in a particularly effective way. All prophecies must be discerned (1 Cor. 14:29), which implies that it is possible that someone with a gift of prophecy might make a mistake. Every believer is instructed to desire the gift of prophecy (1 Cor. 14:1). If a person has the gift of prophecy, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he is a prophet. A prophet is a person who has a particularly strong gift of prophecy; the gift of prophecy has molded a prophet’s life.
12. Discerning of Spirits. To discern means to distinguish. The spiritual gift of discerning of spirits enables a person to distinguish between what is from God and what is not from God. There are many spirits operating today, particularly in the church. Every Christian is called to discern, but a person with the gift of discerning of spirits will be particularly capable at distinguishing what spiritual activity is from God and what is not from God.
13. Tongues. To speak in a tongue means to speak in a language that the speaker does not know. This occurs by the Holy Spirit. Tongues might be another human language or a language that is not known to any person (1 Cor. 14:2). The gift of tongues edifies the person who has that gift (1 Cor. 14:4). Tongues can edify others when they are interpreted. If tongues cannot be interpreted, a person should not speak in tongues in the church meeting (1 Cor. 14:28). Not every believer will have the gift of tongues (1 Cor. 12:30).
14. Interpretation of Tongues. To interpret tongues means to translate the language of tongues into a language that is known to the hearers. This is done by the Holy Spirit. Everyone who speaks in tongues should seek for the gift of interpretation (1 Cor. 14:13). Interpretation of tongues elevates the gift of tongues to the level of the gift of prophecy (1 Cor. 14:5), because it reveals what God is saying now.

More spiritual gifts are listed in 1 Corinthians 12:28. Here are the ones that have not been repeated elsewhere.

15. Helps. Helps is the spiritual gift of helping people. This gift, like all others, operates by the Holy Spirit, and not by natural ability. Someone with the gift of helps will help others in a strategic way that is particularly edifying to them spiritually.
16. Administrations. Administrations is the spiritual gift of government and organization. Again, this is a spiritual gift, which means that it operates by the Holy Spirit and not by natural ability. A person with the gift of administration will be supernaturally gifted at leading groups of people and organizing them in order to get things done for God’s kingdom.

An additional list of spiritual gifts is found in Romans 12:6-8. Here are the ones that have not been repeated elsewhere.

17. Ministry. To minister means to serve. A person with the spiritual gift of ministry will serve others by the Holy Spirit. We are all called to serve, but this spiritual gift will cause someone to serve in a particularly effective way that leads to edification.
18. Exhorting. To exhort means to encourage or to motivate someone to go in a direction. One might be exhorted to move forward in God or to turn away from sin.
19. Giving. We are all called to give generously to God’s work, but a person with the spiritual gift of giving will give in a particularly generous or strategic way that will edify the church or propel the kingdom of God forward.
20. Leading. A person with the spiritual gift of leading will be able to direct people into the way God wants them to go. This leadership is done by spiritual ability, not natural ability.
21. Showing Mercy. We are all called to show mercy, but a person who has the spiritual gift of mercy will show mercy in a particularly effective way for the building of the church.

Each believer has at least one spiritual gift. Spiritual gifts are given for the building of the body of Christ. These gifts will become manifested in our lives and operate when we fellowship together with other believers in the church. These gifts are all from God, they all operate by God, and they are all for God’s glory.

Every Christian has received a spiritual gift from God. These spiritual gifts are the operation of the Holy Spirit within us. They are a manifestation of the grace of God, and they are the way that we serve God here on the earth.

We are commanded to minister these gifts one to another (1 Peter 4:10). These spiritual gifts are the means by which the body of Christ is edified. We are to be good stewards of this grace of God inside us, using this grace well in order to build up the body of Christ.

A steward is a person who manages the wealth of his master. Our master is Jesus, and he has given us spiritual riches. We are to minister these spiritual riches to each other, employing them for the advancement of our Lord’s kingdom on the earth. As we minister these gifts, we lay up heavenly treasure and gain eternal rewards.

The New Testament lists many different spiritual gifts. 5 of these major gifts are listed in Ephesians 4:11. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers are 5 ministry positions in the church that are based on spiritual gifts. It is only possible to function in these ministries by spiritual gift. It is impossible to perform these ministries by natural ability.

Ephesians 4 says that God has given these 5 ministry positions “for the perfecting of the saints” (Eph. 4:12). Everyone who believes in Jesus is a saint of God according to the New Testament. When the saints are perfected, it means that they become mature. The 5 ministry positions are to disciple each believer so they grow into spiritual maturity and can function in their spiritual gifts.

As the saints become mature, they are able to do “the work of the ministry” (Eph. 4:12). Every Christian is called to serve God in some way. This is because everyone has a spiritual gift. Not all spiritual gifts are very visible. Not all spiritual gifts are able to function in the church meeting on Sunday. However, all spiritual gifts need to function. This means that we need to meet regularly as believers, both inside the church meeting and outside the church meeting. We need strong relationships in the body of Christ, and we need healthy Christian community. Within Christian fellowship spiritual gifts will become revealed and operate. This is because spiritual gifts are primarily given “for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12).

To edify means literally to build. God is building his church, and he is doing so through the spiritual gifts that operate within each Christian. The church can only grow as each member ministers. When this happens, the body grows into maturity. When some members do not function in their spiritual gifts, then the body cannot grow to its full potential. It is important to expose ourselves to fellowship and to anointed servants of God, especially to the 5 ministries. This will activate our spiritual gifts.

The church will continue to be built until several things happen.

1. “We all come into the unity of the faith” (Ephesians 4:13). God has a remnant of faithful believers all over the world, and these believers will all come into the unity of the faith. They will be united with Jesus in following the New Testament, and they will throw out all religious traditions of men.
2. We all come “to the knowledge of the Son of God” (Eph. 4:13). We know Jesus now, but only in measure. God desires us to know him as he is, in his fullness. As we have an increasing revelation of Jesus, we are transformed into his image. Someday, the church will see Jesus as he is.
3. We all come “unto a perfect man” (Eph. 4:13). Someday the body of Christ will become mature. She will be fully submitted to her head, Jesus Christ. Then she will be perfect. This word perfect in Greek means mature. One mature man, all over the world – that’s the goal of the church. Then the church will be filled with the fullness of God and radiate his glory into the world.
4. We all come “unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). Christ has a very tall spiritual stature. Someday, the church will attain to this stature. It might be hard to believe this is possible, but it will. God says it, so it will happen.
5. So that “we are no longer spiritual babies” (Eph 4:14). Spiritual babies are immature. They are blown about by winds of deception. They are not grounded on the words and teachings of Christ and his apostles, but are easily swayed by false teachings and demonic power. We need to become mature so that we are spiritually stable.

The body of Christ will be built by “that which every joint supplies, according to the effective working in the measure of every part” (Eph. 4:16). We all have a role to play, and we all have a responsibility. Let us be faithful stewards with what God has given us.

Spiritual gifts will become manifested within the church. They will will operate within Christian fellowship, and they will fulfill their purpose as they edify Christ’s body. All gifts can not function in the church meeting, but they will operate in other Christian meetings, groups, and through relationships. As these spiritual gifts operate, the body of Christ will be built. Then she will fulfill her glorious purpose.

The sons of Isaachar knew the times, and they knew what Israel should do (1 Chronicles 12:32).

It’s important for us to know the time we are living in. When we understand the spiritual season we’re living in, then we can know what God wants us to do.

Jesus rebuked people for not recognizing the spiritual season (Luke 12:54-56). He said they were good at predicting the weather, but they didn’t know how to recognize spiritual seasons.

Knowing the weather is helpful. If a person knows the weather, he can better prepare for the day. if he knows it is going to rain, he will wear a rain coat. If he knows it will be be hot, he will dress accordingly. But more important than understanding the weather of natural seasons is understanding spiritual seasons. We need to be spiritually prepared for what is coming.

When Jesus came the first time, he expected people to recognize the spiritual season they were in. He was the Christ, and he brought the kingdom of God, announced salvation, and crushed Satan’s head. He expected people to recognize that so they would respond appropriately.

But only a few people understood that season.

John the Baptist knew that season. He knew about the arrival of Christ because he heard his mother Elisabeth and his Aunt Mary talking about it. So he prepared by fulfilling his calling. He went into the wilderness and preached repentance, preparing the way for Jesus.

Wise men from the East knew the season they were living in. They saw a special star and travelled hundreds of miles to reach Israel. How did they know this season when so many Jews did not? Maybe they understood the prophecies of Daniel, and so they were able to understand when Christ would be born. Daniel used to live in Babylon, and maybe he left teachings behind that influenced them. So the wise men came to Israel, met Jesus, gave him gifts, and worshiped him.

Simeon and Anna knew the season. They knew it because it was revealed to them by the Holy Spirit. They also knew the prophecies of the Scriptures, and they recognized that prophecies were being fulfilled. Therefore they were in the temple at the right time to meet the baby Jesus. Simeon carried the baby Jesus. They both prophesied to Jesus’ parents. Anna prophesied to others about Jesus.

Most Jews during the time of Jesus were spiritually blind. They didn’t know the season they were living in and so they didn’t know what to do. Because they were out of step with God, they killed his Son.

It’s important for us to understand the time that we’re living in so we can be prepared and not be deceived.

We need vision. Vision helps us to understand the times. “Without vision my people perish” (Prov. 29:18). Vision shows us the destination. If we see the destination then we know the places we have to go through in order to get to that destination. Recognizing these intermediate steps helps us understand the times. It also gives us endurance.

Some of the end goals for the world are the maturity and glory of the church, the maturity of individual saints, the return of Jesus Christ, the kingdom of God everywhere, the creation set free from Satan and corruption, and the glory of God all over the world.

When we see these end goals, we can recognize the intervening stages to reach these goals.

Children in a long car ride can grow impatient. They cry out, “are we there yet?”

This is because they want to immediately reach the destination, and they lack patience to go through all the towns along the way in order to get there.

There are many stages for us to go through in order to reach our ultimate destination. We need patience.

Jesus said at the end of the age, many signs would occur. These signs would indicate that it is the season of the end of the age. He said It would be like a tree budding (Luke 21:29-32). When the buds form, then spring is right around the corner. Jesus warned that people at this time should not be weighed down with coursing and the cares of life. He said they should watch, be alert, and pray.

The end of the age will be like the days of Noah. A few people will be prepared, like Noah was prepared with the ark, but most people will just be continuing life as usual, unaware of the spiritual season they are living in until the flood of judgment comes and destroys them (Matthew 24:39).

At the end of the age some churches will be wise and some will be foolish (Matthew 25:1). The wise churches will be prepared for the coming of Jesus because they will be full of the Holy Spirit. The foolish churches on the other hand will lack the Holy Spirit and won’t be prepared.

At the end of the age there will be an invitation to the marriage supper of the lamb (Matthew 22:1). Some people will be ready, discerning the time, but others will be unprepared. Those who are ready will go into the marriage supper and be kept safe. This who are not ready will be too busy with their families, business, and properties, so they will not come. Their lack of discernment will cause them to not know what to do, and they will be shut out.

God is calling us to know the time that we’re living in.We will understand this time through the word of God, the Holy Spirit inside us, and fellowship in the body of Christ. When we recognize the time we’re living in, then we will know what to do.

We will know how to live, what to prioritize, how to grow spiritually, and how to help others grow so the bride of Christ can be prepared for the second coming of Jesus.

“Do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise” (Hebrews 10:35-36).

God is talking to people who had started out well in their Christian life but had begun to falter. He told them they needed endurance to keep going forward. We need endurance in order to inherit God’s promises. To inherit a promise from God means to see God’s word accomplished. This is a process that can take time.

We do not base the Christian life on our emotions or experience. This would be a very unstable foundation that could collapse at any time. Instead, we base our Christian lives on God and his word.

Running a sprint may not require endurance, but running a marathon does. The Christian life is a long-term race that we are running for the rest of our lives. It requires endurance.

In the Christian life, things often take longer than we would like. God’s word happens on his timetable, not ours. This means we must be patient.

Endurance is built by good habits as we do things because of agape love for God and others. As we keep obeying God and crucifying our flesh, we endure. When challenges come, we keep going. Feelings and experiences are secondary. There will be unforeseen delays, difficulties, and problems when we follow God. We should be prepared for these things and not faint and give up.

It’s possible to be very excited at the beginning of a race but become exhausted as the distance goes longer. We need to stay empowered by the Holy Spirit and be consistent in our faith in order to keep pursuing the goal. Jesus is going to fulfill his promises.

“He who shall come will come, and will not tarry (Hebrews 10:37).

The Lord will come to fulfill his word. We are not hoping in him in vain. God will answer.

“And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:12-15).

Let’s follow the example of the saints in the Bible who inherited promises from God. They were diligent, which means they worked hard spiritually. They were not sluggish, but they stayed strong in faith.

God promised to Abraham that he would have many descendants, like the sand on the seashore and the stars in the sky. He had no children, but he held onto this promise from God. When he was old and his wife had gone through menopause, then he miraculously had a son named Isaac. Finally, thousands of years later, Christ came – descended from Isaac, and now the word of God to Abraham was fulfilled. Everyone who believes in Jesus becomes a child of Abraham, and now Abraham has children all over the world.

Joseph was another person who inherited promises. Joseph prophesied that after he died God’s people would carry his bones out of Egypt and he would be buried in the Promised Land (Genesis 50:25). After hundreds of years, this word was fulfilled and Israel carried Joseph’s bones out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and into the Promised Land where he was buried (Joshua 24:32).

The biggest promise God ever gave was that Jesus Christ would come. After the Fall, at the beginning of the world, God gave this promise (Genesis 3:15). Throughout 40 centuries God’s people held onto this promise. Finally, this promise was fulfilled, and Jesus Christ was born in a manger in Bethlehem.

These examples encourage us to believe God. It may take a while, but God will always come through for his people. He will never fail.

“The just will live by faith” (Hebrews 10:38). 

The just have heard a word from God. They’ve seen a vision and obeyed him. But they need to live by faith because there are promises from God that have not yet been fulfilled in their lives.

We walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). We fix our eyes on spiritual things that we can’t see, not on the world around us (2 Corinthians 4:18). We look to God and his word.

The author of Hebrews warns us not to draw back – to hesitate, falter, or give up (Hebrews 10:38). Satan wants us to give up and stop believing God’s word. When God’s people lose their faith, they lose their power, and then they can be destroyed.

If we’re not moving forward spiritually, we’re going backward. Let’s not stagnate. Let’s not give in to doubt. God will never fail. 

“If we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses” (Romans 8:25-26).

We are hoping for something we don’t see. This means we have faith. We are eagerly waiting for God’s word to come to pass. We can persevere. We are weak sometimes, but God is strong and he’s given us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will give us grace to endure.

It may take time, but God’s word will come to pass. He will never fail. Let’s hold on.

God desires his people to be changed into the image of his Son. This is one of God’s great goals for our lives. Being conformed to the image of Jesus is one of the primary reasons he came, died on the cross, and rose up again. Jesus Christ is the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29). He came to bring many sons to glory (Hebrews 2:10). 

Christian maturity does not happen by becoming born again. When we are born again, we become spiritual babies. Babies are not mature. Babies must grow spiritually in order to become mature. 

Spiritual growth is a process that is described in the Bible.

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18).

To be conformed to the image of Jesus, we must unveil our faces. Veils block us from seeing clearly. Spiritual veils can be false teachings. Satan lies to us and tells us it’s impossible to attain full maturity. The devil wants us to sit back and wait – either to die or to be rescued out from this wicked world. Satan certainly doesn’t want us to rise up, become mature, and do mighty works for God.

Without vision, God’s people perish. We need to see the goal and destination so that we know where we are going. What is our goal as Christians? What does God want us to accomplish with our lives? When we understand what God desires to do through us, then we will have vision to move forward. God’s goal for us to become like Jesus. 

We will be transformed into Jesus’ image as we behold his glory in a mirror.

The word of God is like a mirror (James 1:23). When we look into the word of God, we see how God wants us to be in the light of his holiness. As we submit to the word of God, we are changed into his image. We go from one degree of glory to a higher degree of glory.

Jesus was the grain of wheat that was planted into the ground and died (John 12:24). Because of this, he will bring forth much fruit. Fruit from a grain of wheat is more wheat that is like the original grain. 

“For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” (Mark 4:28-29)

Jesus said we are the good seed. The good seed is like wheat. We are growing into spiritual maturity (Matthew 13:26). When the wheat reaches maturity, then it is harvest time. The harvest is the end of the age.

No one yet has attained the goal of full spiritual maturity. Even the apostle Paul, as mighty as he was, did not attain to the goal of full Christian maturity. He talked about how he was pursuing this goal but had not attained it (Phil. 3:12-15).

It is a long process for wheat to grow into maturity. Wind blows and strengthens the stalk. Drought comes and causes the roots to grow deep in search of water. Rain falls, which brings life but also can bring flooding and other challenges. All of these things might stress the plant in some ways, but they work together to make the plant healthy and help it produce a harvest.

Christians must go through similar challenges. We may not understand why we have to face such hard things. But these things are happening to mold us into the image of Jesus. This process is working in our lives to achieve a goal that is very important to God. God cares more about us achieving spiritual maturity than he does about our own comfort in this world.

There can be no harvest until the wheat has grown into maturity. In the same way, there can be no harvest at the end of the age until God’s people have grown into maturity.

God is accomplishing this work in our lives as we submit to him. He is waiting for some of his people to attain this goal. The Bible says that some will. Then it will be harvest time.

One of the main characteristics of God is mercy. God is full of mercy (Psalm 145:8). His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). That’s a good thing, because we all need mercy.

Mercy is defined as kindness or good will toward the miserable and afflicted, including a desire to help them.

The New Testament commands us to put on bowels of mercies (Colossians 3:12). This means we should have strong merciful feelings toward others, especially toward other Christians.

Mercy is shown to people who have problems. They have problems and deserve to face harsh consequences. But mercy releases them from those consequences and helps them get out of their problems. Mercy is often contrary to the way of the world.

The Bible is full of revelations of God’s mercy, from the beginning to the end. After the fall, Adam and Eve received mercy from God, even though they messed up so badly. God is merciful to all of us. He saved us with his mercy when we were dead in sin (Titus 3:4; Ephesians 2:4).

Jesus was merciful (Matthew 9:36). He had compassion on people (Matthew 14:14). He knew that people were wicked all around him, but he was merciful to them anyway. He showed mercy to the poor, to the sick, to sinners, to prostitutes, and to tax collectors. He showed mercy to his enemies when they were killing him.

People are often not as merciful as they should be, and the Bible shows us this too.

David once committed adultery with a woman and then killed her husband. The prophet Nathan came and told him a story about a rich man who had many sheep and a poor man who had one little sheep that he loved as a member of his own family. The rich man stole the poor man’s sheep, killed it, and ate it.

David was so incensed at Nathan’s story that he shouted out that that man must die!

Then the prophet looked at him and said, “You are the man! You committed adultery and killed the woman’s husband!”

David suddenly panicked and wanted mercy. David found it hard to give mercy to others, but easy to receive mercy for himself. He didn’t want to give mercy to another person for stealing and killing a sheep, but he wanted mercy for himself for committing adultery and murdering.

Jonah is another example of someone who wanted mercy from God but didn’t want to give mercy to others. Jonah was disobedient to God, ran away from him, and was swallowed up by a whale. He was dying in the middle of the whale, and he cried out to God for mercy. God gave him mercy and the whale vomited Jonah out on the shore.

After this Jonah hoped that God would destroy the city of Nineveh, which had a population of over 100,000 people. Jonah knew how bad these people were. He hated them and wanted them all dead because they disobeyed God. But the Ninevites repented and God didn’t kill them. Jonah got mad at God for showing mercy toward all these people, and he started sulking and shouting at God.

Jonah was desperate for mercy for himself when he was in trouble, but he didn’t want to give mercy to others when they were in trouble.

Jonah was a prophet. He found it hard to give mercy.

David was a king after God’s own heart, yet he found it hard to give mercy.

Why is it so easy to receive mercy for ourselves but so hard to give mercy to others?

People are selfish. They look at things from their own perspective. They minimize their own sins and maximize the sins of others. They believe that they deserve a break while others need to pay for their wrongs. They feel it’s not fair for others to receive mercy, ignoring the fact that they received mercy when they didn’t deserve it.

The opposite of mercy is judgment. It’s easy to judge others because we can quickly see their wrongs. One reason it’s so easy to see the wrongs of others is because their wrongs cause us pain. We therefore think people with problems deserve their problems. This hinders us from showing mercy to them.

Jesus said we should not judge others. God is the judge. Our job is to show mercy.

God is merciful, and Jesus said that we should be as merciful as God (Luke 6:35-36). That’s a high standard of mercy. We can be this merciful because the Holy Spirit is inside us.

Jesus said that the merciful are blessed because they will obtain mercy (Matthew 5:7).

We should be merciful to the poor. We should help them. We need to show mercy to the sick and suffering. We must be merciful to those who need truth and are enslaved by lies. We should show mercy to our enemies.

It’s easier to show mercy to others when we see how merciful God has been to us. No one has treated us as badly as we have treated God. We basically killed Jesus on the cross because of our sins. If God has given this much mercy to us in spite of the depths of our own depravity, then we can extend mercy to others. Our ability to give mercy to others is a reflection of how much we understand the mercy we have received from God.

If we are merciful, then our souls will be blessed. If we are not merciful, our flesh will be troubled (Proverbs 11:17). Sin will increase in us, and we might become sick.

Judgment will be merciless to the ones not showing mercy (James 2:13). If we want to receive mercy, we need to show mercy to others.

Mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13). Mercy causes judgment to cease. This means that mercy is stronger than judgment.

Mercy is not at the expense of truth. Truth is paramount, and there can be no real mercy when there is no adherence to truth. However, truth is merciful, and if we lack mercy it shows we lack truth.

Mercy and truth are not opposite. They go hand in hand. In Jesus, there is a perfect balance of mercy and truth (Psalm 85:10). May the quality of mercy increase in our lives by the Holy Spirit.

All our personal preferences must be submitted to God and his word. Some people adopt the preferences of the culture around them, while others pride themselves on being more individualistic. But for Christians, we need to adopt the preferences of God.

When a person decides to be a Christian, his life is supposed to radically change. We don’t belong to ourselves any more, we belong to God. We are not our own, but we are bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). God purchased us at the price of the blood of his Son. This means that we are God’s slaves (1 Peter 2:16). God owns us. He is our master and Lord. We don’t just want to call him Lord, but we need to have the reality of his lordship over our lives.

We cannot just live however we want, but we must live according to how God wants us to live. We can’t just live according to our own desires (1 Peter 4:2), but we must live according to the Holy Spirit.

Everything is not subjective – one truth for me and another for you. God is the objective standard that defines all reality, for he is the arbiter of truth. We discover objective reality from the word of God.

The Bible reveals that our souls are comprised of two main parts: the heart and the mind. The mind has thoughts, and the heart has desires. We must measure all our thoughts and desires by the word of God.

We need to renew our mind with God’s word (Romans 12:1). God’s thoughts must fill our mind and become our thoughts. The only way that we can know God’s thoughts is through God’s word, because the word of God gives us revelation. We need divine revelation to know God’s thoughts because God’s thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).

We also need to regulate the content of our hearts by the word of God. We are commanded to hate evil and love good (Amos 5:15). We must desire the things that God desires and hate the things that God hates.

The Holy Spirit is to saturate every part of our souls – our hearts and minds. Then we will produce the fruit of the Spirit.

If we are not willing to take up our cross, crucify our flesh, and lose our souls in this world, we cannot be Jesus’ disciples (Matthew 16:24-26). When we follow Jesus, some things will have to die within us. Our own preferences, comforts, likes and dislikes will often have to die as we are crucified with Christ. “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).

We must stop justifying wrong thinking or desires with ideas like:

“I know it’s wrong, but I deserve to feel this way”

“I’m entitled to these thoughts”

“I have a right to express my emotions in that way because of what people have done to me.”

There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end is death (Proverbs 14:12). Sometimes we avoid doing the hard things that God wants us to do because it seems better to do something else. Sometimes we just don’t want to obey God. We don’t think it will work, or we don’t feel like it. We want to maintain rights over our own life and do things our own way. We are hesitant to go to the cross.

It’s like eating healthy food, exercising, or taking medicine. It might seem unpleasant for a while, but afterwards obedience to God will bring healing into our lives. The only way to experience the resurrection power of God is through crucifixion. We must take up our cross in order to live a normal Christian life in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Bible warns us against walking in the sparks we have kindled (Isaiah 50:10). Trying to walk down a dark path with little sparks is compared to trying to get through life by walking according to our own desires, thoughts, or human understanding. If we do things in our own way, then the Bible says we will lie down in torment (Isaiah 50:11).

The Hebrew word torment means a place of pain, grief, and terror. We will face more grief and pain when we try to solve our problems in our own way. We need to turn to the blazing light of Christ rather than the fleeting sparks of our own wisdom.

The Hebrew word torment also refers to being fashioned, shaped, or made. Torment can shape us. When we roll things over in our minds or hearts, reliving things and experiencing their emotions over and over again, we can etch our lives with pain.

Jesus is the only one who can set us free from evil. This is why he died and rose again. We need to turn away from our own ways and turn to him. He will save us. If we are tormented because we’ve gone in our own ways in the past, there is forgiveness and healing with Jesus. He loves us in spite of our failures, and he will strengthen us by his word and Spirit so we can be safe in the future.

Let Jesus Christ be your Lord. Let him dominate your mind and fill your heart. The Holy Spirit will enable you to crucify your flesh and lose your soul in this world that you may preserve it unto eternal life. This will be by his grace, as you yield yourself to him who bought you with the cost of his blood. This is the bright path that leads to true happiness and abundant life.

The Scriptures contain inexorable power to unleash the kingdom of God all over the earth. The Scriptures must be fulfilled, and nothing can stop their power.

The word Scripture is graphe in Greek which specifically means writings. Scripture is the writings of God. Throughout the New Testament, the word Scripture is used many times to refer to God’s written words.

Jesus often quotes Scripture, showing that it is the basis for his life. Scripture should be the basis for our lives as well.

All Scripture is breathed out by God (2 Timothy 3:16). No other books in the world besides the Bible are written by God. Many books are written by men, and a few books are written by demons. But no other book besides the Bible is written by God. Therefore the Bible contains spiritual power that no other book has.

All Scripture is written by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20). It is perfect and makes no mistakes.

Jesus surrounded his life with the power of the Scriptures. He often talked about the Scriptures. He quoted the Scriptures. He referred to them as completely authoritative.

When the devil attacked Jesus, he quoted the Scripture to defeat him (Matthew 4). The Scripture contains divine power to hurl down Satan.

Jesus told Satan, “It is written.” After hearing Scripture, Satan ran away. These written words from God contain power to chase away fallen angels.

Jesus said the Scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35). It’s impossible to break the power of God’s word. God preserves these writings in the earth, and we have them perfectly handed down to us today.

Jesus settled arguments by quoting the Scriptures (Matthew 22:29). The Scripture is an insurmountable bulwark against Satan that destroys the vain arguments of men.

Jesus said that Scripture would outlast heaven and earth (Matthew 5:18). The smallest letter will not pass away from the Scripture until everything written down happens.

The Scriptures must be fulfilled. Whatever God wrote down in the Bible has to happen. It’s impossible for it not to. There is unstoppable spiritual power operating through the Scripture to bring whatever it says to pass.

The potential power of God’s word is released when people step into it and fulfill the conditions for its operation.

When Jesus began his ministry, he stepped into a spiritual environment that had been prepared for him by the word of God. Centuries before, Isaiah wrote down Scriptures which contained potential power that was waiting to be fulfilled and released on the earth when the Christ came.

Around 30 AD Jesus stood up in his hometown synagogue and read a passage from Isaiah that described the ministry of Christ. He would heal, preach good news, and set free captives. Jesus said TODAY this Scripture is fulfilled (Luke 4:16-21).

This Scripture from Isaiah contained potential power that was accessed when Jesus, as the Christ and the spotless lamb of God, stepped into it. When Jesus stepped into these ancient prophetic words of the Scriptures, they were fulfilled. The awesome power of God began to reverberate through Jesus into the earth, and he went around proclaiming the arrival of the kingdom of God.

The power of Scripture continues to operate today when people step into the spiritual place that is created by the Scriptures.

There are many Scriptures that need to be fulfilled at the end of the age. Many of them pertain to God’s people. When God’s people step into the position prepared for them by God, the Scriptures will be fulfilled, and God’s power will operate. By obeying his word, God’s people will be carried along supernaturally to their destination, and through them the glory of the bride of Christ will be revealed to the world.

In our lives, when we submit to God, we are under his authority. This happens as we obey the Scriptures. These Scriptures must be fulfilled, and they contain power to manifest their fulfillment. This infinite spiritual power must operate. This power of the Scriptures will be released through God’s obedient saints.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7).

According to the Bible, we need to fear God. This doesn’t mean we need to run away from him because he will strike us down for all our mistakes. That’s not the Biblical fear of God. Instead, we need to have great respect and awe for God, and allow him to dominate our lives.

The fear of God is not primarily about judgment. Those who do not have a relationship with God are under judgment, but they do not fear God (Romans 3:18). They are fools who don’t care about God. Only those who are in a healthy relationship with God can truly fear him in the Biblical sense.

There are two types of people in the world – those who fear God and those who don’t. The Bible says those who fear God are wise, and those who don’t fear God are fools.

If we fear God, we will obey him.

If we fear God, we will obey him. God is all-knowing. God knows more about us, the future, other people, and the world than we do. God’s plans are perfect. God loves us and wants the best for us. When we obey God his good plans come to pass, and he will keep us safe. This is wisdom.

Foolish people don’t obey God. They want to do whatever they want to do. They think their own plans are better than God’s plans. This is foolish and leads to unnecessary problems.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

If we fear God, we will value the Bible.

If we fear God, we’ll value the Bible. The Bible is the only perfect book in the world. It was written by God. Wise people will value this infinitely valuable book. They will read the Bible because they want to know what God has said. They will allow the word of God to control their thoughts. When a wise person finds out he is thinking differently than the Bible, he will change his thinking because he knows God is a lot smarter than he is.

Fools don’t care about God’s word. They don’t fear God, so they don’t care about the Bible. They put their own thoughts above the Bible. Ignoring the only perfect source of wisdom and knowledge in the world is foolish.

Problems reveal where our fear is. Wise people fear God (respect and value him) so they run to God and to his word when they face problems. Fools don’t fear God so they run elsewhere.

We don’t need self-help methods. We need Jesus. We need the life of God inside of us. Our self does not need to be reformed, it needs to be crucified with Christ. Only the genuine life of Christ inside us can bring salvation to our souls.

Jesus warned us that if a person tries to save his soul in this world he will lose it, but if he loses his soul he will keep it unto eternal life. It’s foolish to try to save our souls through self-help or other human ways. People try to patch over their problems with fig leaves, but that doesn’t work.

Everything we need to resolve life’s issues is found in God and his word.God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). 

All Scripture is breathed out by God. It’s given so the man of God may be complete, perfect, and fully mature (2 Timothy 3:16-17). If we want to be complete, we need the Bible.

In Christ Jesus are hidden all treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3). The wisdom of Christ is often hidden. Sometimes we don’t know what to do. The answer is hidden in Christ. Keep praying, keep reading the Bible, keep seeking out fellowship, and keep following God. The hidden wisdom of Christ will become manifested, though it might take time.

The Holy Spirit searches the deep things of God (1 Corinthians 2:10). He will reveal the hidden wisdom of Christ, giving us the knowledge we need.

The fear of God can keep us from sin.

The fear of God can keep us from sin. There are many opportunities for sin in this wicked world, possibly more than ever before. Fear from God will protect us from these evil things and keep us on the right path. Going in the way of sin is not a good option. The result of sin is death. Sin is like a wasteland and desert. Wise people want to avoid this.

Foolish people don’t care about sin. Whether a person believes in God or not doesn’t change the fact that sin causes problems. If you put vegetable oil in your gas tank, it will cause problems for your car. If you sin, it will cause problems for your life. Fear God, repent, and turn away from sin. If you sin, God can forgive you and cleanse your life.

If we fear God we will make his kingdom number 1.

Jesus told us to seek first God’s kingdom above everything else (Matthew 6:33). The kingdom of God will last forever. If we seek the kingdom of God, we will build something that will endure through eternity.

Foolish people pursue other things first, like how to make money or how to be happy in the world. The kingdom of God is secondary to them.

It’s foolish to big a gigantic house on the sand. That house will someday be destroyed. Don’t spend your entire life building things that will be burned up. The more important something is, the more stability it requires. The more expensive and valuable a house is, the more it needs a strong foundation. A hut of leaves can be put on the sand, but a mansion made of stones needs a stable foundation. Our lives are more important than houses, and therefore we should build them on something that has eternal value.That’s Christ and his word.

If we fear God we will trust him.

God will do what he said he would do. When we fear him we know that he is trustworthy. He will keep his word and do things we are unable to do. Let’s hold onto God when trouble comes. God will not lie. When we trust in God, we will see miracles happen.

A fool doesn’t trust God. He doesn’t believe that God will come through. When trouble hits, he starts complaining. It’s foolish to complain about a perfect God. God never makes mistakes. To complain about a perfect, all-wise, all-knowing, all-powerful God makes no sense.

Foolish people not only complain about God, but they run away from God when they face problems.God told the Israelites to go to the Promised Land, but they didn’t fear him so they didn’t believe him. They doubted he would give them victory. So they wandered around the wilderness for 40 years until they all died. This was a foolish decision, and they made this choice because they did not fear God.

Fear of God casts out all other fear. It destroys doubt and unbelief. It shatters the fear of people. It gets rid of the fear of death.

Fear God. Let him be number one in your life. He must be above everything else. That is the beginning of wisdom.

Many people in the world, particularly in Asia and the Middle East, believe in the spiritual power of the evil eye. Approximately 40% of the world population has superstitious beliefs about the evil eye. Generally, they believe that if someone has an evil eye toward them, that they may be harmed, and they believe they need to protect themselves from this spiritual harm.

The Bible also warns us against the evil eye. But unlike the cultures of the world, the Bible warns us that we can be badly affected by our own evil eye, rather than by the evil eye of others. We need to make sure our eye is not evil, rather than worrying about the evil eye of others.

Jesus said that if a person has an evil eye, his body will be full of darkness (Matthew 6:22-23). The darkness produced by the evil eye is spiritual darkness, and this darkness creates problems. Jesus does not want his children to have an evil eye because he does not want them to be full of darkness.

Jesus said that the opposite of the evil eye is a good (simple) eye. Those with a simple eye will have bodies full of light. This means they will be blessed. According to Jesus, spiritual darkness and spiritual light come into us depending on the type of eye that we have. Jesus wants us to have simple or good eyes so we can be blessed.

What is the difference between an evil eye and a simple eye?

An evil eye is connected to the love of money, which the Bible says is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10). Those who are eager to be rich have an evil eye (Proverbs 28:22). These people envy, covet, and lack generosity.

The opposite of an evil eye is a simple or good eye. The Greek word for simple is from a word meaning unfolded. Imagine a piece of cloth that is laid out flat – it has no folds, creases, or dark places. The cloth is open and laid bare. This is how the simple eye is: it is uncomplicated.

An evil eye on the other hand is more complex, like a folded cloth. It has folds, creases, coverings, dark places, and hidden recesses. The evil eye is full of envy, hatred, and jealousy.

There are two ways to look at the world – with an evil eye or a simple eye. The same situations and people can be viewed in two different ways. A person with an evil eye looks at people with envy and hatred. A person with a simple eye looks at people with love, generosity, and kindness.

One way the Bible describes the evil eye is by explaining a poor person coming and asking for help. A person with an evil eye will refuse to help the poor man because he thinks he is just taking advantage of people (Deuteronomy 15:7-11). The evil eye doesn’t want to help people. It is not generous. It attributes evil motives to people.

When Jesus came to this world, he didn’t have an evil eye towards the people of the world. Although he was mistreated and killed, he kept loving and giving. On the cross he cried out, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” Jesus did not come to take from us. He came to give. He had a simple, good eye.

The Holy Spirit in us will inspire us to have a simple, good eye toward others.

Another way the Bible describes the evil eye is when Jesus told a parable about workers who agreed to work for 12 hours a day for a denarius (the coin that was the daily wage). At the end of the day, when these workers were paid their denarius, they saw others who worked only one hour who were also paid a denarius. Everyone was paid the same! Those who worked for twelve hours had an evil eye against the ones who only worked one hour because they didn’t think it was fair that they all received the same amount. Although they agreed to be paid only a denarius, they didn’t want others getting more than they did (Matthew 20:15).

A person with an evil eye doesn’t want others to succeed. He certainly doesn’t want others to be preferred over him, and he doesn’t want to get less than what he thinks is his fair share.

When we are relying on ourselves, it is easy to develop an evil eye. We will hoard resources and turn inward. We think that everything depends on us, and then we covet what others have and become envious and wrongfully suspicious. The evil eye will hinder us from experiencing God’s miracles, and it will block us from supernatural provision. It shows lack of faith.

But when we trust in God, then we can look at things differently. We can give, hoping for nothing in return. The love of God can pour out from us to a needy and wicked world. When there is a supernatural flow out from us, there will be a supernatural flow into us.

God is raising up people at the end of the age who will look to heaven for their help, and not rely on their own strength. They will have a simple eye, and not an evil eye, because they know God is their Father and he will provide for all they need.

Jesus said it’s more blessed to give than to receive. A generous person wants to bless others and help them. He is simple. He has a bountiful or a good eye (Proverbs 22:9). This person will be blessed supernaturally by God.

The evil eye comes from a wicked heart (Mark 7:22). When a person has an evil eye, it’s because he has a heart problem. In order to be free from the evil eye, a person needs Jesus to change his heart. He needs to be full of the Holy Spirit. When a person is full of the Holy Spirit, God’s living water will flow out of him to bless others.

We need to have hearts full of the Holy Spirit and the love of God. Then we will have a simple eye. We will be full of light. When we are full of light, then that light will radiate out of us into our surroundings, circumstances and relationships. Other things will become full of light because we are full of light (Luke 11:34-36).

The Bible warns us not to eat the food of a person who has an evil eye (Proverbs 23:6-8). It says the person with an evil eye will try to hide his hatred and not let others know what is really in his heart. He pretends that he likes you, but he actually doesn’t. He pretends he is generous to you, but he is actually the opposite. The Bible warns us that desiring things from a person with an evil eye can create problems.

Jesus Christ can heal us from the evil eye. He became poor that we could become rich. He did not have an evil eye against us, even when we were dead in our sins. He didn’t want to take from us or punish us, when we deserved God’s wrath. We were like the poorest and most wretched beggars, and yet God had mercy on us. He wiped away our sins. He gave his life freely so we could be blessed. We did not deserve this gift. But Jesus looked on us with love and gave us the riches of heaven freely.

We have freely received, let us freely give. We can do this when we have a good, simple eye.

We have a rich inheritance in Christ. Jesus Christ had all the riches of the heavenly Father, and then he died on the cross. When a person dies, his last will and testament comes into effect. Jesus’ last will and testament is the New Testament which bestows the riches of the Holy Spirit upon everyone who believes in him. Through Jesus, this heavenly inheritance is ours (Hebrews 9:16-17).

In order to receive an inheritance, it is necessary to know about it. A person may have an inheritance, but if he doesn’t know about it, he won’t receive it. Most people in the world do not avail of the riches of Christ because they don’t know about the Gospel.

To receive an inheritance, one needs a measure of faith. The authorities may contact you, telling you that your uncle in the Bahamas left you a million dollars, but if you don’t believe what they say, you won’t receive it. Many people who have heard the gospel don’t believe it’s true, and therefore they don’t partake of the inheritance of Christ.

The details of our heavenly inheritance are given to us in the word of God. When we believe what God says, then we receive this inheritance.

Part of this inheritance in Christ is physical healing. Our God is a healing God. He heals our souls, and he heals our bodies.

We can be healed through the word of God. God’s word is a medicine to all our flesh (Proverbs 4:20-22).

We can be healed by fearing Godand departing from evil (Proverbs 3:7-8). Sin produces death. When we forsake sin and submit to God, we can be healed.

We can be healed by joy(Proverbs 17:22). A broken spirit can make us sick, but the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

We can also be healed by miracles.

Jesus healed many people while he walked the earth. He often healed entire cities and villages (Matthew 8:16-17). He healed everyone who came to him. There is no example of someone coming to Jesus asking for physical healing in the New Testament who was not healed.

The apostles healed many people (Matthew 10:1,8). Jesus sent out 70 people to heal (Luke 10:9).

Jesus’ healing ministry fulfilled a prophecy in Isaiah which says that that he took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses (Matthew 8:16-17, Isaiah 53:3-4). Jesus took these things away from all of us.

By his stripes we are healed (1 Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:5).

Jesus Christ hasn’t changed. He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

After going up to heaven and sitting at the right hand of God, Jesus poured out his Holy Spirit on his people. We are the body of Christ in the earth. The same Spirit that empowered Jesus to work miracles and heal the sick is inside of us. Jesus said that we would do the same works he did, and we would do even greater works than what he did (John 14:12).

Jesus promised that those who believe in him would lay hands on the sick and they would recover (Mark 16:17-18).

Throughout the book of Acts many healings happened through God’s people. Healing is to be a normal part of Christianity.

Jesus gives the spiritual gift of healing to some people in the church (1 Corinthians 12:9, 28, 30).

Throughout the New Testament people are healed by prayer. Sometimes individual prayer and sometimes group prayer heals people.

People are healed by casting out demons. Sometimes sickness is the result of a demon (Luke 13:11) – but not always. When demons are cast out, people are often healed.

People are healed by the laying on of hands.

They are healed by the anointing with oil (Mark 6:13; James 5:14-16).

When God heals people, the kingdom of God grows in the earth. God wants his kingdom to expand and take over everything.

God’s people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). We need to know about our inheritance in Christ and then we need to receive it in faith. Physical healing is available to God’s people through Jesus Christ, and it is an important part of our inheritance in Christ.

Why is there is there sickness in the world?

There is sickness in the world because of sin. Before the Fall there was no sickness, but after the Fall people started getting sick.

Sometimes sickness comes because a person commits sin (John 5:14), but this is not necessarily the case (John 9:2). All the sins in the world have compounded together to unleash viruses, bacteria, and other means of decay and corruption into the world. Because of the general corruption that is in the world because of sin, there is sickness.

Jesus went to the cross and dealt with sin, death, Satan, and every evil thing in the world that is a result of sin. He also dealt with sickness on the cross (Isaiah 53:3-5).

If Jesus dealt with sickness on the cross, then why do people still get sick?

Jesus dealt with a lot of things on the cross, especially sin. But people still sin, including Christians. Why? If Jesus dealt with sin on the cross, shouldn’t Christians not sin? Christians sin because they have not yet received the fullness of their inheritance. We’ll get that at the end of the age. Since we have not yet received the fullness of our inheritance on the earth, we still sin, get sick, face problems from Satan, and have other challenges.

Is it God’s will for people to be healed?

John said he wanted Christians to be physically healthy as well as spiritually healthy, above all things (3 John 2).

God told us to pray that his will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. In heaven there is no sickness. This is God’s will. God wants this reality to be upon the earth.

It is God’s will for people to be healed.

This shouldn’t be a controversial statement. It’s actually obvious. Most Christians know this. This is why they try to get well whenever they are sick. They take medicine, go to the doctor, rest, and eat healthy food to get get over their sickness. If a person believed it is God’s will for them to be sick, then they wouldn’t try to get better. They would happily stay sick, for that would be God’s will, and getting better would be rebellion against God. That’s silly. God wants his people to be well, just like you and I want to be well when we are sick.

If God’s will is for people to be healed, why do they still get sick, including Christians?

God’s will is often not happening in this world. That’s why God told us to pray for his will to be done. If God’s will was automatically happening, then we would not have to pray for his will to be done.

Many things happen in the world that are not God’s will. It was not God’s will for Adam to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but he ate of it anyway. It was not God’s will for Hitler, Stalin, and Mao to kill millions of people; but they did so. It’s not God’s will for anyone to sin, but people still sin, including Christians. Sin is never God’s will. God’s will is for everyone to be saved and know the truth (1 Timothy 2:4), but most people are not saved and reject the truth.

God’s will is often not happening on earth because people have free will. God allows them to make bad choices that are contrary to his will. However, God is so powerful that he can turn all these bad things around to bring good out of them.

God’s will is for people to be healed, stop sinning, and manifest his kingdom everywhere. If everyone stopped sinning and was saved and healed, it would be the end of the age. Satan would be thrown into the lake of fire. But this is not yet happening, so we have to keep pressing forward with the kingdom of God in the earth so that God’s will is done and Satan’s works are destroyed.

At the end of the age, sin and sickness will be thrown out of the earth (Revelation 21:4)

Persistence

We should not give up too easily when we are sick. Healings may not happen immediately. We need to keep pressing forward, trusting God, and praying. Jesus said we should always pray and not give up. Don’t start complaining about God. That’s pointless.

One time Jesus prayed for a blind man. The first time he prayed for him, the man’s eyes got a little better and he saw people blurry, like trees. Then Jesus prayed a second time and he got perfect eyesight (Mark 8:22-25). If Jesus had to pray multiple times for a person to be healed, we also may have to pray multiple times before healing happens.

Increasing Diseases

As we approach the end of the age, Jesus warned us that diseases will increase (Luke 21:11). God’s people will need supernatural healing to recover from these diseases. It’s time to begin availing of this miraculous power now.

How can we be healed?

Read the word of God. It’s a healing medicine.

Be filled with the Spirit.

Be led by the Spirit – maybe God wants you to do something or eat something that will bring healing to you.

Have faith in God – believe that God wants to heal you.

Sometimes we must fast and pray for healing.

Ask others to pray for you and lay hands on you.

Be persistent and don’t give up.

Sometimes we need to be anointed with oil by the elders.

The Lord’s Supper can be healing.

We need the body of Christ. Gather together with other believers and enjoy God’s presence together. Jesus is among us, and he will heal, for he is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Physical healing is part of our inheritance in Christ. We need to forget false teachings, bad experiences, and anything else that hinders us from partaking of this important aspect of our inheritance in Christ.

“Don’t follow a crowd to do evil” (Exodus 23:2).

Crowds can have a powerful effect on people. It’s easy to go along with the crowd, and it’s hard to go against a crowd. But Christians sometimes need to stand against a crowd to be faithful to God.

“That which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15).

People often value things that God hates. Crowds often value things that are totally wrong. If we are influenced by crowds, then we can be pressured to go against God.

Modern Deceptions

In the history of the world, it’s not uncommon for almost everyone to be deceived. 

In the past 100 years, mass deception has swept through the world. Hitler ravaged Europe. Vast delusions took over China and Russia, leading to millions of deaths. Governments said that killing people was essential for progress, and people blindly believed these lies and went along with mass murder.

There is deception in the United States of America, too.

As a small example, there has been much deception regarding health and diet over the years.

A few decades ago, doctors, scientists, and the US government said that margarine is great, and butter is terrible. So people stocked up on margarine and eliminated butter from their pantries. But now “experts” say the opposite – margarine is terrible and butter is good, and so people throw out margarine and buy butter.

For years, the US government recommended that people stop eating too many eggs because of cholesterol. So people stopped eating a lot of eggs. But now, experts tell us that eating eggs has no effect on blood cholesterol levels, and the US government in 2015 scrapped their recommendation about eating fewer eggs. So now people are eating more eggs than before.

In the 1990s, there was a craze to eliminate fat completely from the diet. The government and popular media urged us to eat a lot of carbohydrates and hardly any fat. Many people desperately tried to stop eating fat. But now, experts say we should eat more fat and minimize carbs, and so people are eating less carbs and more fat.

People are often pushed around like pingpong balls by leaders.

These examples probably seem small. But they point to the fact that cultures and societies have been wrong throughout history. People who follow “experts” blindly can end up being completely wrong, and they often regret it later.

There is no benefit in believing a lie. Lies, whether big or small, come from Satan. We don’t need to be pushed around by the crowd or blindly follow “experts.”

Ancient Deceptions

In the Bible there are several examples of almost everyone in the world being completely deceived.

Before the Flood, the entire world was corrupt except Noah and his family (Genesis 6:9). Wickedness was everywhere, but Noah stood against it. He preached righteousness (2 Peter 2:5). He built a massive boat, which was very different from what everyone else was doing. Noah had strength to go against the crowd. He got this strength from the word of God. God spoke to Noah and warned him that judgment was coming (Hebrews 11:7). Most people didn’t hear this warning from God, and they probably mocked Noah when he told them about it. But Noah believed God’s word, and faith God’s word gave him strength to stand against the corrupt world.

After the Flood, everyone in the world was busy building the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-8). Nimrod united the entire world in this vast building project. Nimrod was a rebel against God and he did a lot of evil things, but everyone wanted to follow him anyway.

God called Abraham to come out of Babylon (Hebrews 11:8). Abraham obeyed. Abraham had strength to go against the crowd and follow God, because he had faith in God’s word. He left Babylon and headed toward the Promised Land.

God calls his people today to come out of Babylon (Revelation 18:4). Babylon is the entire world system that is contrary to God. Leaving Babylon is not easy. This means going against the crowd, the culture, and what is popular. This takes strength. But if we want to survive at the end of the age, we will need to come out of Babylon. This is only possible by the Holy Spirit.

Exodus 32 says that the priest of God’s people, Aaron, encouraged them to make a golden cow to worship God. All Israelites except two people fell into this deception. This shows us that government leaders, religious leaders, and “experts” can lead people to do dumb things. Leaders may have good intentions, but they can be totally wrong.

We need to think for ourselves. Follow God’s word.

In Daniel, the king of Babylon set up a big statue which everyone had to worship. Everyone happily bowed down to this massive statue and worshiped it. Why? The government told them to. It was the law. Three Jews refused to bow down to this statue. They didn’t follow the crowd into deception, and they disobeyed the government. As a result, they were thrown into a fiery furnace. There are consequences for not going along with the crowd. But God brought them out of the furnace. He will be with us too if we are faithful to him.

Many Jews were afraid to tell people they believed in Jesus because they were afraid of their leaders (John 12:42-43). This is a problem, because with the mouth confession of Jesus Christ is made unto salvation (Romans 10:10).

The fear of man brings a snare (Proverbs 29:25). A snare is a trap. It causes injury and possibly death. If we are afraid of people, we will be trapped. We will become a prey to the crowd and their whims. We need divine strength to not be afraid of people so that we are not deceived by the crowd.

Job said if he was afraid of the crowd he would stay inside his house and not say anything (Job 31:34). This is the condition of some Christians who are afraid to speak truth. We need to overcome this fear if we are going to live for God.

Fickle Crowds in the New Testament

In the New Testament, crowds were very fickle.

When Jesus went to Jerusalem for Passover, the crowds said he was the Messiah. They shouted “Hosanna!” and threw their clothes in the street before him to walk over. But a few days later, stirred up by government leaders, they shouted out to crucify him. (Compare John 12:12-13 and John 19:6.) Crowds can be quick to change, quick to hate, and quick to kill.

Once Paul and Barnabas came to a town, did a miracle, and then everyone in the town said they were the Greek gods Zeus and Hermes. They wanted to sacrifice to these gods which had appeared in human form. But then, when the crowd heard some gossip about Paul and Barnabas, they suddenly turned against them, stoned them, and left them for dead outside their city (Acts 14:8-19).

Once a crowd said that Paul was a murderer. A few moments later, they changed their minds and said he was a god (Acts 28:4-6). Crowds are full of whims and dangerous ideas.

We should not be fickle like this. We should not believe one thing and then suddenly change and believe the opposite. This is double-mindedness and it leads to dangerous instability (James 1:8).

End Times

At the end of the age, everyone in the world will be deceived except a few faithful Christians. Everyone on earth will be amazed by the Antichrist, and they will all worship Satan (Revelation 13:3-4). Everyone is going to rush out and get the mark of the beast so they can buy or sell (Revelation 13:16-17). All nations drink of the wine of Babylon – glutting themselves on her entertainments, chasing after money, building up the world system that is about to be destroyed (Revelation 14:8). All the world is going to marvel at the power of the Antichrist and his political system at the end of the age (Revelation 17:8).

Christians need to be able to withstand the pressure of crowds if they are going to stand for God at the end of the age. We need to develop this strength of standing up for God now.

Overcoming Crowd Pressure

How can we be strong against the crowd?

Follow the word of God. Measure everything by the Bible.

Think for yourself. Don’t blindly follow “experts,” governmental leaders, religious leaders, scientists, or traditions. Be led by the Holy Spirit.

Overcome fear. Don’t be afraid of people, fear only God (Luke 12:4). Don’t be afraid to stand alone. God will be with you.

“Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you” (1 John 3:13).

The Bible says that we should not be surprised if the world hates us.

Hate is a powerful emotion. Hatred leads to slander, mocking, and misunderstandings. Hatred can lead to false accusations, being arrested, being sued, and even being killed.

The New Testament reveals that there is a sharp dividing line between God’s people and the world. There is a contrast between believers and unbelievers, righteousness and lawlessness, light and darkness, Christ and Satan (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). We are commanded to not love the world, neither the things in the world (1 John 2:15). If we love the world we don’t love God.

The world hated early Christians with diabolical rage. They did many evil things against them.

The early Christians were arrested. They were thrown in jail (Acts 4:3). They had stones thrown at them until they died (Acts 7:57-59). They were dragged out of their houses and thrown in jail (Acts 8:3). Conspiracies were hatched against them to kill them (Acts 9:23-24). They were killed by politicians and governmental leaders (Acts 12:1). They were expelled from cities and entire regions (Acts 13:50). They were attacked by violent mobs, abused, and beaten (Acts 14:19).

The world still hates Christians. Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world. People often seem to be able to tolerate all other religions except Christianity.

In the USA and Europe, there is a lot of hatred directed against Christians. The news tells us of Christians are being arrested, sued, fined, suspended, and losing their jobs just for standing up for basic principles of their faith.

Why does the world hate Christians so much?

The world hates us because it hates Jesus (John 15:18). The world hates Jesus because he said its works were evil (John 7:7). Christians are called to expose evil works like Jesus did, and the world doesn’t like that (Ephesians 5:11). In addition, the world hates Jesus because he said he is the only way to be saved, and people prefer many ways to be saved (John 14:6).

The world hates the gospel (1 Corinthians 1:18). The gospel says we can’t save ourselves. It says that all our good works are like filthy rags and can’t save us. People often don’t want to hear that, because they think they will get to heaven through their good works. Therefore they hate the gospel.

The world hates Christians because we are not part of the world. We don’t go along with the way the world does things, but we do things differently (John 15:19). The world wants everyone to conform to its way of doing things, but Christians often refuse to conform. That causes the world to hate us.

Sometimes our former friends hate us because after becoming Christians we live in a different way than they do (1 Peter 4:4). This makes them uncomfortable and even causes them to hate us.

How can Christians avoid being hated?

Christians can avoid being hated by compromising. We can joke along with the world’s jokes. The world will like us more if we don’t speak truth and don’t expose darkness. We can sin a little bit. If we are more like the world then the world will like us.

But the Bible says that if we are friends of the world we become God’s enemies (James 4:4). This is because the world hates God and killed his son, and if we join the world then we put ourselves in opposition to God. The goal of the Christian life is not to get along with the world.

If the world doesn’t hate us, then we are not living a normal Christian life.

Jesus said that when we are hated, we are blessed (Matthew 5:10-12). We want to be blessed by God.

Therefore, we need to learn how to handle being hated.

When we are hated, we should not hate people back. We should not be bitter against people. We should forgive them. We should not take revenge against them. We should love the people who hate us (Luke 6:35). We should do good to those who hate us (Matthew 5:44).

The best way to handle hatred is by the power of the Holy Spirit. When we are filled with the Spirit and walking according to God’s word, then we can overcome hatred.

At the end of the age, Christians will be hated by everyone (Matthew 10:22). Christians will be hated by all nations, all over the world (Matthew 24:9). The haters are gonna hate, more and more. Through all this hatred, Christians will conquer. They will overcome by the love and power of God. Someday, the world will be washed clean by the judgment of God, and there will be a new heavens and a new earth, with no hatred. Peace and love will be everywhere.

God loved this hating world, and gave his Son as a sacrifice for its sins (John 3:16). We can love this world too. If we love them, we will shine the light of God, share the truth even if it’s uncomfortable, and not hide our light under a covering. The world may hate us in return for our love. But that’s ok, they hated our Master too. He’s inside us. Greater is he who is in us, than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). By his Holy Spirit, we will overcome hatred.