He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked

C. H. Spurgeon from his Morning by Morning devotional for May 17th

6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. 1 John 2:6 (KJV)
WHY should Christians imitate Christ? They should do it for their own sakes. If they desire to be in a healthy state of soul—if they would escape the sickness of sin, and enjoy the vigour of growing grace, let Jesus be their model. For their own happiness’ sake, if they would drink wine on the lees, well refined; if they would enjoy holy and happy communion with Jesus; if they would be lifted up above the cares and troubles of this world, let them walk even as He walked. There is nothing which can so assist you to walk towards heaven with good speed, as wearing the image of Jesus on your heart to rule all its motions. It is when, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you are enabled to walk with Jesus in His very footsteps, that you are most happy, and most known to be the sons of God. Peter afar off is both unsafe and uneasy. Next, for religion’s sake, strive to be like Jesus. Ah! poor religion, thou hast been sorely shot at by cruel foes, but thou hast not been wounded one-half so dangerously by thy foes as by thy friends. Who made those wounds in the fair hand of Godliness? The professor who used the dagger of hypocrisy. The man who with pretences, enters the fold, being nought but a wolf in sheep’s clothing, worries the flock more than the lion outside. There is no weapon half so deadly as a Judas-kiss. Inconsistent professors injure the gospel more than the sneering critic or the infidel. But, especially for Christ’s own sake, imitate His example. Christian, lovest thou thy Saviour? Is His name precious to thee? Is His cause dear to thee? Wouldst thou see the kingdoms of the world become His? Is it thy desire that He should be glorified? Art thou longing that souls should be won to Him? If so, imitate Jesus; be an “epistle of Christ, known and read of all men.”

The nature of genuine repentance

by Mike Ratliff

8 He came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. 9 For on the first of the first month he began to go up from Babylon; and on the first of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, because the good hand of his God was upon him. 10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of Yahweh and to practice it, and to teach His statute and judgment in Israel. Ezra 7:8-10 (LSB) 

If we study God’s Word from cover to cover we will find that only God is perfect. He is Sovereign. He is Holy. He is complete and perfectly righteous. On the other hand, people are none of the above. We are a fallen race who, even after God’s gracious regeneration of our hearts, must continually work out our salvation with fear and trembling. That implies that we still sin. We still fall into temptation and become entangled. Even when God graciously allows us to walk in victory for awhile, we get our eyes off of Him and on ourselves and begin to believe that we are invulnerable to the worst our flesh can throw at us. That, of course, sets us up for a next stumble.

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may discern the will of God

by Mike Ratliff

1 Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοί, διὰ τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν τοῦ θεοῦ παραστῆσαι τὰ σώματα ὑμῶν θυσίαν ζῶσαν ἁγίαν εὐάρεστον τῷ θεῷ, τὴν λογικὴν λατρείαν ὑμῶν· 2 καὶ μὴ συσχηματίζεσθε τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ μεταμορφοῦσθε τῇ ἀνακαινώσει τοῦ νοὸς εἰς τὸ δοκιμάζειν ὑμᾶς τί τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ, τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ εὐάρεστον καὶ τέλειον. Romans 12:1-2 (NA28)

1 Therefore, I urge you brothers through the compassions of God to present your bodies as living, holy sacrifices, well pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service. 2 And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may discern the will of God, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

1 Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος. 2 οὗτος ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν θεόν. 3 πάντα διʼ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν. ὃ γέγονεν 4 ἐν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ἦν, καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἦν τὸ φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων· 5 καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει, καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν. John 1:1-5 (NA28)

Both the Apostle John and the Apostle Paul used light and darkness in analogies pertaining to spiritual life and spiritual death. For instance, in John 1:4-5 (above) the Apostle says, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men; and the light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not grasp it.” In order to lay the foundation for this discussion on discerning the Lord’s will, it is imperative that we understand what is being said in these two verses. First, the “Him” in v4 refers back to ὁ λόγος or “the Word” from v1. This is, of course, our Lord Jesus Christ. In v4, we learn that in Him was ζωὴ or zōē, “life.” This ζωὴ is not simply the life we all have here and now, but was φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων or the “the light of men.” What does that mean? This light comes from God and brings to this dark world true knowledge, moral purity, and the light that shows the very presence of God. Finally, notice that this light shines into the darkness, but the darkness does not “receive, admit, or grasp” it. Those who discern the will of God are in His light. Those who cannot are in darkness.

Intentional godliness is the product of a spirit-filled walk

by Mike Ratliff

6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them, 8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of that light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10 trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 And do not participate in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead even expose them. Ephesians 5:6-11 (LSB) 

Intentional godliness is the product of a spirit-filled walk. No Christian becomes godly by simply wanting it. Neither do they become godly through self-righteousness. Instead, the walk that is truly godly is one that is not self-focused at all. It is one that is totally wrapped up and empowered by a consistent, deliberate attempt to discover or discern what is pleasing to the Lord, then doing it. If we analyze this, and we should, we will see that the intentional walk in the light of God is one that separates the Christian from both non-Christians and professing Christians who bear no eternal fruit.

This separate walk does not include promises from God that all will be easy. There is no fine print that states that the obedient Christian will be excluded from becoming ill or losing their job or finding themselves having to part with the world’s goods or even having a spouse walk out on them. No, we find examples in Sacred Scripture of God taking His saints through very heavy trials even though they were exemplary in their walk in the God’s light. Think of Joseph and Job. It is during these times that we discover who the real Christians are as well as those who either have a long way to go in their sanctification or are not genuine at all. The more mature believers are the ones who will come along side the suffering saint to help bear the burden while the others say insipid things like, “You must have committed some horrible sin and God has struck you down for it.”

The Passion of Patience

BY OSWALD CHAMBERS From his devotional My Utmost for His Highest for May 2nd.

 Patience is not indifference. Patience is an immensely strong rock, withstanding all onslaughts. The vision of God is the source of patience, because it gives moral inspiration. Moses was able to be patient, not because he had a sense of duty but because he had the vision of God: “He persevered because he saw him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27). If God gives you a time of temptation in the wilderness, when there is no word from him at all, be patient. The power to endure is yours because you see God.

A person who has had a vision of God is devoted to God himself, not to any particular cause or issue. You always know if the vision you’re having is of God because of the inspiration it brings. When you see God, everything around you is energized. Everything is larger, more vibrant, more.

“Though it linger, wait for it.” The proof that we have the vision is that we are reaching out for more than we have grasped. It is a bad thing to be satisfied spiritually. We have the tendency to look for satisfaction in our experience. We think that because we’ve experienced salvation and sanctification, we have the power to endure anything. The instant we begin to think this way, we are on the road to ruin. If we have nothing more than our experiences, we have nothing. If we have the inspiration of the vision of God, we have more than we can experience.

Never let yourself relax spiritually. Press on toward your goal.12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12 (KJV)

As I said in yesterday’s post, I had eye surgery on my left eye on Tuesday this week. I have worn glasses since the age of 13. I am 72 years old now. The lens the surgeon put in my left eye is amazing. When I look through my left eye alone it is as sharp as if I was looking through my old glasses, but with no fog or blur, which was the problem I was having with my left eye. My surgeon says that my right eye needs a new lens as well. However, the recovery process is very frustrating. I can’t drive now because I wear this eye patch over my left eye and so I can’t see to the left at all. When they do my right eye I will have to depend on my new left eye all the time while the right eye heals. I am sure driving will be still off the table. Writing like this is also quite frustrating. I am so grateful that I took typing in High School back in 1967 so I never have to look at the keyboard to see where the keys are. 🙂 So what has this to do with What Oswald Chambers was talking about?  Look at what he said about being satisfied spiritually as we look for satisfaction in our experience and think that because we have experienced salvation and ratification, we have the power to endure anything. God is showing me that He has taken me beyond this, but I have been negligent in seeking to fulfill the vision He gave me back in 2003-2004 when He drew me back to Himself to walk in repentance to walk by faith and to teach others that this is what He wants all of His sheep to do. So, I am being frustrated by my eye situation to get my attention so I can get back on track. Please pray for me in this.

Soli Deo Gloria!

The Narrow Gate

by Mike Ratliff

12 Πάντα οὖν ὅσα ἐὰν θέλητε ἵνα ποιῶσιν ὑμῖν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς ποιεῖτε αὐτοῖς· οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται.
13 Εἰσέλθατε διὰ τῆς στενῆς πύλης· ὅτι πλατεῖα ἡ πύλη καὶ εὐρύχωρος ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν ἀπώλειαν καὶ πολλοί εἰσιν οἱ εἰσερχόμενοι διʼ αὐτῆς· 14 τί στενὴ ἡ πύλη καὶ τεθλιμμένη ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν ζωὴν καὶ ὀλίγοι εἰσὶν οἱ εὑρίσκοντες αὐτήν. Matthew 7:12-14 (NA28)

12 Therefore, everything that you wish that men would do for you, thus also you do for them for this is the Law and the Prophets.
13 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way leading to destruction and those who enter by it are many. 14 How narrow is the gate and constricted the road leading to life and few are the ones finding it. Matthew 7:12-14 (translated from the NA28 Greek text to English)

Our Lord Jesus Christ set before us the way of Righteousness. Yes, He lived a perfect life and died on a cruel cross to pay the penalty and price for the sins of those whom He came to save. Yet, He also taught us both in word and deed how the truly Righteous should live. Those whom God has saved are regenerated so that they can believe and repent and receive salvation by grace through faith. However, this regeneration does not kill or do away with our sin nature. God uses our sin nature, which battles us in every step in our spiritual growth, for His own purposes. These purposes include keeping us humble as we see how unrighteous we really are because of our battles against our own flesh. Yes, we still sin. In fact we will never be free of these battles against our flesh until we are taken home to be with our Lord.

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us

C. H. Spurgeon from his Morning by Morning Devotional for April 23rd.

“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.”—Romans 8:37.
WE go to Christ for forgiveness, and then too often look to the law for power to fight our sins. Paul thus rebukes us, “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” Take your sins to Christ’s cross, for the old man can only be crucified there: we are crucified with Him. The only weapon to fight sin with is the spear which pierced the side of Jesus. To give an illustration—you want to overcome an angry temper, how do you go to work? It is very possible you have never tried the right way of going to Jesus with it. How did I get salvation? I came to Jesus just as I was, and I trusted Him to save me. I must kill my angry temper in the same way? It is the only way in which I can ever kill it. I must go to the cross with it, and say to Jesus, “Lord, I trust Thee to deliver me from it.” This is the only way to give it a death-blow. Are you covetous? Do you feel the world entangle you? You may struggle against this evil so long as you please, but if it be your besetting sin, you will never be delivered from it in any way but by the blood of Jesus. Take it to Christ. Tell Him, “Lord, I have trusted Thee, and Thy name is Jesus, for Thou dost save Thy people from their sins; Lord, this is one of my sins; save me from it!” Ordinances are nothing without Christ as a means of mortification. Your prayers, and your repentances, and your tears—the whole of them put together—are worth nothing apart from Him. “None but Jesus can do helpless sinners good;” or helpless saints either. You must be conquerors through Him who hath loved you, if conquerors at all. Our laurels must grow among His olives in Gethsemane.

Who or What is the Scarlet Woman?

by Mike Ratliff

1 Then one of the seven angels who have the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her sexual immorality.” Revelation 17:1-2 (LSB) 

John the Baptist was the one who was sent to make the way straight, to prepare the way for the one was to come. Of course the one who was to come is our Lord Jesus Christ the long awaited Messiah of the Jews. Gabriel told Zechariah, the father of John, “he would be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb, and will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” Of course he did that very thing and our Lord was born of a virgin soon after John.

Repentance, personal holiness and the big lie

by Mike Ratliff

7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. 10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. Galatians 6:7-10 (LSB) 

Repentance is not a large part of the paradigm that is the 21^st Century version of the visible Church. The current trend to build Mega-Churches has as one of its main tenets that the prevailing culture within which the church resides must determine the content of the Gospel. In order to attract the largest possible number of people to be part of these churches, absolutely no emphasis is placed on living a life of repentance by the professing Christian. Instead, the way “church is done” is to bring the world into it, to not be threatening in any way to those who have no desire to abandon their flesh oriented lifestyles.

Flesh-bound Christians and the Mortification of Sin

by Mike Ratliff

 7 What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! Rather, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law. For I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET.” 8 But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, worked out in me coveting of every kind. For apart from the Law sin is dead. 9 Now I was once alive apart from the Law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died; 10 and this commandment, which was to lead to life, was found to lead to death for me. 11 For sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
13 Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by working out my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.
14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, having been sold into bondage under sin. 15 For what I am working out, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 16 But if I do the very thing I do not want, I agree with the Law, that it is good. 17 So now, no longer am I the one working it out, but sin which dwells in me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the working out of the good is not. 19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one working it out, but sin which dwells in me.
21 I find then the principle that in me evil is present—in me who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 23 but I see a different law in my members, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a captive to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death? Romans 7:7-24 (LSB)

If we are honest, each of us would have to confess that there are sins that have an incredible hold on us. It seems that no matter how devoted we become in our walk before our Lord, there will be some sins that trip us up, making us stumble and fall to our deep chagrin. Our self-loathing resulting from this can be quite severe. We cry out to God, we promise Him that we are done with that sin. We declare that we would rather die than do it again. We weep. We mourn. We then start to recover and become joyous in the Lord again. Then a short time later there is that sin pouncing upon us out of no where. We seem to have little or no strength or resolve to fight it off and then we stumble right back into it again.

The light of the world

by Mike Ratliff

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16 (LSB) 

While Joel and Victoria Osteen believe that our Lord’s command to let your light shine before others is to prosper and show everyone how God is blessing you, this is not what He was talking about in the passage above at all. We are not to be conformed to this world, we are to be  unified with our brothers and sisters in Christ while not being yoked to professing Christians who are not genuine, and we are to lay up our treasure in heaven not here on earth. Living like this makes one stand out because it is a way of life that is conformed to God and His ways, which are not the ways of the world. It will get the attention of the unregenerate.

Precious and Magnificent Promises

by Mike Ratliff

1 Simeon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have received the same kind of faith as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the full knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the full knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. 2 Peter 1:1-4 (LSB)

When I was relatively young in my faith I discovered 2 Peter Chapter 1. I was going through a period learning about what it meant to be a disciple of my Lord Jesus Christ. I desperately wanted to avoid being simply a religious Christian. When I studied this passage It looked like some very great promises to believers if they would apply what Peter was talking about. I went to one of our Pastors with my Bible open to this passage and asked him to explain it. His answer was not very helpful. He told me that as I matured in my faith that the Lord would see to it that I would be able to do these things. In a sense, I believe he was right, but back then, being a computer geek and software developer and network engineer, I wanted a more direct nuts and bolts answer. Of course, several years later I did indeed find the right path to this, which required me to become immersed in prayer and Bible study that resulted in  a great deal of confession and repentance on my part that enabled me to see what it meant to abide in Christ (John 15) and to become a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1) who was being transformed through the renewal of my mind on a daily basis (Romans 12:2). It was from that personal revival that I began writing and commenting on websites and blogs such as Slice of Laodiicia. From that I began my own blogging, which led to being invited to join the discernment team at Christian Research Network. Now, with that up front, let’s look at 2 Peter 1:1-17.

Sacrifices Pleasing to God

by Mike Ratliff

10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no authority to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. 13 So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. 14 For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the one to come. 15 Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess His name. 16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:10-16 (LSB)

I have written much about “Christian Authenticity” and the fallacy of empty religiosity. I have done so because God delivered me from a very dreadful Christian walk several years ago in which I was just going through the motions of my religion, but there was no obedience or walk of repentance going on. I was depressed most of the time suffering from a form of PTSD from being in the blast zone when the Federal Center  in OKC was bombed. I was maintaining my walk through my own will power and was fast running out of gas when I was called by God to take a stand at our old church against a move by our pastor to allow it to be taken over by the Purpose Driven Paradigm. It was through that not so fun experience that my wife and I found ourselves churchless.  At that time we were living in Johnson County Kansas. I was working in Lenexa, Kansas for a very large Hospital management group as their Database Administrator. We were far from home though since we were both from Oklahoma and most of our family and friends were still there. Over the next two or three years we looked for a new church, but it was very difficult. The Purpose Driven disease had taken over a large portion of the churches there. We attended a Sovereign Grace church for.a few years until the pastor left to become a chaplain at Texas A&M Medical school and hospitals. His replacement was selected by Sovereign Grace Ministries. He was very young and even though I liked him, we had issues. First, he knew about this blog and wanted to control it. Second, he demanded that my wife and I join a small group. We had tried two or three of them, but they were not anything like the small groups we have at our church we are part of now. No, we couldn’t do it. When he told me he wanted to control what I posted on this blog I smiled and told him that only God could control that. We left and never went back. From that Sunday until we moved back to Oklahoma in December 2012 we attended Mission Road  Bible Church which was pastored by Rick Holland. The biggest problem for us there was that it was almost a  50 mile trip to and from our house to that church.

However, what I didn’t share above is what God was doing in and through me during that period. I became totally engrossed in the Word of God. I just could not get enough of studying it along with doctrine. I read books by R.C Sproul, Jonathan Edwards, Martin Luther, John Owen, Dr. James White, and William Tyndale along with his biography. From this I became  convinced that most Christians have no idea that we are called by God to be living sacrifices who walk daily in repentance, abiding in Christ as a way of life. I began to write about this and post about it. The more I studied this and posted about it the more I ran up against antinomians and liberals who at that time were calling themselves “Emergents.” They totally hated what I was sharing and when I poked holes in their posts using nothing but the Word of God, things turned ugly. It was at that time that Ken Silva invited me to become part of Christian Research Network, which was just getting started. However, I was not after that exposure. I was after being obedient to my Lord. That is what I wrote about and still attempt to do.

1 Therefore I exhort you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—living, holy, and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may approve what the will of God is, that which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 (LSB) 

Compare this passage to the one I placed at the top of this post. Here it is again.

10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no authority to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. 13 So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. 14 For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the one to come. 15 Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess His name. 16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:10-16 (LSB)

In Romans 12:1-2 we are told to not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds, that we may approve what the will of God is. However, what are we told to do in Hebrews 13:10-16? We are told offer up the sacrifice of praise to God and to not neglect doing good and sharing. Are these talking about the same thing? I believe so, I believe I am renewed in my mind through Bible Study and prayer along with fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ as we support each other in prayer and encouragement. If you look at these two passages along those lines they are talking about the same things. Isn’t it a joyful thing to do something for someone who can in no way pay you back? You do it out of love for the Lord. I love doing those things. It is even more joyful if no one knows about it. It is only known between me and God and possibly the one I helped. Romans 12:2 seems to be speaking of prayer and the Study of the Word or even participating in a Bible Study as a group. This is where I live. I love it. In Hebrews 13:14-15 what are we doing? We are walking in a way that is in preparation for the appearing of our Lord at His return and we praise the Lord continually throughout our day regardless of our circumstances. Jesus is coming back soon. Are you ready?

Soli Deo Gloria!

Therefore put to death what is earthly in you which is idolatry

by Mike Ratliff

12 So then, brothers, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die, but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the practices of the body, you will live. Romans 8:12-13 (LSB) 

Compromise is the order of the day. When God’s Word is forsaken and replaced with the subjectivity of Man’s wisdom then what do you expect? When so-called “Evangelical leaders” can ignore what Sacred Scripture says very clearly about Homosexuality being a sin just like murder and that no practicing homosexual will inherit the Kingdom of God and still call what they teach “Christianity” well then what we must understand is that what we are dealing with are people who want to be included as practicing Christians while remaining unrepentant of their sins. No matter how much Scripture twisting these false teachers try to do, they cannot change what the Apostle Paul wrote and taught about repentance being an integral part of our salvation. If we compare what Paul taught here with what our Lord Jesus clearly taught we see no difference. That part about if we want to come after Jesus we must deny ourselves, take up our Crosses, and follow Him costing us everything, that is a life of repentance my brethren. I wonder how many professing Christians in our time really understand that…