Sermons of Love

Are You Pardoned or Paroled? A religious spirit: Do you lack joy in life? Would you rather skip church, prayer, and scripture reading? Do you focus most of your energy on doing the right thing and abstaining from the wrong things? 


When people operate out of a religious spirit they attempt to earn salvation.




The spirit of religion is a shift from joyful obedience in God and a transformed life, to simply doing the right things and abstaining from the wrong ones.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”  But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.  And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:13–17  Why Did Jesus Have to Submit to Baptism?  John was the last bearer of the Law and the Prophets and carried the anointing of the Word...   Jesus was submitting to the Law and the Prophets through the Baptist.  Only then did he receive the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit.  -- Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,  but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5–11 There was no record of Jesus doing miracles before his Baptism. As a man, he was not able to do miracles in his own strength and nature. The power came through his total reliance and dependence upon His Father and The Holy Spirit.  When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”  When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment. Matthew 8:5–13ESV What was the Centurion’s Faith?    His authority came through his submission to his generals and ultimately the Emperor.   He recognized Jesus’ authority over disease came from his submission to God the Father. He was under command authority so he had authority to command. Submission is not Servility.  It is a willing sacrifice of self-esteem in order to esteem others more highly than yourself. It is to excel in giving honor to others.   Think about this: John the Baptist was an imperfect man, and yet the perfect man, Jesus, submitted to his anointing.    We submit to the Word of God in a Man, but we give honor to the man through whom God is speaking and using.  Just as we are to give honor to one another.  Note:  We are not to submit to anything ungodly or contrary to the Word of God, even if told to do so by those in authority.  We give honor to those in authority who are imperfect like ourselves and cannot expect them to be without flaws before we give them honor.  We also allow for disagreements over minor interpretations of scripture. I have seen more pride coming from those who think they have the only avenue to the truth than from those who give grace and allow for different interpretations on matters not essential to the faith.  There are 2 types of submission that God honors:  1, is to those in authority, whether natural or spiritual; and 2, the other is to one another in mutual submission and honor. Psalm 133:1–3 ESV Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, -- How does submission work in practice? At work, you submit to your boss; on a worship team you submit to the worship leader; in a church you submit to pastors and elders who are to lead and guide you in all gentleness and humility and to bring correction when necessary.  -- 1 Peter 5:1–11 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed:  shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;  not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.  Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”  Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.  Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.  And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.  To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. You can’t resist the devil unless and until you submit yourself to God. Otherwise, you are in the devil's hands.  Examples of Effectiveness:  Submission is the lamp connected to the light switch.   No King but Jesus:  Protestants vs. Catholics Flesh:  Independent Self Will - Do it on our own, decide for ourselves, don’t need to rely upon God. Self-Made Man, Be All You Can Be. It isn’t really a sin.  (Haughtiness)  

Last week’s message was on forgiveness:  Some may struggled and feel like you can’t forgive:  Forgiveness is an act of the will not of the emotions. In fact, your emotions won’t get healed until you forgive.  Gary will be preaching about demons. I’m going to do a quick introduction into deliverance ministry.  The Body of Christ (that means you) has authority to deliver people from demonic bondage. Jesus Said:  “Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.” (Mark 16:14–20, ESV) Not everything is a demon:  PTSD, Trauma, Satanic ritual abuse, and sexual abuse can result in Split personality disorder. There is no demon to cast out here, but the past needs to be faced,   Difference between demons and principalities and powers. We have authority over demons, but not principalities and powers. Against those we wrestle, we don’t cast out: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:10–12, ESV) “Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion. These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.” (Jude 5–13, ESV) How the devil disarms us…through fear Entrance of Fear (my story) Opening Doors for the evil one to oppress you  Signs of oppression:  addictions to sex, drugs, alcohol, gambling, fear of the occult, compulsions and uncontrolled anger Unforgiveness – cause and/or result of oppression  Getting Back the Key: Renunciation of past occult practices and repentance.

(Audio has an echo... sorry) Habakkuk 2:4  "The Righteous Shall Live by his Faithfulness."  - Quoted by Paul.  In Hebrew, faithfulness means trustworthy or steadfast.  It is different from faith. It is being faithful to do what is right and follow the Lord's leading even when you don't have faith to move mountains.  Genesis 16, 17:15–21 1 Samuel 21:10–22:2 Mark 14:26–31 Matthew 26:69–75 John 21:15–19

God’s Sovereign Call “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 1:1–2, ) Paul was called, Paul was chosen by the will of God. He was chosen against his will. He did not seek, ask, or desire. He was chosen by the Grace of God.  In fact, he was radically opposed to God and hated God. He fought God with all his might! “Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,” (Ephesians 3:7–8, ESV) “I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent (violent) opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 1:12–17, ESV)   (He knows your destiny!) “Then he (Jesus)  appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” (1 Corinthians 15:7–10, ESV) Paul’s will was involved. He had to yield to God and say yes to the calling., BUT WHO WOULDN’T? But God is the one who called him to this ministry.  He didn’t invite himself!  But the Good News for Paul is the Same as it is For YOU.  You are called and You are Chosen! (if you be in Christ) : “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,” (Ephesians 1:3–7, ESV) Note here that Paul continually repeats that God is accomplishing everything according to the purpose of his will!  “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:11–14, ESV) People don’t like the word “predestination,” because it implies we don’t have free will. But we have to be faithful to what the scripture says, and Paul mentions it several times here in this passage.  Predestination has to do with the Sovereign will and ability of God to accomplish everything according to his will in spite of the resistance and rebellion of mankind. And the key here is that you are predestined in LOVE to be conformed to the image of Jesus.   Predestination has to do with the ultimate plan of salvation, but it does not mean we cannot resist or choose to cooperate. We still have temporal freedom of our will, to the degree we are not enslaved to sin, addictions, and oppression. For if we are under the devil’s power, we are indeed not free in our will, but enslaved.  Jesus came to free us from slavery and restore the freedom of our will.  Jesus Said: “Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:34–36, ESV) Because before we come to Jesus, our wills are indeed enslaved, just as Paul was to hatred and violence, it makes sense why Paul says, : “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:7–10, ESV) We cannot throw out predestination because it makes us uncomfortable or because we are concerned for those who have not yet accepted their calling to Jesus.   A pastor I know once said wisely, “Preach grace and let election happen.”  Our calling is to call all to repentance, and let him who will come Come!  But the Good News is God is working to bring to salvation all He has called and HE CANNOT BE STOPPED! He will have his own! No man can stop him and that should give us hope and courage when we preach the good news of God’s grace and forgiveness.    And you should be encouraged because you were called and chosen!  Paul does indeed paint a picture of the natural man outside this grace of salvation. We don’t have the ability to choose God unless God chooses us:  “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:1–7, ESV) There are plenty of scriptures that indicate that God is indeed in control. We preach the good news of God’s forgiveness, but the Sovereign God is a faithful judge of human kind. He is able to judge the human heart and know whether someone truly wants God or prefers hatred. Paul was in rebellion, but God saw his heart. He chose Paul in spite of his rebellion, just as he offered forgiveness to the thief on the cross next to him.  While we may not like the idea of God’s right to judge the souls of men, there are plenty of scriptures that reveal God’s ability and right to do so. “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” (John 6:37, ESV) “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”” (John 3:17–21, ESV) “Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:43–44, ESV) “In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”” (Luke 10:21–22, ESV) Finally the Good News: Your destiny is kept in Him, and not by yourselves, your own strength or power.  Your salvation is not dependent upon how good you are or how good you can be; it is dependent upon the grace of God and his love for you. In Him you are secure. In ourselves we have no hope! 

Genesis 37: 1-11 Joseph is 17, a tattletale, and not very humble or smart. Joseph Enslaved, He Prospers Falsely Accused & Thrown into Prison While in Prison, He Prospers. God is more interested in the development of your character than in giving you things. Faith and Confession cannot shorten the process.

What is Faith?  “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:5–8, ESV) Double-Mindied = Two Souled, Two Thoughts, Two Minds, Undecided.Vanilla or Chocolate? Will God or Won’t He Heal? Is it God’s Will to heal or not?  Doubt: evaluate and judge for oneself. Adam set himself up as a judge and evaluator of God’s Word about the fruit.  It isn’t so much a doubt as the opposite of trusting God.    The Three types of faith: knowledge, agreement, and trust.  The Word of Faith Movement has a lot of truth to it. God does want you to “prosper and be in health,” as  John says. But what is prosperity?   Having everything you need to do what God has called you to do.  Would God want you to fail in what he has told you to do?  The problem of the Word of Faith movement is that it can take away your focus from Jesus and put it on yourself, your efforts, your faith and upon how much faith you have, OR DON’T HAVE!  Faith can become a form of works of self-improvement and a cycle of performance so that your focus is no longer on Jesus, but upon you: are you doing enough? Do you have enough faith? What if you don’t have enough faith?  The result of this misplaced focus is humanism. Man becomes the center of your theology instead of what Jesus has done for you on the cross.  The reason this happens is because when faith is treated like an object that we can possess or own, faith becomes separated from the One who is Faith and the One who gives Faith.   “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1–2, ESV) Faith is not something we have separately from a relationship of intimacy with Jesus. It says  “faith works through love” (Gal. 5:6). And it says faith is a gift:  “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”   (Ephesians 2:8–10, ESV) If Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith and faith is a gift given to us by the Father, how so is faith something we can exercise ourselves outside a relationship with God?  Is the focus on our faith or upon Jesus whose faith we share by his faith working in us?  If we are his workmanship, is it not his faith which works in us to perfect us and make us like him?  So,  let us look a the kind of faith Jesus had as our model.  The word for faith in Greek is the same as the English word TRUST.  In almost every instance in the New Testament, everywhere the word faith appears, you can substitute the word trust. And it would be good for you to do so, as it changes the meaning of the scriptures as it applies to us. It becomes a term of relationship, rather than a term describing our performance or ability.  First of all, Jesus shows that he is totally dependent upon the Father for everything he does.  “Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise.” (John 5:19, NRSV) “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.” (John 14:10–11, ESV) Why is this:  Jesus operates in his flesh as a perfect man: as Adam without sin, who is in perfect fellowship with his Father. The supernatural power working through him came not as an innate ability of his human nature, but because the Holy Spirit rested upon him and enabled him to do these works.  As proof of this, there is no recorded miracle of Jesus until AFTER he was baptized by John and the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove.  In other words, Jesus is showing us what it is like to be a perfect human being who never defied God, ate fruit he wasn’t supposed to, and he never broke trust with God.  The Key here is that not only did Jesus never sin against the Law, but he NEVER doubted God. It wasn’t just his obedience to the Law that made him Just, but that his faith or trust in the Father was never broken. He trusted God even unto death.  Before Eve sinned, both she and Adam doubted and did not believe God’s word to them. They entertained what the serpent said. It was their unbelief that then motivated them to disobey God’s law. All unbelief is sin.  Romans 14:23 says, whatever doesn’t come from faith is sin.  This is why Jesus’ righteousness was not based upon obedience to the Law but upon his unbroken faith and trust in God. Paul says this very thing in Romans:  “But now the righteousness of God has been revealed apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets point to it— the righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ for all who believe in him. For there is no distinction:” (Romans 3:21–22) Note here: in the original Greek, and in the King James version of the bible, the Greek is correctly translated. What made Jesus righteous was his faith.  In fact, the whole book of Romans is revealing Jesus as the new Adam who did for us what we could not do for ourselves: believe God perfectly. He is our champion, like David, slaying the Giant of unbelief, to bring us to God with the gift of his perfect faith: his righteousness...  We are made God’s righteous children through God’s perfect Son, who gives us HIS faith as a gift.  “the righteousness of God through faith of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.” (Romans 3:22–25, ESV) So if faith is God’s work in us and not our work, trust in God is the sign of faith.  How then do we apply faith?    So why is Faith translated so often as it is?   After the Reformation the Anabaptist movement made faith a kind of personal decision leading to an evangelical emphasis on one’s individual faith.  In the Reformation it wasn’t so: they just preached the scriptures in the common language and the people believed. They never asked people to receive Jesus as their personal savior. They confessed their faith, but there wasn’t such an emphasis on their personal ability to believe. After the Anabaptists, there was much more focus on the individual decisions, confessions, and experiences.  Modern translation:  “As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”” (Mark 11:20–25, ESV) Historical translation:  “Trust God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not waiver in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”” (Mark 11:20–25) What is trust?   Sit in a chair?  Trust in God like a child being carried to bed.   Letting GO and Let God.  Giving up, Surrender, relying upon God. Trusting him with your life. Resting in him.  This all comes through challenges that lead us to surrender. And through intimacy, as we get to know Him better and his love, we will trust him all the more.  To do miracles?  Only God can give us that kind of faith. It doesn’t come from us. 

Herod murders babies in Jerusalem, Pharoah orders murders of male children in Egypt. When God is about to send delivers, Satan motivates worldly powers to destroy that generation. We are living in a time such as this when the shedding of innocent blood is considered a good thing. How should we respond? Praise God (Anyhow). -- Jefferis Jefferisp Monday, December 28, 2020 Since Amazon is blocking Parler, I have added the video to my new Youtube Channel. Herod murders babies in Jerusalem, Pharoah orders the murder of all the male Hebrew children in Egypt. When God is about to send deliverers, Satan motivates worldly powers to destroy that generation. We are living in a time such as this when the shedding of innocent blood is considered a good thing, and corrupt rulers and perverted courts oppress the people. How should we respond? Praise God (Anyhow). The Situation in Israel at the time of John. Focus verse: To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins, Because of the tender mercy of our God. (Luke 1:67–79) Matthew 2:1–18 Exodus 11:4–7 Isaiah 26 “Are you not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof. You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?” (Habakkuk 1:12–13, ESV) “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.” (Habakkuk 3:17–19, ESV) To consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions would be very dangerous doctrine indeed and one which would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy... The Constitution has erected no such tribunal, knowing that to whatever hands confided, with corruption of time and party, its members would become despots. - Thomas Jefferson Letter To William Charles Jarvis. Monticello, September 28, 1820. At the same time the candid citizen must confess that if the policy of government, upon vital questions affecting the whole people, is to be irrevocably fixed by decisions of the Supreme Court the instant they are made, in ordinary litigation between parties, in personal actions, the people will have ceased to be their own rulers, having, to that extent practically resigned their government into the hands of that eminent tribunal. - Abraham Lincoln

 Spiritual Warfare in the Church over the Word Gary has been talking about spiritual warfare in the church. One of the issues we have today is that preachers, teachers and church-goers no longer consider the Word of God that Last word on matters of faith and practice.  Martin Luther broke with the Catholic Church over the authority of the Word of God in the Scriptures. He found 95 reasons that the church had put the traditions of men above the Word of God.  This situation is similar to what Jesus had to deal with in the 1st C. He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’" (Matthew 15:3–9, ESV) But today, many consider God's Word to be a good suggestion but outdated. We are free to reinterpret to make it fit our current day.  So what God said was wrong back then, isn't necessarily wrong today.  This is the problem within the church. In the unchurched culture, the problem is a bit different. They don't believe there is any truth, much less one truth. The universe is a product of evolution by accident and there is no ultimate purpose or plan to life.  No God who controls destiny or gives life meaning. I remember reading an article back in the 1980's in Wired magazine where this woman was talking about avatars.  The word Avatar comes from a noun meaning: 1  a manifestation of a deity or released soul in bodily form on earth; an incarnate divine teacher; an incarnation, embodiment, or manifestation of a person or idea. 2  an icon or figure representing a particular person in video games, Internet forums, etc. Her point was more like the second, where people adopt characters to play games, but she was applying it to all of human life. Her point was that identity is plastic. There is no ultimate purpose to gender or identity, so we can create our own. If there is no GOD, there is no ultimate truth, there is no right or wrong, no reason we can't decide to change our gender, no morals, no real reason that life or death matters.  So religion is just an illusion or an opinion, with no basis in fact, and can safely be ignored. We call this philosophy Relativism. All truth is just a subjective perspective. Anything goes. Do your own thing. And church leaders who have yielded to this philosophy in the culture in order to be "hip" or current, have abandoned any pretense that the Bible is true. They do not believe in any fixed form of truth, but truth has evolved as we have become more "Enlightened" and more "tolerant." We now have "science" which tells us that the old morals of the bible are wrong. They have proclaimed "tolerance" as the highest form of love and the good, and in so doing, they have implied that because of their compassion, they are more tolerant and loving than God. On a national level, we have pastors and priests who indulge sin with a false form of grace that confuses license with love. And so have endorsed sin as if the Liberty of Christ is a license for all kinds of behaviors, and if permissiveness was actually helping rather than bringing harm. Why does God give us the Law? The law of God is there to protect us, not to punish us or bring us harm. If I put up  a sign that says the bridge is out up ahead, and you ignore it and speed on, the signpost didn't judge your or punish you. You were punished by your own actions. Just so, the leaders who ignore the law and encourage sin in the name of "tolerance" are not showing love... it is actually hate, because they could be trying to protect you. Instead they encourage you to hurt yourself. Jeremiah spoke of this situation in Judea, when religion had become corrupted by idolatry and a disregard for the Word of God. “An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?” (Jeremiah 5:30–31, ESV) “For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for unjust gain; and from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely. They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown,” says the LORD.” (Jeremiah 6:13–15, ESV) Many pastors and whole denominations no longer preach righteousness or teach us that God requires holiness of us, but like Peter said, “For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.” (2 Peter 2:18–19, ESV) Law and Grace are not enemies. Grace is not accepting sin, it is accepting people who are sinful. It is saying yes to the person but no to the sin. We cannot restore the land without being willing to stand up for righteousness and endure persecution and hatred by those who hate truth. Jesus told us this: “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.” (John 15:18–21, ESV) Truth is offensive and it brings a sword of division. But we are to "speak the truth in love" and love our enemies and not respond in kind, but repay abuse with kindness... This is very difficult to do. But if you know who you are in Christ Jesus and whose you are, what others think of you will not define you. And knowing God loves you, when others hate you, will allow you to look upon them with pity rather than anger. By our kindness in the face of their animosity, it may be that some will repent and come to see God in us, rather than enemies. So How do you restore those who have fallen, or bring back leaders who have turned.  If they show true repentance, we open our arms, but we are not foolish. We have seen things like Jimmy Swaggart, who after falling into sexual sin, was pronounced clean by Oral Roberts after "casting out demons" and returned to ministry in three months only to be caught in the same sin a few years later. “Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality. Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure.” (1 Timothy 5:19–22, ESV) In the same way on a personal level, we need to be able to hold each other accountable without casting judgments. But we are not to endorse sinful behaviors, “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”” (1 Corinthians 5:9–13, ESV) What? We are to judge?  Yes, we are to judge behaviors inside the church as sin. There is a difference between judging with condemnation, but if we judge someone who is unrepentant in the church, we are excluding them in order to bring them to repentance and heal them.

Trusting God in the Shaking, A Conflict of Powers Exodus 8 & Genesis 26 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Ephesians 6:12–13 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 2 Timothy 3:12–13 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:9–10 These are the same forces that Moses faced in Egypt.  These false gods and world rulers are the World SYSTEM opposed to the Rule of God and the Freedom of God's Children. There are those trying to divide us.  We are wrestling against the demonic spirits that work through government, the financial system (corporations, e.g.), education, media and communications (news), entertainment, drugs and pornography (sexualization of youth, abuse and trafficking.) These are the same forces that Moses faced in Egypt.  These false gods and world rulers are the World SYSTEM opposed to the Rule of God and the Freedom of God's Children. We are in a battle against Spiritual Hosts of Wickedness that manifest through worldly powers: Government, Financial Systems, Politics, Communication Systems, and Religion.  God is judging the world’s systems but has set apart a place of refuge for the people of God.  Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs. The Nile shall swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls. The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.” ’ ” Exodus 8:1–4 Exodus 8: 16-24 What does Goshen mean?   "Drawing Near"  While God is judging the world's systems,  he has set apart a place of refuge for the people of God.     He has provision in the midst of the shaking.  How Did God Judge Egypt:  Religiously: the gods of Egypt and  the magicians were no match for Yahweh   Governmentally and Politically: Pharaoh was impotent before God's sovereign will.  Militarily:  Horse and Rider were Thrown into the sea. Economically:  They stripped the Egyptians of their gold and silver.  Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines.   Gen 26:1 And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The Lord blessed him, and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy.  He had possessions of flocks and herds and many servants, so that the Philistines envied him.  (Now the Philistines had stopped and filled with earth all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father.)  And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.” Genesis 26:12–16 When Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army, Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, seeing that you hate me and have sent me away from you?”  They said, “We see plainly that the Lord has been with you. So we said, let there be a sworn pact between us, between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you,  that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you and have done to you nothing but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord.” Genesis 26:26–29

The War Within    “But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.” (James 3:14, ESV) The hardest struggle we have in this life is not with others, but within ourself.  Humility was not valued in Roman culture, Ambition was.* “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:1–4, ESV) Passions in the Greek is hedon from which we get the word  hedonism.  It is self-centered pursuit of selfish and sensual pleasure.   We want what we want.  My grandson is in the terrible 2’s.  2 Views of Human Nature: People are basically Good in the world’s view, they only do bad or feel bad because of what others do to them.  No, the biblical view is that we are basically selfish, self-centered, self-willed and sinful, and we need to overcome our selfish impulses through self-discipline by the aid of the Holy Spirit.  The sinful nature called “the flesh” in Greek and the KJV is best translated as an independent self-will that chooses its own way, rather than submit to God’s way.  When Adam decided for himself to trust his own judgment and eat the fruit, rather than depend upon God’s word, he basically became a judge of God and decided to do his own thing.  That is the flesh.  The consequence of the flesh is all sorts of disorder and every evil work, including sexual immorality, theft, anger, hostility, jealousy, murder, etc.  Traditional Judaism described this conflict within us as a conflict between our good and evil impulses called the Yetzer in Hebrew. The problem with reading James through the lens of traditional morality is that we think James is telling us to behave if we just put our shoulder to the wheel and buck up. Yet the entire range of scripture tells us that we can’t control our own behaviors and that is the problem.  In fact, the very attempt to be good and moral out of our own resources is in fact the same fleshly self-reliance that got us into trouble in the first place. We are trying to be right and good without relying upon and depending upon God and His Holy Spirit. That is called “self-righteousness.”    There is a curious psycho-dynamic that the attempt to be good in our own strength leads to a cycle of performance, failure, guilt and trying to do better next time.  In other words, the very thing we are trying to resist becomes an even more powerful temptation than it was if we didn’t know it was wrong.  There is a line from a Joni Mitchell song called the Boho Dance:  Like a priest with a pornographic watch Looking and longing on the sly Sure it’s stricken from your uniform But you can’t get it out of your eyes The power of temptation is in what is forbidden. The fact that it is forbidden makes it all the more tempting.  Long before Sigmund Freud, Paul wrote of the strange psychology of temptation and the fruitless attempt to resist it in the 7th chapter of Romans.  “What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead.” (Romans 7:7–8, ESV) A modern translation of covetousness would go like this: The law says, “you shall not desire forbidden things,” but the law made me lust after and crave the forbidden things all the more, creating in me uncontrollable desires. “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.” (Romans 7:14–20, ESV) “For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” (Romans 7:22–25, ESV) Paul reveals what it means to strive in human strength to resist sinful desires within the human heart. The harder we try the behinder we get.  This is the perfect picture of human nature without Jesus Christ. We know what we should do, what we should desire, but no matter what we do to control our behavior, the worse we become. This is especially true when it comes to fighting additions like drugs, tobacco, alcohol, pornography or sexual immorality. The desire is still there even if we, through force of will restrain our behavior.    However, Jesus said,  “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:34–36, ESV) Who is freer from addiction to smoking?  The person who has quit but still wants one, or the person who has never smoked and so has no desire?  Jesus promises us liberty from the power of sin. Paul also speaks of this in Romans 8, where he says  “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:2–4, ESV) Paul says, that by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, who is the presence of God in us, the war within can be won, not by our power but by His.  Now, sometimes addictions to drugs and cigarettes, for example, require deliverance from demonic spirits of oppression, because the human will is so bound up, that God must set you free by a supernatural act of the Spirit. Sometimes this is instantaneous, but at other times it requires cooperation and resistance to the devil, where we join our will to God’s will and by consent, ask the Holy Spirit to help us resist temptations.   “Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” (James 4:5–10, ESV) James does not sound promising to our ears, but he knows on the other side of repentance, lies dependence upon God that will turn into joy as we submit to God’s strength and power and give up our self-righteousness.    AA in fact recognizes that we need a “higher power” as they call it. We know it is Jesus who is that higher power.  Finally, this battle between self-will God’s will is often a lifelong battle. It is a battle which brings humility, for we often will fail which forces us to recognize our need for Jesus. And the fact that, as Paul says, there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, the power of temptation and the cycle of performance, failure and guilt is broken. We get free from our addictions as the guilt of our failures is washed away in Christ’s love and forgiveness.  *Historical Background *The cross, in antiquity, was an instrument of Rome’s brutalizing power to humiliate. It has been well established that “humility” was not a virtue in Greco-Roman ethics. Rather the word (humilitas in Latin, or tapeinos in Greek) meant something closer to “debased” or “crushed.” It was a term reserved for failure and shame. The ancient Greeks   praised philotimia, “the love of honour.” It would seem that building one’s honor and reputation would prove to be far more advantageous than completely debasing oneself. In the context of the prevailing Roman Imperial influence. Probably, one of the best known expression of love-of-honor is the  The Achievements of the Divine Augustus, written by the emperor himself and inscribed by his order onto bronze tablets set up in front of his monument. Copies of this were distributed throughout the empire, and it provided a catalogue of the emperor’s activities. However, more importantly, it provides a glimpse of a world-view so different than our own where a sense of boastfulness was accepted and associated with power. In its place was philotimia, “the love of honor.” Aristotle had insisted that “honor” and “reputation” are among the pleasantest things one could contemplate and attain for oneself. The logic was compelling. If one had achieved great things, it was only right and proper that full recognition be given: achievement deserves public praise. Humility before the gods, of course, was appropriate, pri

1 Corinthians 1:2–8 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:2–8 Background:   Corinth is a seaport filled with dock workers, streetwalkers, thieves, ruffians.   Pagans who worshiped Bacchus, the demon god of wine and orgies, with no sense of sexual morality.  Now brought into the kingdom of God through Jesus, but have no idea how to live. They don’t know the moral laws of God.  They have to be instructed not to visit prostitutes, for example.  Brash, immature, boastful, yet Paul calls them Holy and Sanctified.  And there is not one gift lacking among them.  Sometimes it is easier to reach and disciple pagans than it is to teach the religious.  Caution:  Beware of Elitism. You are not God’s ONLY chosen vessel 😮 🙂  1 Corinthians 12:1–11 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.  To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.  All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. 1 Corinthians 12:1–11 1 Corinthians 12:27–13:3 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts.  And I will show you a still more excellent way.  If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 12:27–13:3 1 Corinthians 14:1–5 Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and above all that you may prophesy.  For the person who speaks in another language is not speaking to men but to God, since no one understands him; however, he speaks mysteries in the Spirit. But the person who prophesies speaks to people for edification, encouragement, and consolation. The person who speaks in another language builds himself up, but he who prophesies builds up the church.  I wish all of you spoke in other languages, but even more that you prophesied. The person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in languages, unless he interprets so that the church may be built up. 1 Corinthians 14:1–5 From the Book Pardoned or Paroled?

WHAT IS TRUTH?  Revelation vs. Natural Knowledge.  “For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.  And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:11–14, ESV) What is a World-View?   A world view is what people believe about what is True and what is Real? Belief Systems can be Strongholds of the Mind and of the Culture What the World Thinks is Truth verses  what they believe is Fantasy, Superstition and/or Personal Opinions.  Taken from:  ScholarsCorner.com/reaching-the-west. See also: https://www.givehim15.com/post/july-20-2021 (praying for the unsaved) The Western Worldview – Scientific Materialism.The World is a product of Chance, Natural forces, and Evolution without any divine involvement. The Ultimate truth is that there is no truth. Since there is no Creator, there is no purpose to life, there is no design, and there is no ultimate meaning to this world. The Western Belief Structure – Scientific Empiricism.  Reality can be verified through experimental demonstration. Anything that cannot be tested and demonstrated empirically is merely an opinion (IOW not true). Therefore: Leads to Relativism They believe God can’t do miracles, or there is no God. So, anyone who claims there is a God and there are morals is just annoying.  In debates, we are playing baseball and they are playing football: we can’t agree on the rules of the game. Anyone can dismiss the bible because there is no ultimate standard of truth! What Jesus Believed:  “The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’?  If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?  If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.” (John 10:33–39, ESV) “He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 16:15–17, ESV) In the Scriptures, God revealed himself as He is. He is the Living Word. He communicates by the Spirit and gives Revelation.  WHAT IS TRUTH? "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:15–17, ESV) “Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.” (John 15:20–21, ESV) Our Task:  “the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. (2 Corinthians 10:3–6, ESV) “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers (2 Corinthians 4:3–6, ESV)  It is going to take signs and wonders and miracles to break the yoke of unbelief off this culture.   For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ;” (Romans 15:18–19, ESV) “If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’” (John 15:24–25, ESV) God will use YOU! And the World will take notice. 

A Tag-Team Sermon with Gary Fine. Blessed Are The Persecuted              Gary’s Notes:                                               2 Timothy 3:12  Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and imposters will go on  from  bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. Matthew 5:10-12 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (11) Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil  against you falsely on my account. (12) Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for So they persecuted the prophets who were before you. The reason for persecution -  Righteousness .     “Blessed are those who are persecuted for  righteousness sake……     “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute  you and say all       kinds of evil things about you falsely on account of me. The response to persecution -  Rejoice    “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad….” The results of persecution -  Growth . “….. For they persecuted the prophets before you.” The rewards of persecution   Heaven   . “…. For great is your reward in heaven.” You can see  from the video how Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers, turning cross of Christ from a symbol our liberation into  a symbol of oppression.  Jeff’s Notes: Jesus said:  They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.   And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. (John 16:2-3) Contemporary Examples of Persecution in the USA: teachers, bakers, military members. A Manhattan math teacher has been "relieved of his teaching duties" after speaking out against what he's rightly characterized as the critical race theory "indoctrination" students at the private school are being subjected to. A high school football coach who led a Massachusetts school district's team for nearly a decade was fired in early 2021 after he raised concerns about the use of critical race theory in his 7th grade class... A math teacher at a private school in Manhattan has been put on leave for the rest of the term for speaking out against Critical Race Theory. 114 Nurses being fired from Houston Hospital for refusing the experimental “vaccine” which is showing signs of major health complications at a far higher rate than is allowed by approved vaccines.  Commander of Space Force fired for questioning Critical Race Theory.   Baker in Colorado having death threats for refusing  to place homosexual messages on wedding cakes.  Note: the Baker won his case in the US Supreme Court as part of his religious liberty, but that isn't stopping the death threats he faces for his loyalty to Jesus.  A teacher was reinstated by the courts for violation of his religious liberty, but the school board wants to impose gender confusion on the teaching programs.  Teacher Tanner Cross was suspended from his job as a gym teacher at Leesburg Elementary School in Virginia after he spoke out against two proposed school policies related to transgender students at a Loudoun County School Board meeting   “ I’m a teacher, but I serve God first and I will not affirm that a biological boy can be a girl and vice versa because it’s against my religion. It’s lying to a child, it’s abuse to a child, and it’s sinning against our God.” You are not allowed to QUESTION or Disagree with this indoctrination into a satanic push to destroy God's image in humankind.  What we are experiencing is nothing compared to what is happening to our brothers and sisters in China and other places around the world ---- YET.  We would like Peace, but the problem with evil is that it will not let you rest until you agree with it and consent to its demands.  The problem is in the nature of the Satan. Because he cannot find peace, he cannot rest.   That is why those who are caught in the satanic distortion of human nature and sexual identity cannot just live and let live. They want to force you to agree with them, as if that will satisfy the discomfort of their conscience and emptiness of soul. In fact, they want to force their ideology on you, whether you like it or not or agree with it or not.  They don't want you to be free to disagree.  Look at what happened to Lot:  The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.” But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.” Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him, and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.” But they said, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and drew near to break the door down.  Genesis 19:1-9 Good News Teacher Tanner Cross was suspended from his job a But last week, a judge ordered him reinstated , as it was a violation of his 1st Amendment Rights.  Supreme Court Ruled  UNANIMOUSLY on fostering and adoption allowing Christian  organizations to refuse to allow homosexual couples or unmarried to adopt/foster. Parent’s in many locations are standing up and fighting back States fighting back against the imposition of an ideology.  So What is God’s purpose in persecution:  refinement of character:  Example  - Joseph God never wills their evil but will sacrifice us if it will bring the lost to Him.  Seeds blown by the wind: persecution in Jerusalem led to the spread of the Gospel throughout the world.  To be conformed to the character of God, we must learn to love others who hate us:  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is 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. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43–48, ESV)

Looks like my Mic dies at 25 min. Why in the heck does God need our prayers? “After many days the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth.”” (1 Kings 18:1, ESV) “When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?” And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals. Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”” (1 Kings 18:17–19, ESV) “And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain.” So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” And he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go again,” seven times. And at the seventh time he said, “Behold, a little cloud like a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.’ ” And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he gathered up his garment and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.” (1 Kings 18:41–46, ESV) It is about a distance of 10 miles that Elijah ran to get to Jezreel before Ahab’s horses and chariots. God said he would send rain. Why did Elijah have to pray, and that 7 times? Givehim15.com - March 11, 2021 “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.” (James 5:13–18, ESV) God is Sovereign, he can do what he wills. Why does he desire and require our cooperation and participation? Faith or Fatalism: Fatalism: God is Sovereign. He will do whatever he wills, so why bother praying? Extreme Calvinism and Islam are similar in this regards towards God. God is indeed sovereign and sometimes he acts without human participation, but often it is for judgment of a rebellious people. Even then, he relents when people repent. “Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.” (Jonah 3:4–5, ESV) “When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.” (Jonah 3:10, ESV) “The heavens are the Lord’s heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man.” (Psalm 115:16, ESV) The Truth is that God’s will is for our victory, our healing, our deliverance and for salvation, but there is resistance in the earth and the atmosphere. “Thy will be done on earth, as it is already being done in heaven....” “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:11–12, ESV) We are in a war with others who are under Satan’s power either by deception or by willing obedience. They also have authority on the earth and give permission to be used for and by evil. And as in any battle, there are casualties on the good side. We, the people of God, are discouraged and give up in the battle. We get tired of the fight. We doubt God’s will and surrender to fatalism. If God wanted it to happen then it would. Well God does not desire any to perish, but many do. See how Daniel was resisted as he prayed. “In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks.” (Daniel 10:2–3, ESV) “Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come.”” (Daniel 10:12–14, ESV) Not only does God require our prayers, but he wants us to be successful in our prayers. He wants us to maintain our determination, our face like flint, till we see our godly prayers answered. Be Persistent in prayer: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” (Romans 12:12, ESV) “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2, ESV) “And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” (Luke 11:9–10, ESV) It is not God resisting your prayers... it is the enemy. Why does God allow the enemy to resist? War is necessary, to war through the resistance: “Now these are the nations that the Lord left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before.” (Judges 3:1–2, ESV)“They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.” (Judges 3:4, ESV) Do You really believe God wants to and will answer your prayers? “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:5–8, ESV) Double minded in Greek is dipsychos = 2 minds. “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” (Matthew 28:18–20, ESV)

How many of you have read “The Late Great Planet Earth” or any of the “Left Behind Series”?    Both of these books were greatly influenced by Dispensational Theology. Dispensational Theology, most typified in the Left Behind series of books: a great apostasy will take place in the Church, in Israel the Temple will be rebuilt, Israel will be granted a temporary peace by the Anti-Christ for 3.5 years, a Great Tribulation will follow for another 3.5 years, before which the believers will be “raptured” out of this world, and then Jesus will return at the end of this 7 year period to establish a millennial kingdom. This popular theology of the end times is informed primarily by the Dispensational interpretation of the book of Daniel and Jesus’ discourse in Matthew 24 (and parallel passages in Mark and Luke). John Nelson Darby said there were 7 Ages of the Church corresponding to the 7 Churches in Revelation.  The idea was that the last age of the Church was Laodicean, which in the book of Revelation was a cold and apostate church.  “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” (Revelation 3:15–17, ESV) This view has been common in modern evangelism, and that we in America are in the last days. It tends toward a type of fatalism, but this theology has no biblical support other than this one guy’s interpretation to make it fit his doctrine of Dispensationalism. In truth, the 7 churches in Revelation are representative of those churches at that time and of churches today.  No one can say that the Chinese church is Laodicean when they are going to prison, being tortured and even dying for their faith. While we might say that many churches in America are apostate and unrepentant. Let me lay out my thesis:   Jesus is not coming back for a defeated bride, but for a victorious one. One without spot, wrinkle or blemish. Why do I think that? Because of what Jesus said: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14, ESV) In other words, Jesus is not coming back until we, the Church, have fulfilled the Great Commission. We will witness to all nations so that those who may be saved will be saved. And THEN the end will come. It isn’t wars or rumors of wars, that signal the end, but a Church empowered to bear witness to Jesus among all nations. Victorious Eschatology/Second Edition by Harold R. Eberle and Martin Trench Has a very different take on the End Times.  I don’t agree with all of it, but it is helpful in terms of showing the flaws of Dispensationalism. Let’s dive into Matthew 24 Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down.” As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” Matthew 24:1-3, RSV. 1) Jesus is being asked 2 questions, which he does not answer in a strict sequential or chronological order: when will Jerusalem be destroyed, and what will be the sign of your return? First of all, this is important and critical to understanding Jesus’ answer. When the disciples asked about the sign of his coming, they were NOT asking about a Second Coming. They did not believe he was going to die, but to become the Messiah King like David who would drive out the Romans and reestablish Israel as a separate nation. Jesus proceeds to give signs that are NOT SIGNS of the END: earthquakes, wars, false christs, tribulation, persecution, etc… during which time the gospel will be preached to all nations… but this isn’t the end. (Mark 13: 3- 13). Jesus concludes that when the end comes, like the taking of Noah, no one will know the exact day or hour… so ALWAYS BE READY!!! ( Mk. 13:32-37; see also Matt. 24:36-44) “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:6–14, ESV) 2) The second part of Jesus’ answer deals with the destruction of Jerusalem itself, of which there are significant and specific signs: desolating sacrilege (Mark 13: 14-31) and which THIS GENERATION (of Jesus’ day) will not pass away until it has happened. Lane goes on to list from Josephus’ account all those things which did indeed fulfill the very words of Christ about the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem… Jesus’ response is that they should look for signs, especially that when you see the desolating sacrilege spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; Matthew 24:15, 16, RSV. “For wheresoever the corpse is, there will the eagles be gathered together.” Matthew 24:28. In Greek, the Holy Place is “topos,” which means “land” not “naos” which means temple. The parallel passage in Luke, writing for Gentiles, reveals that the desolating sacrilege is not an anti-Christ sitting on the Holy Seat in the Temple, but the armies of Rome attacking Jerusalem: when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it; Luke 21:20, 21, RSV. It is interesting to note that the word for eagle and vulture is the same word in Greek. Atop every Roman standard was the Roman eagle. The “vultures” were indeed surrounding Jerusalem in 70 A.D.  when this army gathered to destroy it. The corpse was Jerusalem after the people had rejected the Messiah… The vultures were gathered to eat the remains of the dead. Obviously, this “sign” was followed by the complete destruction of Jerusalem, with a great tribulation wherein the starvation was so rampant that the citizens resorted to cannibalism, and over 1 million Jews either starved to death or were killed by the Roman army. This was the Great Tribulation that Jesus spoke about “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.” (Matthew 24:15–22, ESV) Historical Background information from Josephus: There were tremendous earthquakes recorded, there was smoke filling the air and a type of darkness, and the rebels installed a clown named “Phanni” as the high priest and dressed him in priest’s garments and seated him on the HOLY OF HOLIES as a Throne!!! IT was a total desecration and a mockery, the rebels (zealots) were so depraved. The ensuing tribulation was greater than anyone could have imagined. Starvation, eating of children for food, etc… War broke out again in 68. And during late 67 and into 68 the Jewish Zealots ran riot in Jerusalem and in the Temple. Josephus tells us they allowed criminals to roam freely in the Holy of Holies; they committed murder in the Temple; they made a clown by the name of Phanni high priest. So devastated was the retired high priest, Ananus, that he lamented in tears; "It would have been far better for me to have died before I had seen the house of God laden with such abominations." (War 4,3,7) and defiled the temple even before the Romans captured the city. The zealots allowed criminals to roam freely in the Holy of Holies, and they even committed murder within the temple itself (War 4,5,4). These acts of sacrilege were climaxed in the winter of AD 67-68 by the investiture of a clown called Phanni as High Priest (War 4,3,6-8). The Romans did almost exactly the same thing in A.D. 70!  Upon seizing the Temple, the Romans set up their ensigns on the eastern gate and offered sacrifices to them (Wars 6.6.1).2  The main ensign was Aquila, the eagle that carries ZEUS’ lightning bolt.  Here we see a veritable idol of Zeus like that erected 200 years earlier by the Greek army in the Jewish Temple during the Maccabean Wars.  What animals did the Romans sacrifice?  Historians believe the Roman army likely sacrificed the suovetaurilia in the Temple that day in A.D. 70.  The suovetaurialia is a ritual sacrifice of three animals: a sheep, an ox and a pig for the purpose of land purification.  The suovetaurilia was customarily performed for the purificat

Restoration is different than reconciliation. Restoration has to do with restoring those who have fallen, but reconciliation has to do with repairing relationships between brothers or parties. Restoration is not enablement, excusing the behavior, or simply being polite but avoiding the person, but resolving differences in a way that relationships are deepened in love and intimacy. Reconciliation has to do with restoring relationships. How you reconcile with someone who has hurt you, or sinned against you, either knowingly or unknowingly?  You try to get them to see how their actions have harmed you. As in a marriage or in any relationship, reconciliation requires a willingness of others to want to reconcile. It doesn't always work. But Jesus told us how to hold each other accountable, and even though it may be confrontational, it is still an act of love, because the goal is a restored relationship. The Jewish sages said love is a commitment, not an emotion. Love is being committed to the welfare of another regardless of what it costs you. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "God did not call us to like our enemies, for that would be impossible; He called us to love them."   By confronting the government and authorities with their racism, the non-violent marches exposed the evil, so that people could see what was really at stake and might repent. Loving your enemies in this case was an act of confrontation. “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” (Proverbs 27:5–6, ESV) If you think you can always reconcile without entering into conflict, you are being unrealistic. Like marriage, intimacy in fellowships require us to WORK out our differences, not just ignore them until they fester into bitterness, or rejection, or indifference and avoidance. “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matthew 18:15–20, ESV)