I'm going to try and transcribe one of my witnessing encounters today. This is my first time so I'm sorry if it's difficult to read.
Melanie, Grayson and I just got done eating at the Harbor in Rockwall. I didn't have a chance to go to my favorite fishing spot yesterday so I said I had to go today even though it would not be near as crowded.
Anyways we had just got done eating lunch and Melanie took Grayson to play at the fountain as I ventured off to see what God would do. As I said before there were not very many people there at all when someone exiting the movies by himself stuck out to me. He had long hair, short beard, and looked to be somewhere between 20 and 25.
I usually have the opportunity to witness to groups of people rather than individuals. Individuals usually aren't hanging around so they are on the go and will take a tract without stopping. So I approached him and handed him a million dollar bill, "did you get one of these"?
"No I didn't" and he stopped to read it.
I started to walk off, but came back to talk him.
I asked, "do you have a religious background"
"No, not really"
"Really? You've never gone to church or anything of that sort".
"Oh ya, I go to church sometimes with my momma".
"Oh okay, well what I gave you is a tract. It has the gospel on it. Are you familiar with it?"
"No"
"By the way, my name is Joey, what's yours?" *hand shake*
"Gilbert"
"Well Gilbert, the gospel is the good news. This is kind of morbid, but do you ever think about what happens after death?"
"Yeah man I think about it all the time"
"Do you believe in heaven and hell, that sort of thing".
"Definitely"
"Well, what kind of people do you think go to heaven and what kind of people would go to hell"
"I don't know...I don't really think about that."
"Do you mind if I tell you because it's really important"
"Sure"
"Well, you've heard God's holy law the 10 commandments right?"
"Yeah"
"Well, I'm just going to ask you a couple of questions but you gotta be honest."
"Alright"
"Have you ever lied before?"
"Yes"
"what do you call someone who lies"
"A sinner"
"Well, more specifically"
He paused and started thinking so I said, "well what would you call me if I told a lie".
"I would say your a person who doesn't tell the truth"
We laughed and I said, "you're not going to hurt my feelings. I would be a liar, right?"
"Yes"
"Alright, thanks for being honest. Have you ever stolen anything regardless of value"
"No"
"Well that's awesome!"
"I'm sure you've never murdered someone, right"
"No way"
"Well check this out, in the Bible Jesus says that anyone who hates another has already committed murder in their heart".
He said, well I guess I have then.
I told him the same thing about adultery and it was the same case.
"Have you ever heard of blasphemy"
"Kind of"
"Well blasphemy is throwing around God's name careless or using it as a cuss word. Like saying GD or OMG. Have you ever done that"
"Yes, I probably shouldn't"
"It's very serious, would you like someone to use your mom's name as a cuss word?"
"No"
"Alright Gilbert, according to what you've said you're a liar, murderer, and adulterer at heart. I've broken all those commandments as well so we are in the same boat. Based on that what would you deserve, heaven or hell?"
"Well, I think we'd still go to heaven"
"Check this out though, the bible says in Revelation 21:8 that all liar, blasphemers will have their part in the lake of fire. Do you know what that is."
"Yes, that's hell."
"So if God judged you right now what would you deserve."
"Hell"
"Now listen, I told you I broke all the 10 commandments and I appreciate your honesty."
"This is where the good news, the gospel comes in".
"Jesus Christ lived a sinless perfect life and then suffered the wraith of God on the cross".
"Have you ever seen the Passion?"
"Yes"
"It was probably like that or worse. That is just part of what He went through."
"When He rose from the dead and forever defeated death 3 days later a legal transaction took place."
"That is what God did so we don't have to suffer the consequences of hell for the sins we committed"
"Do you understand"
Light bulb goes off, "yeah man"
"Now this is what God asks of us. We have to repent, turn away from our sins and trust in Jesus Christ. Going to church won't get us to heaven, hail marys wont, giving to the poor won't. Only trust in Jesus Christ. We have to turn away from our sins. Before I was born-again, meaning I was changed and started loving the things God loves and hated the things He hates, I would sin on purpose with the intention of thinking God would forgive me. I wasn't saved.
It's just like being in a court room wanted for murder saying, judge I won't ever kill again and I'm so sorry and will give away all my money. Should the judge let you go?"
"No"
"Right, because He is a good judge. Now imagine you have a million dollar fine you can't pay and someone walks up and pays it for you and you are free to go. That's exactly what Jesus Christ did for us. God is a just, loving, and holy God so he must punish sin. He gave us Jesus Christ so that we may turn away from our sins and trust Him. That's what it means to be saved."
"Do you understand what I'm saying"
"Yeah man I do, it makes sense"
"Listen Gilbert, I don't know you but I care about you, otherwise I wouldn't be talking to you right now. Heaven is real, but so is hell and a lot of people are going to go to hell and the bible says so"
"Are you going to think about this stuff."
"Definitely"
"Alright, do you have a bible? I have one if you need one"
"Yes, I have one at home"
"Well crack that bible open and start in John. I know there are parts of the bible that are dry, but start in John and it really shows what God did for us and talks more about what I'm saying right now"
"Alright, thanks"
"Thanks for listening to me and I'll be praying for you brother"
"Thanks I'll pray for you too"
Gilbert was an awesome guy to talk to and God definitely put us there for a reason. Please keep Gilbert in your prayers. Pray for that He will turn to God and trust in His son Jesus Christ.
God bless!
Joey Acker
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Why I witness
Why do I witness?
Before I start if you haven't read my blog before I want you to realize I'm not a religious nut job. I'm not crazy. I don't work in a church nor am I a pastor. I'm a 24 year old teacher in public education who simply loves God and loves people. Most importantly, I am a Christian.
I do evangelism, witnessing, soul-winning, whatever you want to call it. I do it through using tracts, walking up to random people, talking to people I know, or using the internet as a tool to get the law and gospel of our Lord to others. Through my blogs I'm always going to be what I call unintentionally, but probably offensively and lovingly blunt.
I think there are many motives for one wanting to go out and witness. There are good motives and bad motives just like anything else. Some people do it to gain notches on their religious belts, or to look "holier" than others. I've been blessed enough to meet and work with people who do it for the right reasons.
The best way to witness is to do it biblical and selfless. I'll save the verses for the end.
Once I became saved, actually realizing what I was saved from and embracing who God really is, I wanted to literally shout it to the world. I was also blessed enough to be lead to biblical teaching of evangelism and not make the mistakes that are leading future "Christians" to really becoming false converts and atheists. I was a false convert, meaning I thought I was saved because I said a prayer and said I loved Jesus along with reading the Bible.
Truth be told, there is a heaven and there is a hell. Heaven is eternal. Hell is eternal. The Bible makes it very clear who goes where and it's pretty shocking when you discover that. Hell is a bad, bad, bad, bad place that we will not ever be able to fully understand the torment of it. Why else would God come to earth as Jesus Christ to die for our sins?
Others try to twist words in the Bible or not acknowledge it in church to make it seem like it isn't real or that you just cease to exist. Why? Because it's so horrible and no one wants to make anyone have feelings other than happiness nowadays. Trust me, if there is one thing I wish wasn't in the bible it would be hell, but I'm certainly not going to ignore it! I'm going to do something about it!
People shouldn't repent and trust in Christ because of the fear of hell or the expectation of heaven. They should because of the love for what Christ did and that we have a holy, just, and loving God. But when I witness and talk to people I am not going to leave details out. If you tell someone who loves their sin and the world then they are more than likely not going to care about what God can do for them. If I told someone I had a cure for an unheard of disease they are not going to want it unless they know what it is and that they have it.
Just like me, people don't understand what the gospel is unless they know what sin is and why Jesus died for our sins and rose 3 days later forever defeating death for those who truly BELIEVE in Him. We use terminology like saved and born-again, but those who aren't Christians don't understand. What are Christians saved from? What does born-again mean?
I witness because I don't ignore hell. If I know there is a possibility that people are going to go there then I am going to do something about it. So many people I have encountered claim to be Christians but don't know who Christ is. I do believe in meeting people where they are. The problem I have with that statement is people think you should become someones friend or pamper them before sharing the gospel with them. Where does Jesus or the apostles do that in the bible?? Eleven of the twelve apostles were killed because they cared more about peoples souls than their feelings. Do you want to know where people ARE? The bible says we are natural born sinners who are destined for hell unless we have repented and trusted in Christ. God is sovereign, but He uses us and our prayers through the Holy Spirit to do His will. How awesome is that?!?
If someone is about to step off what looks like a steep cliff to their death I am going to stop them and try to rescue them whether the cliff is really only 1 or 200 feet deep. What I mean is I don't worry if someone is a already a Christian or not. I'm going to share the law and the gospel with them regardless. If they are already, then they should appreciate what I'm trying to do rather than get offended.
I believe our daily walk in life as a Christian does serve as part of our witness, but that certainly isn't all of it. If there is a group of people standing on a burning building are you going to go and help them or are you going to walk by them showing off your good lifestyle? Do you think the Holy Spirit works more through our lifestyle or our proclamation of the gospel?
I'm not perfect, and I never will be. I am a horrible, wretched person, but I'm saved by the blood of Jesus Christ through His grace. I don't always share the law and gospel with everyone, but I definitely try and it tears me up when I don't. I don't ever proclaim to be holier or better than anyone. I am humbled and honored to serve the one true God. You could say I have a burden, but it's really a Christians calling, a privilege and an honor. He commands that of us.
Words from Jesus:
Matthew 28:19
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Mark 16:15
He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Matthew 7:13
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
I find joy in loving God and loving people. It's not always easy, but I give it all my effort. Of course I slip up and sin, but I ask for forgiveness (that doesn't save me, I'm already saved) and repent, meaning I turn away from that sin and turn to God. As I always say, when you become a Christian you stop jumping into sin, but you will still fall. Meaning, you don't do it on purpose anymore expecting forgiveness.
I'm not saying that everyone has to do the things I do or spread the gospel the way I do, but I am saying everyone should spread the gospel biblically.
That is why I witness.
Mark 12:28
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"
"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'There is no commandment greater than these."
All of the glory to my Lord and savior Jesus Christ,
Joey Acker
Before I start if you haven't read my blog before I want you to realize I'm not a religious nut job. I'm not crazy. I don't work in a church nor am I a pastor. I'm a 24 year old teacher in public education who simply loves God and loves people. Most importantly, I am a Christian.
I do evangelism, witnessing, soul-winning, whatever you want to call it. I do it through using tracts, walking up to random people, talking to people I know, or using the internet as a tool to get the law and gospel of our Lord to others. Through my blogs I'm always going to be what I call unintentionally, but probably offensively and lovingly blunt.
I think there are many motives for one wanting to go out and witness. There are good motives and bad motives just like anything else. Some people do it to gain notches on their religious belts, or to look "holier" than others. I've been blessed enough to meet and work with people who do it for the right reasons.
The best way to witness is to do it biblical and selfless. I'll save the verses for the end.
Once I became saved, actually realizing what I was saved from and embracing who God really is, I wanted to literally shout it to the world. I was also blessed enough to be lead to biblical teaching of evangelism and not make the mistakes that are leading future "Christians" to really becoming false converts and atheists. I was a false convert, meaning I thought I was saved because I said a prayer and said I loved Jesus along with reading the Bible.
Truth be told, there is a heaven and there is a hell. Heaven is eternal. Hell is eternal. The Bible makes it very clear who goes where and it's pretty shocking when you discover that. Hell is a bad, bad, bad, bad place that we will not ever be able to fully understand the torment of it. Why else would God come to earth as Jesus Christ to die for our sins?
Others try to twist words in the Bible or not acknowledge it in church to make it seem like it isn't real or that you just cease to exist. Why? Because it's so horrible and no one wants to make anyone have feelings other than happiness nowadays. Trust me, if there is one thing I wish wasn't in the bible it would be hell, but I'm certainly not going to ignore it! I'm going to do something about it!
People shouldn't repent and trust in Christ because of the fear of hell or the expectation of heaven. They should because of the love for what Christ did and that we have a holy, just, and loving God. But when I witness and talk to people I am not going to leave details out. If you tell someone who loves their sin and the world then they are more than likely not going to care about what God can do for them. If I told someone I had a cure for an unheard of disease they are not going to want it unless they know what it is and that they have it.
Just like me, people don't understand what the gospel is unless they know what sin is and why Jesus died for our sins and rose 3 days later forever defeating death for those who truly BELIEVE in Him. We use terminology like saved and born-again, but those who aren't Christians don't understand. What are Christians saved from? What does born-again mean?
I witness because I don't ignore hell. If I know there is a possibility that people are going to go there then I am going to do something about it. So many people I have encountered claim to be Christians but don't know who Christ is. I do believe in meeting people where they are. The problem I have with that statement is people think you should become someones friend or pamper them before sharing the gospel with them. Where does Jesus or the apostles do that in the bible?? Eleven of the twelve apostles were killed because they cared more about peoples souls than their feelings. Do you want to know where people ARE? The bible says we are natural born sinners who are destined for hell unless we have repented and trusted in Christ. God is sovereign, but He uses us and our prayers through the Holy Spirit to do His will. How awesome is that?!?
If someone is about to step off what looks like a steep cliff to their death I am going to stop them and try to rescue them whether the cliff is really only 1 or 200 feet deep. What I mean is I don't worry if someone is a already a Christian or not. I'm going to share the law and the gospel with them regardless. If they are already, then they should appreciate what I'm trying to do rather than get offended.
I believe our daily walk in life as a Christian does serve as part of our witness, but that certainly isn't all of it. If there is a group of people standing on a burning building are you going to go and help them or are you going to walk by them showing off your good lifestyle? Do you think the Holy Spirit works more through our lifestyle or our proclamation of the gospel?
I'm not perfect, and I never will be. I am a horrible, wretched person, but I'm saved by the blood of Jesus Christ through His grace. I don't always share the law and gospel with everyone, but I definitely try and it tears me up when I don't. I don't ever proclaim to be holier or better than anyone. I am humbled and honored to serve the one true God. You could say I have a burden, but it's really a Christians calling, a privilege and an honor. He commands that of us.
Words from Jesus:
Matthew 28:19
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Mark 16:15
He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Matthew 7:13
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
I find joy in loving God and loving people. It's not always easy, but I give it all my effort. Of course I slip up and sin, but I ask for forgiveness (that doesn't save me, I'm already saved) and repent, meaning I turn away from that sin and turn to God. As I always say, when you become a Christian you stop jumping into sin, but you will still fall. Meaning, you don't do it on purpose anymore expecting forgiveness.
I'm not saying that everyone has to do the things I do or spread the gospel the way I do, but I am saying everyone should spread the gospel biblically.
That is why I witness.
Mark 12:28
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"
"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'There is no commandment greater than these."
All of the glory to my Lord and savior Jesus Christ,
Joey Acker
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Which church is right?
What is the "true and first" church? Is it Baptist, Pentecostal, Roman Catholic, Jehova's Witness, Mormonism (LDS), Greek-Orthodox, Protestant, or etc. ? I am not going to name any practices of churches or doctrine because I do not want this blog site to be host to a theological debate. If you have questions about the traditions and doctrine of you're church I would be more than happy to discuss what the Bible says about them through e-mail.
Now let's begin with this verse. We are to study God's word ourselves as well.
1 John 2:27
I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.
Hopefully, with this article you will be able to determine this for yourself and I pray that you will. I'll really try to keep this one short as I am going to borrow some excerpts from some studies and articles that I have found to hold true to true Biblical scripture. You will be able to tell where because I do not have a large vocabulary, lol.
One of the problems with the view of the church by individuals and groups is that it is solely a building.
The church is the community of God's redeemed people-all who have truly trusted Christ alone for their salvation. It is created by the Holy Spirit to exalt Jesus Christ as Lord of all. Christ is the Head, Savior, Lord, and King of the church. There is ultimately only one church, the global community of believers on earth plus those already in glory. However, the one church takes the form of countless local churches, each of which must be viewed a s a microcosm, outcropping, and sample of the larger whole. Jesus Christ's headship of the church that is His body is a relationship that applies both to the universal church and to each local church. Denominational identities are secondary to these primary and fundamental realities.
The “first church” is the church that is recorded in the New Testament, especially in the Book of Acts and the Epistles of Paul. The New Testament church is the “original church” and the “one true church.” We can know this because it is described, in great detail, in Scripture. The church, as recorded in the New Testament, is God’s pattern and foundation for His church.
Scripture never mentions using "which church came first" as the basis for determining which is the "true" church. What it does teach is that one is to use Scripture as the determining factor as to which church is preaching the truth and thus is true to the first church. It is especially important to compare Scripture with a church's teaching on such core issues as the full deity and humanity of Christ, the atonement for sin through His blood on Calvary, salvation from sin by grace through faith, and the infallibility of the Scriptures. The “first church” and “one true church” is recorded in the New Testament. That is the church that all churches are to follow, emulate, and model themselves after.
With that being said we have to test the traditions of our church to see if they truly are Biblical. Unfortunately, we have Christian cults. The definition of Christian cult is a group that denies one or more of the fundamental truths of Christianity, while still claiming to be Christian.
The two most common teachings of cults are that Jesus was not God and that salvation is not by faith alone. A denial of the deity of Christ results in Jesus’ death not being a sufficient payment for our sins. A denial of salvation by faith alone results in salvation being achieved by our own works, something the Bible vehemently and consistently denies.
Christ is the head of the church, which is His body.
Ephesians 1:22
And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Ephesians 4:15
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
Ephesians 5:23
For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.
Here is a danger that we must be aware of. If you are part of a church that is based off the teachings or interpretations of a "prophet", person, or group of persons that adds anything to the Bible please be aware of these verses and look into it yourself. People think Satan can't do anything to something that has to do with church, but Satan is the father of lies and does the most damage through subtlety as we can see in the Bible.
1 John 4:1
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Matthew 24:24
For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.
2 Peter 2:21
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.
Matthew 24:11
and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.
Matthew 7:15 Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
I want to close with this verse.
2 Timothy 4:3-4
“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”
This has happened and it is still happening today. We have cults/religions saying that the Bible is not the ultimate authority of God or if they say they believe it is, some will twist scripture to "itch" their ears to what they want to hear. One of the biggest problems I have encountered is people have to have answers to unexplainable questions. Because of this, one will twist scriptures in attempt to explain the unexplainable questions we just honestly don't know. (We don't know, is indeed an answer) We are not God so we are not going to know everything.
The message of the Bible is not the quest for all knowledge. It is about redemption. Our problem, we are sinners who deserve hell - the solution - Jesus Christ saves those who trust in Him and repent. We're sinners, we need Christ, period.
I've seen these things. I've dealt with them. It's Biblical. It's real. Please be aware and test the spirits as the Bible says. I'm not supporting or bashing any specific denomination or anything like that as I have nothing to gain writing this except possible criticism. I write this because of my love for the Lord and your walk with Him.
Again, if you have any questions regarding the doctrine or traditions of your church feel free to shoot me an e-mail. I will be more than happy to help you find a Biblical answer to your question!
In Christ,
Joey
Now let's begin with this verse. We are to study God's word ourselves as well.
1 John 2:27
I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.
Hopefully, with this article you will be able to determine this for yourself and I pray that you will. I'll really try to keep this one short as I am going to borrow some excerpts from some studies and articles that I have found to hold true to true Biblical scripture. You will be able to tell where because I do not have a large vocabulary, lol.
One of the problems with the view of the church by individuals and groups is that it is solely a building.
The church is the community of God's redeemed people-all who have truly trusted Christ alone for their salvation. It is created by the Holy Spirit to exalt Jesus Christ as Lord of all. Christ is the Head, Savior, Lord, and King of the church. There is ultimately only one church, the global community of believers on earth plus those already in glory. However, the one church takes the form of countless local churches, each of which must be viewed a s a microcosm, outcropping, and sample of the larger whole. Jesus Christ's headship of the church that is His body is a relationship that applies both to the universal church and to each local church. Denominational identities are secondary to these primary and fundamental realities.
The “first church” is the church that is recorded in the New Testament, especially in the Book of Acts and the Epistles of Paul. The New Testament church is the “original church” and the “one true church.” We can know this because it is described, in great detail, in Scripture. The church, as recorded in the New Testament, is God’s pattern and foundation for His church.
Scripture never mentions using "which church came first" as the basis for determining which is the "true" church. What it does teach is that one is to use Scripture as the determining factor as to which church is preaching the truth and thus is true to the first church. It is especially important to compare Scripture with a church's teaching on such core issues as the full deity and humanity of Christ, the atonement for sin through His blood on Calvary, salvation from sin by grace through faith, and the infallibility of the Scriptures. The “first church” and “one true church” is recorded in the New Testament. That is the church that all churches are to follow, emulate, and model themselves after.
With that being said we have to test the traditions of our church to see if they truly are Biblical. Unfortunately, we have Christian cults. The definition of Christian cult is a group that denies one or more of the fundamental truths of Christianity, while still claiming to be Christian.
The two most common teachings of cults are that Jesus was not God and that salvation is not by faith alone. A denial of the deity of Christ results in Jesus’ death not being a sufficient payment for our sins. A denial of salvation by faith alone results in salvation being achieved by our own works, something the Bible vehemently and consistently denies.
Christ is the head of the church, which is His body.
Ephesians 1:22
And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Ephesians 4:15
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
Ephesians 5:23
For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.
Here is a danger that we must be aware of. If you are part of a church that is based off the teachings or interpretations of a "prophet", person, or group of persons that adds anything to the Bible please be aware of these verses and look into it yourself. People think Satan can't do anything to something that has to do with church, but Satan is the father of lies and does the most damage through subtlety as we can see in the Bible.
1 John 4:1
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Matthew 24:24
For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.
2 Peter 2:21
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.
Matthew 24:11
and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.
Matthew 7:15 Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
I want to close with this verse.
2 Timothy 4:3-4
“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”
This has happened and it is still happening today. We have cults/religions saying that the Bible is not the ultimate authority of God or if they say they believe it is, some will twist scripture to "itch" their ears to what they want to hear. One of the biggest problems I have encountered is people have to have answers to unexplainable questions. Because of this, one will twist scriptures in attempt to explain the unexplainable questions we just honestly don't know. (We don't know, is indeed an answer) We are not God so we are not going to know everything.
The message of the Bible is not the quest for all knowledge. It is about redemption. Our problem, we are sinners who deserve hell - the solution - Jesus Christ saves those who trust in Him and repent. We're sinners, we need Christ, period.
I've seen these things. I've dealt with them. It's Biblical. It's real. Please be aware and test the spirits as the Bible says. I'm not supporting or bashing any specific denomination or anything like that as I have nothing to gain writing this except possible criticism. I write this because of my love for the Lord and your walk with Him.
Again, if you have any questions regarding the doctrine or traditions of your church feel free to shoot me an e-mail. I will be more than happy to help you find a Biblical answer to your question!
In Christ,
Joey
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
The word "Believe"
Something has really been on my heart lately and it pains me horribly the more I think about it, but I have been encountering it more and more through witnessing and getting involved in the whole Myspace/Facebook thing. I "believe" this is of the most utter importance right now.
I simply write what I believe God wants me to write. I always plan to sum it up in a couple paragraphs, but I can't guarantee anything because that's never happened! I back up everything I write from the Bible, but if you see any contradiction or errors then please let me know and I will gladly apologize for any discrepancies!
I want to write about the word, believe.
Believe -
verb - used without an object
to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so: Only if one believes in something can one act purposefully.
Let's look at it in context of probably the most recognizable Bible verse of all time.
John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Now back to the definition. "although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so". We have absolute proof Jesus Christ exists. Creation had to have a creator, nothing creates something. We have the infallible word of God. There are no contradictions in the Bible and it has been scrutinized more than any other "book" in all eternity. You cannot say the same for Nostradamus or Muhammad and his Quran The Bible was written by God through 40 different men over a period of 1500 years. There is historical and scientific evidence of what the Bible says is true, but our society wants to over-look it because they do not want to "believe" in anything higher than themselves unless they can go on living in sin. Pride is what is getting our country into trouble, pride is what caused Satan to fall, I hate to say it, but pride is what is going to drive people to hell.
Another proof is that we have a God given conscience. We know right from wrong very early on in our child-hood whether our parents tell us or not. We know it's wrong to lie, steal, dishonor our parents, lust, and murder. God's law is written on our hearts whether we "believe" in Him or not.
The fact of the matter is, just because someone calls themselves a Christians does not make them a Christian. Jesus Christ is not a free ticket to heaven we can pull out when we die and say, "oh yeah, I said a prayer when I was 7". If you believe in Jesus Christ then you believe in everything the Bible says. You believe that Satan lives right now, you believe abortion is wrong, you believe in the Holy Spirit, the Father, and the Son, you believe pornography is evil, you believe fornication is evil, you believe that we live in a fallen creation and that we are sinful beings, you believe that Jesus said we will perish if we do not repent (turn from our sins), you believe we are called to spread the Gospel of Christ, you believe that there is a HELL right now and that many people are indeed going to go there.
If you only believe in some verses in the Bible and not the others then you are a hypocrite and unfortunately America is full of them.
If someone believes that our Lord God sent His son to die the most horrible bloody death and endure all of the wrath of God on Him for our sins to save us from Hell then how is it that people think they are saved by simply filling out a decision card in a church and then they are set for life??? Or by saying a simple sinners prayer and then go jumping into sin rather than falling into it.
Friends, the Bible says that others will know us by our fruits. Salvation is not works-based, but our fruit and works is evidence of us being born-again. Read the whole book of James. When someone gives you a verse to read, I suggest reading the whole book and parallel the verses to others, because so many verses are being taken out of context so people can shape the Word to their views and experiences (which is why we have so many denominations)
If you have no desire to grow closer to God or read or listen to His word then I would question your salvation. 2 Corinthians 13:5 says "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?"
I fooled myself for 23 years until I understood what the true Gospel is. I acknowledged that there was a man named Jesus and the whole story of Him dying and rising from the dead for my sins, but I did not understand it. I didn't even know what sin was because most people honestly don't preach about it. I read the Bible straight through like it was a pamphlet and didn't even study it before I was saved by the blood of Jesus Christ.
Now some will say what about Romans 10:13 "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." That's true, but don't take it out of context, let's look at the whole verse.
Romans 10:9 - 13 "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
This verse also includes "belief and trust". That's what it means to call on the name of the Lord.
I'm not saying you have to be a Bible scholar, a pastor, or a missionary. But as Christians everyone should be able to answer why they believe in what they believe, and explain what the Gospel is. It's not that hard:
We broke God's holy Law (The 10 Commandments) and deserve hell - He sent His son to endure His wrath for our sins on the cross and rose 3 days later defeating death - If we repent and place our trust in Him (BELIEVE) we will be saved and inherit the Kingdom of God.
I see many who say they believe they are Christians because they have faith. The sad truth is, atheists and muslims have faith and a lot of them know the Bible better than "Christians" do! So open your Bible so that you can explain why and how you believe Jesus Christ is the real living God.
I believe in the the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe the Bible is the authoritative word of God. And I believe in His promises. Do you?
I love you and that's why I'm writing this. It may apply to you and it might not. But send it to someone who it does if you truly care for them. As Christians we should care more about people's souls than their or our feelings.
In Christ,
Joey
I simply write what I believe God wants me to write. I always plan to sum it up in a couple paragraphs, but I can't guarantee anything because that's never happened! I back up everything I write from the Bible, but if you see any contradiction or errors then please let me know and I will gladly apologize for any discrepancies!
I want to write about the word, believe.
Believe -
verb - used without an object
to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so: Only if one believes in something can one act purposefully.
Let's look at it in context of probably the most recognizable Bible verse of all time.
John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Now back to the definition. "although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so". We have absolute proof Jesus Christ exists. Creation had to have a creator, nothing creates something. We have the infallible word of God. There are no contradictions in the Bible and it has been scrutinized more than any other "book" in all eternity. You cannot say the same for Nostradamus or Muhammad and his Quran The Bible was written by God through 40 different men over a period of 1500 years. There is historical and scientific evidence of what the Bible says is true, but our society wants to over-look it because they do not want to "believe" in anything higher than themselves unless they can go on living in sin. Pride is what is getting our country into trouble, pride is what caused Satan to fall, I hate to say it, but pride is what is going to drive people to hell.
Another proof is that we have a God given conscience. We know right from wrong very early on in our child-hood whether our parents tell us or not. We know it's wrong to lie, steal, dishonor our parents, lust, and murder. God's law is written on our hearts whether we "believe" in Him or not.
The fact of the matter is, just because someone calls themselves a Christians does not make them a Christian. Jesus Christ is not a free ticket to heaven we can pull out when we die and say, "oh yeah, I said a prayer when I was 7". If you believe in Jesus Christ then you believe in everything the Bible says. You believe that Satan lives right now, you believe abortion is wrong, you believe in the Holy Spirit, the Father, and the Son, you believe pornography is evil, you believe fornication is evil, you believe that we live in a fallen creation and that we are sinful beings, you believe that Jesus said we will perish if we do not repent (turn from our sins), you believe we are called to spread the Gospel of Christ, you believe that there is a HELL right now and that many people are indeed going to go there.
If you only believe in some verses in the Bible and not the others then you are a hypocrite and unfortunately America is full of them.
If someone believes that our Lord God sent His son to die the most horrible bloody death and endure all of the wrath of God on Him for our sins to save us from Hell then how is it that people think they are saved by simply filling out a decision card in a church and then they are set for life??? Or by saying a simple sinners prayer and then go jumping into sin rather than falling into it.
Friends, the Bible says that others will know us by our fruits. Salvation is not works-based, but our fruit and works is evidence of us being born-again. Read the whole book of James. When someone gives you a verse to read, I suggest reading the whole book and parallel the verses to others, because so many verses are being taken out of context so people can shape the Word to their views and experiences (which is why we have so many denominations)
If you have no desire to grow closer to God or read or listen to His word then I would question your salvation. 2 Corinthians 13:5 says "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?"
I fooled myself for 23 years until I understood what the true Gospel is. I acknowledged that there was a man named Jesus and the whole story of Him dying and rising from the dead for my sins, but I did not understand it. I didn't even know what sin was because most people honestly don't preach about it. I read the Bible straight through like it was a pamphlet and didn't even study it before I was saved by the blood of Jesus Christ.
Now some will say what about Romans 10:13 "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." That's true, but don't take it out of context, let's look at the whole verse.
Romans 10:9 - 13 "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
This verse also includes "belief and trust". That's what it means to call on the name of the Lord.
I'm not saying you have to be a Bible scholar, a pastor, or a missionary. But as Christians everyone should be able to answer why they believe in what they believe, and explain what the Gospel is. It's not that hard:
We broke God's holy Law (The 10 Commandments) and deserve hell - He sent His son to endure His wrath for our sins on the cross and rose 3 days later defeating death - If we repent and place our trust in Him (BELIEVE) we will be saved and inherit the Kingdom of God.
I see many who say they believe they are Christians because they have faith. The sad truth is, atheists and muslims have faith and a lot of them know the Bible better than "Christians" do! So open your Bible so that you can explain why and how you believe Jesus Christ is the real living God.
I believe in the the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe the Bible is the authoritative word of God. And I believe in His promises. Do you?
I love you and that's why I'm writing this. It may apply to you and it might not. But send it to someone who it does if you truly care for them. As Christians we should care more about people's souls than their or our feelings.
In Christ,
Joey
Saturday, August 1, 2009
How should Christians dress.....?
I'm doing a something a little bit different today and writing about how Christians should dress, from a 24 year old married man and the Bible's perspective.
I know I'll probably have many disagreements, only because this a big issue among many individuals, but it is important. First, I'm going to borrow a couple of excerpts from some good articles. So hang with me for a minute.
Keep in mind when we study scripture we have to consider the whole message and entirity of the Bible not just a single passage. The Bible is our ultimate authority, not our experiences. Remember we are to interpret our experiences with the Bible, not interpret the Bible with our experiences. I'll pray that you don't stop reading!
1 Samuel 16:7
“The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
Here's a big one women:
1 Timothy 2:9-10 tells us, “I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.”
Important point: Paul did not forbid women from wearing jewelry, makeup, or braided hair—rather he tells women to not let their outward appearance become more important than their inner beauty.
Another reference:
Peter reminds us of this spiritual fact: “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight” (1 Peter 3:3-5). There is nothing wrong with wearing jewelry, makeup, or braided hair as long as it is done in a modest manner. A woman should not be so focused on her outward appearance that she neglects her inner spiritual life. The Bible focuses on the heart. If a woman is spending too much time and money on her appearance, the problem is that the woman’s priorities are wrong. Expensive jewelry and clothing are the results of the problem, not the problem itself.
Our outward appearance should not be our focus. If the reason we try to be the perfect weight, wear the best clothes, have facial treatments, etc., is to impress other people, then our physical appearance has become a matter of pride. We should be humbly aware of our appearance rather than acting to conform to the world’s standards. Matthew 23:12 says, "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." And James 4:6 says, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
We must watch out for anything that draws us away from God, including the too-often extreme emphasis the world places on appearances. God does not want us to love the world or anything in it (1 John 2:15), and we are not to think as the world does (Romans 12:2). God has shown us His own amazing power and beauty and love in an incredibly diverse creation. We should be humble, not committing idolatry in worshiping the creation rather than the creator (Colossians 3:5).
Those were a couple of excerpts from articles of www.gotquestions.org
Now, this seems like it is geared a lot towards women, right? No, this is for men as well. I believe women were made to be much more beautiful creatures than man and Satan knows that as well and uses it. When God made Eve from Adam I think He left out all the unattractive features from Adam, ha.
From my personal and Biblical perspective I agree with the passages above. But I think as Christians we should go deeper and look at Jesus' commandment to us, "love your neighbor as yourself". As Christians, we should love our Christian brothers and sisters along with the lost. From my witnessing experiences and research I have found that men suffer from lust much more than women do. I personally do not think there is anything more attractive than having a wife who loves me unconditionally and gave birth to our son. No womanly flesh could ever even compare to my wife.
Now for the controversial part. Many will say, "well I'm just trying to build my self-esteem or this is how I like to dress". First off, where does the Bible talk about building our self-esteem in that way?
Phil 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
We are commanded to be humble servants to our Lord just as Jesus was. This is a view most people do not want to take. If I dress this way will it cause someone to lust after me? If we love our neighbor why should we want to make them fall to the sin of lust? Many, many, many people fail to realize the repercussions this can have on people, especially Christians. Of course, we can't guarantee someone is not going to have lustful thoughts, but are we helping the situation, that is the question. Christians, are you dressing in such a way that draw people's attention towards your eyes, your face, and not towards the other parts of your body?
As Christians we have a responsibility. Men, look women in the eye no matter what women are revealing, in respect to yourself, God and women. Women, don't give men something to look at even if it makes you feel better about yourself. You should love people enough to put them before yourself. Guys, if your giving women something to look at then that is sick in itself and I don't know how you are a man.
Unfortunately this is even happening in our churches.
In Closing:
Dress to please the Lord. The world is already full of raunchy images found on: TV, ads, the internet, and magazines. So let's not add to the fallen worlds immorality. We can still dress beautifully/stylish. You don't have to look stupid or out of style to be modest. I know this is the case because there are hundreds of very attractive people who dress modestly and don't cause people to stumble, and they don't look out of style. I think my wife is a pretty good example : )
In Christ,
Joey Acker
I know I'll probably have many disagreements, only because this a big issue among many individuals, but it is important. First, I'm going to borrow a couple of excerpts from some good articles. So hang with me for a minute.
Keep in mind when we study scripture we have to consider the whole message and entirity of the Bible not just a single passage. The Bible is our ultimate authority, not our experiences. Remember we are to interpret our experiences with the Bible, not interpret the Bible with our experiences. I'll pray that you don't stop reading!
1 Samuel 16:7
“The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
Here's a big one women:
1 Timothy 2:9-10 tells us, “I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.”
Important point: Paul did not forbid women from wearing jewelry, makeup, or braided hair—rather he tells women to not let their outward appearance become more important than their inner beauty.
Another reference:
Peter reminds us of this spiritual fact: “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight” (1 Peter 3:3-5). There is nothing wrong with wearing jewelry, makeup, or braided hair as long as it is done in a modest manner. A woman should not be so focused on her outward appearance that she neglects her inner spiritual life. The Bible focuses on the heart. If a woman is spending too much time and money on her appearance, the problem is that the woman’s priorities are wrong. Expensive jewelry and clothing are the results of the problem, not the problem itself.
Our outward appearance should not be our focus. If the reason we try to be the perfect weight, wear the best clothes, have facial treatments, etc., is to impress other people, then our physical appearance has become a matter of pride. We should be humbly aware of our appearance rather than acting to conform to the world’s standards. Matthew 23:12 says, "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." And James 4:6 says, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
We must watch out for anything that draws us away from God, including the too-often extreme emphasis the world places on appearances. God does not want us to love the world or anything in it (1 John 2:15), and we are not to think as the world does (Romans 12:2). God has shown us His own amazing power and beauty and love in an incredibly diverse creation. We should be humble, not committing idolatry in worshiping the creation rather than the creator (Colossians 3:5).
Those were a couple of excerpts from articles of www.gotquestions.org
Now, this seems like it is geared a lot towards women, right? No, this is for men as well. I believe women were made to be much more beautiful creatures than man and Satan knows that as well and uses it. When God made Eve from Adam I think He left out all the unattractive features from Adam, ha.
From my personal and Biblical perspective I agree with the passages above. But I think as Christians we should go deeper and look at Jesus' commandment to us, "love your neighbor as yourself". As Christians, we should love our Christian brothers and sisters along with the lost. From my witnessing experiences and research I have found that men suffer from lust much more than women do. I personally do not think there is anything more attractive than having a wife who loves me unconditionally and gave birth to our son. No womanly flesh could ever even compare to my wife.
Now for the controversial part. Many will say, "well I'm just trying to build my self-esteem or this is how I like to dress". First off, where does the Bible talk about building our self-esteem in that way?
Phil 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
We are commanded to be humble servants to our Lord just as Jesus was. This is a view most people do not want to take. If I dress this way will it cause someone to lust after me? If we love our neighbor why should we want to make them fall to the sin of lust? Many, many, many people fail to realize the repercussions this can have on people, especially Christians. Of course, we can't guarantee someone is not going to have lustful thoughts, but are we helping the situation, that is the question. Christians, are you dressing in such a way that draw people's attention towards your eyes, your face, and not towards the other parts of your body?
As Christians we have a responsibility. Men, look women in the eye no matter what women are revealing, in respect to yourself, God and women. Women, don't give men something to look at even if it makes you feel better about yourself. You should love people enough to put them before yourself. Guys, if your giving women something to look at then that is sick in itself and I don't know how you are a man.
Unfortunately this is even happening in our churches.
In Closing:
Dress to please the Lord. The world is already full of raunchy images found on: TV, ads, the internet, and magazines. So let's not add to the fallen worlds immorality. We can still dress beautifully/stylish. You don't have to look stupid or out of style to be modest. I know this is the case because there are hundreds of very attractive people who dress modestly and don't cause people to stumble, and they don't look out of style. I think my wife is a pretty good example : )
In Christ,
Joey Acker