Exploring Christ's Spiritual Laws

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1John 2:24 . . Let that therefore abide in you, which you have heard from
the beginning. If that which you have heard from the beginning shall remain
in you, you also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

The trick to abiding in Jesus Christ is to first off have at your disposal the
correct way to go about it. Well; that is not so easy sans the possession of a
special anointing.

"These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to
deceive you. And as for you, the anointing which you received from him
abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as his
anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just
as it has taught you, you abide in Him." (1John 2:26-27)

So then, we may conclude from 1John 2:26-27 that people lacking the
anointing:

1• Are susceptible to deception

2• Have very possibly bought into a lie and don't know it, because that's the
nature of deception: it's stealthy

3• Do not have in their possession the information one needs to abide in him

4• Are not abiding in him

That pretty much describes the spiritual condition of every Watchtower
Society missionary that comes to our doors because they quite candidly
admit they do not have the anointing nor do they ever expect to obtain it.
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Webers.Home

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1John 2:28 . . And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall
appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his
coming.

Jesus had quite a bit to say about abiding in him at John 15:1-10; which is
just about an impossibility if the little children give no time to studying the
New Testament either by private Bible reading, Sunday school classes,
sermons, seminars, books, and/or radio Bible programs.

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve
what God's will is-- His good, pleasing and perfect will." (Rom 12:2)

"Get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept
the word planted in you, which can save you." (Jas 1:21)

But knowledge is only a part of abiding in him. It's essential to work Christ's
teachings into one's life in order to be sure they won't be ashamed in his
presence.

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it
says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a
man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes
away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

. . . But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom,
and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-- he
will be blessed in what he does." (Jas 1:22-25)
_
 

Webers.Home

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1John 3:6-8 . .Whoever abides in him does not sin. Whoever sins has
neither seen him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He
who practices righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who
sins is of the Devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.

John started off by saying: "whoever abides in him does not sin".

This is tricky because according to 1John 1:8-10 even the apostle John
sinned; and surely no one would suggest that John didn't abide in Christ;
nor dare say that he had neither seen Christ nor known him.

In a nutshell: "He who sins is of the Devil" refers to people whose religion
and/or whose spiritual ideology is something other than Christianity. Those
outside of Christianity are practicing unrighteousness; while those inside
Christianity are practicing righteousness. Bottom line: the practice of
Christianity is the right thing to do while the practice of all other religions
and/or spiritual ideologies is the wrong thing to do.
_
 

Webers.Home

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1John 3:11-13 . . For this is the message that you heard from the
beginning, that we should love one another-- not as Cain who was of the
wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because
his works were evil and his brother's righteous. Do not be perplexed, my
brethren, if the world hates you.

Evil people just naturally despise righteous people. It's one of the facts of
life.

"The wicked plot against the righteous and grate their teeth at them." (Ps
37:12)

My wife and I witnessed a humorous example of grating one day. This
elderly lady made a sudden U-turn right in front of us in the middle of the
street and when we honked our horn in protest; granny jutted her defiant
face in our direction as she passed by and bared her teeth at us like a
snarling dog. Start watching people. You'll be amazed at how often they curl
their lips and show their teeth because of some irritation.

One of the boys involved in the April 20, 1999 Columbine High School
shooting incident murdered a girl in the cafeteria just because she believed
in God. Isn't that amazing? That boy was nothing in the world but a
twentieth century Cain with a gun.

My own brother and I were paired similar to Cain and Abel. Both of us
worshipped the same God, as those two brothers did, and mine was even an
altar boy for a while. One evening at church, the priest asked everyone to
stand and give their word that they would always honor and obey God. My
brother stood along with the rest of us, but did not promise because, he
said, there were things he wanted to do. My brother really changed after
that. In time he began treating me with an unusual amount of hostility and
disrespect; taking every available opportunity to ridicule, mock, demean,
and taunt me.

It was so odd because I honestly never gave him any justification to act that
way. Of the two of us, he was the best looking, the bravest, the most
athletic, the most popular, had all the luck with girls, went to all the dances,
owned lots of cars, always had good jobs, and knew all the right people in
school. Yet he despised me.

Do you know what made my brother hate me? It was because he sensed
that I approved of neither his character nor of his core values. I've since
discovered it's an earmark of Cainish people that unless they are admired
and approved by others, they become hateful and very resentful.

There's lots more Cainish people out there. They may not carry guns, but
they're in business, in the stock market, in the police department, in the fire
department, at the grocery store, at the mall, at the movies, on the
freeways, and at your place of work. They are everywhere: they are
everybody, and they are nobody-- sometimes they are obvious, sometimes
they are subtle.

Way too many people in America hate God; and they bitterly despise all who
admire God and are in any way loyal to Him at all; especially loyal to the
Bible. This condition exists even in the best of churches (cf. Acts 20:29-30,
Jude 1:3-4) and I've encountered plenty of "Christians" who will hate your
guts simply for disagreeing with their religious beliefs and practices. Now
that really ought not to be.
_
 

Webers.Home

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1John 3:18 . . My little children, let us not love only in word or in tongue,
but in deed and in truth.

What is truth? (John 18:38)

Pilate's question was meaningful in his day because ancient philosophers
perpetually discussed and debated the nature of truth without ever achieving
a universal agreement about it.

Well; one of Webster's definitions of "truth" is: a state of being the case; viz:
fact; which Webster's defines as the quality of being actual. In other words:
truth is the way it is; viz: truth is reality as opposed to speculation, fantasy,
opinion, deception, falsehood, error, inaccuracy, inexactness, dishonesty,
theory, imagination, invention, conjecture, misrepresentation, and half
truth, etc.

The trick to loving in truth is first of all knowing the truth.

I was once asked by an atheist why Christians need so many rules when
their whole religion is summed up by just one: the Golden Rule.

Well, the world's idea of the so-called golden rule is one thing; which may
not may not conform to God's idea; hence the following commandment.

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect
will of God." (Rom 12:2)

There are no short-cuts to the truth. The good path is according to Eph
4:11-15; viz: by teachers and preachers. I do not recommend the self
taught route. People who go that way usually end up with disinformation
lodged in their heads that is not easily corrected. Beware.

"Some of Paul's comments are hard to understand, and those who are
ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters around to mean something
quite different from what he meant, just as they do the other parts of
Scripture-- and the result is disaster for them." (2Pet 3:16)

Anyway, point being: love in accordance with truth may at times seem very
unloving to the world because it doesn't know the truth, nor does it care to
know. I think a fair percentage of the world would agree with Pilate that
truth is uncertain and unknowable.
_
 

Webers.Home

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1John 4:1 . . Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits,
whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into
the world.

The koiné Greek word for "spirits" is pneuma (pnyoo'-mah) which means,
among other things; a current of air; viz: winds and breezes. Probably what
John is talking about are spiritual influences; viz: spurious doctrines. (Eph
4:14)

The common Greek word translated "prophet" is prophetes (prof-ay'-tace)
which essentially identifies a foreteller; i.e. someone who claims to predict
the future.

Jesus said that false prophets are known by their fruits (Matt 7:15-20). For
example: the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society has predicted Christ's
return and Armageddon several times in the past and been wrong every
time. Well; if their predictions are wrong, then we have to assume that their
teachings are highly suspect no matter how reasonable they may sound.
_
 

Webers.Home

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1John 4:20-21 . . If someone says "I love God," and hates his brother, he's
a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he
love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from
Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

NOTE: The commandment referenced is located at John 13:34

The Greek word for "love" throughout 1John 4:20-21 is agapao (ag-ap-ah'-o)
which is an indistinct word for love that may or may not include affection
and fondness; but it certainly includes things like civility, courtesy,
generosity, lenience, tolerance, charity, kindness, patience, forgiveness,
diplomacy, humility, hospitality, sympathy, respect, tact, etc.

I think that what John is trying to get across is that inconsiderate treatment
of The Father's children betrays one's lack of consideration for a father's
feelings; which is the behavior of a churlish Christian rather than a spiritual
Christian.
_
 

Webers.Home

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1John 5:16-17 . . If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not
lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those
whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am
not saying that he should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is
sin that does not lead to death.

The most common sins unto death are those classified as capital crimes; viz:
those for which the death penalty is the right thing to do. It would be a
miscarriage of justice to pray somebody out of that jam. If the courts and
the laws of the land have decided that they must die; then they must die;
and that's that.

If a fellow believer is on death row for a capital offense; it's best to stay out
of it and let God and the courts handle it. Christians on death row should be
encouraged to man-up (or woman-up, as the case may be) and face the
music rather than expect sympathy from either their church or their
Christian friends. Christians who pray for the release of believers on death
row for capital crimes are not only attempting to obstruct justice, but also in
shameful rebellion against Almighty God's sovereign wishes.

"For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be
unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the
same. For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid;
for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger
to execute wrath on him who practices evil." (Rom 13:3-4)
_
 

Webers.Home

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1John 5:21 . . Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

The koiné Greek word for "idols" is eidolon (i'-do-lon) which means: an
image (for worship) viz: by implication, a heathen god.

Religious art such as paintings and sculptures don't really qualify as idols
until somebody gets a little too carried away; for example:

There's a statue of Ste. Peter in Rome whose big toe has been eroded over
the years by the lips of people kissing it. I would have to say that easily
qualifies as idolatry. I've no objection to paintings, statues, and stained
glass, but when people kneel to, pray to, speak to, and/or kiss those items,
then I believe they've trespassed into forbidden territory, and broken the
very first of the Ten Commandments.

"Be strictly on your guard not to act corruptly by fashioning an idol for
yourselves to represent any figure, whether it be the form of a man or of a
woman" (Deut 4:15-16)

Using that as a guideline, I would have to say that praying to, and/or looking
to, patron saints for providence and protection easily qualifies as both
polytheism and idolatry; as well as marginalizes God and diminishes one's
affections for Him. If somebody loves The Lord their God with all their heart,
all their soul, all their mind, and all their strength, as per Mark 12:30, there
will be nothing left for patron saints, artworks and/or statuary; and so
idolatry would never be an issue.

NOTE: Idolatry back in Paul's day oftentimes included immoral activities with
temple prostitutes. We sure wouldn't want Christ's believing followers
involved in that sort of thing.

"Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I
then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!
Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her
in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh." But he who unites
himself with The Lord is one with him in spirit. Flee from sexual immorality.
All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually
sins against his own body." (1Cor 6:15-18)
_
 

Webers.Home

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2John 1:5-6 . . And now I beseech you, lady, not as writing to you a new
commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we
love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to His
commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the
beginning, that you should walk in it.

The precise identity of the "lady" of this epistle is impossible to know for
sure. Some have construed it to be Christ's mom, and yet others as a local
church to which John mailed his letter, while others believe it refers to the
church as per Matt 16:18. I tend to think it was a local church since 2John
1:13 indicates the lady had a sister; viz: a sister church.

The first of the two loves in the passage is agapao (ag-ap-ah'-o) which is a
verb. The second love is agape (ag-ah'-pay) which is a noun. Neither of
those two words specifically refer to either affection or fondness.

Things like courtesy, generosity, loyalty, sympathy, kindness, civility, and
charity can all be extended to one's fellow Christians without especially liking
them; in point of fact, we may even wholly despise them with every fiber of
our being. But we dare not allow our low opinion to dictate how we treat
them.

Anyway, the bottom line is: though Christians obsess and chirp about love
till the cows come home, the bald fact is that if they are not complying with
Christ's commandments in their association with other believers, then as
persons they have little to commend them.

NOTE: Christianity is a very practical religion. It not only brings sinners into a
right relationship with their creator, but it also makes them better people;
viz: makes them more humane.
_
 

Webers.Home

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2John 1:8 . .Watch yourselves, that we might not lose what we have
accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.

The koiné Greek word for "lose" is apollumi (ap-ol'-loo-mee) which doesn't
mean to lose as if stolen or misplaced, but rather, it means to lose
something by its destruction like when people's homes were demolished in
New Orleans by the hurricane Katrina.

Apparently it's okay if your successor wrecks what you've accomplished in
The Lord because that will be on their head. Just make sure you yourself
don't do anything to wreck it; and it doesn't really take all that much: a little
adultery, a little immorality, a little fraud, a little embezzling, a little
dishonesty, a little abuse of power, a little hypocrisy, a little dereliction of
duty, a failure to honor promises and commitments; et al.

Take for example Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He started off as an okay
Christian man ordained to serve Jesus Christ, and then deserted the sheep
that Christ entrusted to his care and diverted his energies to political
activism. King's pastoral work went abandoned and neglected; and he
cheated on his wife too.

Moral of the story is: nobody is twisting anybody's arm to commit to serving
Jesus Christ; but once the commitment is made: then they'd do well to stay
the course and not get distracted.

"No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the
kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62)

"As Christ's soldier, do not let yourself become tied up in the affairs of this
life, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army."
(2Tim 2:4)

Two things that Christ and his Father value very highly are integrity and
loyalty. When those are someone's guiding lights; the likelihood of their
bottom line with God showing a profit, instead of a loss, is greatly improved.
_
 

Webers.Home

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2John 1:10-11 . . If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine,
do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him
shares in his evil deeds.

The greeting in view is the holy kiss mentioned in Rom 16:16, 1Cor 16:20,
2Cor 3:12, 1Thess 5:26, and 1Pet 5 :14. The holy kiss is reserved for
brethren, not for outsiders.

Some have construed 2John 1:10-11 to mean believers are forbidden to
respond to a knock on their door by Latter Day Saints and Jehovah's
witnesses, or invite them in for a chat. That's not really what John's saying.

In his day, missionaries were put up in people's homes during their travels;
thus assisting them in their mission. So then, if you greet cultists as
brethren, and/or put them up for the night, or assist them in any way to
accomplish their mission, then you become an accomplice; and that includes
buying flowers from Moonies.
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ertteaa

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3
*Thou shall not adultery* Thou shall not kill, thou shall not steal etc

but leave it for no one is following that so no one should talk about it. is it not ?
 

Webers.Home

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3John 1:5-8 . . Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the
brethren, and to strangers; which have borne witness of thy charity before
the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort,
thou shalt do well: because that for his name's sake they went forth, taking
nothing of the Gentiles. We therefore ought to receive such, that we might
be fellow helpers to the truth.

The "Gentiles" in this instance can be considered, for all intents and
purposes, unbelievers because that's what most of the non-Israelites were in
the Roman world of that day.

Paul and his contemporaries did not stoop to the despicable practice of
selling tickets to their meetings, and/or passing the hat among the crowds
that gathered to hear them. No, just as the Old Testament's priests were
supported by their constituents, so Christ prefers to draw support from his
own rather than from strangers; for example Luke 4:41 where Jesus forbid
demons to identify him.
_
 

Webers.Home

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3John 11-12 . . Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The
one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.

The "one who does evil" refers is a believer who walks in the flesh rather
than in the Spirit. In other words, they habitually give in to the base nature
instead of resisting it.

For now, it isn't possible to literally feast your glims on the actual person of
the Bible's God. But what John's saying is that believers who do evil are
somehow unaware who they're dealing with. I think one of the more serious
temptations is for Christians to take God for granted; and to forget that first
and foremost the Bible's God is a monarch who does not tolerate
insurrection in His kingdom. He may be your Father, but He's still your
sovereign too.

"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father,
where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?" (Mal 1:6)

"And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth
according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in
fear:" (1Pet 1:17)

The koiné Greek word for "fear" in that verse is phobos (fob'-os) which
means: alarm or fright. In other words: a little theophobia goes a long ways
towards giving God the degree of respect He not only wants; but also fully
deserves. If it's unwise to trifle with rattlesnakes, high voltage electrical
wires, arsenic, and IRS audits; then surely it's agreeable that it's just as
unwise to trifle with God.

Inquiring minds can "see" God on the pages of holy writ by means of The
Lord's personal tutoring.

"No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father
except the Son: and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." (Matt
11:27)

So then, a believer who's lazy at Bible study, and/or indifferent to complying
with Christ's commandments, will fail to see God, and consequently,
they will fail to imitate Him simply because they don't know enough about
their Father in order to utilize Him as a role model.

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children" (Eph 5:1)
_
 

Webers.Home

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Jude 1:3 . . Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our
common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you
contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

The koiné Greek word for "contend earnestly" is epagonizomai (ep-ag-o-nid'
zom-ahee) which means: to struggle for

Webster's defines "struggle" as:

1_ to make strenuous or violent efforts in the face of difficulties or
opposition.

2_ to make strenuous or violent efforts in the face of difficulties or
opposition

3_ to proceed with difficulty or with great effort

Given the peace-loving nature of true, God-given Christianity, I seriously
doubt that Jude means Christians should get involved in political activism,
civil disobedience and/or inquisitions and crusades. So, then, I would say
that struggling for the faith means doing everything in one's power to keep
the faith of one's own church from being suppressed and/or crushed to
death by people with ideas; for example:

"For certain men, whose condemnation was written about long ago, have
covertly slipped in among you. These are irreverent men, who pervert the
grace of our God as a license for unethical conduct; and contradict Jesus
Christ, our only Sovereign and Lord." (Jude 1:4)

These kinds of people get on staff covertly, which means at first they look
genuine, but it's only a matter of time before they show their true colors.
The Ephesian church is a prime New Testament example of spiritual decay.
When Paul said his farewells to that at-one-time shining beacon for Christ;
here is what he predicted.

"And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.
And when they were come to him, he said unto them:

. . .Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit
has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased
with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves
will come in among you, not sparing the flock.

. . . Also from among your own selves men will rise up, speaking perverse
things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and
remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and
day with tears." (Acts 20:17-31)

Paul's prediction came true. By the time of The Lord's evaluation of the
Ephesian church in Rev 2:1-7, they had become cheap goods.

When the faith of a church becomes as hollow as the one at Laodicea (Rev
3:14-22) nothing short of a wipe can save it. The whole staff has to go;
every last one of them from the senior pastor on down; and don't forget the
membership committee. Why? Because they are typically interested only in
numbers; not believers; I've seen it.

When applying for membership in a mega church in San Diego some years
ago, I had to meet three prerequisites. First off, I had to attend the Pastor's
class for candidates. Then I had to make a profession of faith and undergo
water baptism. And then finally, I had to be interviewed by the membership
committee. For that, I was herded into a room with three other candidates
and asked to explain how I came to know The Lord.

I have an excellent testimony in that regard but the other three in the room
with me were so vague and generalizing that I thought for sure they would
be rejected; but no, they were given the right hand of fellowship same as
me.

Right then and there I knew that church was infested with irreverent men.
The membership committee was just too accommodating-- the interview
wasn't meaningful at all; it was just a formality. At that point in a church's
life, the life of its faith has been over from some time and nobody on the
inside knows it; like a frog boiled to death by starting out with cold water.

Jude isn't saying you should make an effort to revive the faith of a hollow
church; he's only saying you should take a serious interest in preventing the
faith of your church from becoming a husk.

According to 1Cor 3:6-9, churches are like farmland. Without proper
husbandry, crops fail to produce and the land risks becoming fallow.

"For ground that drinks the rain which often falls upon it and brings forth
vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing
from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to
being cursed, and it ends up being burned." (Heb 6:7-8)
_
 

Webers.Home

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Jude 1:20-21 . . But you, beloved-- building yourselves up on your most
holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit --keep yourselves in the love of God,
looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

"keep yourselves in the love of God" is somewhat vague. It can indicate
God's love for the believer, and/or it can indicate the believer's love for God.
I tend to suspect it's both because Jesus said:

"If you love me, you will obey what I command" (John 14:15)

"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.
He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him" (John
14:21)

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If
you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed
my Father's commands and remain in his love." (John 15:9-10)

The Greek word translated "keep" is very ambiguous. One of it's meanings
refers to safe-guarding and/or protecting so as to prevent loss.

It's impossible for a believer to stop God from caring for them, but by their
conduct they can, and they often do, make it difficult for Him to actually
like them.

Prayer in the Holy Spirit simply means to communicate with heaven via a
God-given method rather than one's own, or a method prescribed by one's
denomination; i.e. man-made methods. The protocol has to be God-given or
else your thoughts will just bounce off heaven's door like popcorn off the
side of a brick house.

The mercy spoken of is one's resurrection to a permanent, immortal body;
which is something that Jude says them that are sanctified by God the
Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ and called should anticipate, viz: not
just wish for, but instead fully expect. (Phil 3:20-21, 1John 3:2-3)
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Webers.Home

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Jude 1:22-23 . . On some have compassion, making a distinction; but
others rescue with fright, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the
garment defiled by the flesh.

Some Christians are offended by fright because it violates their concept of
love. But fright can be a good thing if it's applied judiciously. For instance: it
is just as wise to be afraid of God as it is wise to be afraid of cactus spines, a
mule's kick, and/or a forest fire.

Christians neglecting to build themselves up on their most holy faith, to pray
in the Holy Spirit, to keep themselves in the love of God, and to look for the
mercy of their Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life; are seriously off
reservation. Some are so far off-reservation that somebody needs to get in
their face and confront them about their condition, even if it means
becoming harsh, insensitive, and judgmental because stray Christians are
also away from God's providence; and that is a very risky situation to be in.

Some off-reservation Christians can be stopped from destroying themselves;
while others are too far gone. Of those with possibilities, counselors have to
use a little God-given common sense as it isn't necessary to employ fright
with everyone-- just the ones who are particularly difficult. Some people can
be reasoned with, while others only understand fear and can be persuaded
to move in the right direction only by lighting a fire under them, so to speak.
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Webers.Home

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Rev 14:6-7 . . And I saw another angel flying through the sky, carrying the
everlasting gospel to preach to the people who dwell on the earth-- to every
nation, tribe, language, and people. Fear God! he shouted. Give glory to
Him! For the time has come when He will sit as judge. Worship Him who
made heaven and earth, the sea, and all the springs of water!

The everlasting gospel is very elementary. Pretty much all it says is:

1• There's a supreme being.

2• He deserves respect.

3• There's a frightful reckoning looming on the horizon, and

4• The cosmos-- all of its forms of life, matter, and energy --is the product
of intelligent design.

Giving glory to God basically requires giving Him credit where credit is due;
and worship basically requires giving Him reverence, applause, dignity, and
admiration. People who disbelieve intelligent design of course grant their
maker neither.

The everlasting gospel's points are as valid in our day as they will be in the
days ahead; viz: the everlasting gospel is timeless.

-- The End --
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