WISE NOT STUPID
True Christian leaders are not stupid. They have on and in them the same Spirit of the Lord that Jesus had and the mind of Christ
Isaiah 11:
1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
3 His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
1 Corinthians 2
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.
16 For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
A WIMPY COUNTERFEIT ANEMIC JESUS
Many so called bible believing Christians are real nuts who worship the bible above Jesus Christ whom they don’t obey. They offer a wimpy anemic counterfeit Jesus who loves everybody and wants everybody in heaven and ignore the fact that Jesus Christ who is the same yesterday, today and forever is a man of war who kills His enemies! They have a form of godliness and deny its power. They are devoid of truth, miracle, signs and wonders contrary to the commands of Jesus (Mark 16:14-20). They are devoid of wisdom and discernment as defined by Isaiah 11:1-6 and 1 Corinthians 2:1-16. They hate the gifts of the Spirit and don’t practice them (1 Corinthians 12-14)
All they every do is talk and talk and talk and judge others as not being Christians! They throw true Christians out of their anemic impotent useless churches! They preach that suffering and poverty is the will of God and miracles have ceased but when they are sick they run to a doctor instead of accepting sickness as the will of God. They think they are on the way to heaven when in reality they are on the way to hell as they are the foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-12). They are nothing but a cult!
Paul mentioned such people who refused the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in 1 Cor. 14: 23 – 24. The Greek word that he uses to describe them is “idiotai” (plural), “idiotes” (singular) which means they are spiritual “idiots” but usually translated as “ungifted” of “unskilled” or laymen, amateurs, unskilled people. They do not want the Holy Spirit nor do they want the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. But they want to be involved in churches and prevent the real work of God which requires the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. They are people who want what God has without coming under His Lordship which requires the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the “Signs” of the Holy Spirit. They are like the Pharisees of whom Jesus said, “for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” (Jn. 12: 3). Samuel told Saul, “Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD (Yahweh), he has also rejected you from being king” (1 Sam. 15: 23). This applies today who do not want to do what Jesus requires of them.
They think that because they have prayed the “sinner’s prayer” that they can ignore what the Scriptures require and not lose their Salvation. That’s the reason why Jesus warn us in Revelation 3: 5 that when somebody turns away from Him, they can have their names blotted out (removed) from the Book of Life. Also: Heb. 6: 1 – 8; 2 Pet. 2: 20 – 22; Proverbs 26: 11. Jesus aptly warns us, “Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles” (Matt. 7: 15: 16).
Hi Walter:
The total foolishness of this so-called cessation theology demonstrates that these people do not study the Scriptures in Greek. While teaching at a FGBMFI Retreat in Sault Ste Marie, NY, I was approached by two Bible College Students who were studying for the Baptist ministry. I had completed a lecture about the 15 Gifts of the Holy Spirit and how they are to be used in ministry. They told me that they didn’t believe what I was teaching because they believed that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and Signs, Wonders and Miracles were not for today. I asked them if they had studied Greek and they both said that they had. I opened my Greek Bible up to 1 Cor. 13: 10 which says, “but when the perfect comes the imperfect will pass away.” The Greek word for perfect comes from the Greek verb “teleioo” is “teleion” meaning perfect end. I then turned to 1 Cor. 15: 24 which reads, “Then come the (perfect) end (telos), when he (Jesus) delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. Paul goes on to explain that this will happen, “For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed” (1 Cor. 15: 52). The Greek word, “telos” comes from the Greek verb “teleo” which is defined as; 1. to complete an activity or process, bring to an end; 2. to carry out an obligation or demand, carry out, accomplish, perform, fulfill, keep. Both words mean the same thing: the end of time when Jesus comes back to raise the dead. So both words mean that the “perfect end” will not come until Jesus comes back. They are both used to mean “to complete an activity, complete, bring to an end, finish, accomplish”. Telos refers to a point in time marking the end of a duration, end, termination, cessation, the last part of a process, close, conclusion, to be at the end, finally, the goal toward which a movement is being directed, end, goal outcome. Jesus used “telos” in Matt. 24:6, 14; Lk. 21: 9. There are many references in the NT using both Greek words to mean that the perfect will not occur until Jesus returns and the dead are raised. Until the, the 15 Spiritual Gifts of the Holy Spirit are distributed so that all of people’s needs can be met (Rom. 12: 6 – 8; 1 Cor. 12: 8 – 10). And, by the way, when the two Baptist students read the Greek, they realized that the teaching that they had received was not accurate or true. I said, “Now you have had your eyes opened, what will you do now?” They went away without a word. Anybody who has studied Greek often runs into a difference between the various interpretation of Scripture which disagree with church doctrines. Jesus called of such mis-interpretations, “So, for the sake of your tradition, you have made void the word of God” (Matt. 15: 16; Mk. 7: 13).
Yours in Jesus Christ, Gordon
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO REPENT?
Some Christians believe repentance means simply to “turn around” and go in the opposite direction. But the Bible tells us repentance is much more than this.
The full, literal meaning of the word “repent” in the New Testament is “to feel remorse and self-reproach for one’s sins against God; to be contrite, sorry; to want to change direction.” The difference in meanings here rests on the word “want.” True repentance includes a desire to change!
Moreover, simply being sorry does not constitute repentance. Rather, true sorrow leads to repentance. Paul states, “Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death” (2 Corinthians 7:10).
Paul is speaking here of a sorrow that is without regrets—one that is genuine, that “sticks” in the life of the repentant person. This kind of godly sorrow naturally produces a repentance that includes a hatred for sin, a righteous fear of God and a desire to right all wrongs.
It should not surprise us, then, that Paul preached repentance to believers. He delivered a strong message of repentance to the Christians in Corinth. The Corinthian believers had been richly blessed by God, having sat under mighty teachers of the Word, yet their congregation remained rife with sin.
First Paul testifies to the Corinthians, “Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds” (2 Corinthians 12:12). But then Paul tells them very directly: “I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would” (verse 20).
What was Paul’s fear? It was simply this: “Lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall [mourn] many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed” (verse 21).
This tenderhearted shepherd loved the compromising saints in Corinth. Yet he knew they had been well-taught that a lifestyle of gross sin was wrong. He told them, “When I come to visit you, you’re going to see me hanging my head in grief. My eyes will flow with tears, and my voice will wail in sorrow.
“If I see you continuing to indulge in uncleanness, fornication and lust, I’ll be utterly broken, because the gospel has not done its work in your heart. You haven’t yet repented of your sin. And I will call you loudly to repent!”
True Christian leaders are not stupid. They have on and in them the same Spirit of the Lord that Jesus had and the mind of Christ
Isaiah 11:
1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
3 His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
1 Corinthians 2
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.
16 For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
A WIMPY COUNTERFEIT ANEMIC JESUS
Many so called bible believing Christians are real nuts who worship the bible above Jesus Christ whom they don’t obey. They offer a wimpy anemic counterfeit Jesus who loves everybody and wants everybody in heaven and ignore the fact that Jesus Christ who is the same yesterday, today and forever is a man of war who kills His enemies! They have a form of godliness and deny its power. They are devoid of truth, miracle, signs and wonders contrary to the commands of Jesus (Mark 16:14-20). They are devoid of wisdom and discernment as defined by Isaiah 11:1-6 and 1 Corinthians 2:1-16. They hate the gifts of the Spirit and don’t practice them (1 Corinthians 12-14)
All they every do is talk and talk and talk and judge others as not being Christians! They throw true Christians out of their anemic impotent useless churches! They preach that suffering and poverty is the will of God and miracles have ceased but when they are sick they run to a doctor instead of accepting sickness as the will of God. They think they are on the way to heaven when in reality they are on the way to hell as they are the foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-12). They are nothing but a cult!
Paul mentioned such people who refused the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in 1 Cor. 14: 23 – 24. The Greek word that he uses to describe them is “idiotai” (plural), “idiotes” (singular) which means they are spiritual “idiots” but usually translated as “ungifted” of “unskilled” or laymen, amateurs, unskilled people. They do not want the Holy Spirit nor do they want the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. But they want to be involved in churches and prevent the real work of God which requires the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. They are people who want what God has without coming under His Lordship which requires the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the “Signs” of the Holy Spirit. They are like the Pharisees of whom Jesus said, “for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” (Jn. 12: 3). Samuel told Saul, “Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD (Yahweh), he has also rejected you from being king” (1 Sam. 15: 23). This applies today who do not want to do what Jesus requires of them.
They think that because they have prayed the “sinner’s prayer” that they can ignore what the Scriptures require and not lose their Salvation. That’s the reason why Jesus warn us in Revelation 3: 5 that when somebody turns away from Him, they can have their names blotted out (removed) from the Book of Life. Also: Heb. 6: 1 – 8; 2 Pet. 2: 20 – 22; Proverbs 26: 11. Jesus aptly warns us, “Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles” (Matt. 7: 15: 16).
Hi Walter:
The total foolishness of this so-called cessation theology demonstrates that these people do not study the Scriptures in Greek. While teaching at a FGBMFI Retreat in Sault Ste Marie, NY, I was approached by two Bible College Students who were studying for the Baptist ministry. I had completed a lecture about the 15 Gifts of the Holy Spirit and how they are to be used in ministry. They told me that they didn’t believe what I was teaching because they believed that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and Signs, Wonders and Miracles were not for today. I asked them if they had studied Greek and they both said that they had. I opened my Greek Bible up to 1 Cor. 13: 10 which says, “but when the perfect comes the imperfect will pass away.” The Greek word for perfect comes from the Greek verb “teleioo” is “teleion” meaning perfect end. I then turned to 1 Cor. 15: 24 which reads, “Then come the (perfect) end (telos), when he (Jesus) delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. Paul goes on to explain that this will happen, “For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed” (1 Cor. 15: 52). The Greek word, “telos” comes from the Greek verb “teleo” which is defined as; 1. to complete an activity or process, bring to an end; 2. to carry out an obligation or demand, carry out, accomplish, perform, fulfill, keep. Both words mean the same thing: the end of time when Jesus comes back to raise the dead. So both words mean that the “perfect end” will not come until Jesus comes back. They are both used to mean “to complete an activity, complete, bring to an end, finish, accomplish”. Telos refers to a point in time marking the end of a duration, end, termination, cessation, the last part of a process, close, conclusion, to be at the end, finally, the goal toward which a movement is being directed, end, goal outcome. Jesus used “telos” in Matt. 24:6, 14; Lk. 21: 9. There are many references in the NT using both Greek words to mean that the perfect will not occur until Jesus returns and the dead are raised. Until the, the 15 Spiritual Gifts of the Holy Spirit are distributed so that all of people’s needs can be met (Rom. 12: 6 – 8; 1 Cor. 12: 8 – 10). And, by the way, when the two Baptist students read the Greek, they realized that the teaching that they had received was not accurate or true. I said, “Now you have had your eyes opened, what will you do now?” They went away without a word. Anybody who has studied Greek often runs into a difference between the various interpretation of Scripture which disagree with church doctrines. Jesus called of such mis-interpretations, “So, for the sake of your tradition, you have made void the word of God” (Matt. 15: 16; Mk. 7: 13).
Yours in Jesus Christ, Gordon
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO REPENT?
Some Christians believe repentance means simply to “turn around” and go in the opposite direction. But the Bible tells us repentance is much more than this.
The full, literal meaning of the word “repent” in the New Testament is “to feel remorse and self-reproach for one’s sins against God; to be contrite, sorry; to want to change direction.” The difference in meanings here rests on the word “want.” True repentance includes a desire to change!
Moreover, simply being sorry does not constitute repentance. Rather, true sorrow leads to repentance. Paul states, “Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death” (2 Corinthians 7:10).
Paul is speaking here of a sorrow that is without regrets—one that is genuine, that “sticks” in the life of the repentant person. This kind of godly sorrow naturally produces a repentance that includes a hatred for sin, a righteous fear of God and a desire to right all wrongs.
It should not surprise us, then, that Paul preached repentance to believers. He delivered a strong message of repentance to the Christians in Corinth. The Corinthian believers had been richly blessed by God, having sat under mighty teachers of the Word, yet their congregation remained rife with sin.
First Paul testifies to the Corinthians, “Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds” (2 Corinthians 12:12). But then Paul tells them very directly: “I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would” (verse 20).
What was Paul’s fear? It was simply this: “Lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall [mourn] many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed” (verse 21).
This tenderhearted shepherd loved the compromising saints in Corinth. Yet he knew they had been well-taught that a lifestyle of gross sin was wrong. He told them, “When I come to visit you, you’re going to see me hanging my head in grief. My eyes will flow with tears, and my voice will wail in sorrow.
“If I see you continuing to indulge in uncleanness, fornication and lust, I’ll be utterly broken, because the gospel has not done its work in your heart. You haven’t yet repented of your sin. And I will call you loudly to repent!”
FORTIFY IN TIMES OF PEACE
…His faithful promises are your armor and protection. - Psalm 91:4, NLT
Don’t wait for a crisis to happen before you start meditating on God’s Word. When things are well with you, start storing up the Lord’s promises in your heart. Start fortifying yourself with the unshakable Word of God.
My friend, be wise like Joseph, who stored up grain during the years of plenty and peace, so that the people were well provided for when famine struck. Be wise like King Solomon, who fortified key cities and built supply centers when the land was at rest, and brought peace and prosperity to his people (1 Kings 9:15–19). These are pictures of meditating on and fortifying yourself with God’s promises, your nourishment, armor and protection.
Beloved, God wants you to fill your heart with the good treasure of His Word that will bring forth good things even when times are bad. His Word in your heart will protect and sustain you, light the way and deliver you safely through every storm!
…His faithful promises are your armor and protection. - Psalm 91:4, NLT
Don’t wait for a crisis to happen before you start meditating on God’s Word. When things are well with you, start storing up the Lord’s promises in your heart. Start fortifying yourself with the unshakable Word of God.
My friend, be wise like Joseph, who stored up grain during the years of plenty and peace, so that the people were well provided for when famine struck. Be wise like King Solomon, who fortified key cities and built supply centers when the land was at rest, and brought peace and prosperity to his people (1 Kings 9:15–19). These are pictures of meditating on and fortifying yourself with God’s promises, your nourishment, armor and protection.
Beloved, God wants you to fill your heart with the good treasure of His Word that will bring forth good things even when times are bad. His Word in your heart will protect and sustain you, light the way and deliver you safely through every storm!
IT'S YOUR FAULT IF YOU DON'T HAVE MIRACLES
1 Corinthians 12:28. "God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues."
God placed the miracles in the church, just like He placed healing, teaching, and apostles. If this is true, and it is, then why do we not see more miracles in the church?
The answer to that is actually explained by the Bible. In Mark 6, Jesus went to his hometown of Nazareth along with His disciples. When the Sabbath day came, Jesus began teaching in the synagogue. There were many people there who had traveled to hear Him, and they were astonished at what He said. In verse 2 the people said, "Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!"
Then some of the people began to doubt Jesus' authority. They said, "Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joses, Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?" (v.3.)
In other words, they were saying, "Who does this guy think he is? He's just the local neighbor boy who grew up down the street." Then verse 3 tells us that the people became offended at Him.
But Jesus told them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." (v.4.) In other words, Jesus said that when you are among strangers, the people will listen and believe, but at home, the people are too familiar and it's harder to believe.
But listen to this. The Bible says in Mark 6:5 that in Nazareth, Jesus could not do many mighty works. Notice it doesn't say he would not, it says He could not. The reason is that the people there did not believe. In fact, verse 6 says that Jesus marveled at their unbelief.
Remember, Jesus said all things are possible for those who believe. That must, in turn, mean that all things are not possible for those who do not believe. The choice is ours.
PAUL PREACHED IN THE POWER OF THE FULLNESS OF GOD'S BLESSINGS AND NOT JUST WORDS
ROMANS 15:17 Therefore I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God.
18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient ---
19 in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
29 But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.
1 CORINTHIANS 2:
1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.
2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.
4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.
7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,
8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
9 But as it is written: " Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.
16 For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
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